software
Matomo vs Hotjar 2026 - Analytics Comparison
Matomo is a self-hosted or cloud analytics platform focused on privacy-first website tracking with complete data ownership, while Hotjar is a SaaS-only heatmapping and session recording tool designed for UX research and conversion optimization. Matomo excels for data privacy and compliance; Hotjar excels for visual user behavior understanding.
M
Matomo
Privacy-focused web analytics platform offering Google Analytics alternative with self-hosting capability.
Enterprises, regulated industries, data-privacy-conscious teams, organizations needing full compliance control, and companies with high traffic volumes.
Score63%
VS
H
Hotjar
Comprehensive user behavior analytics platform with heatmaps, session recording, and feedback tools.
UX/product teams, SaaS companies optimizing conversions, e-commerce teams needing visual behavior insights, and agencies running rapid A/B tests.
Score56%
Quick Answer
AI SummaryMatomo is a self-hosted or cloud analytics platform focused on privacy-first website tracking with complete data ownership, while Hotjar is a SaaS-only heatmapping and session recording tool designed for UX research and conversion optimization. Matomo excels for data privacy and compliance; Hotjar excels for visual user behavior understanding.
Our Verdict
AI-assistedChoose Matomo if you need complete data privacy, GDPR compliance, unlimited tracking capacity, and full data ownership—especially for regulated industries or enterprises. Choose Hotjar if your primary goal is understanding user experience through visual behavior data (heatmaps, recordings) and you prioritize ease of setup and faster implementation for conversion optimization.
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M
Matomo
8/10
Hotjar
7/10
H
M
Choose Matomo if
Best pickEnterprises, regulated industries, data-privacy-conscious teams, organizations needing full compliance control, and companies with high traffic volumes.
H
Choose Hotjar if
UX/product teams, SaaS companies optimizing conversions, e-commerce teams needing visual behavior insights, and agencies running rapid A/B tests.
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Key Differences at a Glance
- Deployment Model:✓ Matomo wins(Self-hosted or Matomo Cloud vs Cloud-only SaaS)
- Data Ownership & Privacy:✓ Matomo wins(100% data ownership, no third-party sharing, GDPR/CCPA compliant vs Data stored on Hotjar servers, requires GDPR consent)
- Primary Use Case:✓ Hotjar wins(Heatmaps, session recordings, user behavior visualization vs Website analytics, traffic sources, conversion tracking)
Key Facts & Figures
109 numeric metrics compared
| Metric | Matomo | Hotjar | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Pricing (Monthly)(USD) | $19 (Cloud Starter) | — | — |
| Setup Time (Minutes)(minutes) | 60-180 (self-hosted) / 5 (cloud) | 10-15 minutes | |
| Available Plugins/Extensions(count) | 50+ | — | — |
| Historical Data Retention(months) | Unlimited (self-hosted) / 13 (cloud) | — | — |
| API Rate Limit (Requests/Hour)(requests/hour) | Unlimited (self-hosted) / 120 (cloud) | — | — |
| Supported Integrations(count) | 20+ (Slack, Zapier, Google Sheets, etc.) | — | — |
| Setup Time (Self-hosted)(minutes) | 120-240 minutes | — | — |
| Minimum RAM Requirement(GB) | 2 GB | — | — |
| Monthly Database Size (100K events)(MB) | 400 MB | — | — |
| API Endpoints(count) | 40+ | — | — |
| Project Age(years) | 18 years | — | — |
| Community Size (GitHub Stars)(stars) | 27,000+ | — | — |
| Starter Cloud Plan Price(USD/month) | $29 | — | — |
| Integrations Available(count) | 400+ | — | — |
| Maximum Data Retention (Cloud)(months) | 25 months (standard) | — | — |
| Monthly Cost (Mid-Size Site)(USD) | $300-3,000/year (cloud) or $0 (self-hosted) | — | — |
| Global Market Share(%) | 4% of tracked websites | — | — |
| Real-time Reporting Latency(minutes) | 60-120 seconds | — | — |
| Available Integrations(count) | 80+ integrations | — | — |
| AI-Powered Predictive Features(count) | 0 (basic analytics only) | — | — |
| Starting Monthly Price(USD/month) | $19/month (cloud) or Free (self-hosted) | $39/month | |
| Script Size(KB) | ~50 KB | — | — |
| Annual Cost (100M monthly events)(USD) | $2,500 | — | — |
| Data Latency(seconds) | 5-10 minutes | — | — |
| Setup Time (to first dashboard)(hours) | 8-16 hours (self-hosted) | — | — |
| Pre-built Integrations(count) | 45 integrations | — | — |
