Portainer
Umami
| Feature | Portainer | Umami |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $12/mo | Free / from $9/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.4 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Best For | devops-engineers, system-admins, small-teams, docker-users | indie-developers, privacy-focused-sites, bloggers, small-businesses |
| Founded | 2017 | 2020 |
| Container Management | ✓ | ✗ |
| Stack Deployment | ✓ | ✗ |
| User Management | ✓ | ✗ |
| Registry Access | ✓ | ✗ |
| Monitoring | ✓ | ✗ |
| Edge Computing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Page Views | ✗ | ✓ |
| Custom Events | ✗ | ✓ |
| Realtime Dashboard | ✗ | ✓ |
| Utm Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Multi Site | ✗ | ✓ |
| Api | ✗ | ✓ |
| Teams | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Portainer Pros
- Visual UI for Docker/K8s management
- Free for up to 5 environments
- Simplifies container deployment
- Role-based access control
✗ Portainer Cons
- Enterprise features are paid
- Can lag behind Docker CLI capabilities
- Limited CI/CD features
✓ Umami Pros
- Completely open-source and self-hostable for free
- Beautiful, clean dashboard interface
- No cookies required (GDPR/CCPA compliant by default)
- Lightweight script (under 2KB) does not slow sites
✗ Umami Cons
- Limited advanced analytics features
- No conversion funnel or cohort analysis
- Self-hosting requires database management
The Verdict
Portainer is built for devops engineers and system admins, with a focus on container-management and stack-deployment. Umami targets indie developers and privacy focused sites and leads with page-views and custom-events.
Pricing is close: Umami starts at $9/mo versus $12/mo for Portainer — not a deciding factor on its own.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Feature-wise, Umami offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Portainer takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.