Compare · Ackee
Best Ackee alternative.
Like Ackee's simple, cookie-free stats? Pieowl keeps that and adds funnels, retention, session replay and an MCP server, so your own AI assistant can answer questions about your data. Your data is stored in our EU cloud.
- No cookies
- Funnels and retention
- EU cloud
- 14-day free trial, no card
Pieowl vs Ackee: which is right for you?
Pieowl if…
- 1Teams that need funnels, retention and cohorts
- 2Apps where users log in and you want to follow them across visits
- 3People who want a managed cloud instead of running MongoDB
Ackee if…
- 1Personal sites that only need views, referrers and durations
- 2Privacy purists who never want to identify a single user
- 3Developers who want to build on a GraphQL API
Both skip cookies. Ackee gives you simple web stats on your own server. Pieowl adds product analytics and a managed cloud.
Why consider Pieowl over Ackee?
Ackee is a small analytics tool you run on your own server. It shows views, referrers, durations, and the browser, OS and device of your visitors. It sets no cookies and does no unique user tracking. It runs on Node.js and MongoDB, and its code is public under the MIT license.
That minimal design is the point of Ackee. But it also means no funnels, no retention, no user profiles and no session replay. If you want to know where people drop off, or whether they come back, you need a different tool.
Pieowl keeps the parts you like. It sets no cookies, it does not store IP addresses, and the visitor hash uses a salt that changes every day. On top of that you get funnels, retention, cohorts, session replay, revenue tracking and an MCP server, so you can ask your own AI assistant, like Claude or Cursor, about your data.
Where it runs is the other big difference. Ackee is self-host only, so you run the server. Pieowl is cloud only: it runs in our EU cloud, from $9/month for 10K events after a 14-day free trial. There is no self-hosted version of Pieowl.
Key differences at a glance
How Pieowl and Ackee compare on the things that matter most.
| Feature | Pieowl | Ackee |
|---|---|---|
| Key differences | ||
| Analytics depth | Web + product analytics | Web stats only |
| User identification | Optional, when you call identify | No, by design |
| Hosting | Cloud only (EU) | Self-host only |
| Database | ClickHouse (built for analytics) | MongoDB |
| AI answers | Yes, via your AI assistant (MCP) | No |
| Web analytics | ||
| Page views | Yes | Yes |
| Referrers | Yes | Yes |
| Visit duration | Yes | Yes |
| Browser, OS and device | Yes | Yes |
| Product analytics | ||
| Custom eventsAckee tracks events like button clicks and newsletter signups | Yes | Yes |
| FunnelsNot in Ackee's feature list | Yes | No |
| RetentionAckee does no unique user tracking, so it can't measure return visits per user | Yes | No |
| User profilesAckee keeps all data anonymous by design | Yes | No |
| Cohorts | Yes | No |
| User paths (Sankey chart) | Yes | No |
| Advanced features | ||
| Session replayPieowl replay is opt-in per site, with text always hidden | Yes | No |
| Revenue tracking | Yes | No |
| Ask your AI assistant (MCP) | Yes | No |
| GraphQL APIAckee's whole interface runs on its GraphQL API | No | Yes |
| REST APIPieowl has HTTP endpoints to track events and export data | Yes | No |
| Slack and Discord notifications | Yes | No |
| Privacy | ||
| No cookies | Yes | Yes |
| No stored IPs, daily-changing visitor IDsPieowl hashes visitors with a daily salt and does not store IPs. Ackee uses a multi-step anonymization process. | Yes | Yes |
| Self-host optionAckee is self-host only. Pieowl is cloud only. | No | Yes |
| Managed cloud | EU | No |
| Integrations and SDKs | ||
| Script tag for any websiteAckee uses ackee-tracker | Yes | Yes |
| ReactAckee has the use-ackee hook | Yes | Yes |
| NuxtAckee has the community nuxt-ackee module | Yes | Yes |
| React Native | Yes | No |
| Flutter/DartAckee has the community ackee_dart package | No | Yes |
| WordPress pluginAckee has the community Soapberry plugin | No | Yes |
Technical comparison
For developers, here is how the setups compare.
| Feature | Pieowl | Ackee |
|---|---|---|
| Script sizePieowl's replay add-on loads only if you turn replay on. Measured October 2026. | About 3 KB gzipped | About 8 KB gzipped (tracker.js on Ackee's demo) |
| Platforms |
|
|
| Self hosting | No (cloud only) | Node.js and MongoDB. Docker Compose, Docker, Helm, or platforms like Netlify, Vercel, Heroku, Render and Railway |
| Database | ClickHouse (column store, built for analytics) | MongoDB (document database) |
| Language | TypeScript (Node.js) | Node.js |
| API | REST API | GraphQL API |
Pricing comparison
Ackee is free to self-host. Pieowl is cloud only, from $9/month after a 14-day free trial. Ackee details checked October 2026.