| GitHub Stars (Community)(stars) | 45,000 stars | — | — |
| Base Monthly Price(USD) | $19/month (cloud) or Free (self-hosted) | $39/month | |
| Annual Cost (First Year, Single Site)(USD) | $228 (cloud) or $0 (self-hosted) | — | — |
| Monthly Cost (Single Site)(USD) | $19 | — | — |
| Cost for 10 Sites(USD/month) | $190 (cloud) | — | — |
| Available Features(count) | 500+ | — | — |
| Global User Base(millions of users) | 200,000+ | — | — |
| Cohort Analysis Capabilities(segmentation variables) | ~50 basic segments | — | — |
| Average Implementation Time(weeks) | 5-10 days (self-hosted), 1-2 days (cloud) | — | — |
| Number of Pre-built Integrations(count) | 100+ | — | — |
| Free Plan Pageview/Session Limit(monthly limit) | Unlimited pageviews | 5,000 sessions | — |
| Setup Time (Cloud/SaaS)(minutes) | 5 minutes (Cloud) / 2-4 hours (Self-hosted) | 3 minutes | |
| Starting Paid Plan Price(USD/month) | $19/month (Cloud) | $39/month | |
| Custom Reporting Dimensions(count) | 500+ available | Limited customization | — |
| Free Tier Data Storage(GB/year) | 20 | — | — |
| Paid Tier Starting Price(USD/month) | $19 | — | — |
| Setup Time to First Dashboard(minutes) | 10-15 | — | — |
| Starting Monthly Price(USD) | $99 | $99 | |
| Data Retention Period(months) | 12 months standard | 12 months standard | |
| Integration Partners(count) | 200+ integrations | 200+ integrations | |
| Base Monthly Cost(USD) | $39-$99+ (depending on plan) | $39-$99+ (depending on plan) | |
| Monthly Session Recordings (Free Plan)(sessions) | 35 sessions | 35 sessions | |
| Daily Active Session Limit(sessions/day) | 100-500+ (plan dependent) | 100-500+ (plan dependent) | |
| Script Size/Performance Impact(KB) | ~50KB (moderate impact) | ~50KB (moderate impact) | |
| Heatmap Types Available(types) | 5 (click, scroll, move, attention, rage) | 5 (click, scroll, move, attention, rage) | |
| Pricing (Per Month, Mid-Tier)(USD) | $199 (Hotjar Basic+) | $199 (Hotjar Basic+) | |
| Data Retention (Free Tier)(months) | 30 days | 30 days | |
| Session Recordings Included (Mid-Tier)(recordings/month) | 100,000 | 100,000 | |
| Setup Complexity (1-5 scale, 1=easiest)(complexity score) | 1 | 1 | |
| Heatmap Quality (1-5 scale)(quality score) | 5 | 5 | |
| Monthly Starting Price(USD) | $32 | $32 | |
| Session Recordings (Basic Plan)(recordings/month) | 100 | 100 | |
| Data Retention Period(months) | 90 days (standard) | 90 days (standard) | |
| G2 User Rating(out of 5) | 4.4 (1,200+ reviews) | 4.4 (1,200+ reviews) | |
| Free Plan Cost(USD/month) | $0 | $0 | |
| Entry-Level Paid Plan Cost(USD/month) | $99 | $99 | |
| Session Recording Monthly Limit (Free)(recordings/month) | 100 | 100 | |
| Free Plan Session Limit(monthly sessions/pageviews) | 35,000 sessions | 35,000 sessions | |
| Data Retention (Free Plan)(days) | 35 days on free tier | 35 days on free tier | |
| Learning Curve (Beginner-Friendly Rating)(score (1-10)) | 8/10 (visual insights) | 8/10 (visual insights) | |
| Minimum Monthly Cost(USD) | $0 (free tier available) | $0 (free tier available) | |
| Session Recordings (Free Tier)(sessions/month) | 100 sessions/month | 100 sessions/month | |
| Data Retention Period (Free)(days) | 30 days | 30 days | |
| Maximum Team Members (Free)(users) | 1 user | 1 user | |
| Heatmap Types Offered(types) | 4 types (scroll, click, move, attention) | 4 types (scroll, click, move, attention) | |
| Session Recordings Per Month (Basic Plan)(sessions) | 100 | 100 | |
| Learning Curve (1-5 scale)(difficulty) | 2 (gentle) | 2 (gentle) | |
| Starting Monthly Cost(USD) | Free tier, paid from $39/month | Free tier, paid from $39/month | |
| Core Analytics Metrics Available(count) | 50+ metrics with custom reports | 50+ metrics with custom reports | |
| Session Recording Limit (Free Tier)(sessions/month) | 2,500 sessions/month | 2,500 sessions/month | |
| Website Performance Impact(script size in KB) | ~56 KB with session recording | ~56 KB with session recording | |
| Native Integrations(count) | Limited (Zapier, webhooks only) | Limited (Zapier, webhooks only) | |
| Session Recording Retention(days) | 30 days (standard) | 30 days (standard) | |
| Starting Price (Monthly Subscription)(USD) | $99 | $99 | |
| Free Tier Data Retention(days) | 90 days | 90 days | |
| Event Tracking Capacity(events) | 50 tracked elements | 50 tracked elements | |
| Third-Party Integrations(integrations) | 100+ | 100+ | |
| Funnel Analysis Stages Supported(stages) | 5 stages max | 5 stages max | |
