Worth saying upfront: GoatCounter is an outstanding piece of software — open source, honest, and built by a single developer. If you want to self-host and contribute to an open project, it's worth serious consideration. Logly is the managed SaaS option for people who want the same minimalism without running a server.
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Logly | GoatCounter |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | ✓ Up to 10,000 pv/mo forever | ✓ Free for non-commercial use (hosted); self-hosted is always free |
| Self-hosted | ✗ SaaS only | ✓ Single Go binary, very easy to deploy |
| Script size | ✓ < 1 KB | ✓ ~3.5 KB (or no-JS pixel fallback) |
| No-JS tracking | ✗ | ✓ Pixel/noscript fallback |
| Active time-on-page | ✓ Pauses when tab is hidden | ✗ Not tracked |
| Ad blocker bypass | ✓ Built-in, zero config | Self-hosted on your domain passes most blockers |
| No cookies | ✓ | ✓ |
| GDPR compliant | ✓ | ✓ |
| EU hosted | ✓ Always EU | Hosted: Netherlands. Self-hosted: wherever you deploy |
| Open source | ✗ | ✓ EUPL licence |
| Commercial use (hosted) | ✓ All plans | Paid plan required for commercial sites |
| Maintenance | ✓ None | Self-hosted: updates on you |
| Setup time | ✓ ~2 min | ✓ ~2 min (hosted); ~20 min (self-hosted) |
GoatCounter pricing as published on goatcounter.com — verify with their current page. Last checked May 2026.
3 reasons people choose Logly over GoatCounter
GoatCounter's hosted free tier is non-commercial only
GoatCounter's hosted service is free for personal and open-source sites, but commercial use requires a paid plan. Logly's free tier has no such restriction — any site, any purpose, up to 10,000 pageviews a month, forever. If you're building a product and want free analytics without reading the terms carefully, Logly is simpler.
Ad blocker bypass without self-hosting
GoatCounter's hosted version runs on goatcounter.com, which is on many block lists. The workaround is self-hosting on your own domain — which means a server, a binary, and ongoing maintenance. Logly routes through a first-party endpoint that passes Brave Shields and uBlock Origin without any configuration or infrastructure on your end.
Logly is maintained as a product, not a passion project
GoatCounter is developed by a single person in their spare time — and it shows in quality: the code is clean and the tool is reliable. But product decisions, support timelines, and uptime guarantees are different for a side project vs a commercial service. Logly is a funded product with a roadmap, SLA, and support desk. For teams that need predictability, that distinction matters.
Frequently asked questions
GoatCounter self-hosted is completely free — why pay for Logly?
Self-hosted GoatCounter is a single Go binary and genuinely easy to deploy. If you already have a VPS and enjoy managing small services, it's an excellent choice. The honest answer: you're paying for Logly's managed infrastructure, automatic updates, and guaranteed EU hosting. For developers who want to focus on their product instead of their analytics stack, $9/mo is a reasonable trade.
GoatCounter has a no-JS pixel fallback — does that matter?
For most modern sites, no. The JavaScript snippet reaches virtually everyone who can run JavaScript — which is nearly 100% of real visitors. The no-JS fallback catches bots, email opens, and the very small fraction of users with JS disabled. If you're tracking email newsletter opens or server-rendered pages in unusual environments, GoatCounter's pixel approach has an edge. For standard web analytics, it doesn't meaningfully affect data quality.
Is GoatCounter actually GDPR compliant?
Yes. GoatCounter doesn't use cookies and collects no personal data. It uses a salted daily hash for approximate unique visitor counting — the same general approach as most privacy-first analytics tools. Both GoatCounter and Logly are GDPR compliant without a consent banner. The hosted version stores data in the Netherlands.
Can I migrate from GoatCounter to Logly?
There's no import tool currently. You'd start fresh with data from the day you install the Logly snippet. For most sites this is fine — analytics trends are more useful than point-in-time history. If historical continuity matters, keep GoatCounter running in parallel for a month before switching fully.
The minimalist option, without the server.
Free up to 10,000 pageviews a month. No binary to deploy, no server to patch. One script tag and you're done.
Get started free → No credit card · Free forever on the Free plan · Works with Brave and uBlock