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Marketing · head to head

Attribution vs Umami

A

Attribution

Marketing

First-party data marketing attribution platform

From
$2000/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Umami logo

Umami

Marketing

Open source, cookie-free web analytics you can self-host for the cost of a database

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Umami has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • They diverge on capability: Attribution covers First-party data attribution, Umami covers Cookie-free tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Attribution and Umami actually diverge.

Attributes where Attribution and Umami differ
AttributeAttributionUmami
Starting price$2000/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionPer month by event count
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Mobile, ApiWeb, Linux
Founded2020Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Marketing).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Attribution

  • First-party data attribution
  • Multi-touch attribution
  • Privacy-compliant tracking
  • Real-time insights
  • Conversion tracking
  • Channel attribution
  • Custom reporting
  • Google Analytics 4

Only in Umami

  • Cookie-free tracking
  • Self-hosting
  • Small tracking script
  • Custom events
  • Funnels and goals
  • Multi-site and teams
  • Public dashboards

Both cover

  • API access

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Attribution

  • Marketing attributionnot Umami
  • ROI trackingnot Umami
  • Privacy-compliant trackingnot Umami
  • First-party datanot Umami

Umami

  • A developer who wants traffic numbers on a personal or client site without adding a consent bannernot Attribution
  • An organisation whose legal or procurement team has ruled out sending visitor data to a US advertising companynot Attribution
  • A high-traffic site where hosted analytics priced by pageview band has become expensive and self-hosting removes the ceiling entirelynot Attribution
  • A team that wants analytics data in a database they already control so they can query and join it themselvesnot Attribution

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Attribution

Nothing recorded yet. See the Attribution review.

Umami

  • There is no cohort analysis, retention curve, session replay or multi-touch attribution, so a marketing team that needs to justify channel spend will still buy a second tool and Umami becomes a supplementary dashboard.
  • Self-hosting is only free in licence terms; you own the database, the upgrades, the backups and the query performance at scale, and a busy site's events table grows quickly enough to need real attention.
  • Because it stores no persistent identifier, it cannot follow a user across devices or sessions in any meaningful way, which makes returning-visitor and lifetime-value questions unanswerable by design rather than by omission.
  • Cloud overage is billed per event beyond the plan allowance, so a traffic spike or a badly instrumented custom event can produce a bill materially above the $20 or $200 headline before anyone notices.
  • It is maintained by a small team, so the pace of new capability is modest and enterprise expectations such as SSO, granular role permissions and formal support agreements are limited compared with commercial analytics vendors.

Pricing, plan by plan

Attribution

$2000/month
  • Starter$2000/month
    • Up to 5 channels
    • Basic attribution
    • Monthly reports
  • Professional$5000/month
    • Unlimited channels
    • Advanced attribution
    • Weekly reports
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Custom implementation
    • Real-time attribution
    • Dedicated support

Umami

Free
  • Self-hostedFree
    • MIT licensed, no licence fee
    • No event limit imposed by the software
    • Unlimited websites and users
  • Cloud HobbyFree
    • Up to 100,000 events per month
    • 3 websites
    • 6 months data retention
  • Cloud Pro$20/month
    • Up to 1,000,000 events per month
    • Unlimited websites
    • Unlimited team members
  • Cloud Business$200/month
    • Up to 10,000,000 events per month
    • All Pro features
    • Higher volume overage rate

Which should you pick?

Choose Attribution if

  • You need first-party data attribution.
  • You work on Web, Mobile, Api.
  • You also want multi-touch attribution.
Attribution review

Choose Umami if

  • You need cookie-free tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Linux.
  • You also want self-hosting.
Umami review

Questions people ask

Is Attribution or Umami better?
Neither clearly leads. Attribution starts at $2000/month and Umami at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Attribution or Umami?
Umami has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $2000/month for Attribution and Free for Umami.
Does Attribution or Umami run on more platforms?
Attribution runs on Web, Mobile, Api. Umami runs on Web, Linux.
Can I use Umami for free?
Yes. Umami has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Attribution starts at $2000/month.
What is Attribution best used for?
Attribution is most often used for marketing attribution, roi tracking, privacy-compliant tracking, first-party data. Of those, marketing attribution and roi tracking are not what Umami is typically brought in for.
What can Attribution do that Umami cannot?
Attribution covers First-party data attribution, Multi-touch attribution, Privacy-compliant tracking, Real-time insights. Umami covers Cookie-free tracking, Self-hosting, Small tracking script, Custom events. Both handle API access.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Umami: Is Umami really free?

Self-hosted, yes; it is MIT licensed with no event cap. You pay for the server and database. Umami Cloud has a free tier at 100,000 events a month and paid tiers from $20.

Umami: Do I need a cookie consent banner?

For Umami analytics specifically, generally no, because it sets no cookies and stores no personal data. Other tags on your site may still require one.

Umami: Can it replace Google Analytics?

For traffic, referrers and event counts, yes. For attribution modelling, audiences and advertising integration, no.

Umami: What does it need to run?

A container and a PostgreSQL or MySQL database. Most people deploy it on infrastructure they already pay for.

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