Is there an open-source alternative to Google Analytics for Rails?

Yes — Active Analytics and AhoyCaptain. Both mount into an application you already run, so there is no second deployment and no second database.

How do I replace Google Analytics in a Rails app?

Add active_analytics to your Gemfile, mount it in config/routes.rb at /analytics, and run its migrations. The whole integration is two lines and a migration.

How much does replacing Google Analytics save?

Google Analytics is priced free; ga360 is enterprise-priced. The engines here are open source, so the cost becomes the time to mount one and the resources it uses inside your existing application.

Replace Google Analytics

Pageviews, sessions, funnels and acquisition reports — in exchange for sending your visitors' behaviour to Google.

Google Analytics website Free; GA360 is enterprise-priced Analytics

Why teams move off Google Analytics

The price is your visitors' behaviour. It is also increasingly inaccurate: a large share of traffic never reports, because blockers remove the script before it runs.

What you give up

Attribution modelling, ad-platform integration and audience export.

This directory says so when an engine only covers part of the job. A replacement that needs a caveat is still worth knowing about — it just should not surprise you in week three.

Drop-in replacement

Google Analytics → active_analytics

# Gemfile
gem "active_analytics"

# config/routes.rb
mount ActiveAnalytics::Engine, at: "/analytics"

Read about Active Analytics →

2 Rails engines that replace Google Analytics

Questions

Is there an open-source alternative to Google Analytics for Rails?: Yes — Active Analytics and AhoyCaptain. Both mount into an application you already run, so there is no second deployment and no second database.
What do I give up by replacing Google Analytics?: Attribution modelling, ad-platform integration and audience export.
How do I replace Google Analytics in a Rails app?: Add active_analytics to your Gemfile, mount it in config/routes.rb at /analytics, and run its migrations. The whole integration is two lines and a migration.
How much does replacing Google Analytics save?: Google Analytics is priced free; ga360 is enterprise-priced. The engines here are open source, so the cost becomes the time to mount one and the resources it uses inside your existing application.

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