| Recordings Per Month (Starter Plan)(recordings) | 500 recordings | 500 recordings | |
| Base Plan Monthly Price(USD) | $99/month | $99/month | |
| Monthly Session Recordings (Basic)(sessions) | 500 | 500 | |
| Heatmap Type Variety(types) | 5 types | 5 types | |
| Free Plan Sessions/Month(sessions) | 2,500 | 2,500 | |
| Active Websites Using Platform(websites) | 900,000+ | 900,000+ | |
| Session Replay Playback Speed(x speed) | 8x maximum | 8x maximum | |
| Free Tier Session Recording Limit(sessions/month) | 100 recordings | 100 recordings | |
| Default Data Retention(days) | 90 days | 90 days | |
| Maximum Session Replay Retention(days) | 90 days | 90 days | |
| Setup Time to First Data(minutes) | <5 minutes | <5 minutes | |
| Session Replay Data Points(data points per session) | 40 | 40 | |
| Average Setup Time(days) | 1-2 | 1-2 | |
| Compliance Certifications(count) | 3 (SOC 2, GDPR, CCPA) | 3 (SOC 2, GDPR, CCPA) | |
| Available Segmentation Rules(segments) | 150 | 150 | |
| Heatmap Coverage(heatmaps per site) | Up to 500 | Up to 500 | |
| Pre-built Cohort Templates(templates) | 5-10 | 5-10 | |
| Integration Partners(integrations) | 100+ | 100+ | |
| Setup Time for Non-Technical Users(weeks) | 15-30 minutes (self-service) | 15-30 minutes (self-service) | |
| Monthly Active Users (Max Tier)(users) | 100 million+ | 100 million+ | |
| Free Plan Session Recording Limit(sessions/month) | 100 sessions/month | 100 sessions/month | |
| Market User Base(active users) | 900,000+ users | 900,000+ users | |
| G2 Customer Satisfaction Rating(out of 5) | 4.6/5 (5,200+ reviews) | 4.6/5 (5,200+ reviews) | |
| Heatmap Types Included(types) | 5 types (click, move, scroll, attention, device) | 5 types (click, move, scroll, attention, device) | |
| Price Advantage(percent savings) | Baseline comparison | Baseline comparison |
Sourced from publicly available data ·
Key Differences
7 attributes compared head-to-head
M
3MatomoHotjar leads
H
4HotjarMatomo
Attribute
Hotjar
- Self-hosted or Matomo Cloud(winner)Deployment ModelCloud-only SaaS
- 100% data ownership, no third-party sharing, GDPR/CCPA compliant(winner)Data Ownership & PrivacyData stored on Hotjar servers, requires GDPR consent
- Website analytics, traffic sources, conversion trackingPrimary Use CaseHeatmaps, session recordings, user behavior visualization(winner)
- Unlimited pageviews on free plan(winner)Monthly Pageview Limit (Starter Plan)5,000 sessions/month on free plan
- Not included (requires third-party integration)Heatmapping CapabilityNative heatmapping with scroll, click, move tracking(winner)
- Not a core featureSession RecordingNative session recording with 100+ recordings/month on free plan(winner)
- Self-hosted: 2-4 hours; Cloud: 5 minutesSetup ComplexityPlug-and-play: 3 minutes(winner)
- Deployment Model
Matomo
Self-hosted or Matomo Cloud(winner)
Hotjar
Cloud-only SaaS
- Data Ownership & Privacy
Matomo
100% data ownership, no third-party sharing, GDPR/CCPA compliant(winner)
Hotjar
Data stored on Hotjar servers, requires GDPR consent
- Primary Use Case
Matomo
Website analytics, traffic sources, conversion tracking
Hotjar
Heatmaps, session recordings, user behavior visualization(winner)
- Monthly Pageview Limit (Starter Plan)
Matomo
Unlimited pageviews on free plan(winner)
Hotjar
5,000 sessions/month on free plan
- Heatmapping Capability
Matomo
Not included (requires third-party integration)
Hotjar
Native heatmapping with scroll, click, move tracking(winner)
- Session Recording
Matomo
Not a core feature
Hotjar
Native session recording with 100+ recordings/month on free plan(winner)
- Setup Complexity
Matomo
Self-hosted: 2-4 hours; Cloud: 5 minutes
Hotjar
Plug-and-play: 3 minutes(winner)
Full Comparison
| Attribute | Matomo | Hotjar |
|---|---|---|
| Base Pricing (Monthly)(USD) | $19 (Cloud Starter) | — |
| Pricing (Per Month, Mid-Tier)(USD) | $199 (Hotjar Basic+) | — |
| Setup Time (Minutes)(minutes) | 60-180 (self-hosted) / 5 (cloud) | 10-15 minutes(winner) |
| Setup Time (to first dashboard)(hours) | 8-16 hours (self-hosted) | — |
| Setup Time (Cloud/SaaS)(minutes) | 5 minutes (Cloud) / 2-4 hours (Self-hosted) | 3 minutes(winner) |
| Setup Time to First Dashboard(minutes) | 10-15 | — |
| Setup Complexity (1-5 scale, 1=easiest)(complexity score) | 1 | — |
Show 1 more attributeSetup Time to First Data(minutes) <5 minutes — | ||
| Available Plugins/Extensions(count) | 50+ | — |
