Matomo vs Statcounter

Matomo is a web analytics platform for tracking events, conversions, ecommerce activity, and visitor sessions. It includes heatmaps, session recordings, A/B testing, funnels, and flows, with API access and more than 100 integrations. It is available as Cloud-hosted or self-hosted on-premise software. The Community plan is free forever, with unlimited users and hits and forum support; self-hosted Matomo is also available free forever. Cloud plans start at €230/mo (annual), and a 21-day Cloud trial does not require a credit card. Cloud billing can be monthly or annual, with two months free annually. Matomo says its data is unsampled and customers retain ownership through cloud or on-premise hosting. Privacy capabilities include support for GDPR compliance, cookieless tracking, and anonymisation; the platform is certified to ISO 27001:2022. Cloud data is stored in Frankfurt, Germany. Raw data retention is 24 months, while report data is retained forever. Matomo was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand.

Statcounter provides real-time website analytics covering visitor activity, location, device, navigation path, and visit history. Its dashboard reports traffic sources, engagement, system statistics, popular pages, and exit links. Session Replay lets users review recorded browsing sessions, while interactive heatmaps show attention areas and clicks on elements that are not links. Conversion tracking measures the share of landing-page visitors who meet a site goal, and paid traffic analysis identifies repeat ad clicks by IP address. Google Ads integration connects campaign details with visitor sessions; Premium Plus includes that integration and UTM campaign tracking. Statcounter also offers mobile apps for iOS, Android, and Windows, with alerts when individual visitors return. Installation uses a code snippet, with guides for more than 70 platforms. The free Basic plan covers 5,000 sessions monthly and retains data for 14 days. Premium is €9 per month, billed monthly, and Premium Plus is €19 per month, billed monthly; both cover 20,000 sessions monthly, with three and five years of retention respectively. All three listed plans include zero monthly recordings. A 30-day trial is available.