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Matomo vs Google Analytics•2026

Matomo vs Google Analytics: your servers or Google's

Matomo is open-source, full-featured analytics you can self-host or use in Matomo Cloud. Google Analytics is Google's free, hosted analytics with explorations, BigQuery export and Google Ads integration. Here's how they compare, as of Oct 2026.

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Both sides checked against official pages Last checked Oct 2026

The short version

Who each one suits best

Both are solid choices for different needs. Here's where each one wins, as of Oct 2026.

Choose
Matomo if…
  • You want open source (GPL) you can self-host, with unlimited users and hits
  • You want your analytics data on your own servers
  • You want heatmaps and session recordings in the same tool
  • You want a built-in Google Analytics importer and GDPR manager
Choose
Google Analytics if…
  • You want free hosted analytics with nothing to run
  • You run Google Ads and want the native integration
  • You need BigQuery export for raw events
  • You want Search Console data next to your traffic at no cost
Full breakdown

Matomo vs Google Analytics, feature by feature

What each tool does today, checked against each company's own pages as of Oct 2026.

Supported With caveats Not available Detail
01Reports
Realtime
MatomoYes: Real-time reports[1]
Google AnalyticsYes: Activity from the last 30 minutes[7]
Goals and funnels
MatomoYes: Goals; funnels on Cloud Business and up, or an On-Premise bundle[1]
Google AnalyticsYes: Funnel exploration[6]
Segments and cohorts
MatomoYes: Segments and custom dimensions; cohorts on Cloud Business or an On-Premise bundle[1]
Google AnalyticsYes: Cohort, free-form, segment overlap and more in Explorations[6]
Heatmaps and session recordings
MatomoYes: Cloud Business and up, or the On-Premise Team bundle[1]
Google AnalyticsNo: Not part of Google Analytics[4]
A/B testing
MatomoPartly: Cloud Enterprise, or the On-Premise Enterprise bundle[1]
Google AnalyticsNo: Not part of Google Analytics[4]
Ecommerce revenue
MatomoPartly: Ecommerce tracking on every plan, from orders your site sends[1]
Google AnalyticsPartly: From purchase events you send with a value and transaction ID[5]
02Privacy & data
Cookies
MatomoNote: Uses cookies by default; can be set up to run without cookies[2]
Google AnalyticsNote: First-party _ga cookies, two-year default expiry; consent mode for declined consent[8][9]
Data retention
MatomoNote: Cloud: raw data 24 months, reports kept forever[1]
Google AnalyticsNote: Explorations keep 2 or 14 months on standard properties; standard reports aren't affected[10]
Raw data access
MatomoYes: HTTP Analytics and Tracking APIs[1]
Google AnalyticsYes: BigQuery export, up to 1 million events a day on standard properties[11]
Open source and self-hosting
MatomoYes: GPLv3; free On-Premise Community edition with unlimited users and hits[1][3]
Google AnalyticsNo: Hosted by Google only[4]
03Setup & pricing
Hosting work
MatomoNote: Cloud is managed; On-Premise needs PHP and MySQL or MariaDB[1][3]
Google AnalyticsYes: None: add the Google tag, directly or via Tag Manager[12]
Price
MatomoNote: Free self-hosted; Cloud from €29/month excl. tax[1]
Google AnalyticsNote: Free. Analytics 360 is a paid enterprise edition[4]

Matomo and Google Analytics details last checked on October 7, 2026 against the official pages below. Features and prices change; check their sites for the latest. Matomo and Google Analytics are trademarks of their respective owners. This page is published by Trakily, which isn't affiliated with or endorsed by either company.

  1. [1] Matomo pricing
  2. [2] Going cookieless
  3. [3] Matomo on GitHub
  4. [4] Google Analytics overview
  5. [5] Measure ecommerce (GA4)
  6. [6] About Explorations
  7. [7] Realtime report
  8. [8] Cookie usage on websites
  9. [9] Consent mode
  10. [10] Data retention
  11. [11] BigQuery Export
  12. [12] Set up the Google tag
Pricing

What each one costs

Prices as published on each company's site, Oct 2026.

Matomo
Free
Self-hosted Community edition. Cloud from €29/month.
On-Premise CommunityUnlimited users and hits, forum supportFree
Cloud Business50k hits · 30 websites · 30 users (excl. tax)From €29/mo
Cloud EnterpriseCustom limitsCustom

Matomo On-Premise is free if you run the server, with premium features in paid bundles. Cloud starts at €29/month excl. tax for 50k hits.

Source: Matomo pricing
Google Analytics
Free
Standard Google Analytics costs nothing.
Google AnalyticsStandard propertiesFree
Analytics 360Enterprise edition, sold through GooglePaid

Standard Google Analytics costs nothing. Analytics 360 is an enterprise edition sold through Google.

Source: Google Analytics overviewSource: Measure ecommerce (GA4)
Self-hosted Matomo has no licence fee, but you pay for the server and the time to keep it updated.
How to choose

Questions that settle it

Answer these and the right pick between Matomo and Google Analytics is usually clear.

01

Where must your data live?

If analytics data has to stay on your own servers, Matomo On-Premise does that. Google Analytics data is stored by Google.

02

Can someone run a server?

Self-hosted Matomo needs PHP and a MySQL or MariaDB database, plus updates. If not, Matomo Cloud or Google Analytics need no upkeep.

03

Do you run Google Ads?

Google Analytics links natively with Google's ad products, which is hard to replace if paid search is a big channel for you.

04

Do you need heatmaps or recordings?

Matomo offers heatmaps and session recordings on Cloud Business or an On-Premise bundle. Google Analytics doesn't include them.

FAQ

Matomo vs Google Analytics, answered

Common questions, answered from each company's own pages.

It depends on what you need. Matomo is better if you want open source, self-hosting and your data on your own servers. Google Analytics is better if you want a free hosted tool with Google Ads integration and BigQuery export.

The comparison above covers Matomo and Google Analytics only. Below is where Trakily, the publisher of this page, fits in.
Want revenue, not just visitors?

See which channels actually pay you

Trakily is web analytics built around money. It works differently from both Matomo and Google Analytics:

  • Revenue straight from your payment providerPaste an API key from Stripe, Polar, Lemon Squeezy, Paddle, Dodo Payments or Razorpay. Payments, refunds and renewals are matched to the visit that brought the buyer, with no purchase events to write.
  • Visitors and revenue on one chartChannels, pages and campaigns ranked by the money they bring, from day one. No event plan, explorations or SQL first.
  • Mentions next to your trafficPosts about you on X, Reddit, Hacker News and Bluesky sit beside the visits they send.
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