Ackee

Active

Ackee is an open-source web analytics tool under the MIT license that runs only on your own server; the vendor offers no hosted version. Its tracker sets no cookies for visitors, and an optional detailed mode, off by default, collects data that its author classes as personal.

Web analytics
Self-hosted
Based in Germany
Founded 2014
Checked 17 Sep 2026

Visit website ↗Similar tools

Tracking script

8.08 KB compressed

20.7 KB uncompressed · measured 17 Sep 2026

Heavier than 26 of the 39 other measured scripts. Each line is one tool; hover to see which.

Price

FromFree

At 100k eventsFree

Self-hosted only · checked 17 Sep 2026

The vendor publishes no price list by traffic volume.

Privacy and data

Cookies: None
Data location: Your server
Self-hosting: Available
Source code: Open source

Plans

Free plan: Free to run
Billing unit: Free software
Sites on entry plan: Unlimited
Data retention: Unlimited

Strengths

Sets no cookies for visitors and, in its default mode, stores no IP addresses or other data that the documentation classes as personal.
Recognizes returning visitors by a hash of IP address, user agent and domain ID with a daily salt that is never saved, and removes that hash from earlier records when the visitor comes back.
Events are created in the settings and shown as charts or lists with totals or averages of the values you send, such as order amounts.
Everything in the interface comes from a documented GraphQL API, and permanent tokens created in the settings give background tools access that does not expire.
The Ackee server delivers the tracking script itself, and the ACKEE_TRACKER variable gives the file a custom name that, according to the documentation, avoids blocking by browser extensions.

Watch-outs

The script tag alone records only page visits, so events need the tracker called from your own code, and sites with client-side routing need the manual or module setup to count page changes.
Browser, operating system, device, screen size and language are recorded only in detailed mode, and the author advises asking visitors for permission before turning it on.
Each installation has one login, set with environment variables, and multi-user accounts are not planned. The FAQ suggests one instance per person, and all instances can share one MongoDB database.
Version 3.4.2 came out in December 2022 and the next release, 3.5.0, in November 2025; the current 3.6.0, from April 2026, requires Node.js 24 or newer.
The WordPress plugin listed among related projects, Soapberry, comes from a third party and was last updated in July 2020.

Who it suits

Ackee is web analytics that runs only on your own server; the vendor offers no hosted version. It is a Node.js application with a MongoDB database, published under the MIT license, and, according to the vendor, one installation can analyze as many domains and apps as you want.

The interface shows views, referrers, visit durations, events and the number of active visitors. All of it comes from a documented GraphQL API, which you can also use for your own scripts and dashboards.

The README describes Ackee as a tool for people who do not need a full-featured marketing analytics platform such as Google Analytics or Matomo. For what running a tool yourself involves, see open-source tools you can self-host.

Setup

The Get started guide runs Ackee with Docker Compose: the repository’s compose file starts Ackee and MongoDB once you put ACKEE_USERNAME and ACKEE_PASSWORD in a .env file. A manual installation needs Node.js 24 or newer, npm and MongoDB 7 or newer, and the guide also covers Helm and deploy buttons for platforms such as Netlify, Vercel and Render.

Ackee listens on port 3000, and the documentation recommends a reverse proxy with HTTPS and CORS headers so that your sites can send data to it. In the interface, add a domain in the settings to get its tracking code, then paste the code into your pages.

Single snippet
WordPress plugin (partly)
First-party proxy
Public API
Data export

Features

As documented on the vendor’s own pages. “Partly” means the feature has limits or is only on some plans.

Tracking & Reporting

Pageviews & visitors: yes
Live visitor count: yes
Top pages report: yes
Top referrers: yes
UTM campaign trackingPartly
Country & city breakdown: no
Device, browser, OSPartly
Bounce / engagementPartly
Time on site: yes
Custom events: yes
Goals / conversionsPartly
Funnels: no
Outbound link trackingPartly
File download trackingPartly
404 / error tracking: no

Pricing & Plans

Unlimited sites on entry plan: yes

Privacy & Compliance

Cookieless by default: yes
No personal data collected (vendor’s position): yes
No consent banner needed (vendor’s position): yes
Data hosted in EU: no
Data hosted in US: no
Self-hostable: yes
Open source: yes
Data retentionUnlimited
Bot & spam filtering: yes

Setup & Integrations

Single-snippet install: yes
WordPress pluginPartly
Proxy / first-party domain: yes
Public API: yes
Data export (CSV/JSON): yes
Google Search Console connector: no
Email digests: no
Slack / webhook alerts: no
Public shareable dashboard: no

Platforms & frameworks

What the vendor documents. A platform that is not listed has no guide, plugin or package from the vendor.

React: yes
Vue / NuxtPartly
Static sites (GitHub / GitLab Pages)Partly
Server-side tracking: yes

Questions and answers

Does Ackee use cookies?

No, not for visitors. The documentation says Ackee uses no cookies and by default stores no IP addresses, and concludes that it need not appear in a cookie banner; whether that holds for your site depends on the rules that apply to you. Logging in sets a cookie in your own browser so that your visits are ignored.

Is Ackee free?

Yes. Ackee is open source under the MIT license, and the vendor sells no plans and runs no hosted service. You pay only for the server or platform where you run it, and the author accepts donations.

What does a self-hosted Ackee installation need?

Node.js 24 or newer, npm and MongoDB 7 or newer for a manual installation, or Docker, where the provided Compose file starts Ackee together with MongoDB. The server listens on port 3000, and the documentation recommends putting a reverse proxy with HTTPS in front of it.

Where is Ackee data stored?

In the MongoDB database you connect Ackee to, so the data stays wherever that database runs. That can be your own server or a hosted MongoDB service such as MongoDB Atlas, which several of the deployment guides mention.

Sources and checks

Status: Active, checked 17 Sep 2026
Prices: Checked 17 Sep 2026 on the vendor’s pricing page ↗
Tracking script: Measured 17 Sep 2026: downloaded and compressed the same way for every tool
Features: From the vendor’s pages, checked 18 Sep 2026
This page: Text updated 17 Sep 2026

How each value is collected: methodology. Why tools get no overall score: our reasoning.