Software · head to head
Matomo vs Fathom Analytics
The short version
- Only Matomo has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Matomo the self hosted Community Edition is free but excludes A/B testing, heatmaps, session recording, cohorts, crash analytics and multi channel attribution, all of which are paid plugins; Fathom Analytics there is no free tier, only a 7 day trial
- They diverge on capability: Matomo covers Web analytics, Fathom Analytics covers Page view tracking.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Matomo and Fathom Analytics actually diverge.
| Attribute | Matomo | Fathom Analytics |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | $14/month |
| Pricing model | freemium | subscription |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web, On-premise | Web |
| Founded | 2007 | 2014 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Matomo
- Web analytics
- Real-time reports
- Custom dimensions
- E-commerce tracking
- Google Search Console
- On-premise deployment
- On-premise support
- 50+ languages language support
Only in Fathom Analytics
- Page view tracking
- Real-time analytics
- Referrer tracking
- GDPR compliant
- 20+ languages language support
Both cover
- Goal tracking
- Privacy-focused
- Cloud deployment
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Matomo
- Privacy focused web analytics as an alternative to Google Analyticsnot Fathom Analytics
- Self hosting analytics so visitor data stays on owned infrastructurenot Fathom Analytics
Fathom Analytics
- Privacy-focused web analytics without cookie bannersnot Matomo
- A lightweight Google Analytics replacementnot Matomo
- Tracking many sites from one accountnot Matomo
- Long-term historical reporting while subscribednot Matomo
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Matomo
- The self hosted Community Edition is free but excludes A/B testing, heatmaps, session recording, cohorts, crash analytics and multi channel attribution, all of which are paid plugins
- Premium plugin bundles for self hosted installs run from 275 EUR a month for 4 users to 3,400 EUR for 50
- Cloud pricing is banded by monthly hits, and anything above 10 million requires contacting sales
- Self hosting places all operation and upgrades on the operator while still needing paid plugins for the advanced features
Fathom Analytics
- There is no free tier, only a 7 day trial
- Priced on pageviews, from $45 a month at the 500,000 pageview level
- Custom events count against the pageview allowance rather than being tracked separately
- Site allowances come in packs, with additional 50-site packs at $10 a month
- Data is retained forever only while the subscription is active
Pricing, plan by plan
Matomo
Free- Self-hostedFree
- Open-source
- Full analytics
- Privacy-focused
Fathom Analytics
$14/month- Starter$14/month
- Unlimited page views
- 1 site
- Real-time analytics
Which should you pick?
Choose Matomo if
- You need web analytics.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, On-premise.
- You also want real-time reports.
Choose Fathom Analytics if
- You need page view tracking.
- You also want real-time analytics.
Questions people ask
- Is Matomo or Fathom Analytics better?
- Neither clearly leads. Matomo starts at Free and Fathom Analytics at $14/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Matomo or Fathom Analytics?
- Matomo has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Matomo and $14/month for Fathom Analytics.
- Does Matomo or Fathom Analytics run on more platforms?
- Matomo runs on Web, On-premise. Fathom Analytics runs on Web.
- Can I use Matomo for free?
- Yes. Matomo has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Fathom Analytics starts at $14/month.
- What is Matomo best used for?
- Matomo is most often used for privacy focused web analytics as an alternative to google analytics, self hosting analytics so visitor data stays on owned infrastructure. Of those, privacy focused web analytics as an alternative to google analytics and self hosting analytics so visitor data stays on owned infrastructure are not what Fathom Analytics is typically brought in for.
- What can Matomo do that Fathom Analytics cannot?
- Matomo covers Web analytics, Real-time reports, Custom dimensions, E-commerce tracking. Fathom Analytics covers Page view tracking, Real-time analytics, Referrer tracking, GDPR compliant. Both handle Goal tracking, Privacy-focused, Cloud deployment, Web support.
Related pages
More on Fathom Analytics
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