What is the best open-source alternative to Google Analytics 4?

Plausible CE is currently the top self-hosted open-source alternative to Google Analytics 4 with over 21,400 GitHub stars. It requires 2 GB RAM.

How much can I save by replacing Google Analytics 4 with a self-hosted tool?

By switching from Google Analytics 4 ($14.00/month) to a self-hosted VPS ($5.00/month), you can save approximately $324.00 over a 3-year period.

Can I host Google Analytics 4 alternatives on a cheap VPS?

Yes, most open-source alternatives can easily run via Docker Compose on standard cloud servers from Hostinger, Hetzner, or DigitalOcean starting at $4-$6 per month.

Data Sovereignty • Zero Vendor Lock-in • Cut Subscriptions

Top 2 Open-Source Google Analytics 4 Alternatives to Self-Host (2026)

Complex cookie-based tracking requiring cookie banners, triggering GDPR fines and cross-device user profiling. Rather than paying $14.00/month, deploy these battle-tested self-hosted alternatives with full privacy and unlimited usage.

Commercial Price: $14.00/mo • Self-Hosted VPS: $5.00/mo

💸 3-Year Cost Savings Calculator

36 Months Analysis

See how much your organization saves over a 3-year hardware lifecycle by hosting an open-source alternative on a single cloud VPS instead of paying monthly seat licenses.

Team Size / Seats:

1 Solo User 10 Team 25 Enterprise

3-Yr Google Analytics 4 Fee

3-Yr Cloud VPS Fee

$5.00/month flat

Total 3-Yr Savings

Net ROI Profit

Ready to deploy on a high-speed $5/month cloud server? Deploy on VPS ($5.49/mo) →

Recommended Open-Source Google Analytics 4 Replacements

Plausible CE

analytics

plausible/analytics

⭐ 21.4k

Plausible Analytics is an intuitive, lightweight and open-source web analytics tool. No cookies and fully compliant with GDPR, CCPA and PECR. Made and hosted in the EU.

Min Memory

2 GB

CPU Cores

2 Core

Storage

20 GB

License

AGPL-3.0

Deploy Plausible CE with Docker Compose Visit Website

Umami

analytics

umami-software/umami

⭐ 0

Umami is a privacy-first web analytics solution. Collect only the essential traffic metrics you care about while respecting user privacy and avoiding cookie banner requirements.

Min Memory

512 MB

CPU Cores

1 Core

Storage

10 GB

License

FOSS

Deploy Umami with Docker Compose Visit Website

Frequently Asked Questions

Commercial platforms like Google Analytics 4 charge monthly subscription fees, enforce arbitrary usage caps, and retain access to your private company data. Self-hosting provides complete privacy, infinite scaling without seat fees, and zero vendor lock-in.

Using modern containerization with Docker Compose, spinning up these applications takes less than 5 minutes. You copy our pre-tested compose file, paste it onto your VPS, and run docker compose up -d.

A standard 2GB to 4GB RAM cloud VPS (costing ~$5/month from Hostinger or Hetzner) easily runs Google Analytics 4 alternatives like Plausible CE alongside automated daily backups.