Who rybbit is for#
Product teams tracking signup and purchase funnels
Rybbit's funnel analysis shows exactly where visitors drop off on the path to conversion, with filtering by country, device, and referrer. Session replays link directly to funnel steps, so you can watch the sessions that abandoned checkout and pinpoint the specific friction point.
Skip if:
If your primary need is aggregate pageview counts with no funnel or session detail, a lighter tool like Plausible is simpler to operate and cheaper to self-host.
Developers self-hosting analytics for data residency
Rybbit runs on any VPS and stores all data on your infrastructure with no data leaving to a third-party analytics vendor. AGPL-3.0 makes the full source auditable. Teams in regulated industries can combine self-hosting with Rybbit's cookieless design to satisfy both compliance and data residency requirements.
Skip if:
If you have no data residency requirement and your team cannot maintain a VPS, the EU-hosted cloud tier is a simpler path to the same privacy outcome.
Indie makers replacing Google Analytics without a consent banner
Adding the 18 KB script gives you real-time visitor data, geographic breakdowns, referrer tracking, and error detection with no consent management platform required. The free cloud trial and self-hosted path both start at $0, making Rybbit practical for side projects and early-stage products.
Skip if:
If you need Google Ads attribution or multi-touch advertising audience integration, Google Analytics is the only free option for that specific use case.
AI-driven teams querying live analytics through agents
Rybbit's hosted MCP server lets Claude, Cursor, and similar AI assistants read live traffic, diagnose funnel drop-off, and create goals programmatically. The agent connects with the same REST API available to human users, so it can investigate a traffic drop and suggest changes without leaving the coding environment.
Skip if:
If your team does not use AI coding assistants or agent-based automation, the MCP integration adds no practical value to your analytics workflow.
The problem it solves#
Web analytics has a consent problem. Google Analytics plants cookies that trigger GDPR and CCPA banner requirements in the EU, and regulators in several European countries have ruled GA4 non-compliant for cross-border data transfers. Teams that need clean data without a consent wall face a hard choice: accept reduced data quality from visitors who decline the banner, pay for a managed privacy-first service, or maintain a custom workaround.
Even when compliance is handled, the interface problem remains. GA4 buries session-level context behind sampling, aggregation, and a reporting layer that requires configuration to answer basic questions. Where did users drop off? What did they do before converting? Which page is throwing JavaScript errors in Safari? Answering those questions in GA4 means building reports. Rybbit surfaces them directly on the dashboard.
How it solves it#
Autocapture Events
Rybbit automatically captures clicks, form submissions, copied text, outbound links, and JavaScript errors with zero manual instrumentation. Events carry the element selector, page context, and timestamp. No custom event code is needed for standard interaction tracking.
Session Replay
Watch full visitor sessions as recordings tied to the specific pages and events in each session. Replays are linked to the user profile and funnel data so context is always one click away. Available on Pro and Enterprise cloud tiers.
Conversion Funnels
Define a step sequence and see how many visitors complete each step and where they drop off. Funnels support filtering by country, device, and referrer, so you can segment drop-off by audience without building a separate report.
User Journey Maps
Visualize the actual paths visitors take between pages, including which routes lead to conversions. Journey analysis surfaces which entry paths have the highest conversion rate and which end in exits, directly from real session data.
Core Web Vitals Monitoring
Measure LCP, INP, CLS, FCP, and TTFB from real user sessions, segmented by route, country, and device. Rybbit collects Web Vitals passively with no additional configuration beyond the tracking script. Available on paid cloud tiers.
MCP Server for AI Agents
A hosted MCP server exposes Rybbit's full REST API to AI coding assistants. Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, and similar tools can query live traffic, investigate funnel drop-off, and create goals using the same permissions as a human team member.
Strengths and trade-offs#
Strengths
- Cookieless tracking with no consent banner requiredRybbit identifies visitors through cookieless fingerprinting, which means GDPR and CCPA compliance without a consent management platform. Removing the consent wall also improves data completeness: cookieless tracking captures visitors who would have declined a banner in a traditional setup.
- 18 KB script captures standard interactions automaticallyThe tracking script weighs 18 KB and captures clicks, forms, errors, and outbound links without any custom event code. Teams replacing GA4 add one script tag and immediately get richer session-level data with no instrumentation work required.
- AGPL-3.0 license with full self-hosting supportSelf-hosting Rybbit on your own VPS costs nothing beyond infrastructure. AGPL-3.0 ensures the source is auditable, which matters for data-sensitive teams. The cloud option is EU-hosted for teams who need data residency without managing a server.
- Unified dashboard for analytics, replays, and vitalsSessions, replays, funnels, journeys, goals, Web Vitals, and error tracking all render in one workspace without switching tools. Compared to combining GA4, Hotjar, and Sentry, Rybbit covers the same surface area in a single product.
Trade-offs
- -AGPL-3.0 license restricts commercial redistributionAGPL-3.0 requires that if you run a modified version of Rybbit as a network service, you must release those modifications as open source. Teams building internal analytics products on Rybbit's codebase should review this before shipping. The Enterprise tier provides a separate licensing path for those use cases.
- -Session replays and Web Vitals require paid cloud tiersSession replays are a Pro cloud tier feature ($26/month billed annually). Core Web Vitals monitoring is also restricted to paid tiers on the cloud service. Teams evaluating self-hosted deployments should verify which features are included at the open source tier before committing.
