Google Analytics vs Matomo
Google Analytics and Matomo are both analytics tools. Google Analytics is aimed at small businesses and enterprise, while Matomo is aimed at enterprise and agencies. Both have a free plan.
Google's free web and app analytics
Full-featured, self-hostable analytics
| Pricing | Free | Open source |
| Starting price | Not published | Not published |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Built for | Small businesses, Enterprise, Agencies | Enterprise, Agencies |
| Platforms | web | web |
| Country | US · 2005 | NZ · 2007 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Google Analytics if
Businesses running paid acquisition on Google or needing warehouse-level event data for free.
- Free with enormous capability
- Unmatched integration with Google Ads and Search Console
- BigQuery export enables custom analysis
Look elsewhere if: Small content or SaaS sites wanting simple, compliant traffic numbers.
Choose Matomo if
Organizations that need GA-level depth with full data control and compliance.
- Deepest feature set among privacy-first tools
- 100% data ownership and self-hosting
- Trusted by public sector organizations
Look elsewhere if: Teams wanting a simple dashboard (Plausible, Fathom, Umami).
Google Analytics vs Matomo pricing
Google Analytics
- Google Analytics 4$0Standard property with data limits
- Google Analytics 360CustomEnterprise tier sold via Google sales; no public price
Matomo
- On-Premise$0GPL, self-hosted; premium plugin bundles extra
- Cloud Business29/mo50k hits/mo, 30 websites, 30 users; excl. tax
- Cloud EnterpriseCustomCustom limits, CSM, SAML/LDAP
Google Analytics · Key features
- Event-based model across web and apps
- Explorations: funnels, paths, segment overlap, cohorts
- Google Ads integration and data-driven attribution
- Free BigQuery export of raw events
- Predictive audiences and anomaly detection
- Consent Mode and server-side tagging via Tag Manager
Cons
- Complex interface and steep learning curve
- Sampling and thresholds obscure data
- Consent requirements shrink EU data
Matomo · Key features
- Full web analytics with custom dimensions and reports
- Heatmaps, session recordings and form analytics (premium)
- Funnels, A/B testing and ecommerce tracking
- Built-in tag manager
- Cookieless and consent-aware configurations
- On-premise or cloud; GDPR, HIPAA, CCPA tooling
Cons
- Dated interface
- Premium plugins add cost on-premise
- Performance tuning needed at scale
Google Analytics vs Matomo: FAQ
Do Google Analytics and Matomo have a free plan?
Yes, both Google Analytics and Matomo have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.
Which is better for small businesses, Google Analytics or Matomo?
Google Analytics lists small businesses as a core audience, while Matomo is aimed more at enterprise and agencies.