Matomo is compared to web analytics tools like Google Analytics. In fact, it is advertised as the Google Analytics alternative because of similar roles in helping users analyze website performance. But unlike the competitors, Matomo carries an edge on privacy. It ensures 100% data ownership, allowing you to safeguard user privacy while maintaining trust. The platform offers two hosting options—cloud-based and on-premise.

Matomo is an open-source analytics tool, so you can modify and adapt it to suit your specific needs. When it comes to managing data, there are no restrictions. Whether it’s storage capacity, the number of websites to track, the ability to create custom reports, or data export options, Matomo provides complete freedom to handle your data however you see fit​.

Matomo Functionality

Matomo provides a platform for web analytics reporting, much similar to competitors like Google Analytics 4 (GA4). However, what sets it apart from GA4 is that it is a cookieless alternative, which enhances privacy, while the tool also comes with advanced features like heat maps, video analytics, and complete data management. These are the core features:

  • Dashboards: Typically features around 100 interactive card-format widgets, consolidating analytics data in one place for easier analysis. They are customizable, meaning you can focus on metrics that matter to your business. You are also allowed to add widgets through plugins.
  • Real-time data updates: Information on website activity, including the number of visits, pages viewed, visitor locations, and goals achieved, stream to you in real-time. Any web traffic analytics reports you request also include the most recent data to ensure you act on timely information.
  • Privacy-focused analytics: The platform is GDPR and CCPA compliant, the goal being to protect data. It supports data anonymization and gives businesses control over gathered information, minimizing reliance on 3rd party platforms.

Matomo Data Transfer

The transfer of data within the Matomo analytics system is done through these methods:

  • Direct export formats: You can export data in various formats like JSON, XML, CSV, RSS, and HTML, ensuring compatibility with other systems and tools.
  • APIs: Allow you to integrate data from different external systems.
  • Custom data integration: This is a good option for data that can’t be exported through the standard APIs or scenarios where the conventional JavaScript tracking isn’t applicable. You transfer data using server logs or import directly via pixel tracking.
  • BigQuery & Data Warehouse Integration: Matomo allows you to export data to big data analytics tools or warehouses for more advanced analytics and processing.

Matomo Reporting

Matomo helps you generate real-time web analytics reports that showcase visitors’ actions on your website, active visitors, and the visual representation of visitors’ locations. You can leverage the pre-built dashboards to track visits, channel types, page views, goal conversions, and more. Matomo even allows you to manage multiple websites from a single platform, providing a unified view of your sites’ activities.

Want to create reports with unique goals and projects? Matomo includes a custom reports plugin that enables you to tailor your reports. To create a custom report in Matomo, you select from more than 250 metrics and dimensions to uncover hidden visitor insights. If you operate an online store, Matomo also provides specialized e-commerce reports to track sales, product performance, cart abandonment, and more.

Matomo Customer Support

Matomo provides multiple support options for clients who want to ask questions or learn more about its web data analytics services. They include:

  • Knowledge base: Features comprehensive guides, FAQs, how-to’s, and troubleshooting documents, ideal for users looking for self-service assistance.
  • Live chat: Available on business days to provide users with real-time assistance.
  • Community forum: For getting answers on a range of issues, sharing experiences, and engaging in discussions with other Matomo users.
  • Developer zone: Includes API references, comprehensive documentation, and integration guides targeted at developers. It also offers custom solutions and technical resources for building and troubleshooting.
  • Email: Helps you get direct assistance with questions you may have about the services offered.

Matomo customer support is fairly good, as reported by the client below:

Matomo Price Breakdown

For cloud hosting, Matomo charges a subscription fee while offering complete data ownership and full compliance with privacy standards. For those opting to self-host Matomo on their servers, the software is free, though optional premium features and plugins may come at an extra cost. Discounts are available for eligible non-profit organizations.

Matomo Free Trial

Matomo offers a 21-day free trial, during which you can access all its features, including advanced segmentation, custom reporting, and real-time traffic analytics. If you are satisfied with the experience, you can select one of the available plans.

Matomo Price Packages

Matomo provides several packages for users:

Cloud

  • Business plan (Starts at €22/month): Supports 50,000 page views per month, but the price increases as the number of page views goes up. You also get features like privacy compliance tools, real-time analytics, and intuitive dashboards.
  • Enterprise plan: Allows you to customize Matomo analytics to meet your needs. You have to contact the sales team for custom pricing.

On-Premise (self-hosted)

  • This option is typically free to use, though hosting and maintenance costs may apply based on your setup. Premium features and plugins are available at additional costs, ranging from €33/year to €549/year, depending on the selected functionalities.

Matomo Customer Reviews

Matomo reviews on G2 are largely positive, with users giving the platform a 4.2 out of 5 rating. Users appreciate its customization, data visualization capabilities, and overall flexibility. Let’s explore some of the reviews here:

This user loves Matomo’s open-source nature and compliance with GDPR rules.

Unlike alternative web analytical tools, Matomo gives you full access to its source code. Therefore, you can customize the platform extensively to fit your needs without being restricted by the vendor or pricing. When you host Matomo on-premise, you get total control over data collection, processing, and storage, so complying with GDPR is easy.

The above customer appreciates Matomo for its ability to track website activities in detail and the full data control provided to users.

Whether you want to know which users regularly visit your websites, their location, number of times pages are viewed, etc., Matomo has you covered. By offering comprehensive insights on website activity, the platform helps you develop better strategies to enhance website performance. It’s true you can enjoy full data control, especially when you self-host servers. However, running the servers on-premise can significantly increase overall operational costs in the long run if you have high-traffic websites.

Matomo Pros and Cons

ProsCons
Open-source: The source code is available to users, ensuring they can customize the software the way they want.Complex setup for self-hosting: Installing the self-hosted version requires some technical expertise, which can be a challenge for teams lacking in-house expertise.
Privacy: Both the on-premise and cloud options help protect data from unauthorized access. 
Flexible: Provides extensive customization options for dashboards, reports, and tracking features. 
Integrations: Allows you to integrate over 100 platforms, including marketing analytic tools, content management systems, etc. 

Verdict

If you are looking for a web analytics tool that gives you control over marketing data or any other data type, then Matomo is worth considering. It’s price-friendly, and you even get to use its services for free if you self-host, with the only costs being for hosting and maintenance.

Matomo also provides a variety of reporting tools that help you understand your website’s activities, along with customizable dashboards that you can tailor to your specific needs. Additionally, with over 100 integrations across multiple platforms, it makes tracking performance straightforward and efficient—all from a single platform.