Overview

API Analytics monitors API usage across a broad range of frameworks, pairing a real-time dashboard with request-level records and filtering through a data API. It suits developers who want consumer and latency analytics on a free plan, especially when they can work within a one-million-request storage cap. The trade-off is a hobby project still under development: its maker advises against self-hosting in production.

Key features

The dashboard gives real-time usage insight, while active monitoring and error notifications help surface operational issues. Consumer and latency analytics add two useful views of API behavior; the service also provides setup examples for frameworks including FastAPI, Flask, Django, Express, Hono, Gin, Actix, Rails and ASP.NET Core.

Middleware records request method, endpoint, user agent, timestamp, response status and time, hostname, and framework identifier. IP address collection is configurable: keep addresses, discard them after use, or prevent access and collection entirely. That flexibility is valuable for teams balancing filtering needs against privacy. An optional custom user ID can also be stored and used to filter requests.

A GET data API exposes raw logged requests, with filters for date, hostname, IP address, status, location and user ID. This gives developers a way to retrieve granular records rather than relying only on dashboard views. The service says it adheres to GDPR, stores data on London-based servers, allows deletion, and does not share or sell data. Its privacy policy describes encryption and secure access protocols. Account data is automatically deleted after six months without dashboard or data API access, or three months since the latest logged request; teams needing longer-lived records should account for that policy.

Pricing

Free: 0.00 USD per free. The plan allows up to 1 million stored requests per user; older requests are replaced as new ones arrive. That makes it a practical starting point for individual evaluation or modest workloads, but the per-user cap and rolling replacement make it a poor fit for preserving a growing request history. No paid plan is described, so there is no higher tier to turn to for more storage.

Platforms

API Analytics is available as an API, a web service, and a self-hosted project. Self-hosting may appeal to teams that want to operate the project themselves, but the FAQ recommends avoiding it in production while development and testing continue. The maker describes the project as a hobby effort funded personally and invites users to make contact about lost API keys or data changes, a support model that may not suit organizations needing formal service commitments.

Who it's for

Choose API Analytics if you need free API monitoring, framework coverage, request-level filtering and configurable handling of IP addresses, and can accept the storage cap and retention policy. It is less suitable for production teams that need assured support, durable request history beyond the stated deletion windows, or a self-hosting option the project recommends for production.

Pros and cons

Pros: The free plan includes up to 1 million stored requests per user, with no paid tier required to start.
Pros: Configurable IP handling, optional user IDs and raw-data filters give developers control over how they inspect requests.
Pros: Framework examples span popular options across several languages, including Python, JavaScript, Go, Rust, Ruby and .NET.
Cons: New requests replace older ones after the one-million-request storage limit, so the plan does not preserve an unlimited history.
Cons: Automatic deletion after inactivity or a period since the latest request limits long-term data access.
Cons: The project’s hobby funding and production caution around self-hosting may be a concern for teams requiring dependable operational support.

Alternatives

API Analytics Software is the broader directory for comparing tools in this category. Consider Apirelio if you want a paid Growth plan with 2M events per month, five projects, 30-day retention and five members, alongside a free option. BetterMeter is another API and web option with a free plan that specifies 30-day event retention.

Clavio is a web-based alternative centered on sample datasets, file uploads, analysis and charting rather than the API request monitoring described here. Helicone may suit teams seeking an open-source API, web and self-hosted alternative; it offers a free Hobby plan. KeepRouter is aimed at testing, prototyping and evaluation, with a free plan billed at $0 per input and output token and a pay-as-you-go option.

Langfuse is worth comparing if its free Hobby allowance of 50k units per month, 30 days of data access, two users and GitHub community support fit your needs. Moesif offers API, web and self-hosted options, with a free plan after its 14-day trial. Revenium is another API and web alternative; its free Observe plan includes 100,000 transactions per month, seven days of retention and one user.

Verdict

API Analytics is a sensible free choice for developers who want real-time monitoring, framework-specific setup examples and fine-grained access to request data without paying to start. Its configurable IP collection is a meaningful privacy control. Look elsewhere if your workload may exceed the one-million-request cap, you need longer data retention, or production use requires a stronger support and self-hosting posture.

	API Analytics	Helicone
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Free trial	No	Yes
Paid from	Free	$79/mo
Open source	No	No
Platforms	api, self-hosted, Web	api, self-hosted, Web
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Consumer analytics	Yes	—
Latency analytics	Yes	—
Paid from	—	79 /mo

API Analytics vs Helicone

API Analytics

Helicone