Matomo is the leading open-source alternative to Google Analytics, designed for organizations and developers who demand full ownership of their web and app analytics data. Unlike cloud-based solutions that store user data on third-party servers, Matomo is installed on your own server using PHP and MySQL/MariaDB, ensuring complete data sovereignty. With over 1.4 million websites using Matomo, it provides a robust, privacy-by-design platform that respects both user privacy and organizational compliance requirements. It’s ideal for enterprises subject to GDPR, CCPA, or other data privacy regulations, as well as developers seeking a customizable analytics stack without vendor lock-in.
Matomo’s architecture is modular, built around plugins that allow you to enable or disable features like e-commerce tracking, goal conversion monitoring, and real-time dashboards. The platform supports both web and mobile analytics via JavaScript tracking code and SDKs, with an extensible API for custom integrations. Its community-driven development model ensures continuous innovation while maintaining transparency and ethical data practices.
What You Get
- Full data ownership - Matomo stores all analytics data in your own MySQL or MariaDB database, ensuring compliance with privacy regulations and eliminating third-party data sharing.
- Privacy-by-design features - Built-in tools to anonymize IP addresses, respect Do Not Track headers, and obtain visitor consent via opt-in/opt-out mechanisms.
- Real-time analytics dashboard - Live visualizations of active visitors, page views, and geographic distribution with interactive maps and drill-down reports.
- E-commerce and goal tracking - Track product purchases, revenue, cart abandonment rates, and custom conversion goals with detailed funnel analysis.
- Customizable dashboards - Drag-and-drop widgets to build personalized analytics views, with the ability to schedule and email automated reports.
- Extensible plugin system - Add or remove features via plugins (e.g., Heatmaps, Session Recording, Funnels) and build custom analytics extensions using the Matomo API.
- API access to raw data - Access all analytics data programmatically via RESTful APIs for integration with BI tools, internal dashboards, or automation workflows.
- Multi-site and multi-tenant support - Track multiple websites or apps from a single Matomo instance with role-based access control and segmented reporting.
- Mobile app analytics - Collect user behavior data from iOS and Android apps using official Matomo SDKs, with the same privacy controls as web tracking.
Common Use Cases
- Building a GDPR-compliant website analytics system - A European e-commerce company replaces Google Analytics with Matomo to ensure visitor data never leaves their EU-based servers, using IP anonymization and consent management plugins.
- Creating a multi-tenant SaaS analytics platform - A B2B software provider embeds Matomo into their product to offer clients private, branded analytics dashboards without exposing data to external providers.
- Problem → Solution flow: Losing control of user behavior data to Google → Matomo self-hosting - A marketing team can no longer access historical analytics after a vendor change; they install Matomo on their internal server to retain 5+ years of data and export it in CSV/JSON for long-term analysis.
- Team/workflow scenario: DevOps teams managing microservices across multiple cloud providers - A global tech firm uses Matomo to unify web and mobile analytics from AWS, Azure, and GCP environments into one self-hosted dashboard with centralized access control.
Under The Hood
Matomo is a privacy-focused, open-source web analytics platform that provides detailed insights into website traffic while maintaining user data control. It is built with extensibility and scalability in mind, offering both real-time and batch processing capabilities through a modular architecture.
Architecture
Matomo adopts a monolithic yet modular structure that supports deep extensibility via plugins and core components.
- Clear separation of concerns with well-defined layers for data processing, UI rendering, and API handling
- Modular design allows for easy integration of new features and third-party tools
- Plugin system enables customization without modifying core code, supporting a wide range of extensions
Tech Stack
The platform is primarily built using PHP, with extensive JavaScript and modern frontend frameworks driving interactivity.
- Built predominantly in PHP with strong support for JavaScript, Vue.js, and TypeScript in the frontend
- Leverages a rich ecosystem of libraries such as Vue, CoreHome, and Matomo-specific modules
- Employs modern build tools like Webpack and testing frameworks such as Jest and PHP-based test suites
- Integrates comprehensive linting and code quality tools to maintain consistency across the codebase
Code Quality
Matomo demonstrates a mature and consistent development approach with strong emphasis on testing and maintainability.
- Comprehensive test coverage includes unit, integration, and system tests that ensure stability across plugins and core modules
- Robust error handling through centralized exception management and widespread use of try/catch blocks
- High code consistency with standardized naming, clear architecture, and adherence to SOLID principles
- Moderate technical debt present but mitigated by strong documentation and ongoing refactoring practices
What Makes It Unique
Matomo distinguishes itself through its privacy-first approach and innovative data processing mechanisms.
- Unique handling of data archiving and API rendering supports both real-time and batch analytics seamlessly
- Extensive plugin ecosystem allows for deep customization without compromising core functionality
- Strong emphasis on user privacy and data ownership sets it apart from proprietary analytics solutions