Matomo vs Pirsch
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
VS
Pirsch
Go library and API for privacy-friendly, cookie-free web analytics
| Feature | Matomo | Pirsch |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 96 · Excellent | 82 · Excellent |
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 21,893 | ★ 1,030 |
| First released | 2007 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Google Analytics | Google Analytics |
What are Matomo and Pirsch?
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
Pirsch
Pirsch is a Go library for server-side, cookie-free web analytics. The open-source repository provides the tracking and statistics code you embed in your own application; the hosted pirsch.io dashboard is a separate commercial product.
- Cookie-free tracking
- No personal data collected
- Lightweight tracking script
- Go analytics engine
Matomo vs Pirsch: key differences
Matomo is written in PHP, while Pirsch is built with Go. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Matomo versus AGPL-3.0 for Pirsch. Pirsch is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Matomo. Matomo is the more established project (first released 2007), while Pirsch arrived in 2020. Matomo has the considerably larger community, at 21,893 GitHub stars versus 1,030.
Why pick each one
Choose Matomo if…
- Comprehensive analytics
- Privacy-respecting
- Mature and extensible
Watch out for
- Heavier to self-host
- Some features in paid plugins
Choose Pirsch if…
- GDPR-friendly by design
- Fast and efficient
Watch out for
- Self-hosting needs assembly
- Smaller ecosystem
Frequently asked questions
Is Matomo or Pirsch 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 Matomo and Pirsch free and open-source?
Yes. Matomo is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Pirsch under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Matomo and Pirsch with Docker?
Matomo: yes. Pirsch: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Matomo or Pirsch?
Pirsch has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Matomo. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.