Offen Fair Web Analytics vs Tinylytics

Compare Offen Fair Web Analytics and Tinylytics on capabilities, jurisdiction, assurance, and fit for European buyers.

Both listed as alternatives to: Fathom Analytics, Google Analytics

Offen Fair Web Analytics

Germany· Web Analytics

Needs review

Shortlist when you want self-hosted, Apache-2.0 analytics that only measures after opt-in, encrypts events in the browser, and lets visitors open their own data in the Auditorium. Skip when you need cookieless full-coverage metrics, session replay/heatmaps, or zero-ops managed EU hosting—consider Plausible, Pirsch, or Friendly Analytics instead.

Opt-in onlyBrowser E2E encryptionSelf-hostedApache-2.0Visitor data accessBerlin-based project

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Tinylytics

United Kingdom· Web Analytics

Needs review

Shortlist Tinylytics when you want cookieless page analytics plus bundled uptime/SSL/content checks for a handful of small sites, with primary data on Hetzner in Germany and founder support. Skip when you need self-host/open source, formal ISO/SOC packs, or enterprise multi-tenant governance—consider Plausible Analytics or Simple Analytics instead.

Cookieless analyticsPrimary host: Hetzner DEUptime + SSL monitoringBroken-link crawlsSaaS only (no self-host)Solo-founder UK

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Highlighted rows differ between the two products.

Offen Fair Web Analytics vs Tinylytics: Snapshot
Feature	Offen Fair Web Analytics	Tinylytics
Country of origin	Germany	United Kingdom
Category	Web Analytics	Web Analytics
Open source	Yes	No
Self-hosted	Yes	No
Headquarters	Germany	United Kingdom
Legal entity	Public legal notice lists Frederik Ring, Berlin (offen.software); product authors Frederik Ring and Hendrik Niefeld—no separate GmbH name verified on imprint	Vincent Ritter Consulting (service brand; terms state not separately incorporated yet)
Governing law	Germany (indicative from Berlin imprint)	Not clearly stated as a single governing-law clause on the public terms page; confirm contractually
US parent / control	No known US parent	No known US parent
CLOUD Act exposure (indicative)	Low	Medium
Hosting / residency	Product is operator self-hosted (your VPS/cloud/on-prem). No Offen multi-tenant analytics SaaS or vendor subprocessor list for visitor events. Related marketing site (offen.software) names Hetzner Online GmbH (Germany) as host—not the analytics data path. Optional community deploys include Heroku (operator choice).	Primary analytics storage: Hetzner Falkenstein (Germany). CDN/security: Cloudflare. Error monitoring: Sentry.io. Payments: Paddle and Lemon Squeezy (Stripe company). Optional: IPinfo geo fallback for API hits; opt-in AI Insights via xAI and Google Gemini. No public backup-provider detail beyond that stack.
Summary	Open-source, self-hosted web analytics with opt-in consent, browser-side end-to-end encryption, and a shared Auditorium so visitors can see and control their own usage data.	Privacy-first cookieless web analytics for small sites, with bundled uptime/SSL checks, content monitoring, events, and founder support—hosted primarily on Hetzner in Germany.
Tags	analytics privacy gdpr open-source self-hosted opt-in e2e-encryption	analytics privacy gdpr cookie-free uptime-monitoring indie api

At a glance: Offen Fair Web Analytics vs Tinylytics
At a glance	Offen Fair Web Analytics	Tinylytics
HQ / authors	Berlin, Germany (Frederik Ring & Hendrik Niefeld)	Not listed
License	Apache-2.0 (code/docs); logo CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0	Not listed
Delivery	Self-host only (binary, Docker, community deploys)	Not listed
Consent model	Opt-in only; first-party cookies	Not listed
Default retention	6 months (configurable shorter)	Not listed
Funding note	NLnet NGI support (project-stated)	Not listed
HQ / operator	Not listed	Vincent Ritter Consulting, United Kingdom
Launched	Not listed	12 June 2023 (live counters on homepage)
Primary hosting	Not listed	Hetzner, Falkenstein, Germany
Deployment	Not listed	Managed SaaS only (not open source, not self-hosted)
Commercial model	Not listed	Paid site-count plans; short trial; no permanent free tier
Differentiators	Not listed	Analytics + uptime/SSL/content monitoring + widgets