| Historical Data Retention(months) | Unlimited (self-hosted) / 13 (cloud) | — |
| Session Recording Retention(days) | 30 days (standard) | — |
| Real-Time Dashboard | Yes (live visitors feed) | — |
| Session Replay Feature | Not available | — |
| Native Feature Flags | Via third-party plugins | — |
| Custom Events (Limit) | Unlimited | — |
| Session Recording Included(boolean) | Yes (in all plans) | — |
Show 35 more attributesCohort Analysis Capabilities(segmentation variables) ~50 basic segments — Native Heatmapping(boolean) Not included Included (3 heatmap types) Native Session Recording(boolean) Not included Included (100+ recordings/month free) Session Replay Native Support No, requires integration — Feature Flags/A/B Testing No, not available — Heatmap Features Click, scroll, move, and attention maps — Session Replay Technology Standard with basic filtering — Built-in Surveys Yes, native functionality — Session Recordings Included (Mid-Tier)(recordings/month) 100,000 — Feature Flag Management Not included — A/B Testing (Experiments) Not available — Built-in Survey/Feedback Tools(included) Yes, native widgets — API Access Availability All plans — Session Recording Monthly Limit (Free)(recordings/month) 100 — Custom Event Tracking Limits(events) Limited by plan — Session Recordings (Free Tier)(sessions/month) 100 sessions/month — Built-in Survey Tool Yes (included) — Heatmap Types Offered(types) 4 types (scroll, click, move, attention) — Advanced Segmentation Features Yes (custom segments, user profiles) — Session Recordings Per Month (Basic Plan)(sessions) 100 — Heatmaps as Core Feature All plans included — Automatic Event Tracking(Yes/No) Manual setup required — Core Analytics Metrics Available(count) 50+ metrics with custom reports — Session Recording Limit (Free Tier)(sessions/month) 2,500 sessions/month — Heatmap Feature Availability Available on all plans — Survey Builder Complexity(logic types supported) Limited customization, basic conditional logic — Session Recordings Included in all plans — Heatmaps & Click Maps Yes — Recordings Per Month (Starter Plan)(recordings) 500 recordings — Free Tier Session Recording Limit(sessions/month) 100 recordings — Session Recording Capability(recordings) Unlimited recordings — Heatmap Coverage(heatmaps per site) Up to 500 — Free Plan Session Recording Limit(sessions/month) 100 sessions/month — Heatmap Types Included(types) 5 types (click, move, scroll, attention, device) — Conversion Funnel Depth(stages) Basic funnel tracking — | ||
| API Rate Limit (Requests/Hour)(requests/hour) | Unlimited (self-hosted) / 120 (cloud) | — |
| Supported Integrations(count) | 20+ (Slack, Zapier, Google Sheets, etc.) | — |
| API Endpoints(count) | 40+ | — |
| API Access Level(capability) | Full REST API & webhooks | — |
| Setup Time (Self-hosted)(minutes) | 120-240 minutes | — |
| Self-Hosting Available | Yes, open-source | Cloud-only |
| Self-Hosting Option | Yes (Free open-source) | — |
| Open Source Available | Yes, open source (Matomo On-Premise) | — |
| Minimum RAM Requirement(GB) | 2 GB | — |
| Monthly Database Size (100K events)(MB) | 400 MB | — |
| Built-in Features(count) | 500+ | — |
| Available Features(count) | 500+ | — |
| Project Age(years) | 18 years | — |
| Community Size (GitHub Stars)(stars) | 27,000+ | — |
| GitHub Stars (Community)(stars) | 45,000 stars | — |
| Free Tier Event Limit(events/month) | None (self-hosted only) | — |
| Entry-Level Paid Plan Cost(USD/month) | $99 | — |
| Starter Cloud Plan Price(USD/month) | $29 | — |
| Monthly Cost (Mid-Size Site)(USD) | $300-3,000/year (cloud) or $0 (self-hosted) | — |
| Starting Monthly Price(USD/month) | $19/month (cloud) or Free (self-hosted)(winner) | $39/month |
| Max Monthly Pageviews (Free Tier)(pageviews) | Unlimited (self-hosted) | — |
| Annual Cost (100M monthly events)(USD) | $2,500 | — |
Show 18 more attributesBase Monthly Price(USD) $19/month (cloud) or Free (self-hosted) $39/month Annual Cost (First Year, Single Site)(USD) $228 (cloud) or $0 (self-hosted) — Monthly Cost (Single Site)(USD) $19 — Cost for 10 Sites(USD/month) $190 (cloud) — Starting Paid Plan Price(USD/month) $19/month (Cloud) $39/month Free Tier Events/Month(events) Unlimited — Free Tier Data Storage(GB/year) 20 — Paid Tier Starting Price(USD/month) $19 — Starting Monthly Price(USD) $99 — Base Monthly Cost(USD) $39-$99+ (depending on plan) — Monthly Starting Price(USD) $32 — Free Plan Cost(USD/month) $0 — Minimum Monthly Cost(USD) $0 (free tier available) — Starting Monthly Cost(USD) Free tier, paid from $39/month — Starting Price (Monthly Subscription)(USD) $99 — Base Plan Monthly Price(USD) $99/month — Free Plan Sessions/Month(sessions) 2,500 — Price Advantage(percent savings) Baseline comparison — | ||