- -Young project with a high open issue countThe repository was created in January 2025 and had 184 open issues at the time of this listing. For a fast-growing project this is not unusual, but teams evaluating self-hosted production deployments should review the issue tracker to assess stability in their specific use case.
rybbit vs alternatives#
Rybbit vs Google Analytics
Rybbit and Google Analytics (GA4) both track web traffic and user behavior, but they differ on privacy architecture, feature depth, and ownership model. GA4 is free for all traffic volumes; Rybbit costs nothing self-hosted and charges by monthly pageview on the cloud service.
| Feature | Rybbit | Google Analytics (GA4) |
|---|---|---|
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Proprietary |
| Self-hosting | Yes (VPS) | No |
| Cookieless | Yes | No |
| Consent banner (EU) | Not required | Required |
| Session replays | Yes (Pro tier) | No |
| Error tracking | Yes | No |
| User journeys | Yes | Yes |
| Funnels | Yes | Yes |
| Web Vitals | Yes (paid tiers) | No |
| MCP server | Yes | No |
Rybbit is the better choice when GDPR compliance is a hard requirement, when you need session replays and error tracking alongside pageview data, or when data residency on your own infrastructure is non-negotiable. GA4 is still the better fit when you need unlimited free traffic analytics at high volume or direct Google Ads attribution integration that Rybbit does not offer.
Rybbit vs Fathom Analytics
Fathom Analytics is a privacy-first, cookieless service that shares Rybbit's GDPR compliance. The key differences are ownership and feature scope. Fathom is proprietary and cloud-only with no self-hosting; Rybbit is AGPL-3.0 with full self-hosting on any VPS.
| Feature | Rybbit | Fathom Analytics |
|---|---|---|
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Proprietary |
| Self-hosting | Yes | No |
| Cookieless | Yes | Yes |
| Session replays | Yes (Pro tier) | No |
| Conversion funnels | Yes | No |
| User journeys | Yes | No |
| Error tracking | Yes | No |
| Cloud pricing | From $13/mo | From $15/mo |
Rybbit offers substantially broader analytics coverage at a similar cloud price. Fathom's advantage is simplicity: it is a pageview counter with minimal setup and no infrastructure overhead, which suits teams that want only traffic numbers without funnels or session detail. Teams that need funnels, replays, or error tracking will hit Fathom's ceiling quickly and find Rybbit the more complete alternative.
Rybbit vs Matomo Cloud
Matomo is the established open source analytics platform with a longer track record. Both Rybbit and Matomo are self-hostable and GDPR compliant, with funnel and goal tracking. The distinction is architecture and interface complexity. Matomo has been in development since 2007; self-hosting it requires PHP, MySQL, and a web server. Rybbit was built in 2025, runs on TypeScript, and is designed around a single unified dashboard.
| Feature | Rybbit | Matomo Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL (self-hosted) / Proprietary (cloud) |
| Self-hosting stack | TypeScript, VPS | PHP, MySQL, web server |
| Session replays | Yes (Pro tier) | Yes (paid add-on) |
| UI complexity | Low | High |
| Cookieless | Yes | Yes (with plugin) |
Matomo is the stronger fit when you need a mature plugin ecosystem, long data history, or your team is already trained on its interface. Rybbit is the better starting point for teams that want modern product analytics without PHP or the complexity accumulated by years of feature additions.
Install and self-host#
Install the JavaScript SDK with npm or add a script tag to any HTML page to begin tracking.
```bash
npm install @rybbit/js
```What it's built on#
- Languages
- JavaScriptTypeScript
- Frameworks
- Next.jsReact
FAQ#
Is Rybbit GDPR and CCPA compliant?
Yes. Rybbit uses cookieless tracking, so it does not plant first-party or third-party cookies and no consent banner is required. The EU-hosted cloud option keeps data within European infrastructure. Self-hosting gives you full control over where data is stored and processed.
Can I self-host Rybbit for free?
Yes. Rybbit is AGPL-3.0 licensed and free to run on your own VPS. The official self-hosting documentation covers deployment. The cloud managed service offers a 7-day free trial and paid plans starting at $13/month billed annually for up to 5 websites and 3 team members.
How does Rybbit compare to Google Analytics?
Rybbit is cookieless and requires no consent banner, while GA4 requires GDPR consent in the EU and stores data on Google's servers. Rybbit adds session replays, error tracking, and user journey maps that GA4 does not include. GA4 is free at all traffic volumes; Rybbit's cloud service charges by monthly pageview count.
Does Rybbit support session replay?
Yes. Session replays record and play back visitor sessions tied to the specific pages and events in each visit. On the cloud service, replays are available on the Pro tier ($26/month billed annually). The AGPL-3.0 codebase includes the session replay feature for self-hosted deployments.
What platforms and frameworks does Rybbit support?
Rybbit integrates with Next.js, React, Angular, Astro, Vue, SvelteKit, WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, and over 30 other platforms. The core integration is a single script tag, so any platform that allows custom HTML scripts is supported. An npm SDK (@rybbit/js) is available for programmatic event tracking.
Similar open-source tools#
Plausible
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Prisme Analytics
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Umami
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Matomo
Self-hosted Google Analytics alternative, 100% data ownership
Swetrix
GDPR-compliant cookieless analytics with real-time dashboards
smallweb
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