# Fathom Analytics vs Umami (2026)

By Noah — last updated & pricing verified October 23, 2026.

> **Verdict:** Choose Fathom Analytics if you want a fully hosted, cookie-free analytics service with permanent data retention, unlimited event and ecommerce tracking, and nothing to maintain, from about $15/month. Choose Umami if you want a free option, either by self-hosting the MIT-licensed core via Docker or on the Umami Cloud Hobby tier, or if you need funnels and session replay. The deciding factor is cost versus retention: Umami can cost nothing, while Fathom has no free tier but keeps data permanently where Umami Cloud keeps it 6 months to 5 years by plan.

**Choose Fathom Analytics if:** You want permanent data retention on every plan instead of Umami Cloud's 6-month to 5-year limits; You want a fully hosted tool with no Docker deployment or database to maintain; You want hosted analytics for many sites, with 50 sites included and extra 50-site packs at $10/month; You want unlimited event and ecommerce tracking included in a pageview-based price rather than metered per event; You need an analytics API (600 requests/hour) included on every plan

**Choose Umami if:** You want to pay nothing by self-hosting the MIT-licensed core via Docker or using the free Umami Cloud Hobby tier; You want open-source code you can inspect and run on your own infrastructure with no usage caps; You need funnels, user journeys, retention analysis, or session replay; You run one small site that stays under 100,000 events a month

## At a glance

|  | Fathom Analytics | Umami |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pricing | From $15/mo | Free tier · paid from $20/mo |
| License | Paid | Open core |
| Best for | website owners who want GDPR/CCPA-compliant analytics without cookie-consent banners and don't need Google Analytics' behavioral-targeting depth | developers and privacy-conscious teams who want cookie-free, GDPR-compliant web analytics they can self-host for free or run as a lightweight paid cloud service |
| Ratings | — | Product Hunt 5/5 (11 reviews) |

## Feature comparison

| Feature | Fathom Analytics | Umami |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Starting price | Yes (from about $15/mo (pageview-based)) | Yes (free (self-hosted or Cloud Hobby); Pro $20/mo) |
| Free tier | No (7-day free trial only) | Yes (Cloud Hobby, 1 website and 100,000 events/month) |
| Price at mid volume | Yes ($45/mo for up to 500,000 pageviews) | Yes ($20/mo for 1 million events (Pro)) |
| Self-hosting | No (hosted service only) | Yes (free via Docker, no usage caps) |
| License | No (proprietary, paid) | Yes (MIT-licensed open-source core) |
| Platforms | Yes (web) | Yes (web) |
| Cookie-free tracking | Yes (no cookies, IP addresses anonymized) | Yes (no cookies, cross-site tracking, or personal data) |
| Tracking script size | Yes (about 2kB) | Yes (under 2KB) |
| Data retention | Yes (permanent on every plan) | Partial (6 months (Hobby), 2 years (Pro), 5 years (Business)) |
| Websites included | Yes (50 sites, then $10/mo per 50-site pack) | Partial (1 (Hobby), 20 (Pro), unlimited from $200/mo (Business)) |
| Team members | Unknown | Yes (up to 10 (Pro), unlimited (Business)) |
| Event and ecommerce tracking | Yes (unlimited on every plan) | Partial (custom events, metered by Cloud tier) |
| Funnels, journeys, retention | Unknown | Yes (funnels, user journeys, retention, goals) |
| Session replay | Unknown | Yes (5,000 included on Business, then $0.005 per replay) |
| Analytics API | Yes (600 requests/hour) | Unknown |
| Overage pricing | Partial (traffic spikes move a site into a higher bracket) | Partial ($0.00003/event over 1M (Pro), $0.00002/event over 10M (Business)) |
| External rating | Unknown | Yes (5/5 from 11 reviews (Product Hunt)) |

## Fathom Analytics vs Umami pricing: which costs less?

Umami costs less, because Umami can be self-hosted free under the MIT license or run free on the Umami Cloud Hobby tier, while Fathom Analytics has no free tier and starts around $15/month.

Fathom Analytics prices on a sliding scale by monthly pageviews, from about $15/month up to $45/month for 500,000 pageviews, with two months free on annual billing and 50 sites included before $10/month per extra 50-site pack. Fathom says it never runs discounts. Umami Cloud Pro costs $20/month for 20 websites and 1 million events, and Business costs $200/month for unlimited websites and 10 million events, with per-event overage on both. The meters differ, pageviews for Fathom and events for Umami, so price both against your own traffic. Fathom's price includes permanent data retention, which Umami Cloud caps by tier.

## Is Fathom Analytics more private than Umami?

Fathom Analytics and Umami are equally private in how they track, since both work without cookies or cross-site tracking, but only Umami lets you self-host so no analytics vendor handles your visitor data.

Fathom Analytics anonymizes IP addresses and says its no-cookie, no-individual-tracking design lets sites skip a cookie-consent banner under GDPR, CCPA, and ePrivacy rules. Umami collects no personal data and is GDPR-compliant by default. Umami's MIT-licensed core runs on your own server via Docker, which keeps data on infrastructure you control, at the cost of maintaining that deployment and its database yourself.

## Which has more analytics features, Fathom Analytics or Umami?

Umami has the broader documented feature set, adding funnels, user journeys, retention analysis, goals, and session replay, while Fathom Analytics focuses on unlimited event and ecommerce tracking, UTM campaigns, automatic bot filtering, and permanent retention.