| Integrations Available(count) | 400+ | — |
| Pre-built Integrations(count) | 45 integrations | — |
| Number of Pre-built Integrations(count) | 100+ | — |
| Third-Party Integrations(integrations) | 100+ | — |
| GDPR Compliant(boolean) | Yes, privacy-first design | — |
| Maximum Data Retention (Cloud)(months) | 25 months (standard) | — |
| Data Retention Period(months) | 12 months standard | — |
| Data Retention (Free Tier)(months) | 30 days | — |
| Data Retention Period(months) | 90 days (standard) | — |
| Data Retention (Free Plan)(days) | 35 days on free tier | — |
Show 1 more attributeMaximum Session Replay Retention(days) 90 days — | ||
| Data Sampling Threshold(sessions/month) | No sampling on any plan | — |
| Global Market Share(%) | 4% of tracked websites | — |
| Active Websites Using Platform(websites) | 900,000+ | — |
| Real-time Reporting Latency(minutes) | 60-120 seconds | — |
| Script Size(KB) | ~50 KB | — |
| Data Latency(seconds) | 5-10 minutes | — |
| Script Size/Performance Impact(KB) | ~50KB (moderate impact) | — |
| Website Performance Impact(script size in KB) | ~56 KB with session recording | — |
Show 3 more attributesFree Tier Data Retention(days) 90 days — Session Replay Playback Speed(x speed) 8x maximum — Default Data Retention(days) 90 days — | ||
| Available Integrations(count) | 80+ integrations | — |
| Integration Partners(count) | 200+ integrations | — |
| Native Integrations(count) | Limited (Zapier, webhooks only) | — |
| GDPR Compliance Setup(complexity level) | Compliant by default | — |
| GDPR Compliance (Default) | Requires configuration | — |
| GDPR Compliance Effort(effort level) | None (native) | — |
| GDPR Compliance Default(null) | Manual configuration required | — |
| GDPR Compliance Certification | GDPR-certified and audited | — |
| Data Ownership(text) | 100% user/organization owned | — |
| AI-Powered Predictive Features(count) | 0 (basic analytics only) | — |
| Cohort Analysis Sophistication(capability score) | Basic (manual creation) | — |
| Heatmap Quality (1-5 scale)(quality score) | 5 | — |
| SQL Query Builder | Basic funnel builder | — |
| Available Segmentation Rules(segments) | 150 | — |
| Setup Time(minutes) | 30-60 (cloud), 120+ (self-hosted) | — |
| Data Storage Location(null) | User-controlled or Matomo servers | — |
| Global User Base(millions of users) | 200,000+ | — |
| Enterprise Support Tier(level) | 24/7 support available | — |
| Monthly Events Included(millions) | Unlimited | — |
| Data Ownership (Self-Hosted Available) | Yes (full ownership on self-hosted) | — |
| Predictive Analytics/ML Features | Basic (limited ML) | — |
| Average Implementation Time(weeks) | 5-10 days (self-hosted), 1-2 days (cloud) | — |
| Free Plan Pageview/Session Limit(monthly limit) | Unlimited pageviews | 5,000 sessions |
| Data Ownership (Self-Hosted Option)(boolean) | Yes (full ownership) | No (SaaS only) |
| GDPR Compliance (Out-of-Box)(boolean) | Yes (native anonymization) | Partial (requires consent tools) |
| Cookie Consent Required | Yes - for session recording and cookies | — |
| Custom Reporting Dimensions(count) | 500+ available | Limited customization |
| Event Tracking Capacity(events) | 50 tracked elements | — |
| Funnel Analysis Stages Supported(stages) | 5 stages max | — |
| Enterprise Support | Limited enterprise tier | — |
| Compliance Certifications | SOC2, GDPR, CCPA | — |
| Compliance Certifications(count) | 3 (SOC 2, GDPR, CCPA) | — |
| Monthly Session Recordings (Free Plan)(sessions) | 35 sessions | — |
| Daily Active Session Limit(sessions/day) | 100-500+ (plan dependent) | — |
| Heatmap Types Available(types) | 5 (click, scroll, move, attention, rage) | — |
| Session Recordings (Basic Plan)(recordings/month) | 100 | — |
| Monthly Session Recordings (Basic)(sessions) | 500 | — |
| Heatmap Type Variety(types) | 5 types | — |
| G2 User Rating(out of 5) | 4.4 (1,200+ reviews) | — |
| Websites Tracked Annually (Enterprise)(websites) | Unlimited | — |
| Free Plan Session Limit(monthly sessions/pageviews) | 35,000 sessions | — |
| Learning Curve (Beginner-Friendly Rating)(score (1-10)) | 8/10 (visual insights) | — |
