Open Source Projects · head-to-head
Countly vs Shields
Countly is an open-source product analytics platform you self-host (or run as their managed cloud), ingesting events over a REST Data API keyed by a per-app `app_key` rather than a private secret — a live unauthenticated POST to a running Countly server (try.count.ly/o) confirmed the endpoint only demands `app_key`, returning a `missing_api_key` JSON error otherwise. The Community Edition is free and self-hostable under an AGPLv3-derived license; Countly also sells a paid Enterprise Edition with SSO, extra data sources, and dedicated support.
Shields.io serves status badges as SVG by default from `img.shields.io`, with `.png` requests 301-redirected to a raster-conversion host and a `.json` suffix returning the same badge's label/value/color as plain JSON — all three confirmed live. A live unauthenticated GET returned `Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *` on every format, resolving cors "unknown" to "yes". Free, open-source, and keyless, funded by sponsorships rather than a paid tier.
| Countly | Shields | |
|---|---|---|
| Authentication | None | None |
| Pricing | freemium | free |
| Formats | JSON | SVG, PNG, JSON |
| CORS | yes | yes |
| HTTPS | Yes | Yes |
Shields supports 3 response formats, while Countly offers fewer — pick Shields for more integration flexibility.