Google Analytics vs Matomo

The once awesome Google Analytics is now GA4. In my opinion, it's a regression in usability but power users may like the advanced capabilities. There are fewer built-in reports now so you'll have to use the built-in report builder tool or Looker Studio if you need advanced reports that used to exist by default. This is an issue for most casual users as they are not easy to create. You can still get some general data with the built-in reports like visits, some attribution and e-commerce revenue.

Matomo may be the closest thing to what the old Google Analytics used to offer. They have an interface similar to the old Google Analytics but they are now Privacy First as well. In my testing, they were the least accurate due to how they send data back to their servers. They use a technology that can be blocked by people using adblockers and I found about 20% of my test data was missing. This setting can be changed, however.

• It’s FREE
• Lots of Integrations
• Large Community for Help

• Interface similar to old version of Google Analytics
• Lots of Built-in reports
• Lots of Add Ons like Ecommerce Tracking, A/B Testing, etc

• Lack of Built-In Reports
• Slow
• Bugy
  
  

• The default tracking method leads to loss of data
• The interface may be too complex for some.
• Pricing is more expensive but the service offers more features.

The main thing GA4 has going for it is that it is free. Besides that, it’s kind of a pain. I use it for general analytics and I built and use conversiontracking.com for ecommerce tracking.

Matomo is nice and offers a lot of add-ons and is perfect for someone wanting that old Goolge Analaytcs feel back.

Pricing: FREE - larger sites will be sampled.

Pricing is based on pageviews and add-ons. Try for free, no credit card required. 2 months off with annual plans.

Pricing: Starts at $26 per month for 50,000 page views.