Matomo: the Open Source Google Analytics Alternative

Last updated: 12 October 2026

What Matomo replaces, and how well

Matomo replaces Google Analytics 4 for most website owners. It counts visits, pages, traffic sources, search terms, events and online shop sales, and you can slice all of it into segments. It also includes a tag manager, the tool that loads tracking code on your site. A Google Analytics importer brings your old reports across, so you do not start from zero.

Google Analytics 4 is free too, so the case for switching is about the data, not the price. With Matomo you own the numbers: they sit on your own server or on Matomo's EU servers, and Google never sees them. Where it fits less well is ad-heavy marketing. A team that runs its budget through Google Ads gets tighter links between the two inside Google's own tools.

Key features

• Full web analytics: visits, pages, referrers, campaigns, goals, events and online shop tracking.
• Tag Manager: add and manage tracking tags without editing your site's code each time.
• Google Analytics importer: brings historical GA data into Matomo.
• Heatmaps and session recordings: see where people click and scroll. These are paid plugins on the self-hosted version and part of the Cloud Business plan.
• Funnels, forms and A/B testing: available as paid plugins.
• WordPress plugin: Matomo Analytics runs inside WordPress itself and has more than 100,000 active installs.
• Unlimited sites and users on the free version: no caps on how many websites or hits you track.

Cookie consent and the CNIL exemption

The CNIL, France's data protection regulator, lets some analytics tools run without asking visitors for cookie consent, as long as they are set up in a limited way. Matomo says its Cloud and self-hosted versions can be configured to meet those conditions. That means switching on its CNIL mode, putting an opt-out in your privacy policy, keeping trackers for no more than 13 months and data for no more than 25, and turning off marketing campaign tracking and A/B testing. The CNIL does not approve or certify products, so the responsibility for the setup stays with you. In the UK, the ICO's guidance on cookies and similar technologies now allows analytics without consent when the only purpose is measuring how a site is used. The results must be aggregated statistics, and visitors still need a clear way to opt out.

Who makes Matomo, and what it costs

Matomo started in 2007 as Piwik and took its current name in 2018. It is made by InnoCraft, a company in Wellington, New Zealand, and released under the GPL v3. Matomo says it runs on more than 1.4 million websites in over 190 countries. The current release is 5.14.1, from 4 October 2026, and a beta of Matomo 6 came out in September.

The self-hosted version, which Matomo calls On-Premise, is free with unlimited users and hits. You pay only for the server and for any premium plugins. Matomo Cloud removes the server work. It starts at £17 a month before VAT for 50,000 hits a month, with two months free on annual billing and a free trial.

See Matomo Cloud and On-Premise prices

Server load, premium plugins and Matomo 6

Self-hosting adds load to your server, because every page view sends an extra tracking request. On a busy site, Matomo itself recommends running it separately rather than inside WordPress. The premium plugins add up as well, so price the features you need before assuming the self-hosted version is free for your site. Matomo 6 will also need PHP 8.1 or newer and MySQL 8 or MariaDB 10.6, so older hosting may need an upgrade first.

If you only need simple, cookie-free visitor counts, two smaller open source tools do that job: Plausible and Umami. The full feature list is on Matomo's about page.

FAQs

Is Matomo free?

The self-hosted version is free and open source, with unlimited websites and hits. Matomo Cloud is paid, from £17 a month before VAT for 50,000 hits. I checked that price on 12 October 2026.

Is Matomo better than Google Analytics?

It is better if you want to own your data and keep it away from Google. Google Analytics is stronger if your marketing runs through Google Ads.

Does Matomo need a cookie banner?

It depends on your setup and your country. Matomo can be configured to qualify for France's CNIL consent exemption, but you are responsible for the configuration. In the UK, the ICO allows analytics without consent if it only measures how the site is used and visitors can opt out.

Can I use Matomo on WordPress?

Yes. The free Matomo Analytics plugin runs inside WordPress, although Matomo recommends a separate install for high-traffic sites.

Where is Matomo Cloud data stored?

Matomo hosts Cloud data in Frankfurt, Germany.

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