SHSelfHostIndex

AWStats vs Matomo

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted web analytics options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
AW AWStats Generate statistics from web, streaming, ftp or mail server logfiles VS MA Matomo Powerful, privacy-respecting web analytics platform
FeatureAWStatsMatomo
CategoryWeb AnalyticsWeb Analytics
LicenseGPL-3.0GPL-3.0
LanguagePerlPHP
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM512 MB1,024 MB
Deploymentbare-metaldocker, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 435★ 21,749
First released20252007
Replaces—Google Analytics

Why pick each one

Choose AWStats if…

  • Released under the GPL-3.0 license
  • Written in Perl
  • Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
AWStats details

Choose Matomo if…

  • Comprehensive analytics
  • Privacy-respecting
  • Mature and extensible
Matomo details

Frequently asked questions

Is AWStats or Matomo better?

Neither is universally better. Matomo has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are AWStats and Matomo free and open-source?

Yes. AWStats is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Matomo under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run AWStats and Matomo with Docker?

AWStats: check the project docs for container support. Matomo: yes.

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