---
{"title": "Matomo alternatives in 2026 guide", "description": "Compare Matomo alternatives and see how analytics tools differ in reports, privacy choices, and website insights.", "url": "https://uncommoncomforts.com/matomo-alternatives/", "date": "2026-10-18"}
---
Compare Matomo alternatives and see how analytics tools differ in reports, privacy choices, and website insights.

The right Matomo alternative depends on the reports, privacy needs, data controls, and site insights that matter for the work being done.

| Option | Own fee | Card fee |
|---|---|---|
| Matomo | Offers a 21-day free Cloud trial, or self-host forever for free. [^1] | not published |
| Google Analytics 4 | Free of charge. [^2] | not published |
| Plausible Analytics | Starter is $9 a month, Growth is $14 a month, and Business is $19 a month. [^3] [^3] [^3] | not published |
| Fathom Analytics | Starts at $15 a month. [^4] | not published |
| Connections Analytics | Connections Free costs $0, Connections Pro costs $39.99 a month, and Connections Business costs $99.99 a month. [^5] [^5] [^5] | not published |

## Why people who run things look past Matomo

People compare Matomo alternatives when they want a website analytics tool that matches their reporting, data, and management needs.

Matomo offers a free trial, and its page says users can start a 21-day free Cloud trial or self-host forever for free. [^1] Matomo states that its free trial requires no credit card. [^1]

Matomo provides unsampled data, first-party tracking, raw data access, GDPR compliance features, cookieless tracking, and data anonymisation. [^1] [^1] [^1] [^1] [^1] [^1] It offers cloud or on-premise hosting, APIs and integrations, conversions and events analytics, and A/B testing and personalisation. [^1] [^1] [^1] [^1]

When looking at alternatives, compare the reports, controls, hosting choices, and measurement features that matter for the way a site is managed. The right choice depends on which stated capabilities match the work needed.

## Google Analytics 4: website and app measurement

Google Analytics is offered free of charge to understand the customer journey. [^2] Google describes its solutions as free and easy to use for businesses of every size. [^2]

Google Analytics includes built-in automation, flexible reporting, and cross-platform attribution. [^2] It tracks customer interactions across sites and apps throughout the customer lifecycle. [^2]

It provides shareable reports and an interface for analyzing data. [^2]

## Plausible Analytics: privacy-focused website analytics

Plausible does not use cookies or persistent identifiers and does not track individual users across sites or devices. [^3] Its code is public and auditable. [^3]

Plausible is built and hosted in the EU. [^3] It offers a Starter plan for $9 a month, a Growth plan for $14 a month, and a Business plan for $19 a month. [^3] [^3] [^3]

Plausible offers a 30-day free trial without a credit card. [^3]

## Fathom Analytics: simple website analytics reports

Fathom describes itself as a Google Analytics alternative focused on privacy. [^4] Fathom does not use cookies for analytics. [^4]

Fathom provides email reports for a site or several sites. [^4] It keeps analytics history while a customer is subscribed and provides unlimited data retention. [^4] [^4]

Fathom offers a 7-day free trial and pricing starts at $15 a month. [^4]

## Connections Analytics: website traffic and site insights

Connections Analytics is made by the team that publishes this site. [^5] It adds one script to a site, and it records page views and clicks without manual tagging. [^5]

Its Overview has a live tile that refreshes every 30 seconds and shows which pages people are on right now. [^5] Traffic reports include a city-level geography view. [^5]

You can create and edit funnels of 2 to 8 steps made of pages or clicks. [^5] The same script records JavaScript errors and page speed next to traffic information. [^5]

It can show revenue from Stripe linked to traffic, where Stripe is a card payment service. [^5] It can show searches that bring pages up on Google and which searches are close to page one. [^5] A check tells you whether AI assistants can find, read, and name your site. [^5]

## How to pick the right Matomo alternative

Choose based on the reports and controls needed for the site and the people who use the information.

If raw data access, first-party tracking, hosting choices, and GDPR compliance features are priorities, compare Matomo's stated features with other options. [^1] [^1] [^1] [^1]

If the goal is measuring sites and apps with flexible reporting, Google Analytics provides those stated capabilities. [^2] [^2] If privacy-focused measurement without cookies is important, review Plausible and Fathom details. [^3] [^4]

If traffic reports, funnels, page reading depth, error details, and connected revenue information matter, check whether Connections Analytics provides the reports needed. [^5] [^5] [^5] [^5] [^5]

Before choosing, check data exports, reporting needs, team access, and any costs that apply to the setup.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Matomo a good fit for sites that need control over analytics data?

Matomo provides raw data access, first-party tracking, cloud or on-premise hosting, and GDPR compliance features. [^1] [^1] [^1] [^1] The choice depends on which stated capabilities match the way a site handles reporting and data.

### Does Connections Analytics show live website activity?

Connections Analytics has a live tile in the Overview that refreshes every 30 seconds and shows which pages people are on right now. [^5] It also records page views and clicks after adding one script to a site without manual tagging. [^5]

### Is Google Analytics free for website measurement?

Google Analytics is offered free of charge. [^2] Google describes its tools as free and easy to use for businesses of every size. [^2] Review reporting and measurement needs before selecting a tool.

### Does Plausible Analytics avoid cookies?

Plausible states that it does not use cookies or persistent identifiers and does not track individual users across sites or devices. [^3] It also states that its code is public and auditable. [^3]

### Can Connections Analytics show website search and AI visibility information?

Connections Analytics can show searches that bring pages up on Google and which searches are close to page one. [^5] A check tells you whether AI assistants can find, read, and name your site. [^5]

You can start on the free plan without a card. [^5] Analytics has no separate price; it is part of Connections Pass. [^5] - [Visit Connections Analytics](/go/matomo-alternatives)

## Sources

[^1]: Matomo, matomo.org, read 2026-10-08 (https://matomo.org)
[^2]: Google Analytics 4, marketingplatform.google.com/about/analytics, read 2026-10-08 (https://marketingplatform.google.com/about/analytics/)
[^3]: Plausible Analytics, plausible.io, read 2026-10-08 (https://plausible.io)
[^4]: Fathom Analytics, usefathom.com, read 2026-10-08 (https://usefathom.com)
[^5]: Connections Analytics' own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher) (/go/matomo-alternatives)