What is Matomo used for?

Matomo is a full-featured open-source web analytics platform in PHP and MySQL that you run on your own server, built as a privacy-conscious alternative to Google Analytics. It is a good fit for replacing Google Analytics with owned data, analytics for privacy-regulated organizations and tracking marketing campaign performance.

Is Matomo open source?

Yes. Matomo is open source under the GPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at matomo-org/matomo and is written mainly in PHP.

Yes. Matomo is open source, so the software itself is free to use. A managed cloud version is also available, with paid plans from $26 per month.

Can I self-host Matomo?

Yes. Matomo can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is Matomo an alternative to?

Matomo is an open-source alternative to Google Analytics, Clicky, StatCounter and Woopra. Other open-source alternatives to Google Analytics include Rybbit, Plausible and Umami.

Is Matomo actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Matomo was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is 5.14.0, published on 21 September 2026. The project has 22k stars on GitHub.

Matomo: open-source alternative to Google Analytics, Clicky

About Matomo

Matomo, formerly known as Piwik, is an open web analytics platform written in PHP with MySQL storage. You download and install it on your own web server, and after a short installation you receive a JavaScript tracking tag to paste into the sites you want to measure, then see reports in real time. It positions itself as a free-software substitute for Google Analytics.

Privacy is built in, and its mission statement stresses giving every user full control of their data. According to the README it is used on more than 1,400,000 websites. Requirements are PHP 8.1 or newer, MySQL 8.0 or newer or MariaDB 10.6 or newer, and the PDO MySQL or MySQLi extension, and it is independent of operating system and web server. Topics also reference marketing and mobile analytics.

Matomo is released under the GPL-3.0 (or later) license. Self-hosting keeps data on your own servers, and the organization also offers Matomo Cloud as a managed option, with a marketplace of plugins. It suits organizations with data-protection requirements, such as public bodies and companies in privacy-regulated markets, that need dependable analytics they control.

Key features

Real-time web analytics reports
Self-hosted PHP and MySQL application
JavaScript tracking tag installation
Privacy-focused data ownership
Mobile and intranet analytics topics
Matomo Cloud as a managed option

Good fit for

→Replacing Google Analytics with owned data
→Analytics for privacy-regulated organizations
→Tracking marketing campaign performance

Built with: PHP; MySQL
Tags: web-analytics; privacy; google-analytics-alternative; php; mysql; self-hosted; piwik; gdpr; marketing

Matomo: questions and answers

What is Matomo used for?: Matomo is a full-featured open-source web analytics platform in PHP and MySQL that you run on your own server, built as a privacy-conscious alternative to Google Analytics. It is a good fit for replacing Google Analytics with owned data, analytics for privacy-regulated organizations and tracking marketing campaign performance.
Is Matomo open source?: Yes. Matomo is open source under the GPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at matomo-org/matomo and is written mainly in PHP.
Is Matomo free?: Yes. Matomo is open source, so the software itself is free to use. A managed cloud version is also available, with paid plans from $26 per month.
Can I self-host Matomo?: Yes. Matomo can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is Matomo an alternative to?: Matomo is an open-source alternative to Google Analytics, Clicky, StatCounter and Woopra. Other open-source alternatives to Google Analytics include Rybbit, Plausible and Umami.
Is Matomo actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Matomo was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is 5.14.0, published on 21 September 2026. The project has 22k stars on GitHub.