| Learning Curve (1-5 scale)(difficulty) | 2 (gentle) | — |
| Average Setup Time(days) | 1-2 | — |
| Setup Time for Non-Technical Users(weeks) | 15-30 minutes (self-service) | — |
| Data Retention Period (Free)(days) | 30 days | — |
| Maximum Team Members (Free)(users) | 1 user | — |
| Data Sampling | Sampling applied on lower plans | — |
| GDPR Compliance | Compliant with consent management required | — |
| Heatmap Advanced Features(feature count) | Attention maps, AI clustering, scroll/click/mouse tracking, element-specific filtering | — |
| Form Analytics Depth(capabilities) | Field-level dropout tracking only | — |
| Conversion Funnel Analysis(feature availability) | Yes—detailed step-by-step drop-off analysis | — |
| SOC 2 Type II Certification | Yes | — |
| Session Replay Data Points(data points per session) | 40 | — |
| Native Error Tracking | No | — |
| Built-in Survey Tools | Yes (native) | — |
| Custom Events Limit(events) | Limited by plan tier | — |
| Pre-built Cohort Templates(templates) | 5-10 | — |
| Integration Partners(integrations) | 100+ | — |
| Monthly Active Users (Max Tier)(users) | 100 million+ | — |
| Market User Base(active users) | 900,000+ users | — |
| G2 Customer Satisfaction Rating(out of 5) | 4.6/5 (5,200+ reviews) | — |
MMatomo
HHotjar
Base Pricing (Monthly)(USD)
$19 (Cloud Starter)
—
Pricing (Per Month, Mid-Tier)(USD)
$199 (Hotjar Basic+)
—
Setup Time (Minutes)(minutes)
60-180 (self-hosted) / 5 (cloud)
10-15 minutes
Setup Time (to first dashboard)(hours)
8-16 hours (self-hosted)
—
Setup Time (Cloud/SaaS)(minutes)
5 minutes (Cloud) / 2-4 hours (Self-hosted)
3 minutes
Setup Time to First Dashboard(minutes)
10-15
—
Setup Complexity (1-5 scale, 1=easiest)(complexity score)
1
—
Show 1 more attribute
Setup Time to First Data(minutes)
<5 minutes
—
Available Plugins/Extensions(count)
50+
—
Historical Data Retention(months)
Unlimited (self-hosted) / 13 (cloud)
—
Session Recording Retention(days)
30 days (standard)
—
Real-Time Dashboard
Yes (live visitors feed)
—
Session Replay Feature
Not available
—
Native Feature Flags
Via third-party plugins
—
Custom Events (Limit)
Unlimited
—
Session Recording Included(boolean)
Yes (in all plans)
—
Show 35 more attributes
Cohort Analysis Capabilities(segmentation variables)
~50 basic segments
—
Native Heatmapping(boolean)
Not included
Included (3 heatmap types)
Native Session Recording(boolean)
Not included
Included (100+ recordings/month free)
Session Replay Native Support
No, requires integration
—
Feature Flags/A/B Testing
No, not available
—
Heatmap Features
Click, scroll, move, and attention maps
—
Session Replay Technology
Standard with basic filtering
—
Built-in Surveys
Yes, native functionality
—
Session Recordings Included (Mid-Tier)(recordings/month)
100,000
—
Feature Flag Management
Not included
—
A/B Testing (Experiments)
Not available
—
Built-in Survey/Feedback Tools(included)
Yes, native widgets
—
API Access Availability
All plans
—
Session Recording Monthly Limit (Free)(recordings/month)
100
—
Custom Event Tracking Limits(events)
Limited by plan
—
Session Recordings (Free Tier)(sessions/month)
100 sessions/month
—
Built-in Survey Tool
Yes (included)
—
Heatmap Types Offered(types)
4 types (scroll, click, move, attention)
—
Advanced Segmentation Features
Yes (custom segments, user profiles)
—
Session Recordings Per Month (Basic Plan)(sessions)
100
—
Heatmaps as Core Feature
All plans included
—
Automatic Event Tracking(Yes/No)
Manual setup required
—
Core Analytics Metrics Available(count)
50+ metrics with custom reports
—
Session Recording Limit (Free Tier)(sessions/month)
2,500 sessions/month
—
Heatmap Feature Availability
Available on all plans
—
Survey Builder Complexity(logic types supported)
Limited customization, basic conditional logic
—
Session Recordings
Included in all plans
—
Heatmaps & Click Maps
Yes
—
Recordings Per Month (Starter Plan)(recordings)
500 recordings
—
Free Tier Session Recording Limit(sessions/month)
100 recordings
—
Session Recording Capability(recordings)
Unlimited recordings
—
Heatmap Coverage(heatmaps per site)
Up to 500
—
Free Plan Session Recording Limit(sessions/month)
100 sessions/month
—
Heatmap Types Included(types)
5 types (click, move, scroll, attention, device)
—
Conversion Funnel Depth(stages)
Basic funnel tracking
—
API Rate Limit (Requests/Hour)(requests/hour)
Unlimited (self-hosted) / 120 (cloud)
—
Supported Integrations(count)
20+ (Slack, Zapier, Google Sheets, etc.)
