DataFast vs Open-Web-Analytics
Choose Open Web Analytics when self-hosting, data control, customizable reports, session recordings, heatmaps, or extensibility matter more than turnkey marketing-revenue attribution. Choose DataFast when the primary workflow is connecting channels, campaigns, landing pages, and visitor journeys to payment revenue through documented provider integrations. OWA tracks e-commerce transactions, but the supplied materials
Decision guide
The practical reasons to choose either option, based on documented capabilities.
Choose Open-Web-Analytics if
- Organizations that must self-host web or application analytics and control collected data
- Teams needing heatmaps, DOM-stream session recordings, customizable reports, or custom modules
- Operators tracking multiple websites from one analytics server without a documented per-site limit
Stay with DataFast if
- You need documented native connections to Stripe, LemonSqueezy, Polar, Shopify, Google Search Console, or Meta Ads
- You need dashboards that attribute payment revenue directly to marketing channels, pages, campaigns, and visitor journeys
- You rely on documented multi-step conversion funnels, cross-domain or web-to-app journeys, live visitor views, or cookieless tracking; equivalent OWA coverage is not established by the supplied sources
Deployment and operations
Open Web Analytics is a self-hostable PHP project licensed under GPL version 2 or later. The project provides separate technical-requirements and installation guides. Building from a repository clone requires Composer and Node.js/npm, followed by dependency installation and a front-end build because generated assets are not stored in Git. Maintainers of third-party modules, template overrides, or themes should review the supplied upgrading guide for deprecated interfaces. Docker and Kubernetes部署
Feature fit
What Open-Web-Analytics covers
- Website and application analytics
- JavaScript visitor tracking
- Visitor and pageview tracking
- E-commerce transaction tracking
- Configurable action tracking
- Reporting dashboards
- Visitor geolocation
- Programmatic data access
- Multi-user reporting
What’s different or missing
- Documented payment-provider connections
- Marketing-channel revenue attribution
- Documented conversion funnels
- Documented cross-domain journeys
- Documented web-to-app tracking
- Documented cookieless tracking
- Documented SEO and ad integrations
- Documented public dashboards and scheduled reports
- Documented CLI and MCP access
Project snapshot
- GitHub stars
- 2,683
- Contributors
- 33
- Language
- PHP
- Last commit
- Aug 15, 2026
- Latest release
- Aug 4, 2026
Categories: Product Analytics, Web Analytics
Sources and editorial review12 linked sources
Public documentation supports this comparison. Automation assists collection and classification; editorial standards and corrections remain the responsibility of Kris.
Open Web Analytics ... is an open source alternative to commercial tools such as Google Analytics.
repository description · github.comThis repository installs the OWA Server and Javascript tracking client which can easily be added to web pages.
readme · github.comTrack visitors, pageviews, e-commerce transactions, and configurable actions.
readme · github.comReporting Dashboard/Portral
readme · github.comGenerate Heatmaps; Generate "Domstream" session recordings; Geolocation of visitors
readme · github.comREST API for administration and data access
readme · github.comA step by step installation guide will walk you through how to install OWA Server.
readme · github.comThis software allows you to stay in control of the data you collect about the user of your websites or applications.
verdict · github.comTrack visitors, pageviews, e-commerce transactions, and configurable actions
shared feature · github.comTrack unlimited number of websites using a single instance of OWA Server
best for · github.comThis project is licensed under the [GNU GPL](http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/gpl-2.0.html), version 2 or later.
deployment · github.comSee the [technical requirements](https://github.com/Open-Web-Analytics/Open-Web-Analytics/wiki/Technical-Requirements) before you install OWA Server. A step by step [installation](https://github.com/Open-Web-Analytics/Open-Web-Analytics/wiki/Installation) guide will walk you through how to install O
deployment · github.com
