BYOViral vs Umami

Open-source software or a hosted service

Umami is released under the MIT license and is free to self-host. It needs Node.js 18.18 or newer and PostgreSQL 12.14 or newer, and it runs with Docker or Docker Compose. A few features, such as email reports and the streaming API, are only available on Umami Cloud.

BYOViral cannot be self-hosted. You add a one-line script and the service does the rest: collection, bot labeling, storage, the dashboard and the weekly email report. If owning the code and the database matters to you, Umami is the obvious choice. If you would rather not run a server, compare Umami Cloud and BYOViral below.

Umami Cloud plans next to BYOViral

Umami charges for extra events beyond each plan's allowance and offers a 14-day trial on Pro and Business. Umami Cloud runs on servers in the US and the EU. BYOViral prices do not change with traffic; the paid plans cost $50 or $90 a year when billed yearly.

What each one records

Umami sets no cookies. It identifies a session with a hash of the IP address, user agent and website ID, and an Umami maintainer has stated that Umami does not store IP addresses.

BYOViral also sets no cookies and uses no browser storage. It does store IP addresses: each site's visitor log keeps the IP, network, approximate location, browser, device, referrer and page of recent visitors, so you can look at visits one by one and so that traffic from hosting networks can be labeled as likely bots. Rows are deleted as they roll out of your plan's log size, and daily totals hold no IP addresses.

If you need analytics that never keeps an IP address, Umami fits better. As with any tool, going cookie-free does not by itself decide whether your site needs a consent banner.

Features Umami includes that BYOViral does not

• Custom events with properties, funnels, retention and user journeys.
• Goals, revenue tracking and attribution reports.
• Custom dashboards and an MCP server for AI tools.
• Session replays and heatmaps on the Business plan.

BYOViral supports simple custom events through a one-line JavaScript call, goals and simple funnels on Premium, and an API on Ultra. Its reporting is deliberately smaller.

When BYOViral is the simpler choice

• You want a free hosted plan that covers many sites without a server.
• You want to see recent visitors individually, with their network and source.
• You want a public profile page and a badge showing your monthly visitors.
• You want uptime checks every five minutes and traffic alerts in the same account (Premium).
• You also use free SEO and web tools and would like them in one place.

Moving between the two

BYOViral has no importer for Umami data. If you self-host Umami, the database stays yours, so you can keep it for history while BYOViral collects new visits. Both scripts can run on the same page without interfering.

Going the other way is just as simple: Umami does not import BYOViral data either, so plan to keep the old account for past reports whichever direction you move.