Is Matomo or Wireshark better?

Neither clearly leads. Matomo starts at Free and Wireshark at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Matomo or Wireshark?

Matomo starts at Free and Wireshark at Free.

Does Matomo or Wireshark run on more platforms?

Matomo runs on Web, On-premise. Wireshark runs on Desktop, Cli.

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 Wireshark is typically brought in for.

What can Matomo do that Wireshark cannot?

Matomo covers Web analytics, Real-time reports, Custom dimensions, Goal tracking. Wireshark covers Deep packet inspection, Live capture, Offline analysis, 3000+ protocol support. Both handle On-premise deployment.

Marketing · head to head

Matomo vs Wireshark

Matomo

Marketing

Privacy-focused web analytics

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Wireshark

Cybersecurity

The world's foremost network protocol analyzer

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

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; Wireshark free and open source under the GNU GPL; downloadable without paying any license fee, no commercial tier
They diverge on capability: Matomo covers Web analytics, Wireshark covers Deep packet inspection.
Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Matomo and Wireshark actually diverge.

Attributes where Matomo and Wireshark differ
Attribute	Matomo	Wireshark
Pricing model	freemium	free
Platforms	Web, On-premise	Desktop, Cli
Category	Marketing	Cybersecurity
Founded	2007	1998

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
Google Search Console
Privacy-focused
Cloud deployment

Only in Wireshark

Deep packet inspection
Live capture
Offline analysis
3000+ protocol support
Rich display filters
VoIP analysis
Decryption support
Scripting with Lua

Both cover

On-premise 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 Wireshark
Self hosting analytics so visitor data stays on owned infrastructurenot Wireshark

Wireshark

Network Securitynot Matomo
Packet Analysisnot Matomo
Open Sourcenot 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

Wireshark

Free and open source under the GNU GPL; downloadable without paying any license fee, no commercial tier

Pricing, plan by plan

Matomo

Free

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

Wireshark

Free

Free & Open SourceFree
- Full functionality
- Deep inspection
- Live capture

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 Wireshark if

You need deep packet inspection.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Desktop, Cli.
You also want live capture.

Wireshark review

Questions people ask

Is Matomo or Wireshark better?: Neither clearly leads. Matomo starts at Free and Wireshark at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Matomo or Wireshark?: Matomo starts at Free and Wireshark at Free.
Does Matomo or Wireshark run on more platforms?: Matomo runs on Web, On-premise. Wireshark runs on Desktop, Cli.
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 Wireshark is typically brought in for.
What can Matomo do that Wireshark cannot?: Matomo covers Web analytics, Real-time reports, Custom dimensions, Goal tracking. Wireshark covers Deep packet inspection, Live capture, Offline analysis, 3000+ protocol support. Both handle On-premise 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

Wireshark: Is there a cost to download and use Wireshark?

No, Wireshark is completely free. It's distributed under the GNU General Public License version 2, making it "free software" with no demo limitations. The full version is available at no cost.

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

Wireshark: What support options are available for Wireshark users?

Wireshark offers multiple support channels including mailing lists, an active Discord community, the Ask Wireshark Q&A platform, comprehensive documentation, a user guide, and developer resources for those needing technical assistance.

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

Wireshark: Are there different pricing tiers or subscription levels?

Wireshark does not offer pricing tiers or subscriptions. There is one free version available to all users regardless of use case, personal, professional, or organizational.

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

Matomo vs Wireshark

Matomo

Wireshark

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Matomo

Only in Wireshark

Both cover

What people use each for

Matomo

Wireshark

Where each one falls short

Matomo

Wireshark

Pricing, plan by plan

Matomo

Wireshark

Which should you pick?

Choose Matomo if

Choose Wireshark if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Matomo

More on Wireshark

Keep looking

Other head to heads