Matomo vs Google Analytics 4: Which Analytics Platform Should You Choose in 2026?

Choosing between Matomo and Google Analytics 4 is one of the most common decisions analytics teams face in 2026. Both platforms track website visitors, measure conversions, and generate reports — but they take fundamentally different approaches to data ownership, privacy, and pricing.

GA4 dominates the market with deep Google ecosystem integration and AI-powered insights. Matomo counters with full data ownership, zero sampling, and GDPR compliance without cookie consent banners. The right choice depends on your privacy requirements, technical resources, budget, and how heavily you rely on Google Ads.

This guide compares Matomo vs GA4 across every dimension that matters — privacy, accuracy, features, pricing, and ease of use — so you can make an informed decision for your business.

Quick Comparison: Matomo vs GA4

Before diving into the details, here is a side-by-side snapshot of how these two web analytics tools compare across the dimensions that matter most.

Privacy & Data Ownership

This is the single biggest differentiator between Matomo and GA4 — and the primary reason most organizations switch.

Matomo: Full Data Ownership

Matomo gives you complete ownership of your analytics data. With self-hosting, data never leaves your servers. With Matomo Cloud, data is stored in Frankfurt, Germany — within EU jurisdiction.

Crucially, Matomo is approved by the French CNIL as a tool that can operate without cookie consent when configured correctly. This means no consent banners, no data loss from users who reject cookies, and simpler compliance. For businesses in the EU, this alone can justify the switch.

Matomo does not share your data with third parties, does not use it for advertising, and does not combine it with data from other websites. Your analytics data belongs to you — period.

GA4: Google’s Ecosystem

GA4 processes data on Google’s infrastructure. While Google offers EU data residency options, the data is still processed by a US company subject to the US CLOUD Act. This has led to regulatory rulings against Google Analytics in Austria and France, and ongoing legal uncertainty in other EU member states.

GA4 requires cookie consent in the EU through Consent Mode v2. Users who reject consent are tracked with limited, modeled data — but this modeling is a statistical estimate, not actual measurement. For sites where only 30–40% of visitors accept cookies, this means a significant portion of your data is inferred rather than observed.

Data Accuracy & Sampling

Data you cannot trust leads to decisions you should not make. Here is how accuracy differs between the two platforms.

Matomo: Zero Sampling, Ever

Matomo processes 100% of your data, regardless of traffic volume. Whether you have 1,000 or 100 million pageviews, every report shows actual numbers — not statistical estimates. Self-hosted Matomo also has unlimited data retention. You decide how long to keep data, not the vendor.

GA4: Sampling Above 10M Events

GA4’s standard reports are unsampled, but exploration reports sample data when queries exceed 10 million events. For high-traffic sites, this means custom funnels, path analyses, and segment comparisons may be based on extrapolated data.

GA4 also applies “data thresholding” — automatically hiding rows in reports when user counts are too low, to protect privacy. This is system-defined and cannot be adjusted. It means some segments simply show no data, with no warning that data was withheld.

Free GA4 retains detailed data for a maximum of 14 months (default is 2 months). After that, exploration reports lose granularity. Standard aggregate reports remain, but you lose the ability to build custom analyses on historical data. The workaround is BigQuery export, which stores raw events permanently — but adds complexity and potential cloud costs.

Features & Capabilities

Both platforms are mature analytics tools, but they have different strengths. Here is where each one excels.

Where Matomo Wins

• Behavioral analytics built-in: Heatmaps, session recordings, and form analytics are available as Matomo plugins — no need for separate tools like Hotjar ($39+/month) or Microsoft Clarity.
• A/B testing: Built-in experimentation framework. GA4 requires Google Optimize (sunset) or a third-party tool.
• Roll-up reporting: Aggregate data from multiple websites into a single dashboard. Useful for agencies and multi-brand organizations.
• Historical data import: Matomo can import your Universal Analytics data. GA4 cannot.
• Visitor profiles: Individual visitor timelines showing every page, event, and session. GA4 has user explorer but with less detail.
• Custom dimensions: Matomo Cloud includes 30 custom dimensions. GA4 free allows 50 user-scoped and 125 event-scoped.

Where GA4 Wins

• AI-powered insights: Predictive audiences (likely to purchase, likely to churn), automated anomaly detection, and natural-language queries. Matomo’s AI features are limited to agent detection.
• Cross-platform tracking: GA4 natively tracks both web and mobile app data in a single property with unified user journeys. Matomo supports mobile SDKs but the integration is less seamless.
• BigQuery export: Free raw data export to Google BigQuery (up to 1M events/day). Matomo’s data warehouse connector costs an additional 10% of your subscription.
• Exploration reports: Funnel exploration, path analysis, cohort analysis, and scatter plots — all free. Matomo’s custom reports require the Cloud package and offer fewer visualization types.
• Google Signals: Cross-device user stitching using Google account data. Matomo cannot match this because it does not have access to logged-in Google user data.

Feature Parity

Both platforms handle core analytics well: pageviews, sessions, events, goals/conversions, e-commerce tracking, real-time reporting, and custom event tracking. For standard reporting needs, either tool delivers. The differences emerge in advanced use cases.

Pricing & Total Cost of Ownership

GA4’s “free” price tag is compelling — until you need features that only come with GA360. Matomo’s self-hosted option is also free — until you factor in server and maintenance costs. Here is the honest comparison.

Hidden Costs to Consider

Matomo self-hosted: Server hosting ($20–200/month depending on traffic), maintenance time (updates, security patches, database optimization), and the need for a developer or sysadmin who can manage it. Minimum server specs: 2 CPU cores, 2 GB RAM, 50 GB SSD for sites under 100K monthly pageviews.