Umami's session replay is metered: Umami Cloud Business includes 5,000 replays, then charges $0.005 per replay. Fathom Analytics includes unlimited events and ecommerce tracking on every plan and an analytics API capped at 600 requests/hour, which can constrain heavy programmatic use. The Fathom listing data does not mention funnels or session replay, and the Umami listing data does not mention an API rate limit or bot filtering.

## Which is easier to set up, Fathom Analytics or Umami?

Fathom Analytics is easier to run, because Fathom is a fully hosted service installed with a single line of code, while free Umami requires running your own Docker deployment and database unless you use Umami Cloud.

Both tools carry a low learning-curve rating and ship tracking scripts of about 2KB. Fathom's script works with WordPress, Next.js, Vue.js, Drupal, Webflow, Gatsby, and other common frameworks. Umami Cloud removes the server work, and its Hobby tier is free for one website, so a team can try Umami without self-hosting.

## Strengths and weaknesses

### Fathom Analytics

- Pro: No cookies or individual tracking, positioned to avoid the need for a cookie-consent banner under GDPR/CCPA.
- Pro: Single 2kB script installs in one line across WordPress, Next.js, Vue.js, Webflow, and other frameworks.
- Pro: Unlimited ecommerce and event tracking included on every plan at no extra cost.
- Pro: Permanent data retention with no forced data expiry.
- Con: No free tier; pricing starts around $15/month with no way to try it beyond a 7-day trial.
- Con: Company states it never offers discounts or promotional pricing, unlike most SaaS competitors.
- Con: Analytics API is capped at 600 requests/hour, which can constrain heavy programmatic use.
- Con: Pricing is pageview-based, so traffic spikes (a viral post, a launch day) can push a site into a higher-cost bracket unexpectedly.

### Umami

- Pro: Self-hosted core is fully open source (MIT license) with no event or website caps beyond your own server capacity.
- Pro: Tracking script is under 2KB, minimizing performance impact compared to heavier analytics scripts.
- Pro: No cookies, no cross-site tracking, GDPR-compliant by default.
- Pro: Cloud Hobby tier is free for one website and 100,000 events/month with no credit card required.
- Con: Cloud pricing jumps from free (Hobby, 1 website) to $20/month (Pro, 20 websites) with no smaller intermediate tier.
- Con: Session replay is metered on top of the flat monthly fee ($0.005 per replay beyond the 5,000 included on Business).
- Con: Self-hosting requires running and maintaining your own Docker deployment and database rather than a fully managed service.

## Which fits your use case?

| Use case | Pick | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hobbyist with one low-traffic site and no analytics budget | Umami | Umami Cloud Hobby is free for one website and 100,000 events a month; Fathom Analytics has no free tier. |
| Developer comfortable with Docker who wants uncapped analytics for free | Umami | Umami's MIT-licensed core self-hosts free with no caps on websites, events, or team members. |
| Agency that wants hosted analytics for dozens of small client sites | Fathom Analytics | Fathom Analytics includes 50 sites with extra 50-site packs at $10/month, while Umami Cloud Pro stops at 20 websites and unlimited sites need Business at $200/month. |
| Business that needs years of historical traffic data | Fathom Analytics | Fathom Analytics keeps data permanently on every plan; Umami Cloud keeps 6 months on Hobby, 2 years on Pro, and 5 years on Business. |
| Product team analyzing conversion funnels and watching session replays | Umami | Umami includes funnels, user journeys, retention analysis, and session replay; the Fathom listing data mentions none of these. |
| Site owner who wants cookie-free analytics without a consent banner | Tie | Both track without cookies; Fathom Analytics says this removes the banner requirement, and Umami is GDPR-compliant by default. |

## Migration FAQ

### Should I use Fathom Analytics or Umami?

Use Fathom Analytics if you want a fully hosted, cookie-free tool with permanent data retention and unlimited event tracking from about $15/month; use Umami if you want a free option, self-hosted under the MIT license or on the Umami Cloud Hobby tier, plus funnels and session replay.

### Is Fathom Analytics cheaper than Umami?

No — Fathom Analytics has no free tier and starts around $15/month, while Umami is free to self-host and free on Umami Cloud Hobby for one website and 100,000 events a month. Umami Cloud Pro costs $20/month for 20 websites and 1 million events, and Fathom reaches $45/month at 500,000 pageviews.

### Can Umami replace Fathom Analytics?

Yes for most sites, since Umami offers the same cookie-free tracking with a sub-2KB script plus funnels, journeys, and session replay. Umami Cloud caps data retention at 6 months to 5 years by tier, where Fathom Analytics keeps data permanently.

### Is Umami really free?

Yes — Umami's MIT-licensed core is free to self-host via Docker with no caps on websites, events, or team members, and the Umami Cloud Hobby tier is free for one website and 100,000 events per month. Self-hosting means running your own Docker deployment and database.

### Does Fathom Analytics have a free trial?

Yes — Fathom Analytics offers a 7-day free trial but no free tier, and the company says it never runs discounts or promotions. Billing is month-to-month with no long-term contract, and annual billing includes two months free.

## Neither a match?

- 5 alternatives to Fathom Analytics: https://findalternative.to/fathom-analytics
- 5 alternatives to Umami: https://findalternative.to/umami

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