Counterscale vs Matomo
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted web analytics options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Matomo
Powerful, privacy-respecting web analytics platform
| Feature | Counterscale | Matomo |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | ≈5-minute setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 80 · Excellent | 96 · Excellent |
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | one-click, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,148 | ★ 21,893 |
| First released | 2024 | 2007 |
| Replaces | Google Analytics | Google Analytics |
What are Counterscale and Matomo?
Counterscale
Counterscale is a simple, privacy-friendly web analytics tool designed to be easy to deploy and maintain on Cloudflare Workers. It tracks page views and visitors with minimal infrastructure.
- Runs on Cloudflare Workers
- Privacy-friendly tracking
- Minimal infrastructure
- Cheap to operate
Matomo
Matomo is a powerful, open-source web analytics platform that gives full ownership of data as a privacy-friendly alternative to Google Analytics. It targets organizations that need detailed analytics with data control. It is deployed via Docker or a PHP stack.
- Full-featured analytics suite
- 100% data ownership
- Heatmaps and funnels via plugins
- GDPR-friendly configuration
Counterscale vs Matomo: key differences
Counterscale is written in TypeScript, while Matomo is built with PHP. Licensing differs — MIT for Counterscale versus GPL-3.0 for Matomo. Counterscale is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Matomo. Matomo is the more established project (first released 2007), while Counterscale arrived in 2024. Matomo has the considerably larger community, at 21,893 GitHub stars versus 2,148. Matomo lists first-class Docker deployment; Counterscale does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Counterscale if…
- Almost free to run
- Very easy deployment
Watch out for
- Cloudflare dependency
- Basic feature set
Choose Matomo if…
- Comprehensive analytics
- Privacy-respecting
- Mature and extensible
Watch out for
- Heavier to self-host
- Some features in paid plugins
Frequently asked questions
Is Counterscale or Matomo better?
Neither is universally better. Matomo has the larger community, while Counterscale is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Counterscale and Matomo free and open-source?
Yes. Counterscale is licensed under MIT and Matomo under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Counterscale and Matomo with Docker?
Counterscale: check the project docs for container support. Matomo: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Counterscale or Matomo?
Counterscale has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Matomo. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.