Cabin alternatives: 3 free & open-source picks
Compare recorded free and open-source options, their capabilities and operating requirements. Source dates are shown below; licenses, hosted limits and project activity can change.
A clean cookieless dashboard, minus Cabin's hosting bill.
licenseMIT
runsyour machine or their cloud
installCreate an Umami Cloud account or deploy the Node application with Docker Compose and PostgreSQL
dataA self-hosted deployment stores analytics and account data in PostgreSQL; Umami Cloud stores it in Umami's managed service
the catch vs CabinIt is broader and more configurable than Cabin, but that also brings a busier dashboard and more maintenance on the free path.
setupNone for hosted signup; self-hosting requires Docker or Node hosting and a PostgreSQL database
facts verified 2026-08-10
Privacy-friendly traffic analytics in one Compose stack; the cloud-only extras stay elsewhere.
licenseAGPL-3.0+
runsyour server
installDeploy the Community Edition with the official Docker Compose installer
dataAccount and configuration records live in PostgreSQL and analytics events live in ClickHouse on the user's server
the catch vs CabinIt needs a larger Compose stack and ongoing operations, sacrificing Cabin's tiny zero-administration hosted experience.
setupDocker Compose, roughly 2 GB of RAM, a domain with DNS and TLS, and backups for PostgreSQL and ClickHouse
facts verified 2026-08-10
Tiny traffic analytics that tells you what happened and declines to become a growth platform.
runsyour machine or their cloud
installCreate a hosted account or run the single static binary or Docker image
dataA self-hosted instance uses SQLite by default or PostgreSQL; the hosted service stores analytics on GoatCounter's infrastructure and supports JSON and CSV exports
the catch vs CabinIt is intentionally more spartan, with fewer polished event, goal, team and reporting features and no commercial managed support.
setupNone for hosted use; self-hosting needs a reachable binary or container plus a public URL and TLS
facts verified 2026-08-10
latest recorded source check 2026-08-10 · check current terms at the source
| tool | license | running it | platforms | stars | active |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Umami | MIT | docker to self-host | web, self-hosted | 38,073 | 2026-08 |
| Plausible Community Edition | AGPL-3.0+ | docker to self-host | web, self-hosted | 28,377 | 2026-08 |
| GoatCounter | open source | docker to self-host | web, self-hosted | 5,800 | 2026-08 |
Cabin: Customers pay for trusted numbers, retention, privacy controls, and a pipeline that remains accurate while traffic and schemas change.
Questions about these alternatives
Is there a free alternative to Cabin?
Yes: Umami, Plausible Community Edition, GoatCounter. These are recorded free or open-source options. Compare their feature limits, licenses, hosting costs and current availability before choosing.
Should I just build my own Cabin?
Our verdict is KINDA. The visible privacy web analytics loop is buildable, but a credible replacement needs more than the first screen. Cabin earns its keep through ingestion, storage, reliability, so expect a weekend or multi-day build and a narrower personal scope. Review the scope, implementation prompt and trade-offs in the Cabin build guide.
