Plausible vs Umami: The Self-Hoster Showdown
Read time: 7 min | Updated: January 2026
TL;DR: Plausible if you want to pay and keep things simple. Umami if you self-host and save every euro. For most developers: Umami. For businesses: Plausible.
Plausible and Umami are damn similar. Both lightweight, both privacy-first, both open source. That makes the decision harder than Plausible vs Matomo.
I’ve had both running on my servers. Here’s the honest comparison.
At a Glance
| Plausible | Umami | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2019 | 2020 |
| Origin | Estonia 🇪🇪 | Open Source Project |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Script | ~1 KB | ~2 KB |
| Stack | Elixir + ClickHouse | Node.js + PostgreSQL |
| Cloud from | €9/month | Free (10K) |
| Self-Hosting | Yes, but RAM-hungry | Yes, runs on anything |
The Big Difference: Philosophy
Plausible is a product. A company in Estonia builds it, supports it, and wants to make money with it. That’s not bad - it means constant updates, professional support, and a clear roadmap.
Umami is a project. Mike Cao started it, the community drives it forward. MIT license means: You can do whatever you want with it. Fork it, modify it, sell it. Nobody cares.
That’s reflected in everything.
Self-Hosting: Where Umami Shines
This is where it gets interesting. If you already have a server, the calculation changes completely.
Umami needs:
- 1 CPU Core
- 512 MB - 1 GB RAM
- PostgreSQL or MySQL
- That’s it
I run Umami on a €5/month Hetzner VPS. Tracks multiple sites without breaking a sweat.
Plausible needs:
- 2+ CPU Cores
- 4 GB RAM minimum (ClickHouse is a beast)
- Docker Compose setup
- More configuration
Plausible self-hosted costs me ~€20/month in server costs. For the same money I could get Plausible Cloud with support.
Self-hosting verdict: If costs matter, Umami is the clear winner.
Cloud: Where Plausible Shines
The opposite for cloud hosting:
Plausible Cloud:
- 10K Pageviews: €9
- 100K: €19
- EU hosting (Frankfurt)
- Support included
Umami Cloud:
- 10K: Free
- 100K: €9
- 1M: €29
Umami Cloud is cheaper, but Plausible feels… more finished. The UI is more polished, docs are better, support actually exists.
For a business, I’d pay the €9 premium.
Features Compared
Both have:
- Pageviews, Unique Visitors, Bounce Rate
- Referrer + UTM Tracking
- Geo data (country level)
- Device/Browser Stats
- Custom Events
- Real-time Dashboard
- API
Plausible only:
- Revenue Tracking
- Funnel Tracking (beta)
- Email Reports
- Google Search Console Integration
- Slack Alerts
Umami only:
- City-level geo (self-hosted)
- More granular permissions
- API-first design
- Multiple users with roles
Plausible extras are nice-to-have for businesses. Umami extras are nice-to-have for devs.
UI/UX
Plausible looks better. Period.
The dashboard is cleaner, animations smoother, everything feels more thought-through. If you look at it every day, you notice.
Umami is functional. Not ugly, but not beautiful either. It does what it’s supposed to do.
For me personally: Doesn’t matter. I check analytics once a week. But if your marketing team works with it, Plausible is the better choice.
Performance
| Plausible | Umami | |
|---|---|---|
| Script | ~1 KB | ~2 KB |
| Requests | 1 | 1 |
| Blocking | No | No |
Both excellent. The 1 KB difference is irrelevant.
My Recommendation
For developers with their own server: Umami.
Seriously. It costs you €5/month on a cheap VPS, tracks unlimited sites, and you have full control. MIT license means you can customize it however you want.
For businesses without DevOps: Plausible Cloud.
€9/month for a finished product with support and EU hosting. Worth it.
For the middle ground:
- Umami Cloud (free up to 10K, then cheap)
- Plausible self-hosted (if you have the server resources)
What I Use
On my personal projects: Umami self-hosted. Costs me almost nothing and I like the control.
For client projects: Plausible Cloud. Less maintenance, professional support if something goes wrong.
FAQ
Can I migrate data from Plausible to Umami?
Not directly. Different data structures. You’d have to start from zero.
Which is more actively developed?
Plausible has more frequent releases. Umami has strong community contributions. Both are alive.
Tracking multiple sites?
Both can do it. Umami’s multi-site UI is slightly better.
Which for e-commerce?
Neither is ideal. Plausible has revenue tracking, but for real e-commerce you need more (Matomo, or a dedicated tool).
Try Them
- Plausible: 30 days free or Self-Host Guide
- Umami: Free Cloud Tier or Self-Host Guide
See also:
Last updated: January 2026
This post may contain affiliate links - doesn’t cost you extra.