Aptabase

Aptabase is an open-source analytics platform for mobile, desktop, and web apps, intended for developers and small teams. Its real-time dashboard reports sessions, events, app versions, operating system versions, devices, and countries. Developers choose which custom events to track and can attach string or number properties; tracking does not happen automatically. Aptabase says it avoids device identifiers, cookies, fingerprints, and long-term user identification. As a result, it cannot report user-level measures such as monthly active users or per-user retention. Cloud data can be stored in Germany for the EU region or Virginia for the US region, and users can host their own servers. Customers own their data and can export it to CSV; analytics data is retained for up to five years. The server is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and the SDKs under MIT. Integrations cover a range of languages and frameworks, including Swift, Kotlin, Flutter, React Native, Electron, Tauri, web, browser extensions, game engines, Python, and C++. The free plan allows up to 20,000 events per month across unlimited apps. Paid monthly plans start at $10 a month for 200,000 events.

Aptabase offers customizable app analytics with a stated focus on privacy, data export, and regional or self-hosted storage. Its lack of user identification means teams needing user-level metrics should account for that limitation.

Aptabase suits developers and small teams shipping mobile, desktop, or web apps, including indie developers, studios, open-source projects, and SaaS teams. It is a fit for teams that can work without user-level activity metrics.

Aptabase is an open-source analytics service for teams building mobile, desktop, or web apps. It suits developers who want to measure deliberately instrumented events without persistent user tracking. Its central tradeoff is clear: privacy-conscious aggregate analytics in exchange for no user-level reporting.

Overview

Aptabase’s real-time dashboard covers sessions, events, app and operating-system versions, devices, and countries. It does not track activity automatically; teams choose which events to send. That gives developers control over what they measure, but reporting is only as useful as the events they instrument.

The service says it avoids device identifiers, cookies, fingerprints, and long-term user identification. This is a meaningful fit for teams prioritizing privacy, but rules out metrics such as monthly active users and per-user retention. If decisions depend on following individual users over time, Aptabase is the wrong tool.

Key features

Custom events accept string or number properties, and the dashboard includes live activity and a session timeline. Analytics data can be retained for up to five years and exported to CSV. Aptabase says customers own their data and that it neither sells nor uses their analytics data, giving teams a straightforward way to take their records with them.

Cloud customers can choose Germany for EU data residency or Virginia for US data residency; Aptabase also says users can host their own servers. That flexibility may matter to teams with regional or infrastructure preferences. The server is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and the SDKs under MIT. Listed integrations span Swift, Kotlin, Flutter, React Native, NativeScript, Electron, Tauri, .NET MAUI, web frameworks, browser extensions, game engines, Python, and C++.

There are no funnel reports or retention and cohort analysis. Teams that need those views alongside event analytics will need another product or workflow.

Pricing

Aptabase uses event volume as its pricing measure. The Free plan costs nothing and allows up to 20,000 events per month, unlimited apps, EU or US data residency, a built-in dashboard, live view, session timeline, and CSV export. It is a useful starting point for small projects, but the event cap can pause analytics when usage grows.

Paid plans are billed monthly in USD and have no overage fees. Pay as you grow costs $10 a month for 200,000 events/month, $20 a month for 1,000,000, $40 a month for 2,000,000, $75 a month for 5,000,000, $140 a month for 10,000,000, $240 a month for 20,000,000, $300 a month for 30,000,000, and $450 a month for 50,000,000. These tiers suit teams that can estimate event volume and prefer a fixed monthly ceiling over surprise overages. Once a monthly limit is exceeded, analytics are temporarily disabled until the next month, so a cap that is too low can leave a reporting gap.

Above 50,000,000 events per month, Aptabase offers a custom plan with custom pricing. The free tier gives teams a no-cost way to start, while paid tiers increase capacity rather than adding user-level metrics or funnel, cohort, and retention reporting.

Platforms

Aptabase supports Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows, web, browser extensions, and self-hosted deployments. That breadth makes it relevant to teams shipping across app types, rather than only mobile products.

Who it's for

Aptabase is best suited to indie developers, small teams, studios, open-source projects, and SaaS teams that need event and session patterns across mobile, desktop, or web apps. Email, Discord, and GitHub issues are its listed support channels. Teams that require user-level metrics, funnels, cohorts, or retention analysis should choose a tool that provides those reports.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Regional cloud storage and a self-hosting option give teams a choice over where analytics data lives.
• Pros: CSV export, stated customer data ownership, and up to five years of retention support keeping and retrieving analytics records.
• Pros: The free plan includes unlimited apps and core dashboard features, with paid event-volume tiers and no overage fees.
• Cons: No user identification means no monthly active user or per-user retention reporting.
• Cons: Funnels, cohorts, and retention reports are absent, limiting its use for teams that need those analyses.
• Cons: Exceeding the event cap temporarily disables analytics until the next month, rather than charging overages or continuing collection.

Alternatives

Product Analytics Tools is a useful directory for comparing products in the category. Consider GameAnalytics instead if funnels, cohorts, retention, and real-time reporting are priorities; its free plan has no MAU limits and includes predefined and custom dashboards.

Keentics offers a free 2M events per month across one project and one team seat, but its free plan excludes read-only SQL, data export, remote config and A/B testing, and UA postback/ROAS. Pendo Analytics may suit teams seeking product analytics and in-app guides in a free plan capped at 500 monthly active users.

PostHog is another open-source option, with an MIT-licensed product and self-hosting support. Sankofa Analytics has a free allowance of 50k events/month plus 250 session replays/month, with 14-day event retention and 1 project with 3 seats. Truxl offers a free Hobby plan with 1M events/month, 30-day data retention, and 50 AI queries per day.

UXCam has a free plan for 3,000 sessions per month and two app keys. Zoho Apptics is another freemium alternative for teams comparing analytics products.

Verdict

Choose Aptabase if your team wants privacy-focused, event-based analytics with data export and a choice of regional cloud storage or self-hosting. Its strongest case is control over instrumentation and data, including a free entry point and predictable event-volume tiers. Look elsewhere if you need to identify users, measure monthly active users or per-user retention, or analyze funnels and cohorts.