Self-Host Matomo: Full-Featured Web Analytics 2026

TL;DR

Matomo (GPL 3.0, ~19K GitHub stars, PHP) is the most feature-complete open source alternative to Google Analytics. It replicates virtually every Google Analytics feature — funnel analysis, goal tracking, ecommerce conversion tracking, heatmaps (premium plugin), A/B testing, campaign tracking — while keeping 100% of data on your server. Google Analytics 4 is free but complex and sends all data to Google. Matomo Cloud costs $23-$99/month; self-hosted is free for unlimited traffic.

Key Takeaways

• Matomo: GPL 3.0, ~19K stars, PHP — feature-complete GA alternative, full data ownership
• Heatmaps/session recording: Premium plugins (free on self-hosted)
• GDPR compliance: Privacy controls, IP anonymization, consent management built in
• Goals and funnels: Track conversions, multi-step funnel analysis
• Ecommerce: Revenue tracking, product analytics, shopping cart abandonment
• WordPress: Official Matomo WordPress plugin with auto-setup

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Matomo vs Plausible vs Umami

Feature	Matomo	Plausible	Umami
Heatmaps	Yes (premium plugin)	No	No
Session recording	Yes (premium plugin)	No	No
Funnels	Yes	Basic	No
A/B testing	Yes	No	No
Ecommerce	Yes	Basic	No
Goals	Yes	Yes	Basic
Custom segments	Yes	No	No
Complexity	High	Low	Low
Script size	~25KB	~1KB	~2KB
GDPR default	Requires config	GDPR-ready	GDPR-ready

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Part 1: Docker Setup

# docker-compose.yml
services:
  db:
    image: mariadb:10.11
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      MARIADB_ROOT_PASSWORD: "${MARIADB_ROOT_PASSWORD}"
      MARIADB_DATABASE: matomo
      MARIADB_USER: matomo
      MARIADB_PASSWORD: "${MARIADB_PASSWORD}"
    volumes:
      - db_data:/var/lib/mysql

  matomo:
    image: matomo:latest
    container_name: matomo
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "8080:80"
    volumes:
      - matomo_data:/var/www/html
    environment:
      MATOMO_DATABASE_HOST: db
      MATOMO_DATABASE_DBNAME: matomo
      MATOMO_DATABASE_USERNAME: matomo
      MATOMO_DATABASE_PASSWORD: "${MARIADB_PASSWORD}"
      MATOMO_DATABASE_ADAPTER: MYSQLI
    depends_on:
      - db

volumes:
  db_data:
  matomo_data:

docker compose up -d

Visit http://your-server:8080 → run the setup wizard.

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Part 2: HTTPS with Caddy

analytics.yourdomain.com {
    reverse_proxy localhost:8080
}

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Part 3: Setup Wizard

1. Database configuration — auto-detected from environment variables
2. Table prefix: matomo_ (default)
3. Super user: Create admin account
4. Add website: yourdomain.com
5. Copy tracking code → add to your site

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Part 4: Tracking Code Installation

<!-- Add before </head>: -->
<!-- Matomo -->
<script>
  var _paq = window._paq = window._paq || [];
  _paq.push(['trackPageView']);
  _paq.push(['enableLinkTracking']);
  (function() {
    var u="https://analytics.yourdomain.com/";
    _paq.push(['setTrackerUrl', u+'matomo.php']);
    _paq.push(['setSiteId', '1']);
    var d=document, g=d.createElement('script'), s=d.getElementsByTagName('script')[0];
    g.async=true; g.src=u+'matomo.js'; s.parentNode.insertBefore(g,s);
  })();
</script>
<!-- End Matomo Code -->

WordPress

Plugin: Matomo Analytics – Ethical Stats. Powerful Insights. (official)
Settings → Matomo Analytics → Connect:
  → Use Matomo on-premise (self-hosted)
  → URL: https://analytics.yourdomain.com
  → Auth token: Settings → Security → Auth tokens

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Part 5: Goals and Funnels

Goals

Track conversions:

1. Goals → + Add new goal
2. Name: Lead Form Submission
3. Match: URL → contains → /thank-you
4. Or: Custom event → Contact Form Submit
5. Revenue: $0 (or set expected value)

Funnels (requires Goals)

Track multi-step conversion:

1. Goals → [goal] → + Add funnel
2. Steps:
   • Step 1: URL contains /pricing
   • Step 2: URL contains /checkout
   • Step 3: URL contains /thank-you (conversion)
3. Funnel report shows dropoff at each step

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Part 6: Ecommerce Tracking

// Track product view:
_paq.push(['setEcommerceView',
  'product-sku-123',    // SKU
  'Product Name',       // Name
  'Electronics',        // Category
  49.99                 // Price
]);
_paq.push(['trackPageView']);

// Add to cart:
_paq.push(['addEcommerceItem',
  'product-sku-123',
  'Product Name',
  'Electronics',
  49.99,                // Unit price
  2                     // Quantity
]);

// Track order:
_paq.push(['trackEcommerceOrder',
  'ORDER-12345',        // Order ID
  109.98,               // Grand total
  89.98,                // Subtotal (without shipping/tax)
  10.00,                // Tax
  10.00,                // Shipping
  false                 // Discount
]);

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Part 7: Privacy Configuration

Matomo requires privacy configuration for GDPR compliance:

# Administration → Privacy → Configure privacy settings:

# 1. IP anonymization (required for GDPR):
Administration → Privacy → Anonymize Visitors IP
→ Anonymize first 2 bytes of IP

# 2. Respect Do Not Track:
Administration → Privacy → Do Not Track
→ Enable: Honor browser Do Not Track header

# 3. Data retention:
Administration → Privacy → Data retention
→ Keep raw data for: 12 months
→ Keep processed/aggregated data for: 24 months

Optional: Consent management

// If you need explicit consent (depends on jurisdiction):
// By default, Matomo doesn't require consent for server-side
// aggregate analytics — check your local law

// Opt-out for users who don't want to be tracked:
if (document.getElementById('optout-checkbox').checked) {
  _paq.push(['optUserOut']);
}

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Part 8: Segmentation

Create segments to analyze specific user groups:

1. Segments → + Add new segment
2. Filter: Country == United States AND Device type == Smartphone
3. Apply to any report

Examples:

• Organic traffic only: Referrer type == Search Engine
• High-value users: Number of visits > 3
• Email campaign visitors: Referrer URL contains utm_source=newsletter

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Maintenance

# Update:
docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

# Database backup:
docker exec matomo-db-1 mysqldump -u matomo -p"${MARIADB_PASSWORD}" matomo \
  | gzip > matomo-db-$(date +%Y%m%d).sql.gz

# Run archive cron (required for reports):
# Add to crontab:
# */15 * * * * docker exec matomo php /var/www/html/console core:archive --url=https://analytics.yourdomain.com

# Logs:
docker compose logs -f matomo

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See also: Plausible and Umami for simpler alternatives

See all open source analytics tools at OSSAlt.com/categories/analytics.