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Technology · head to head

Storybook vs Umami

Storybook logo

Storybook

Technology

Build component driven UIs faster

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: Storybook requires JavaScript framework knowledge for full utilization; 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: Storybook covers Component isolation, Umami covers Cookie-free tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Storybook and Umami actually diverge.

Attributes where Storybook and Umami differ
AttributeStorybookUmami
Pricing modelUnknownPer month by event count
PlatformsWeb, React Native, iOS, Android, FlutterWeb, Linux
CategoryTechnologyMarketing
Founded2017Unknown

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 Storybook

  • Component isolation
  • Interactive development
  • Visual testing
  • Documentation generation
  • Accessibility testing
  • Interaction testing
  • Addons ecosystem
  • Hot module reloading

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.

Storybook

  • Component developmentnot Umami
  • Design system documentationnot Umami
  • Visual regression testingnot Umami
  • UI component showcasenot Umami
  • Team collaborationnot Umami

Umami

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

Where each one falls short

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

Storybook

  • Requires JavaScript framework knowledge for full utilization
  • Limited native support for non-web platforms compared to specialized tools

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

Storybook

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Storybook 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 Storybook if

  • You need component isolation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, React Native, iOS, Android, Flutter.
  • You also want interactive development.
Storybook 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 Storybook or Umami better?
Neither clearly leads. Storybook 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, Storybook or Umami?
Storybook starts at Free and Umami at Free.
Does Storybook or Umami run on more platforms?
Storybook runs on Web, React Native, iOS, Android, Flutter. Umami runs on Web, Linux.
Can I use Storybook for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Storybook best used for?
Storybook is most often used for component development, design system documentation, visual regression testing, ui component showcase. Of those, component development and design system documentation are not what Umami is typically brought in for.
What can Storybook do that Umami cannot?
Storybook covers Component isolation, Interactive development, Visual testing, Documentation generation. Umami covers Cookie-free tracking, Self-hosting, Small tracking script, Custom events.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Storybook: Is Storybook free and open source?

Yes, Storybook is completely free and open source with source code hosted on GitHub. It has 2,282 contributors and approximately 83.58 million monthly installations.

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.

Storybook: What frameworks does Storybook support?

Storybook integrates with React, Vue, Angular, Svelte, and has been extended to support React Native, Android, iOS, and Flutter for mobile development.

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.

Storybook: What are the main capabilities of Storybook?

Storybook enables component development in isolation, interaction testing, visual testing, documentation, and sharing components with designers and stakeholders.

Source
Umami: Can it replace Google Analytics?

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

Storybook: How is Storybook maintained?

Storybook is maintained by a community of 2,282 contributors. It originated from a startup called Kadira, was handed to the community in 2017, and has been community-driven since Storybook 3.0.

Source
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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