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Marketing · head to head

Matomo vs SEMrush

Matomo logo

Matomo

Marketing

Privacy-focused web analytics

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SEMrush logo

SEMrush

SEO

Do SEO, content marketing, competitor research, PPC and social media marketing from just one platfor

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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; SEMrush free tier limited to 10 reports per day across all tools
  • They diverge on capability: Matomo covers Web analytics, SEMrush covers Keyword research.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Matomo and SEMrush actually diverge.

Attributes where Matomo and SEMrush differ
AttributeMatomoSEMrush
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
PlatformsWeb, On-premiseWeb, Mobile app
CategoryMarketingSEO
Founded20072008

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

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
  • Privacy-focused
  • On-premise deployment
  • Web support

Only in SEMrush

  • Keyword research
  • Site audit
  • Competitor analysis
  • Backlink analytics
  • Rank tracking
  • Content marketing
  • PPC research
  • Social media tools

Both cover

  • Google Search Console
  • Cloud deployment

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 SEMrush
  • Self hosting analytics so visitor data stays on owned infrastructurenot SEMrush

SEMrush

  • SEO keyword research and competitor analysisnot Matomo
  • Website performance tracking and auditingnot Matomo
  • Content marketing optimizationnot Matomo
  • PPC advertising researchnot 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

SEMrush

  • Free tier limited to 10 reports per day across all tools
  • Keyword tracking capped at 500 per month on entry tiers (SEO and Starter plans)
  • Additional users cost £45/month per user above base subscription
  • Most advanced features require Advanced plan (£455.67/month), making entry cost significant for small teams

Pricing, plan by plan

Matomo

Free
  • Self-hostedFree
    • Open-source
    • Full analytics
    • Privacy-focused

SEMrush

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1 demo project with basic features
    • No credit card required
    • For trying out the platform
  • SEO Plan$117.33/month
    • Annual billing ($1407.96/year)
    • Monitor 5 websites
    • Track 500 keywords daily
  • Starter Plan$165.17/month
    • Annual billing ($1982.04/year)
    • 5 websites, 500 keywords tracked daily
    • MCP access with 50 AI prompts tracked across search platforms
  • Pro+ Plan$248.17/month
    • Annual billing ($2978.04/year)
    • 15 websites, 1,500 keywords daily
    • 100 AI prompts tracked

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.
Matomo review

Choose SEMrush if

  • You need keyword research.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile app.
  • You also want site audit.
SEMrush review

Questions people ask

Is Matomo or SEMrush better?
Neither clearly leads. Matomo starts at Free and SEMrush at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Matomo or SEMrush?
Matomo starts at Free and SEMrush at Free.
Does Matomo or SEMrush run on more platforms?
Matomo runs on Web, On-premise. SEMrush runs on Web, Mobile app.
Can I use Matomo for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 SEMrush is typically brought in for.
What can Matomo do that SEMrush cannot?
Matomo covers Web analytics, Real-time reports, Custom dimensions, Goal tracking. SEMrush covers Keyword research, Site audit, Competitor analysis, Backlink analytics. Both handle Google Search Console, Cloud deployment.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Matomo: How much does Matomo cost?

Matomo Cloud starts at EUR 29 per month for the Starter plan, which covers 50,000 hits per month. Matomo On-Premise has a free Community edition, with paid bundles from EUR 275 per month for up to 5M hits and 4 users.

Source
SEMrush: How much does Semrush cost?

Semrush starts at $117.33/month for the SEO Plan with annual billing and goes up to $455.67/month for the Advanced Plan. A free tier is available with 1 demo project and basic features. Prices increase with monthly billing instead of annual.

Source
Matomo: Is Matomo free?

The On-Premise Community edition is free forever with unlimited users and hits, supported through the forum only. Matomo Cloud is a paid service, though a free trial with access to all core features is offered.

Source
SEMrush: What does each Semrush plan include?

Plans scale from 5 to 40 websites monitored, 500 to 5,000 keywords tracked daily, and include progressively more features like MCP access and API access at higher tiers. Advanced Plan includes dedicated support.

Source
Matomo: What is the difference between Matomo Cloud and On-Premise?

Cloud plans include hosting, maintenance, automatic updates and daily backups, priced by monthly hits from EUR 29. On-Premise is self-hosted, free in its Community edition, with paid bundles adding support and higher user counts.

Source
SEMrush: Are there add-on options for Semrush?

Yes, additional users cost $45/month, and reporting features range from $10-$20/month. Enterprise plans with unlimited projects and dedicated support are available with custom pricing.

Source
Matomo: How many hits do the Matomo On-Premise bundles cover?

The Team bundle covers up to 5M hits per month and 4 users at EUR 275 per month. Business covers up to 30M hits and 20 users at EUR 1,450. Enterprise covers up to 100M hits and 50 users at EUR 3,400.

Source
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