—
API Endpoints(count)
40+
—
API Access Level(capability)
Full REST API & webhooks
—
Setup Time (Self-hosted)(minutes)
120-240 minutes
—
Self-Hosting Available
Yes, open-source
Cloud-only
Self-Hosting Option
Yes (Free open-source)
—
Open Source Available
Yes, open source (Matomo On-Premise)
—
Minimum RAM Requirement(GB)
2 GB
—
Monthly Database Size (100K events)(MB)
400 MB
—
Built-in Features(count)
500+
—
Available Features(count)
500+
—
Project Age(years)
18 years
—
Community Size (GitHub Stars)(stars)
27,000+
—
GitHub Stars (Community)(stars)
45,000 stars
—
Free Tier Event Limit(events/month)
None (self-hosted only)
—
Entry-Level Paid Plan Cost(USD/month)
$99
—
Starter Cloud Plan Price(USD/month)
$29
—
Monthly Cost (Mid-Size Site)(USD)
$300-3,000/year (cloud) or $0 (self-hosted)
—
Starting Monthly Price(USD/month)
$19/month (cloud) or Free (self-hosted)
$39/month
Max Monthly Pageviews (Free Tier)(pageviews)
Unlimited (self-hosted)
—
Annual Cost (100M monthly events)(USD)
$2,500
—
Show 18 more attributes
Base Monthly Price(USD)
$19/month (cloud) or Free (self-hosted)
$39/month
Annual Cost (First Year, Single Site)(USD)
$228 (cloud) or $0 (self-hosted)
—
Monthly Cost (Single Site)(USD)
$19
—
Cost for 10 Sites(USD/month)
$190 (cloud)
—
Starting Paid Plan Price(USD/month)
$19/month (Cloud)
$39/month
Free Tier Events/Month(events)
Unlimited
—
Free Tier Data Storage(GB/year)
20
—
Paid Tier Starting Price(USD/month)
$19
—
Starting Monthly Price(USD)
$99
—
Base Monthly Cost(USD)
$39-$99+ (depending on plan)
—
Monthly Starting Price(USD)
$32
—
Free Plan Cost(USD/month)
$0
—
Minimum Monthly Cost(USD)
$0 (free tier available)
—
Starting Monthly Cost(USD)
Free tier, paid from $39/month
—
Starting Price (Monthly Subscription)(USD)
$99
—
Base Plan Monthly Price(USD)
$99/month
—
Free Plan Sessions/Month(sessions)
2,500
—
Price Advantage(percent savings)
Baseline comparison
—
Integrations Available(count)
400+
—
Pre-built Integrations(count)
45 integrations
—
Number of Pre-built Integrations(count)
100+
—
Third-Party Integrations(integrations)
100+
—
GDPR Compliant(boolean)
Yes, privacy-first design
—
Maximum Data Retention (Cloud)(months)
25 months (standard)
—
Data Retention Period(months)
12 months standard
—
Data Retention (Free Tier)(months)
30 days
—
Data Retention Period(months)
90 days (standard)
—
Data Retention (Free Plan)(days)
35 days on free tier
—
Show 1 more attribute
Maximum Session Replay Retention(days)
90 days
—
Data Sampling Threshold(sessions/month)
No sampling on any plan
—
Global Market Share(%)
4% of tracked websites
—
Active Websites Using Platform(websites)
900,000+
—
Real-time Reporting Latency(minutes)
60-120 seconds
—
Script Size(KB)
~50 KB
—
Data Latency(seconds)
5-10 minutes
—
Script Size/Performance Impact(KB)
~50KB (moderate impact)
—
Website Performance Impact(script size in KB)
~56 KB with session recording
—
Show 3 more attributes
Free Tier Data Retention(days)
90 days
—
Session Replay Playback Speed(x speed)
8x maximum
—
Default Data Retention(days)
90 days
—
Available Integrations(count)
80+ integrations
—
Integration Partners(count)
200+ integrations
—
Native Integrations(count)
Limited (Zapier, webhooks only)
—
GDPR Compliance Setup(complexity level)
Compliant by default
—
GDPR Compliance (Default)
Requires configuration
—
GDPR Compliance Effort(effort level)
None (native)
—
GDPR Compliance Default(null)
Manual configuration required
—
GDPR Compliance Certification
GDPR-certified and audited
—
Data Ownership(text)
100% user/organization owned
—
AI-Powered Predictive Features(count)
0 (basic analytics only)
—
Cohort Analysis Sophistication(capability score)
Basic (manual creation)
—
Heatmap Quality (1-5 scale)(quality score)
5
—
SQL Query Builder
Basic funnel builder
—
Available Segmentation Rules(segments)
150
—
Setup Time(minutes)
30-60 (cloud), 120+ (self-hosted)
—
Data Storage Location(null)
User-controlled or Matomo servers
—
Global User Base(millions of users)
200,000+
—
Enterprise Support Tier(level)
24/7 support available
—
Monthly Events Included(millions)
Unlimited
—
Data Ownership (Self-Hosted Available)
Yes (full ownership on self-hosted)
—
Predictive Analytics/ML Features
Basic (limited ML)
—
Average Implementation Time(weeks)
5-10 days (self-hosted), 1-2 days (cloud)
—
Free Plan Pageview/Session Limit(monthly limit)
