Aptabase
Best for self-hosting
Why teams pick it
Organizations requiring self-hosted analytics infrastructure
Open-source alternatives to Hotjar
Compare community-driven replacements for Hotjar in product analytics & session replay workflows. We curate active, self-hostable options with transparent licensing so you can evaluate the right fit quickly.
Hotjar
Hotjar shows real user behavior through heatmaps, session recordings, surveys, and feedback tools to optimize website conversion and user experience.Read more
Key stats
- 18Alternatives
- 15Support self-hosting
Run on infrastructure you control
- 16Active development
Recent commits in the last 6 months
- 8Permissive licenses
MIT, Apache, and similar licenses
Counts reflect projects currently indexed as alternatives to Hotjar.
Start with these picks
These projects match the most common migration paths for teams replacing Hotjar.
Rybbit
Privacy-first alternative
Why teams pick it
Small‑to‑medium businesses seeking privacy‑compliant analytics
All open-source alternatives
Aptabase
Privacy-first analytics for mobile, desktop, and web apps
Self-host friendlyActive developmentPrivacy-firstTypeScript
Why teams choose it
- Extensive SDK library covering Swift, Kotlin, React Native, Flutter, Electron, Unity, and 10+ frameworks
- Privacy-first architecture with session-based tracking and no unique user identifiers
- GDPR, CCPA, and PECR compliant by design with minimal data collection
Watch for
AGPL-3.0 license requires derivative works to be open-sourced
Migration highlight
Privacy-Compliant Mobile App Analytics
Track session counts, screen views, and feature usage across iOS and Android apps while maintaining full GDPR compliance without user consent banners
Rybbit
Privacy‑first web analytics that’s intuitive and self‑hostable
Self-host friendlyActive developmentPrivacy-firstTypeScript
Why teams choose it
- All core metrics (sessions, pageviews, bounce rate, etc.)
- Cookie‑free, GDPR & CCPA compliant tracking
- Session replay and real‑time dashboards
Watch for
Self‑hosting requires technical setup and maintenance
Migration highlight
Monitor product adoption on a SaaS dashboard
Track user journeys, conversion funnels, and retention to inform feature prioritization.
Litlyx
Cookie-free analytics with 30-second setup and AI-powered insights
Self-host friendlyActive developmentPermissive licenseTypeScript
Why teams choose it
- 30-second setup with single script tag or npm package
- Cookie-free, GDPR-compliant tracking with no user consent banners
- Custom event tracking with structured metadata support
Watch for
Newer platform with smaller community than established alternatives
Migration highlight
SaaS Product Analytics
Track feature usage, user flows, and conversion events with custom metadata to optimize product decisions without privacy concerns
Offen
Privacy‑first, self‑hosted web analytics with user‑controlled data
Self-host friendlyActive developmentPermissive licenseJavaScript
Why teams choose it
- End‑to‑end encrypted data collection
- Opt‑in consent with full user data access
- Self‑hosted via single binary or Docker, SQLite support
Watch for
Requires self‑hosting and ongoing maintenance
Migration highlight
GDPR‑compliant traffic analysis
Collect essential metrics while guaranteeing user consent and encrypted storage.
Vince
Self-hosted, privacy-first web analytics with zero dependencies
Self-host friendlyActive developmentPrivacy-firstGo
Why teams choose it
- Zero‑dependency single binary
- Automatic TLS via Let’s Encrypt
- Unlimited sites and events
Watch for
Limited to single‑entity use; no multi‑tenant support
Migration highlight
Launch a privacy‑focused blog
Track page views, outbound links, and 404s while keeping visitor data on‑premise and compliant with GDPR.
Fathom Lite
Simple, privacy‑first website analytics you host yourself
Self-host friendlyPermissive licensePrivacy-firstGo
Why teams choose it
- Cookie‑free tracking for privacy compliance
- Self‑hosted deployment via binary or Docker
- Clean, minimal dashboard built with Go and Preact
Watch for
No official support channel
Migration highlight
Personal blog traffic insights
View page views, referrers, and device breakdown without cookies, hosted on a cheap VPS.
Plausible Analytics
Simple, privacy‑first web analytics without cookies or data collection.
Active developmentPrivacy-firstAI-powered workflowsElixir
Why teams choose it
- Clutter‑free single‑page dashboard
- Cookie‑free, GDPR/CCPA/PECR compliance
- Lightweight script (<1 KB) for fast page loads
Watch for
Managed cloud service requires a subscription
Migration highlight
Blog owner tracks readership
Receives weekly email reports with pageview trends while keeping visitor data private.
Countly
Self-hosted product analytics platform for mobile, web, and desktop
Self-host friendlyActive developmentPrivacy-firstJavaScript
Why teams choose it
- Self-hosted deployment with complete data ownership and privacy control
- Crash reporting and push notifications across iOS, Android, and web platforms
- Plugin-based architecture for custom feature development and extensibility
Watch for
Requires server infrastructure and maintenance for self-hosted deployments
Migration highlight
Multi-Platform Crash Monitoring
Collect and analyze crash reports from iOS, Android, React Native, Flutter, and web apps in a unified dashboard with full data control.
