Software · head to head
Matomo vs Optimizely
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; Optimizely no pricing is published and no minimum is stated
- They diverge on capability: Matomo covers Web analytics, Optimizely covers A/B testing.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Matomo and Optimizely actually diverge.
| Attribute | Matomo | Optimizely |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | $10000/year |
| Pricing model | freemium | quote |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web, On-premise | Web, Mobile |
| Founded | 2007 | 2010 |
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
- Goal tracking
- E-commerce tracking
- Google Search Console
- Privacy-focused
- On-premise deployment
Only in Optimizely
- A/B testing
- Multivariate testing
- Personalization
- Feature management
- Analytics
- Google Analytics
- Adobe Analytics
- SOC2
Both cover
- 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 Optimizely
- Self hosting analytics so visitor data stays on owned infrastructurenot Optimizely
Optimizely
- A/B testing and experimentation across web and product experiencesnot Matomo
- Feature flagging and personalisation for digital productsnot 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
Optimizely
- No pricing is published and no minimum is stated
- Every plan is individually packaged, so no two quotes are necessarily comparable
- Reaching a figure requires a demo or sales conversation
Pricing, plan by plan
Matomo
Free- Self-hostedFree
- Open-source
- Full analytics
- Privacy-focused
Optimizely
$10000/year- Enterprise$undefined/year
- A/B testing
- Personalization
- Feature management
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 Optimizely if
- You need a/b testing.
- You work on Web, Mobile.
- You also want multivariate testing.
Questions people ask
- Is Matomo or Optimizely better?
- Neither clearly leads. Matomo starts at Free and Optimizely at $10000/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Matomo or Optimizely?
- Matomo has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Matomo and $10000/year for Optimizely.
- Does Matomo or Optimizely run on more platforms?
- Matomo runs on Web, On-premise. Optimizely runs on Web, Mobile.
- Can I use Matomo for free?
- Yes. Matomo has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Optimizely starts at $10000/year.
- 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 Optimizely is typically brought in for.
- What can Matomo do that Optimizely cannot?
- Matomo covers Web analytics, Real-time reports, Custom dimensions, Goal tracking. Optimizely covers A/B testing, Multivariate testing, Personalization, Feature management. Both handle Cloud deployment, Web support.