Head-to-Head Comparison · Alternative to Cabin · 📊 analytics
Cabin vs GoatCounter
Tiny traffic analytics that tells you what happened and declines to become a growth platform. Here is how GoatCounter ($0/mo open source) stacks up against Cabin (paid subscription) across cost, hosting, data privacy, and real-world trade-offs.
GoatCounter
$0.00/mo
Cabin vs GoatCounter Specification Matrix
facts verified 2026-08-10
| Dimension | Cabin (Paid) | GoatCounter (Replacement) |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Price | Paid tier | $0 / mo |
| Source & License | Proprietary SaaS | open source |
| Where It Runs | Vendor Cloud | Local or hosted (your machine or their cloud) |
| Platforms | Web / Cloud | webself-hosteddocker to self-host |
| GitHub Stars | — | ★ 5.8k (active aug 2026) |
Deep Dive: Switching from Cabin to GoatCounter
Trade-offs, installation & data architecture
What you trade away
It is intentionally more spartan, with fewer polished event, goal, team and reporting features and no commercial managed support.
How to deploy GoatCounter
Create a hosted account or run the single static binary or Docker image
What it takes to run
None for hosted use; self-hosting needs a reachable binary or container plus a public URL and TLS
Where your data lives
A self-hosted instance uses SQLite by default or PostgreSQL; the hosted service stores analytics on GoatCounter's infrastructure and supports JSON and CSV exports
Why fork GoatCounter instead of vibe-coding a Cabin clone?
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.
Cabin vs GoatCounter FAQ
Is GoatCounter a good free alternative to Cabin?+
Yes. GoatCounter is a verified open-source (FOSS) replacement for Cabin. Tiny traffic analytics that tells you what happened and declines to become a growth platform.
What is the catch when switching from Cabin to GoatCounter?+
It is intentionally more spartan, with fewer polished event, goal, team and reporting features and no commercial managed support.
How do I install or self-host GoatCounter instead of Cabin?+
Install: Create a hosted account or run the single static binary or Docker image. Setup: None for hosted use; self-hosting needs a reachable binary or container plus a public URL and TLS