Unlimited pageviews
5,000 sessions
Data Ownership (Self-Hosted Option)(boolean)
Yes (full ownership)
No (SaaS only)
GDPR Compliance (Out-of-Box)(boolean)
Yes (native anonymization)
Partial (requires consent tools)
Cookie Consent Required
Yes - for session recording and cookies
—
Custom Reporting Dimensions(count)
500+ available
Limited customization
Event Tracking Capacity(events)
50 tracked elements
—
Funnel Analysis Stages Supported(stages)
5 stages max
—
Enterprise Support
Limited enterprise tier
—
Compliance Certifications
SOC2, GDPR, CCPA
—
Compliance Certifications(count)
3 (SOC 2, GDPR, CCPA)
—
Monthly Session Recordings (Free Plan)(sessions)
35 sessions
—
Daily Active Session Limit(sessions/day)
100-500+ (plan dependent)
—
Heatmap Types Available(types)
5 (click, scroll, move, attention, rage)
—
Session Recordings (Basic Plan)(recordings/month)
100
—
Monthly Session Recordings (Basic)(sessions)
500
—
Heatmap Type Variety(types)
5 types
—
G2 User Rating(out of 5)
4.4 (1,200+ reviews)
—
Websites Tracked Annually (Enterprise)(websites)
Unlimited
—
Free Plan Session Limit(monthly sessions/pageviews)
35,000 sessions
—
Learning Curve (Beginner-Friendly Rating)(score (1-10))
8/10 (visual insights)
—
Learning Curve (1-5 scale)(difficulty)
2 (gentle)
—
Average Setup Time(days)
1-2
—
Setup Time for Non-Technical Users(weeks)
15-30 minutes (self-service)
—
Data Retention Period (Free)(days)
30 days
—
Maximum Team Members (Free)(users)
1 user
—
Data Sampling
Sampling applied on lower plans
—
GDPR Compliance
Compliant with consent management required
—
Heatmap Advanced Features(feature count)
Attention maps, AI clustering, scroll/click/mouse tracking, element-specific filtering
—
Form Analytics Depth(capabilities)
Field-level dropout tracking only
—
Conversion Funnel Analysis(feature availability)
Yes—detailed step-by-step drop-off analysis
—
SOC 2 Type II Certification
Yes
—
Session Replay Data Points(data points per session)
40
—
Native Error Tracking
No
—
Built-in Survey Tools
Yes (native)
—
Custom Events Limit(events)
Limited by plan tier
—
Pre-built Cohort Templates(templates)
5-10
—
Integration Partners(integrations)
100+
—
Monthly Active Users (Max Tier)(users)
100 million+
—
Market User Base(active users)
900,000+ users
—
G2 Customer Satisfaction Rating(out of 5)
4.6/5 (5,200+ reviews)
—
Pros & Cons
10 pros·7 cons across both
M
H
M
Matomo
+5-3
Pros
- 100% data ownership with self-hosted option; no data sharing with third parties
- Unlimited pageviews and visitors on free plan (only device limit of 6,000/month)
- GDPR, CCPA, and HIPAA compliant out-of-the-box without consent managers
- Advanced segmentation with 500+ dimensions and real-time traffic monitoring
- Goal tracking, funnel analysis, and multi-channel attribution built-in
Cons
- Self-hosted version requires server infrastructure knowledge and ongoing maintenance
- Lacks native heatmapping and session recording—requires third-party integrations
- Steeper learning curve for non-technical users compared to SaaS alternatives
H
Hotjar
+5-4
Pros
- Native heatmapping (click, scroll, move tracking) requires zero additional setup
- Session recording with automatic transcription and rage-click detection
- Feedback tools (polls, surveys, forms) integrated into one platform
- Instant implementation via simple script tag; no technical setup required
- Visual playback of user sessions enables rapid UX insights
Cons
- Cloud-only deployment means data is stored on Hotjar's servers; limited data control
- Free plan limited to 5,000 sessions/month; low cap for even small websites
- GDPR compliance requires manual consent manager configuration and third-party tools
- Lacks advanced analytics features like multi-touch attribution and complex funnel analysis
Frequently Asked Questions
5 questions
Matomo is superior for GDPR compliance. It offers native anonymization, automatic IP masking, and zero third-party data sharing without requiring external consent managers. Matomo is GDPR-compliant by default. Hotjar requires manual configuration with third-party consent tools and stores data on external servers, adding compliance complexity.
Resources & Learn More
Curated sources to dive deeper
Where to Buy
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Wikipedia
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