Matomo vs Plausible Analytics: which one to choose in 2026?
Both are open source alternatives to Google Analytics. We compare license, tech stack and features to help you decide which fits your team best.
| Matomo | Plausible Analytics | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| GitHub stars | ~19k | ~21k |
| Tech stack | PHP, MySQL/MariaDB | Elixir, Phoenix, ClickHouse, PostgreSQL |
| Replaces | Google Analytics | Google Analytics |
Plausible Analytics has more GitHub stars, which usually indicates a larger community (not necessarily that it's the best option for your use case).
Matomo
Complete web analytics with heatmaps and sessions, 100% yours.
Pros
- Heatmaps, session recordings and advanced funnels in a single tool
Things to consider
- Heavier interface, needs more resources than Plausible or Umami
Plausible Analytics
Cookie-free web analytics, an alternative to Google Analytics.
Pros
- Privacy by design
- Far simpler to read than GA4
Things to consider
- Requires ClickHouse, somewhat heavier to self-host
- Less analytical depth than GA4 for complex ecommerce
Key features
Matomo
- Heatmaps and session recording (official plugin)
- Advanced funnels and segments
- 100% of the data, no sampling
Plausible Analytics
- Under-1KB script, doesn't slow down your site
- No cookies or personal identifiers stored (check your jurisdiction and the rest of your stack to confirm whether you still need a consent banner)
- Single-page dashboard
- Imports historical data from Google Analytics
Already know which one you prefer?
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