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Mobile Development · head to head

Fastlane vs Umami

Fastlane logo

Fastlane

Mobile Development

Open-source automation for building, testing, and releasing iOS and Android apps.

From
Free
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

  • Each has a real cost: Fastlane requires command-line and Ruby familiarity to configure and maintain Fastfiles.; 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.
  • They diverge on capability: Fastlane covers Screenshot automation, Umami covers Cookie-free tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fastlane and Umami actually diverge.

Attributes where Fastlane and Umami differ
AttributeFastlaneUmami
Pricing modelopen-sourcePer month by event count
Platformsios, androidWeb, Linux
CategoryMobile DevelopmentMarketing

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Fastlane

  • Screenshot automation
  • Beta distribution
  • App store publishing
  • Code signing management
  • CI/CD integration
  • Plugin ecosystem

Only in Umami

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

What people use each for

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

Fastlane

  • Automating iOS and Android release pipelinesnot Umami
  • Generating localized app store screenshotsnot Umami
  • Distributing beta builds to testersnot Umami
  • Managing code signing across a teamnot Umami
  • Integrating mobile releases into CI/CDnot Umami

Umami

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

Where each one falls short

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

Fastlane

  • Requires command-line and Ruby familiarity to configure and maintain Fastfiles.
  • No hosted UI or dashboard; it is a local/CI toolkit rather than a managed service.
  • Community-maintained plugins vary in quality and maintenance status.
  • No built-in analytics or crash reporting; it must be paired with other tools for those needs.

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

Fastlane

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Fastlane review.

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 Fastlane if

  • You need screenshot automation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on ios, android.
  • You also want beta distribution.
Fastlane 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 Fastlane or Umami better?
Neither clearly leads. Fastlane starts at Free and Umami at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fastlane or Umami?
Fastlane starts at Free and Umami at Free.
Does Fastlane or Umami run on more platforms?
Fastlane runs on ios, android. Umami runs on Web, Linux.
Can I use Fastlane for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Fastlane best used for?
Fastlane is most often used for automating ios and android release pipelines, generating localized app store screenshots, distributing beta builds to testers, managing code signing across a team. Of those, automating ios and android release pipelines and generating localized app store screenshots are not what Umami is typically brought in for.
What can Fastlane do that Umami cannot?
Fastlane covers Screenshot automation, Beta distribution, App store publishing, Code signing management. Umami covers Cookie-free tracking, Self-hosting, Small tracking script, Custom events.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Fastlane: Is fastlane a free tool, and what is the licensing model?

Fastlane is open source and free to use. It is an open source platform aimed at simplifying Android and iOS deployment with contributions from over 700 community members.

Source
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.

Fastlane: Does fastlane charge for support or commercial use?

The fastlane website does not mention pricing for support, training, or commercial services. Users are directed to documentation for getting started rather than a purchasing process.

Source
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.

Fastlane: Can fastlane be used in commercial projects?

Yes, fastlane is an open source project. Commercial use is not addressed as a limitation on the website.

Source
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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