Pieowl
Pay per event. Every feature on every plan.- 14-day free trial, no card needed.
- Starter: from $9/month for 10K events, $19 for 100K and $69 for 1M.
- Growth: twice the Starter price, for up to 30 sites and 30 team members.
- Over 10M events a month: talk to us.
- Pay yearly and get 2 months free.
- Paid plans come with a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Ackee
Free, self-host only- Ackee is free and MIT-licensed.
- There is no paid plan and no hosted version.
- You pay for your own server and MongoDB database.
Moving from Ackee to Pieowl
Switching is quick. Both use a small script and a simple event call.
- 01Create a Pieowl account
Sign up at app.pieowl.com, add your site and copy your client ID.
- 02Swap the script
Replace the ackee-tracker script with the Pieowl snippet. Page views start coming in right away.
- 03Move your events
Where you called Ackee's action tracking, call pieowl('track', 'event_name', { ...properties }) instead.
- 04Add user identification (optional)
Call pieowl('identify', { profileId }) after login if you want retention, cohorts and user profiles. Skip it if you don't want names or user IDs in Pieowl.
- 05Build funnels and remove Ackee
Set up your first funnel and dashboard. When the numbers look right, remove the Ackee script and shut down the server.
Effort: Easy
Estimated time: 30 minutes to 2 hoursSDK compatibility
Both use one script tag and a simple event call. Ackee's action calls map to pieowl('track', ...).Historical data
Pieowl has no Ackee importer. Your old data stays in your MongoDB, so you can keep Ackee running read-only for history and start fresh in Pieowl.
Where Pieowl is a better fit than Ackee
Pick Pieowl when you need more than page stats.
Finding where users drop off
Ackee shows which pages get views. Pieowl funnels show which step people leave at, with breakdowns by device, campaign and more.
Not wanting to run servers
Ackee needs your own server and MongoDB. Pieowl's cloud runs in the EU, from $9/month for 10K events, with a 14-day free trial and no card needed.
Apps with logged-in users
Ackee can't tell returning users apart by design. Pieowl lets you identify users when they log in, so you can measure retention.
Seeing what users actually did
Pieowl session replay shows a visit step by step. It's opt-in per site, text and form fields are always hidden, and you can block sensitive parts of the page.
Getting answers without building reports
Connect Claude, Cursor or another AI assistant over MCP and ask about your data in plain English.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about switching from Ackee to Pieowl. Checked October 2026.
Is Pieowl as privacy-friendly as Ackee?
Both set no cookies. Pieowl does not store IP addresses, and its visitor hash uses a salt that changes daily. The difference: Pieowl lets you identify logged-in users if you choose to. Ackee never does. If you never call identify, Pieowl has no names, emails or user IDs either.
Why switch from Ackee to Pieowl?
People switch when they need funnels, retention, cohorts, session replay or revenue tracking, or when they no longer want to run their own server. Ackee is great for simple stats but does not offer these.
Is Ackee free?
Yes. Ackee is free and MIT-licensed. You pay only for the server and MongoDB database you run it on.
How much does Pieowl cost?
Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial, no card needed. Starter is $9/month for 10K events, $19 for 100K and $69 for 1M. Growth is twice the Starter price and covers up to 30 sites and 30 team members. Yearly billing gives you 2 months free, and paid plans have a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Does Pieowl have a GraphQL API like Ackee?
No. Pieowl has a REST API for tracking events and exporting data. If you rely on Ackee's GraphQL API to build your own tools, that is a real point in Ackee's favor.
What will I lose if I switch?
Ackee's GraphQL API, its one-click deploys to platforms like Netlify and Vercel, and community plugins such as Soapberry for WordPress and ackee_dart for Flutter.
Can I import my Ackee data?
Not directly. Pieowl has no Ackee importer. Most people keep Ackee read-only for history and start fresh in Pieowl.
Do I need a cookie banner with Pieowl?
Often not for analytics. Pieowl sets no cookies and stores nothing on your visitors' devices, so in many cases you don't need a consent banner for it. It depends on your country and the features you use: session replay needs consent, and some countries, like Germany, Poland and Ireland, have no exemption for analytics. Our docs page "Do you need a cookie banner?" has the details. Check with your own legal advisor for anything else on your site.
Keep reading
Articles
Other comparisons
Ready to make the switch?
14-day free trial, no card needed. Then from $9 a month for 10K events.