Key capabilities: Offen Fair Web Analytics vs Tinylytics
Key capabilities	Offen Fair Web Analytics	Tinylytics
Opt-in only	Yes	Not listed
Browser E2E encryption	Yes	Not listed
Self-hosted	Yes	Not listed
Apache-2.0	Yes	Not listed
Visitor data access	Yes	Not listed
Berlin-based project	Yes	Not listed
Cookieless analytics	Not listed	Yes
Primary host: Hetzner DE	Not listed	Yes
Uptime + SSL monitoring	Not listed	Yes
Broken-link crawls	Not listed	Yes
SaaS only (no self-host)	Not listed	Yes
Solo-founder UK	Not listed	Yes

Offen Fair Web Analytics

Opt-in only collection with first-party cookies
No analytics events are recorded until the visitor actively consents. Cookies are first-party and the tracker is meant to run on a same-site subdomain so third-party cookie restrictions and cross-site tracking models do not apply. Visitors who never opt in leave no usage trail—expect lower absolute volumes than cookieless tools that measure by default.
Browser-side end-to-end encryption of usage events
Clients encrypt usage data before it leaves the browser; the server stores ciphertext and cannot decrypt events alone. Only the visitor (via their cookie) and the matching operator account can open that visitor's data in the Auditorium. Practical impact: a compromised database or overly broad ops access does not yield plaintext browsing histories the way a typical self-hosted analytics DB would.
Auditorium for both operators and visitors
Operators see aggregates across pages where the installation is active (unique users/sessions, top pages, filters). Each opted-in visitor can open the same style of UI for their own data only, with plain-language metric explanations, and can delete data or fully opt out later. This is the fair design point: measurement is not a one-way glass.
Essential metrics without IP or User-Agent capture
Dashboards cover real-time activity, page views, unique users and sessions, bounce rate, returning users, top pages, referrers, UTM campaign/source, landing and exit pages, weekly retention, and load time. Location is country-level from timezone mapping; mobile share uses orientation capability—not IP geolocation or UA parsing. No heatmaps, session replay, or warehouse-grade product analytics.
Lightweight self-host: binary, Docker, SQLite or SQL
Production installs use a single binary (Linux/Windows/macOS) or the offen/offen image; docs also cover Heroku, Uberspace, and YunoHost. Default store is SQLite; MySQL and Postgres are supported. AutoTLS can request Let's Encrypt certificates. Config is environment variables or offen.env. You own uptime, backups, SMTP for password reset, and the subdomain layout.
Multi-site accounts, teams, and short retention
One installation can cover multiple websites with shared team access. Default retention is six months with automatic deletion; operators can shorten retention (e.g. 12 weeks, 30 days, 7 days) knowing shorter values purge older events on startup. Consent banner appearance is customizable; UI locales include EN, DE, FR, ES, PT, and VI.

Tinylytics

Cookie-free unique hits with rotating salts
Page views and unique hits without tracking cookies or fingerprinting. Uniques combine truncated request signals with a 12-hour rotating salt and one-way hash, reset daily at midnight UTC; visitor IPs are not stored in hits. Suited to indie sites that want trendable uniques without consent banners for analytics cookies.
Thunder Clap uptime, SSL, and domain alerts
In-house multi-region health checks (default every 10 minutes) confirm downtime before emailing, plus SSL expiry notices and domain monitoring. Ultra can shorten intervals. Replaces a separate uptime tool for small fleets—but false downs can occur if WAFs block the Tinylytics monitor user-agent.
Daily content crawl for broken links and mixed content
Subscribed sites can crawl up to 50 pages (two levels deep) on a daily cadence, flagging broken links and mixed HTTP assets on HTTPS pages, with ignore lists and re-check. Ultra adds optional AI spell-check on visible copy—keep it off if AI subprocessors are out of policy.
Attribute-based event tracking (beta)
Enable events on the embed script and mark elements with data-tinylytics-event using category.action names (optional values for downloads). No GTM required; beacon mode helps navigations. Still beta—expect API/schema changes and incomplete capture under aggressive blockers.
Public stats, kudos, hit counters, API, and webhooks
Share passcode-protected public stats, embed hit counters and kudos buttons, export CSV, call the documented API, and push signed webhooks for visits, events, and monitoring. Built for transparent blogs and light automation rather than enterprise BI warehouses.

