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Automation Integration · head to head

RudderStack vs Umami

RudderStack logo

RudderStack

Automation Integration

The open-source customer data platform

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: RudderStack on the free plan data processing stops after a second consecutive overage rather than being billed, so exceeding 250,000 events twice breaks the pipeline; 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: RudderStack covers Data collection, Umami covers Cookie-free tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which RudderStack and Umami actually diverge.

Attributes where RudderStack and Umami differ
AttributeRudderStackUmami
Pricing modelfreemiumPer month by event count
PlatformsWeb, Self-hostedWeb, Linux
CategoryAutomation IntegrationMarketing
Founded2018Unknown

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 RudderStack

  • Data collection
  • Event tracking
  • Audience segmentation
  • Warehouse ingestion
  • Real-time sync
  • Data transformation
  • Privacy controls
  • 200+ destinations

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.

RudderStack

  • Collecting event data from apps and websites and routing it to warehouses and toolsnot Umami
  • Building a warehouse first customer data pipelinenot Umami

Umami

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

Where each one falls short

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

RudderStack

  • On the free plan data processing stops after a second consecutive overage rather than being billed, so exceeding 250,000 events twice breaks the pipeline
  • The free plan allows 250,000 events a month
  • Growth starts at $265 a month for 1 million events, with volume sold in tiers up to 25 million
  • Overage is charged as the gap to the next tier's price rather than per event, so a small excess costs a full tier step

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

RudderStack

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 250K events per month
    • 16 SDK sources
    • 200+ cloud destinations
  • Growth$265/month
    • 1 million events per month (up to 25 million available)
    • Unlimited team members
    • Tracking plans
  • Enterprise$null/mo
    • 5-minute warehouse sync
    • Unlimited transformations
    • Access to Profiles & Data Apps

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 RudderStack if

  • You need data collection.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Self-hosted.
  • You also want event tracking.
RudderStack 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 RudderStack or Umami better?
Neither clearly leads. RudderStack 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, RudderStack or Umami?
RudderStack starts at Free and Umami at Free.
Does RudderStack or Umami run on more platforms?
RudderStack runs on Web, Self-hosted. Umami runs on Web, Linux.
Can I use RudderStack for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is RudderStack best used for?
RudderStack is most often used for collecting event data from apps and websites and routing it to warehouses and tools, building a warehouse first customer data pipeline. Of those, collecting event data from apps and websites and routing it to warehouses and tools and building a warehouse first customer data pipeline are not what Umami is typically brought in for.
What can RudderStack do that Umami cannot?
RudderStack covers Data collection, Event tracking, Audience segmentation, Warehouse ingestion. Umami covers Cookie-free tracking, Self-hosting, Small tracking script, Custom events.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

RudderStack: What is RudderStack's free plan limit?

RudderStack's free plan includes 250K events per month with 16 SDK sources, 200+ cloud destinations, warehouse destinations, and Reverse ETL at no cost.

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.

RudderStack: How much does RudderStack Growth plan cost?

RudderStack Growth plan costs $265 per month with annual billing discount available, providing 1 million events per month (up to 25 million available), unlimited team members, and 2 workspaces.

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.

RudderStack: What happens if I exceed my RudderStack event limit?

On the free plan, data processing stops after your second consecutive overage. Paid plan customers face overage fees calculated as the difference between the next tier's pricing and their current plan.

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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