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Podcasting · head to head

Podtrac vs Umami

Podtrac logo

Podtrac

Podcasting

Industry-standard podcast measurement and analytics

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: Podtrac no pricing information published on homepage or accessible pages; 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: Podtrac covers IAB-certified measurement, Umami covers Cookie-free tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Podtrac and Umami actually diverge.

Attributes where Podtrac and Umami differ
AttributePodtracUmami
Pricing modelfreemiumPer month by event count
PlatformsWebWeb, Linux
CategoryPodcastingMarketing
Founded2005Unknown

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 Podtrac

  • IAB-certified measurement
  • Download analytics
  • Industry rankings
  • Audience demographics
  • Trend analysis
  • Custom reporting
  • All podcast hosts
  • Advertising platforms

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.

Podtrac

  • Podcast measurementnot Umami
  • Industry rankingsnot Umami
  • Advertiser reportingnot Umami
  • Audience analysisnot Umami

Umami

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

Where each one falls short

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

Podtrac

  • No pricing information published on homepage or accessible pages
  • Dedicated pricing page exists but content not retrievable
  • Model not described publicly; requires direct sales engagement

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

Podtrac

Free
  • PublisherFree
    • Podcast measurement
    • Download analytics
    • Industry rankings
  • Premium$undefined/month
    • Advanced demographics
    • Custom reporting
    • API access

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 Podtrac if

  • You need iab-certified measurement.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want download analytics.
Podtrac 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 Podtrac or Umami better?
Neither clearly leads. Podtrac 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, Podtrac or Umami?
Podtrac starts at Free and Umami at Free.
Does Podtrac or Umami run on more platforms?
Podtrac runs on Web. Umami runs on Web, Linux.
Can I use Podtrac for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Podtrac best used for?
Podtrac is most often used for podcast measurement, industry rankings, advertiser reporting, audience analysis. Of those, podcast measurement and industry rankings are not what Umami is typically brought in for.
What can Podtrac do that Umami cannot?
Podtrac covers IAB-certified measurement, Download analytics, Industry rankings, Audience demographics. Umami covers Cookie-free tracking, Self-hosting, Small tracking script, Custom events.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Podtrac: How do I get Podtrac pricing information?

Podtrac does not publish pricing on its homepage. A dedicated pricing page exists (/plans-pricing) but requires visiting the site directly to access full details. Source: https://analytics.podtrac.com

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.

Podtrac: What does Podtrac offer without a paid plan?

Podtrac's free offerings are not detailed on their homepage. Contact via their website for information about complimentary or trial access to their analytics tools. Source: https://analytics.podtrac.com

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.

Podtrac: Is Podtrac pricing publicly available?

Podtrac does not display pricing details publicly online. Prospective customers must navigate to their pricing page or contact sales directly for rate information. Source: https://analytics.podtrac.com

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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