Loading...
Discovering amazing open source projects
Rybbit: The Open‑Source, Privacy‑First Alternative to Google Analytics
Rybbit delivers real‑time web and product analytics without cookies, giving you full control, zero vendor lock‑in, and GDPR/CCPA compliance. Deploy in minutes on the cloud or self‑host for ultimate privacy and cost savings.
OSD
Written by
Open Source Daily
August 18, 2025
6 min read
The hidden cost of “free” analytics
Every day, thousands of businesses embed Google Analytics on their sites, trusting a free service to collect every click, scroll, and conversion. While the data is valuable, the trade‑off is hidden: invasive cookies, data harvested for advertising, opaque pricing for premium features, and a lock‑in to a proprietary ecosystem. For privacy‑conscious teams, startups on a tight budget, or anyone who simply wants full ownership of their data, this model is increasingly untenable.
Enter Rybbit – a modern, open‑source analytics platform that gives you the same depth of insight as Google Analytics without the trackers, vendor lock‑in, or surprise bills. It’s built for developers, product teams, and privacy‑first companies that need real‑time dashboards, session replays, and advanced funnel analysis – all under an AGPL‑3.0 license.
Why Choose Rybbit?
- Privacy‑first by design – No cookies, no third‑party tracking, fully GDPR & CCPA compliant out of the box.
- Zero vendor lock‑in – Self‑host on any VPS or use the hosted free tier; you own the data and can export it anytime.
- Real‑time insights – Instant dashboards update as visitors interact, plus live visitor count and session replay.
- Rich product analytics – Goals, funnels, retention, custom events with JSON payloads, and 15+ filter dimensions.
- Scalable and lightweight – Handles millions of events per month with a modest server footprint.
- Community‑driven – AGPL‑3.0 license, active Discord, and transparent road‑map encourage contributions and rapid feature evolution.
Spotlight on Key Features
| Feature | Rybbit |
|---|---|
| Core metrics | Sessions, unique users, pageviews, bounce rate, session duration |
| Session replay | Full video‑like playback of user journeys |
| Cookie‑less tracking | No client‑side identifiers; privacy‑first data collection |
| Custom events | JSON‑based payloads, unlimited event types |
| Goals & funnels | Configurable conversion paths with visual funnel builder |
| Retention & cohorts | User‑level retention analysis across any timeframe |
| Advanced filtering | 15+ dimensions (country, region, city, device, referrer, etc.) |
| Real‑time dashboard | Live visitor count, active sessions, and event stream |
| Multi‑site support | Unlimited sites per organization, with role‑based access |
| Public dashboards | Shareable, read‑only views for stakeholders |
| Integrations | SDKs for Angular, React, Vue, Next.js, Shopify, WordPress, and more |
| Self‑hosting options | Docker Compose, Helm chart, or manual deployment |
| Hosted free tier | First 10 k events/minute free, no credit card required |
Getting Started
Rybbit can be used in two ways: a hosted SaaS version (free tier) or a self‑hosted deployment. Below are the quickest paths for each.
1️⃣ Hosted (cloud) – get started in minutes
- Visit the sign‑up page and create an account: https://www.rybbit.io/signup
- Add your first site and copy the generated tracking script.
- Paste the script into the
<head>of your website.
<script async src="https://cdn.rybbit.io/tracker.js" data-rybbit-id="YOUR_PROJECT_ID"></script>
Your dashboard will start showing live data instantly.
2️⃣ Self‑host – full control on your own server
Prerequisites
- Docker & Docker Compose installed
- 2 GB RAM (minimum)
- PostgreSQL (or use the bundled SQLite for testing)
Installation
git clone https://github.com/rybbit-io/rybbit.git
cd rybbit
docker compose up -d
The service will be reachable at http://localhost:3000. Follow the on‑screen setup wizard to create an admin account and add your first site.
Adding the tracking script
<script async src="https://YOUR_DOMAIN.com/tracker.js" data-rybbit-id="YOUR_PROJECT_ID"></script>
For advanced configuration (e.g., IP anonymization, custom event schemas), see the official docs:
How Rybbit Stacks Up Against the Competition
| Feature | Rybbit | Google Analytics (GA4) | Matomo | Plausible | Fathom |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free self‑hosted; hosted free tier, paid plans for high volume | Free tier, paid 360 for enterprise | Free self‑hosted; Cloud plans start at $19/mo | Free tier (10 k hits/mo), paid $9/mo for higher volume | Free tier (10 k hits/mo), paid $9/mo |
| Self‑hosted? | ✅ (Docker, Helm) | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ (cloud only) | ❌ (cloud only) |
| Cookie / PDPA compliance | ✅ Cookieless, GDPR/CCPA ready | ❌ Uses cookies, requires consent management | ✅ Optional cookie‑less mode | ✅ Cookieless by default | ✅ Cookieless by default |
| Real‑time dashboards | ✅ Millisecond‑level updates | ✅ 1‑minute latency | ✅ Near real‑time | ✅ Real‑time visitor count | ✅ Real‑time visitor count |
| Session replay | ✅ Full replay | ❌ (requires GA4 360 add‑on) | ✅ (via plugins) | ❌ | ❌ |
| Open source | ✅ AGPL‑3.0 | ❌ Proprietary | ✅ GPL‑v3 | ❌ | ❌ |
| Ease of setup | ⭐⭐ (Docker) / ⭐ (hosted) | ⭐ (cloud) | ⭐⭐ (self‑host) | ⭐ (cloud) | ⭐ (cloud) |
| Custom events & JSON payloads | ✅ Unlimited | ✅ Limited, requires tagging | ✅ Yes | ❌ Limited | ❌ |
| Data export | ✅ Full SQL access | ✅ Limited (BigQuery) | ✅ CSV/SQL | ✅ CSV | ✅ CSV |
Rating key: ⭐ = very easy, ⭐⭐ = easy with some configuration.
Real‑world impact
- Performance‑driven e‑commerce: A boutique shop integrated Rybbit and discovered a hidden 12 % checkout drop‑off caused by a slow‑loading carousel. After fixing the UI, conversion rose by 8 % within a week.
- SaaS product teams: A startup using Rybbit’s funnel analysis identified a bottleneck in their onboarding flow, leading to a redesign that cut user churn from 5 % to 2.3 % in the first month.
- Privacy‑focused NGOs: Organizations handling sensitive user data switched from GA to Rybbit to eliminate third‑party cookies, satisfying EU data‑protection audits without sacrificing insight.
For weekly news in the tech-world check out The Infinity Dev Newsletter
Call to Action
Ready to reclaim ownership of your analytics? Whether you want a frictionless hosted start or full control on your own server, Rybbit delivers enterprise‑grade insights without compromising privacy or budget.
- Try the live demo – see a production site handling over a million visits a month: https://www.rybbit.io
- Start for free – sign up for the hosted tier or clone the repo and deploy in minutes.
- Star the project and join the community on Discord to shape the roadmap: https://github.com/rybbit-io/rybbit
Your data belongs to you. Choose Rybbit and turn analytics into a competitive advantage, not a compliance headache.
OSD
Open Source Daily
Curating the best open source projects every day. Follow us for daily discoveries of amazing tools and libraries.
Related Posts
Subscribe to our Newsletter
Get all the latest posts delivered straight to your inbox.
We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at any time.