GA4 “free”: If you need unsampled data, you pay for GA360. If you need behavioral analytics, you add Hotjar ($39+/month). If BigQuery export exceeds the free tier, you pay Google Cloud costs. If you need support beyond documentation, there is no free support option.

Ease of Use & Learning Curve

Matomo earns a 4.5/5 ease-of-use rating on Capterra, partly because its interface resembles the classic Universal Analytics layout that marketers already know. If you used UA, Matomo feels familiar. Installation is simple for the Cloud version (add a JavaScript snippet), but self-hosting requires server setup — a barrier for non-technical teams.

GA4 has a notoriously steep learning curve, especially for teams migrating from Universal Analytics. The shift from sessions to events, the redesigned interface, and the new report structure frustrate many users. However, GA4’s documentation is extensive, and the sheer size of the user community means answers to almost any question are a search away.

For teams already comfortable with GA4, switching to Matomo requires minimal retraining. For teams still struggling with GA4, Matomo’s more traditional interface may actually be easier to adopt.

Integrations & Ecosystem

This is where GA4 has its strongest advantage — and where Matomo has its biggest weakness.

When to Choose Matomo

Matomo is the better choice when:

• GDPR compliance is critical — you need to run analytics without cookie consent banners, or your legal team requires full data ownership and EU data residency.
• You are in a regulated industry — healthcare (HIPAA), finance, or government where data cannot be processed by third parties.
• You need zero sampling — high-traffic sites that rely on exploration reports and custom segments.
• You want behavioral analytics included — heatmaps, session recordings, and form analytics without paying for Hotjar or similar tools.
• You have technical resources — a developer or sysadmin who can manage self-hosting, or the budget for Matomo Cloud.
• Google Ads is not your primary channel — organic search, content marketing, email, or social media drive most of your traffic.

When to Choose GA4

GA4 is the better choice when:

• You depend on Google Ads — the native integration for conversion tracking, audience sharing, and automated bidding is unmatched.
• You need AI-powered insights — predictive audiences, anomaly detection, and natural-language queries save time for lean teams.
• Budget is zero — GA4 free is genuinely powerful and covers 90% of analytics needs for small and mid-sized businesses.
• You track web + mobile app — GA4’s cross-platform tracking is significantly more mature than Matomo’s mobile SDK.
• You are already in the Google ecosystem — Search Console, Looker Studio, BigQuery, and Google Ads all integrate seamlessly.
• Your team is non-technical — no servers to manage, no software to update, no database to optimize.

For a broader comparison including Plausible, Fathom, and other alternatives, see our complete web analytics tools guide. If privacy compliance is your primary driver, our GDPR-compliant analytics setup guide covers the full implementation process. And for ensuring your current tracking is working correctly — regardless of which tool you use — check our website analytics audit checklist.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Matomo GDPR compliant without cookie consent?

Yes. When configured for cookieless tracking, Matomo is approved by the French data protection authority (CNIL) as exempt from consent requirements. It uses session hashing instead of persistent cookies, meaning no personal data is stored on the user’s device. This is a significant advantage over GA4, which requires consent in the EU.

Does Matomo have data sampling like GA4?

No. Matomo processes 100% of your data at all traffic levels — there is no sampling threshold. GA4 free samples exploration reports when queries exceed 10 million events. For standard reports, GA4 does not sample, but custom analyses and segments may use estimated data at higher volumes.

Can I migrate from GA4 to Matomo without losing data?

Matomo offers a Google Analytics Import plugin that can bring in your historical data. This includes Universal Analytics data (which GA4 cannot import). The migration process typically takes 1–2 days for basic setup and 1–2 weeks for a full migration including historical data import and team training.

Can Matomo integrate with Google Ads?

Only through manual UTM parameter tracking. Matomo cannot share conversion data or audiences directly with Google Ads for automated bidding. If Google Ads is a significant part of your marketing strategy, this is Matomo’s biggest limitation. You would need to maintain GA4 alongside Matomo for Google Ads optimization, or use manual conversion imports.

How much does Matomo cost for 1 million pageviews per month?

Matomo self-hosted is free at any traffic level — you only pay for server hosting (roughly $50–200/month for a server capable of handling 1M monthly pageviews). Matomo Cloud for this traffic level costs approximately €200–400/month depending on the exact hit count and add-ons. Compare this to GA4 free (sufficient for most sites) or GA360 ($50,000+/year for enterprise needs).

Which is easier to learn: Matomo or GA4?

Most users find Matomo easier, especially if they previously used Universal Analytics. Matomo’s interface follows a traditional analytics layout with familiar navigation. GA4’s event-based model and redesigned interface have a steeper learning curve. Matomo scores 4.5/5 on Capterra for ease of use.

What are the server requirements for self-hosted Matomo?

Minimum: 2 CPU cores, 2 GB RAM, 50 GB SSD, PHP 8.0+, MySQL 5.7+ or MariaDB. For sites under 100K monthly pageviews, a $20–30/month VPS is sufficient. Higher-traffic sites need proportionally more resources — at 1M+ pageviews, plan for 4+ CPU cores and 8 GB+ RAM with SSD storage.

Does Matomo have AI features like GA4?

Limited. Matomo 5.6 (November 2025) introduced AI agent detection — separating visits from AI bots (ChatGPT, NovaAct) from real users. However, Matomo does not offer predictive audiences, automated anomaly detection, or natural-language queries. GA4’s AI/ML capabilities are significantly more advanced.