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Matomo vs Plausible Analytics
Compare Matomo and Plausible Analytics to find the best tool for your needs.
Matomo
Open-source analytics platform that gives you full control over your data with Google Analytics-like features.
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Plausible Analytics
Lightweight and privacy-focused web analytics tool with a simple, clean interface.
See all detailsQuick overview
Pricing
Self-hosted: Free (open source), Cloud: from €19/month
From $9/month based on pageviews
Pros & Cons
Matomo
Pros
- 100% data ownership
- Self-hosted option available
- No sampling, full data set
- Comprehensive feature set similar to Google Analytics
Cons
- Self-hosted version requires technical setup
- Cloud version is relatively expensive
- Interface less intuitive than some alternatives
- Can require server resources when self-hosted
Plausible Analytics
Pros
- Extremely lightweight script (<1KB)
- Privacy-focused with no cookies
- Simple, intuitive dashboard
- Open-source with self-hosting option
Cons
- Less detailed than full analytics suites
- Limited custom reporting
- Fewer integrations than established tools
- No free tier for hosted version
Features comparison
| Feature | Matomo | Plausible Analytics |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Features | ||
| Cookieless tracking | Yes Uses first-party cookies by default, but has a cookieless option | Yes |
| Real-time dashboard | Yes | Yes |
| Data retention period | Unlimited Self-configurable retention period in self-hosted version | Unlimited |
| Custom event tracking | Yes Very extensive event tracking capabilities | Yes |
| Conversion/goal tracking | Yes Advanced goal and funnel tracking | Yes Goal conversion tracking |
| Heatmaps/Click maps | Yes Via Heatmap & Session Recording plugin | No |
| Content Analytics | ||
| Session duration | Yes | Yes |
| Bounce rate | Yes | Yes Called 'Visit duration' in Plausible |
| Traffic sources | Yes Detailed referrer and campaign tracking | Yes |
| Most popular content | Yes | Yes |
| User journey | Yes Detailed user flow reports | No |
| Download tracking | Yes | Yes Via custom events |
| Internal search tracking | Yes Built-in site search analytics | Limited Via custom events |
| Technical | ||
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes Self-hosted version available on GitHub |
| Open source | Yes GPL license | Yes AGPL license |
| Cloud managed version | Yes Matomo Cloud with various pricing tiers | Yes |
| API available | Yes | Yes Stats API and events API |
| Data export options | Yes CSV, TSV, XML, JSON, PHP, RSS | Yes CSV export of all stats |
| CMS integrations | Yes WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, Magento, and many more | Yes WordPress, Ghost, Webflow, and more |
| Product analytics | ||
| Conversion funnels | Yes Advanced funnel visualization and analysis | No |
| User segmentation | Yes Advanced segmentation capabilities | Limited Basic filtering by UTM tags, device, country |
| Cohorts | Yes Available with additional plugin | No |
| A/B testing | Yes Via A/B Testing plugin | No |
| User flow visualization | Yes | No |
| Session recording | Yes Via Heatmap & Session Recording plugin | No |
| Administration | ||
| Multi-user/access management | Yes Comprehensive user and permission management | Yes |
| White-labeling/customization | Yes Highly customizable UI and branding | Yes Custom domain on higher plans |
| Automated reports/alerts | Yes Scheduled email reports and custom alerts | Yes Weekly/monthly email reports |
| IP filtering | Yes Advanced IP exclusion and anonymization options | Yes |
| Privacy & Compliance | ||
| GDPR/CCPA compliance | Yes | Yes Built with privacy regulations in mind |
| Cookie banner requirement | Yes Required if using default cookie-based tracking | No |
| Privacy options | Yes Extensive privacy features including data anonymization | Yes Privacy-first approach, no personal data collection |
| Visitor consent required | Configurable Can be configured to respect visitor consent | No |
| Other Features | ||
| Active Reading time | No | Not specified |