GA Google Analytics vs Matomo
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| Feature | GA Google Analytics v20260810 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.9/5 Visit Details | Matomo v5.13.1 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.5/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 400,000+ | 60,000+ |
| Last updated | August 10, 2026 | September 15, 2026 |
| Editions | GA Google Analytics · GA Google Analytics Pro ($) | Matomo Analytics · Matomo premium plugins ($) |
| Pros | Simple GA4 tag setup from the settings screen; Option to anonymise visitor IP addresses; Choice of header, footer or admin placement for the tag | Self-hosted analytics with full data ownership; Visitor opt-out shortcodes and block for GDPR needs; WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads and MemberPress order tracking |
| Cons | Rejects Google Tag Manager (GTM-) IDs; Still includes the older Universal Analytics script path; Advanced features are sold in a separate Pro version | Needs a Matomo server, self-hosted or Matomo Cloud; Heatmaps, session recordings and similar tools are paid premium plugins; Some features call third-party APIs such as Bing and AI providers when configured |
| Mentioned in our posts | 1 | 1 |
| More features | ||
| Other features | Google Analytics 4 global site tag, Legacy Universal Analytics script, Anonymise visitor IP addresses, Tag placement in header, footer or admin, Custom code added alongside the tag | Tracking code injected into the site, Analytics reports in the WordPress admin, Visitor opt-out shortcodes, Opt-out block for the block editor, Privacy badge shortcode, Multisite admin menu, Scheduled check for suggested plugins, Premium analytics add-ons such as heatmaps ($) |
| Integrations | ||
| Analytics | Google Analytics | — |
| E-commerce | — | WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads, MemberPress |
| Other | — | Anthropic, OpenAI, Bing |
| Requires WordPress | 4.7 | 4.8 |
| Requires PHP | 5.6.20 | 7.2.5 |
| Tested up to | 7.1 | 7.1.0 |
| Phones home | No | No |
| External services | — | json.aspsms.com, www.bing.com, api.matomo.org |
| Blocks | — | 1 |
| Shortcodes | — | 4 |