Comparison
StoreMetrics vs Umami: Cloud vs self-hosted
By Rob Sannazzaro, founder of StoreMetrics · Last updated August 2026 · Prices verified August 2026
Umami is a lightweight, open-source analytics tool that you run on your own server for free. It is cookieless, has no revenue attribution, and requires you to manage hosting. StoreMetrics is cloud-hosted, adds live per-visitor feed and Shopify/Stripe revenue attribution, and requires no server work. The choice is fundamentally about whether you want to own the infrastructure or own the insights. For store owners looking for a Umami alternative that includes live revenue feeds and native Shopify integration, StoreMetrics is worth a look.
Free is not actually free
Umami self-hosted is free to download and run. The actual cost is server time and maintenance. A minimal Umami setup needs a VPS and a Postgres database. That runs $5 to $20/mo depending on provider, plus the time to set it up, keep it updated, and fix it when it breaks. For a developer who enjoys running infrastructure, this is fine. For a store owner who wants to spend time on the business, it is friction that adds up.
Revenue attribution
Umami has no native revenue attribution. There is no Shopify integration, no Stripe webhook processing, and no way to connect a purchase event back to the visitor session that generated it without custom JavaScript instrumentation. Custom events can be fired on purchase completion, but you lose the automatic session-to-order link that StoreMetrics provides via cart attributes and webhook matching.
Cookieless analytics
Like Plausible and Fathom, Umami is cookieless. This simplifies compliance and is a genuine advantage for content sites. It also means that returning visitors cannot be recognized across sessions. A customer who bought last month and visits again today is counted as a new visitor. For e-commerce, this understates your returning customer base and overstates new visitor acquisition costs.
When Umami is the right answer
Umami is an excellent choice for developers who want free analytics with full data ownership on their own infrastructure, do not need revenue attribution, and are comfortable maintaining a server. It is popular for side projects, personal sites, and developer tools. For a store generating revenue where understanding which channel drove sales matters, the lack of attribution and the overhead of self-hosting point toward a purpose-built tool.
Who Umami is best for
Developers who want free analytics on their own server, full data ownership, and are running side projects or non-e-commerce sites where aggregate pageview counts are sufficient. Umami is excellent for anyone comfortable with server management who needs a lightweight open-source solution.
Who StoreMetrics is best for
Store owners and founders who want zero server maintenance and need live revenue attribution out of the box. StoreMetrics is the choice when you want e-commerce intelligence without infrastructure work.
Frequently asked questions
Is Umami actually free?
The self-hosted version of Umami is free and open-source. You pay for your own hosting infrastructure (typically $5-20/mo for a VPS and database). Umami also offers a cloud plan which is paid.
Is Umami good for Shopify stores?
You can add Umami's script to a Shopify store for pageview tracking. There is no native Shopify order integration, so revenue attribution requires custom event setup. For stores that need to understand which traffic sources drive sales, that gap makes Umami an incomplete solution.
How long does Umami take to set up?
Setting up self-hosted Umami requires provisioning a server, setting up a Postgres database, deploying the Umami application, and configuring a domain. For someone experienced with server administration, a few hours. For someone who has not done it before, it can take a day or more.
Does StoreMetrics plan to open source its code?
No current plans to open source StoreMetrics. If open source is a requirement, Umami, Plausible (community edition), and Matomo are the options to evaluate.
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