Matomo Analytics

Matomo is a powerful, privacy-focused web analytics platform that provides detailed insights into website traffic, user behavior, and marketing performance. Unlike cloud-based solutions, Matomo offers both self-hosted and cloud options, giving organisations complete control over their analytics data.

Originally launched as Piwik in 2007 and rebranded to Matomo in 2018, the platform has become the leading Google Analytics alternative for organisations prioritizing data privacy, compliance, and ownership. Matomo is used by over 1 million websites across 190 countries.

Data Ownership and Privacy

With self-hosted Matomo, all analytics data remains on your own servers. You maintain complete ownership and control, ensuring sensitive business intelligence never leaves your infrastructure. This is critical for organisations in regulated industries or those handling sensitive user data.

GDPR and Privacy Compliance

Matomo is designed with privacy regulations in mind. Features include automatic IP anonymisation, cookie consent management, data retention controls, and the ability to operate without cookies. Matomo can be configured to be 100% GDPR compliant without requiring user consent in many jurisdictions.

No Data Sampling

Unlike Google Analytics, which samples data for high-traffic sites, Matomo provides 100% accurate data regardless of traffic volume. Every visitor, session, and interaction is tracked and reported, ensuring reliable insights for data-driven decisions.

No Data Limits

Matomo imposes no limits on the number of websites, users, segments, or custom dimensions you can track. There are no hit limits, session limits, or data retention restrictions (you control retention policies). This makes Matomo cost-effective for large-scale deployments.

Open Source Transparency

As an open-source platform, Matomo's code is publicly available for review, audit, and customisation. Organisations can verify exactly how data is collected and processed, ensuring no hidden tracking or data sharing occurs. The community-driven development model ensures continuous improvement.

Real-Time Analytics

Monitor website activity as it happens with real-time visitor tracking. See current visitors, their locations, pages viewed, and actions taken. Real-time data enables immediate response to traffic spikes, campaign launches, or technical issues.

Visitor Profiles

Access detailed individual visitor profiles showing complete browsing history, device information, location, and interaction timeline. Unlike Google Analytics' aggregated approach, Matomo allows granular user-level analysis while respecting privacy settings.

Custom Dimensions and Variables

Create unlimited custom dimensions to track business-specific data points such as user roles, subscription tiers, product categories, or any custom attribute. Custom variables enable sophisticated segmentation and analysis tailored to your unique business model.

E-commerce Tracking

Comprehensive e-commerce analytics including product performance, shopping cart analysis, conversion funnels, and revenue attribution. Track abandoned carts, average order value, products per order, and customer lifetime value. Integration with major e-commerce platforms available.

Goal Tracking and Conversions

Define unlimited goals for conversions, form submissions, downloads, video views, or any custom event. Track goal completion rates, revenue per goal, and conversion funnels. Attribute conversions to specific campaigns, channels, or keywords.

Campaign Tracking

Track marketing campaign performance using UTM parameters or Matomo's campaign tracking parameters. Analyze campaign ROI, compare channel effectiveness, and optimise budget allocation based on accurate attribution data.

Heatmaps and Session Recordings

Visualize user behavior with click heatmaps, scroll maps, and move maps. Watch session recordings to see exactly how visitors interact with your site. Identify usability issues, optimise layouts, and improve conversion rates based on actual user behavior.

A/B Testing

Built-in A/B testing and multivariate testing capabilities allow you to experiment with different page versions, content variations, or user experiences. Statistical significance calculations ensure reliable results before implementing changes.

Form Analytics

Track form performance including field-level analytics, abandonment rates, time spent per field, and error rates. Identify friction points in forms and optimise for higher completion rates. Critical for lead generation and checkout optimisation.

Media Analytics

Detailed tracking for video and audio content including play rates, completion rates, engagement time, and drop-off points. Understand which content resonates with audiences and optimise media strategy accordingly.

SEO and Search Engine Analytics

Track organic search performance, keyword rankings, and search engine traffic. Integrate with Google Search Console for comprehensive SEO insights. Monitor crawl errors, indexation status, and technical SEO metrics.

Self-Hosted (On-Premise)

Install Matomo on your own servers for complete control and data ownership. Requires technical expertise for setup, maintenance, and scaling. Ideal for organisations with strict data residency requirements or those wanting maximum customisation. Free and open-source with optional premium plugins.

Matomo Cloud

Fully managed cloud hosting by Matomo with automatic updates, backups, and scaling. Eliminates technical overhead while maintaining privacy advantages over Google Analytics. Data stored in EU or US data centers based on preference. Subscription-based pricing starting at $23/month.

Hybrid Deployment

Some organisations use Matomo Cloud for production analytics while maintaining self-hosted instances for development, testing, or specific high-security applications. This balances convenience with control.

Tag Manager

Matomo Tag Manager allows you to manage tracking codes, pixels, and tags without modifying website code. Deploy marketing tags, conversion pixels, and custom tracking through an intuitive interface. Reduces dependency on developers for marketing technology changes.

API Access

Comprehensive REST API provides programmatic access to all Matomo data and functionality. Build custom dashboards, integrate with business intelligence tools, automate reporting, or create custom applications. API supports both data retrieval and configuration management.

Plugin Ecosystem

Over 100 plugins extend Matomo's functionality including CRM integrations, marketing automation connections, advanced visualisations, and industry-specific features. Develop custom plugins using Matomo's plugin framework to address unique requirements.

Data Import and Export

Import historical data from Google Analytics or other platforms to maintain continuity. Export data in various formats (CSV, JSON, XML) for external analysis or archival. Scheduled exports enable data warehousing and business intelligence integration.

When to Choose Matomo

• Data privacy and ownership are top priorities
• Operating in regulated industries (healthcare, finance, government)
• Need GDPR compliance without complex consent management
• Require accurate, unsampled data for high-traffic sites
• Want to avoid data sharing with third parties
• Need user-level analytics and visitor profiles
• Prefer open-source solutions with customisation options

When Google Analytics May Be Better

• Limited technical resources for self-hosting
• Heavy reliance on Google Marketing Platform integrations
• Need for Google's machine learning and predictive analytics
• Primarily focused on basic traffic reporting
• Budget constraints (GA4 is free for standard use)