Umami
Fast, privacy‑first web analytics without Google’s data collection
Self-host friendlyActive developmentPermissive licenseTypeScript
Why teams choose it
- Privacy‑first design with no third‑party tracking scripts
- Lightweight UI and fast data processing
- Supports MariaDB, MySQL, and PostgreSQL
Watch for
Requires self‑hosting and server maintenance
Migration highlight
Personal blog traffic insights
Understand readership patterns while keeping visitor data private.
Ackee
Self-hosted, privacy-focused analytics tool for your websites
Self-host friendlyActive developmentPermissive licenseJavaScript
Why teams choose it
- Anonymized visitor tracking with no cookies or consent banners required
- Custom event tracking for clicks, conversions, and user interactions
- Fully documented GraphQL API for custom integrations and reporting
Watch for
Requires self-hosting infrastructure and maintenance overhead
Migration highlight
Privacy-Compliant Blog Analytics
Track readership and popular content without cookies or consent banners while maintaining GDPR compliance
Open Web Analytics
Self‑hosted web analytics platform keeping your data private
Self-host friendlyActive developmentPrivacy-firstPHP
Why teams choose it
- Visitor, pageview, and e‑commerce transaction tracking
- Unlimited sites on a single OWA instance
- Heatmaps and DOM‑stream session recordings
Watch for
Requires self‑hosting and ongoing maintenance
Migration highlight
E‑commerce transaction analysis
Track sales, conversion funnels, and revenue per product to optimize marketing spend.
Tianji
All-in-One Insight Hub for Website Analytics and Monitoring
Self-host friendlyActive developmentPermissive licenseTypeScript
Why teams choose it
- Website analytics with PV/UV tracking and traffic insights
- Uptime monitoring with active checks and passive result reception
- Real-time server status dashboards and health metrics
Watch for
May lack depth of specialized tools for advanced analytics needs
Migration highlight
Indie SaaS Monitoring
Solo developer tracks website traffic, API uptime, and server health from one dashboard, reducing monthly SaaS costs by consolidating three paid services.
Swetrix
Privacy-first, cookie-less web analytics you can self-host
Self-host friendlyActive developmentPrivacy-firstTypeScript
Why teams choose it
- Cookie-less tracking respecting GDPR
- Real-time traffic and performance dashboards
- Session replay and user flow visualization
Watch for
Self‑hosting requires infrastructure knowledge
Migration highlight
Monitor site performance after a redesign
Identify page load regressions in real time and roll back changes before users are impacted.
Openpanel
Self‑hosted product analytics platform combining Mixpanel power with Plausible simplicity.
Active developmentPrivacy-firstFast to deployTypeScript
Why teams choose it
- Mixpanel‑grade event analytics with funnel, retention, and cohort views
- Plausible‑style lightweight dashboard focused on privacy
- Docker‑Compose self‑hosting with PostgreSQL, ClickHouse, Redis, and BullMQ
Watch for
Early‑stage project; some features may be unstable
Migration highlight
User journey funnel analysis
Visualize conversion steps and identify drop‑off points across web applications.
Shynet
Self-hosted, privacy-friendly web analytics without cookies or JavaScript
Self-host friendlyPermissive licensePrivacy-firstPython
Why teams choose it
- Cookie-free tracking with automatic DNT signal respect
- Scales from single Docker container to Kubernetes clusters
- Sub-1KB tracking script with JavaScript-optional fallback
Watch for
Requires technical expertise to deploy and maintain
Migration highlight
Privacy-Compliant Blog Analytics
Track visitor behavior and popular content without cookie banners or third-party data sharing
Matomo
Self-hosted web analytics platform with complete data ownership
Self-host friendlyActive developmentPrivacy-firstPHP
Why teams choose it
- Self-hosted deployment with complete data ownership and API access
- Privacy-compliant tracking with built-in consent management
- Real-time analytics dashboard with drag-and-drop customization
Watch for
Requires server infrastructure and technical expertise to deploy
Migration highlight
Healthcare Provider Compliance
Hospital network tracks patient portal usage while maintaining HIPAA compliance through on-premises data storage and complete audit trails
PostHog
All‑in‑one analytics, feature flags, and experiments platform
Active developmentPrivacy-firstFast to deployPython
Why teams choose it
- Unified product & web analytics with autocapture
- Session replay and error tracking for rapid debugging
- Feature flags and no‑code experiments for controlled rollouts
Watch for
Self‑hosted hobby deployment lacks official support
Migration highlight
Track user journeys and improve conversion
Identify drop‑off points with event funnels and session replays, then iterate features to boost sign‑up rates.
Counterscale
Self-hosted web analytics on Cloudflare's edge network
Self-host friendlyActive developmentPermissive licenseTypeScript
Why teams choose it
- Runs entirely on Cloudflare's free tier with support for 100k daily hits
- 90-day data retention powered by Workers Analytics Engine
- One-command CLI deployment with optional password protection
Watch for
Maximum 90-day data retention due to Analytics Engine limits
Migration highlight
Personal Blog Traffic Monitoring
Track daily readership and referral sources without monthly SaaS fees or third-party cookies.
Choosing a product analytics & session replay alternative
Teams replacing Hotjar in product analytics & session replay workflows typically weigh self-hosting needs, integration coverage, and licensing obligations.
- 15 projects let you self-host and keep customer data on infrastructure you control.
- 16 options are actively maintained with recent commits.
Tip: shortlist one hosted and one self-hosted option so stakeholders can compare trade-offs before migrating away from Hotjar.