GoatCounter 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?
GoatCounter
Easy and privacy-friendly web analytics
VS
Matomo
Powerful, privacy-respecting web analytics platform
| Feature | GoatCounter | Matomo |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | EUPL-1.2 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | binary, docker | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,864 | ★ 21,749 |
| First released | 2019 | 2007 |
| Replaces | Google Analytics | Google Analytics |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is GoatCounter or Matomo better?
Neither is universally better. Matomo has the larger community, while GoatCounter is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are GoatCounter and Matomo free and open-source?
Yes. GoatCounter is licensed under EUPL-1.2 and Matomo under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run GoatCounter and Matomo with Docker?
GoatCounter: yes. Matomo: yes.