Assurance & compliance: Offen Fair Web Analytics vs Tinylytics
Assurance & compliance	Offen Fair Web Analytics	Tinylytics
Independent security / architecture audit	Not found No public third-party audit PDF found; coordinated disclosure via SECURITY.md email only.	Not found No public third-party security or no-logs audit report found on official docs.
ISO 27001	Not found No public ISO 27001 certification claim found on official site or docs.	Not found No ISO 27001 claim found on privacy, compliance, or hosting pages.
SOC 2 / SOC 3	Not found No public SOC 2/3 report found.	Not found No SOC 2/3 report or claim found on public site.
GDPR / EU data protection	Vendor claimed EU authors; opt-in, data minimization (no IP/UA), visitor access/erasure, short default retention, Datensparsamkeit framing. Self-host means operator remains controller—confirm your legal basis and notice.	Vendor claimed Vendor documents GDPR-oriented design (cookieless, data minimisation, EU primary host, deletion). Not independent certification.
US CLOUD Act exposure (indicative)	Partial EuropeanStack assessment: no known US parent; product not delivered as US-hosted vendor SaaS. Operator-chosen infrastructure (including optional Heroku/US cloud) can still create CLOUD Act paths for stored ciphertext/metadata. Not legal advice.	Partial UK operator, no known US parent, primary host Hetzner DE; partial exposure via Cloudflare, Sentry, Lemon Squeezy/Paddle, optional IPinfo and opt-in US AI APIs. Not legal advice.
Data processing agreement (B2B)	Not applicable No multi-tenant vendor analytics processing relationship documented; operator self-hosts and is typically controller. Custom development/support via offen.software is separate from a standard SaaS DPA.	Not found No public DPA/downloadable processor agreement found; ask the vendor before B2B rollout.
EU AI Act	Not applicable Web analytics metrics product; not an AI system product.	Not applicable Core product is analytics/monitoring; optional AI insights are secondary and opt-in.

Considerations & known limitations: Offen Fair Web Analytics vs Tinylytics
Considerations & known limitations	Offen Fair Web Analytics	Tinylytics
Opt-in undercounts absolute traffic	High Visitors who never consent generate no events. Growth and content KPIs will not match cookieless tools or GA-style default measurement—treat as design, not a misconfiguration.	Not listed
You own uptime, backups, and secrets	Medium No managed Offen cloud. Operators must run HTTPS/subdomain layout, set OFFEN_SECRET for stable sessions, configure SMTP for resets, and back up SQLite/SQL—plus avoid reverse proxies that log IPs if minimization is a goal.	Not listed
E2E crypto is vendor-claimed architecture	Medium Browser-side encryption and server inability to decrypt are core claims from project docs/README, not independently audited in public materials found. Security-sensitive orgs should review source or commission assessment.	Not listed
Hosting choice reintroduces cloud jurisdiction	Medium Self-host on US-group cloud or Heroku means CLOUD Act/subprocessor analysis shifts to your host even though Offen itself is Berlin-based OSS without a vendor SaaS region map.	Not listed
No public ISO/SOC or audit pack	Low Procurement checklists that require vendor ISO 27001/SOC 2 will stall; evidence is open source and design docs, not cert registry entries.	Not listed
Essential metrics only	Medium No heatmaps, session replay, advanced funnels, or product-analytics warehouse features. Wrong tool if the shortlist criterion is UX research depth rather than fair traffic statistics.	Not listed
US-group subprocessors on the data path	Not listed	Medium Cloudflare, Sentry, payment processors (incl. Lemon Squeezy/Stripe group), optional IPinfo and opt-in xAI/Gemini mean the stack is not EU-only end-to-end despite Hetzner primary storage.
Solo-founder operational concentration	Not listed	Medium Service is provided by Vincent Ritter Consulting / a solo developer. Support is personal and fast for indies, but bus-factor and formal SLA expectations differ from larger vendors.
No public ISO/SOC/audit or DPA pack	Not listed	Medium Enterprise security questionnaires will hit gaps until the vendor supplies audits and a B2B DPA under NDA or email.
Scale and feature boundaries	Not listed	Low Content crawls are depth/page limited; event tracking is beta; fair-usage applies to extreme hit volumes; no self-host escape hatch.
Optional AI shares aggregated analytics	Not listed	Low AI Insights and related AI spell-check are opt-in and send aggregated (not visitor PII per vendor) data to third-party AI providers—leave disabled under strict AI policies.

