Web analysis: Matomo or Google Analytics?
Matomo and Google Analytics are both powerful web analytics tools, but they have different approaches and philosophies.
The choice between Matomo and Google Analytics ultimately depends on your specific requirements, your technical know-how and your data protection priorities.
We have compared both offers:
Properties |
Google Analytics |
Google Analytics |
| Data protection and control | Matomo is an open source platform that gives users full control over their data. Since Matomo can be installed on your own server or a private cloud service, you retain complete ownership and control over the data collected. This makes it a preferred choice for organizations that have strict data protection requirements or operate in regions with stricter data protection laws such as the EU (e.g. GDPR compliant). |
Google Analytics is a hosted service from Google where the data is stored on Google servers. This means that Google has access to this data and can also use it for its own purposes (e.g. for advertising purposes). However, Google Analytics can currently (2024) also be used in compliance with the GDPR if appropriate measures are taken, which, however, reduce data quality. |
| Data protection – Consent necessary? | Matomo can be set to be so privacy-friendly that no user consent is required via a consent banner in the EU. In this case, less detailed data is measured, but from all users. Source: https://dr-dsgvo.de/matomo-fuer-besucher-statistiken-auf-webseiten-datenschutzkonform-und-ohne-einwilligung-nutzen/ |
In the EU, analytics always requires the consent of the website visitor via the Consent Manager. This means that only the subgroup of users who have consented is measured. Depending on the topic of the website, this is sometimes only 30% of users and this group is not a diverse mix, but users who consent are similar in their behavior (inexperienced, inexperienced). |
| User friendliness | Matomo’s user interface is intuitive, but may not be as user-friendly as Google Analytics. As Matomo offers many customizable features, it may require more technical knowledge to set up and manage. |
Google Analytics is known for its user-friendly and intuitive interface. It offers a wide range of functions that are ready to use without the need for much technical knowledge. |
| Degree of dissemination | Very well known in Germany, less so internationally. Very constant further development without surprises thanks to open source. |
Very widespread. Google owns the software and can change the rules at any time, which Google occasionally does. |
| Costs | The basic version of Matomo is free, as it is open source. However, there are additional functions and services available for a fee, e.g. hosting by Matomo itself or additional commercial plug-ins. |
Google Analytics offers a free version that is sufficient for most small and medium-sized companies. There is also a paid version, Google Analytics 360 (from 135,000 euros/year), which is aimed at large companies and offers extended functions. |
| Integration and ecosystem | Matomo can be integrated into a variety of systems, but the set-up can require technical knowledge. There are many plug-ins to extend the functionality, but the ecosystem is smaller compared to Google Analytics. Providers of marketing and SEO software often offer no or only a rudimentary data link with Matomo. |
Google Analytics integrates seamlessly with the entire Google ecosystem, including Google Ads, Google Tag Manager, Google Data Studio. This tight integration can be beneficial for companies that rely heavily on Google services. Providers of external marketing and SEO software often offer data links to Analytics out of the box. |
| Range of functions | Matomo offers a wide range of functions, sufficient for SEO and marketing, which can be extended with plug-ins. It offers (paid) additional features such as heatmaps, user profiles, form analytics and e-commerce tracking. As it is open source, you can customize it to your specific needs. |
Google Analytics offers an extensive suite of features, including real-time data, comprehensive audience reporting, conversion tracking and integration with other Google services. The paid Google Analytics 360 offers additional features for companies that require deeper analysis and more data capacity. |
| Data storage | Since you own and host the data yourself, you can organize data retention according to your own guidelines. | Data retention in Google Analytics is limited and depends on the guidelines set by Google. |
| Web server computing power | Data management on your own web server means an additional server load. This could push some servers to their limits. |
Since all data is managed externally by Google, none. |
| Data scope for SEO | Matomo displays all search terms by default if they are transmitted via the search engine. However, it is important to note that Matomo cannot display the search terms if the search engine does not transmit the data (as is the case with Google if the search is carried out via HTTPS and the user is logged in). |
Google encrypts search queries from users who are logged into a Google account (data protection reasons). These search queries are displayed in Google Analytics as “(not provided)”. However, this has meant that a large proportion of the organic search terms that lead users to a website are not visible in Google Analytics (in the free version), which makes it difficult to analyze organic search terms in detail. |
| Data quality for SEO | If your business relies on accurate and detailed KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), e.g. for conversion rates, user behavior or detailed segmentation, then Matomo might be the better choice as it does not use sampling and therefore provides more accurate data. | In some cases, Google Analytics uses estimates instead of exact numbers, especially for real-time reports or reports that cover a large amount of data. This can lead to deviations that could be problematic in certain analysis scenarios, especially if precise figures are required, e.g. for detailed KPIs. |
Conclusion:
In our experience, Matomo is ideal for companies or organizations,
- want full control over their data, have strict data protection requirements or even
- would otherwise not allow any tracking at all for privacy reasons (e.g. HIV medical practices, anonymous addiction counseling),
- or if a customizable open source solution is preferred for technical/statistical reasons.
Google Analytics is better suited for companies that
- are looking for a user-friendly, ready-to-use solution and
- who want to use close integration with other Google services or external SEO and marketing software.
- In our experience, some SEO and marketing service providers will even insist on Google Analytics for their work due to inflexible SEO software or a lack of Matomo knowledge.
