Matomo vs Swetrix
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
Swetrix
Privacy-focused, cookieless web analytics service
| Feature | Matomo | Swetrix |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 96 · Excellent | 83 · Excellent |
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 21,893 | ★ 1,202 |
| First released | 2007 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Google Analytics | Google Analytics |
What are Matomo and Swetrix?
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
Swetrix
Swetrix is an open-source, privacy-focused web analytics platform that is fully cookieless and GDPR compliant. It tracks page views, user flows, and custom events without identifying visitors.
- Cookieless tracking
- User flow analysis
- Custom events
- Performance metrics
Matomo vs Swetrix: key differences
Matomo is written in PHP, while Swetrix is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Matomo versus AGPL-3.0 for Swetrix. Swetrix is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Matomo. Matomo is the more established project (first released 2007), while Swetrix arrived in 2021. Matomo has the considerably larger community, at 21,893 GitHub stars versus 1,202.
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 Swetrix if…
- No cookie banner needed
- Detailed flow reports
Watch out for
- Needs ClickHouse and Redis
- Setup is multi-component
Frequently asked questions
Is Matomo or Swetrix 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 Swetrix free and open-source?
Yes. Matomo is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Swetrix under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Matomo and Swetrix with Docker?
Matomo: yes. Swetrix: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Matomo or Swetrix?
Swetrix has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Matomo. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.