Fit

Offen Fair Web Analytics

Best fit when

Public-sector, media, NGO, or mission-driven sites that need visitor-visible transparency and strict opt-in
EU teams that must keep analytics off third-party trackers and can run a small always-on instance
Operators who want first-party subdomain cookies, CSP-aware embedding, and no IP/User-Agent collection
Organisations evaluating fair-processing design over maximum measurement coverage
Teams comfortable with SQLite or SQL self-host ops (binary or Docker) and publishing their own privacy notice

Poor fit when

Product or growth teams that require near-complete traffic measurement without consent friction
Needs for heatmaps, session replay, funnels, or ad-ecosystem attribution comparable to Hotjar/Mixpanel/GA
Buyers seeking a vendor-managed multi-tenant analytics cloud with SLAs and a signed vendor DPA as processor
Large enterprises that require public ISO 27001/SOC 2 or third-party security audit packs before shortlist

Consider instead when

When: You want privacy-oriented analytics with managed EU hosting and lower consent friction
Consider: Plausible Analytics or Pirsch Analytics
Typically optimised for simpler cookieless or low-friction models and hosted plans; less radical visitor Auditorium design than Offen.
When: You need EU hosted privacy analytics with operator support and less self-host burden
Consider: Friendly Analytics
European catalog peer oriented to hosted privacy analytics; compare consent model and feature depth to Offen’s opt-in + E2E approach.
When: You need deep product analytics, funnels, or session UX tooling rather than fair traffic metrics
Consider: Hotjar, Mixpanel, or a full GA4 stack (with legal review)
Different category: richer product/UX analytics, different jurisdiction and subprocessor profile.

Tinylytics

Best fit when

Indie blogs, portfolios, and side projects that want simple cookieless stats without Google Analytics
Small sites that also want uptime, SSL expiry, and broken-link checks in the same tool
Operators who prefer founder-answered support and lightweight embeds over enterprise marketing stacks
Teams OK with managed EU primary hosting and willing to review named US-group subprocessors (CDN, payments, optional AI)
Agencies managing a modest number of client sites with public stats or kudos-style engagement widgets

Poor fit when

Orgs that require self-hosted collectors or open-source audit of the full analytics stack
Procurement needing published ISO 27001, SOC 2, independent audits, or a downloadable DPA out of the box
Very high-traffic properties needing contractual capacity/SLA commitments beyond fair-usage conversation
Policies that ban Cloudflare/Sentry/US payment or optional US AI APIs on any data path
Teams that need session replay, heatmaps, or deep advertising attribution (Clarity/GA territory)

Consider instead when

When: You need open-source and optional self-hosting of the analytics stack
Consider: Plausible Analytics
Estonian product with Cloud plus Community Edition self-host; less bundling of uptime/content monitors.
When: You want European cookieless analytics with a simpler analytics-only scope
Consider: Simple Analytics
Strong privacy positioning; compare feature depth and monitoring separately.
When: You need free-at-scale marketing analytics, ads integrations, or attribution depth
Consider: Google Analytics (incumbent) — or stay on a privacy tool if GA is disallowed
Different privacy and sovereignty profile entirely.
When: You need session replay or heatmaps and accept that privacy model
Consider: Microsoft Clarity or specialised replay tools
Tinylytics deliberately avoids fingerprinting-style session products.

Open questions for due diligence

Offen Fair Web Analytics

Will your traffic and KPI model tolerate opt-in-only measurement after a pilot on a non-critical property?
Where will you host the instance (EU on-prem/VPS vs US-group cloud), and who holds OFFEN_SECRET and DB backups?
Do procurement rules require third-party audits or ISO/SOC that Offen does not publish?
Do you need a signed vendor DPA as processor, or is controller-only self-host acceptable to counsel?
Is subdomain + CSP (script-src/frame-src + unsafe-inline styles for the banner) feasible on your main site?

Tinylytics

Will Vincent Ritter Consulting sign a GDPR Article 28 DPA and provide a current subprocessor list under contract?
Are backups/DR and email delivery fully covered by the named providers, or are there additional hosts?
Is there any roadmap for independent security review, SOC 2, or ISO 27001?
What contractual terms apply for accounts consistently above the fair-usage hit threshold?
For AI Insights: exact retention, regions, and processor terms at xAI and Google for the paid API plans used?