Google Analytics vs Matomo

May 25, 2023 | Author: Sandeep Sharma
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Google Analytics
Google Analytics lets you measure your advertising ROI as well as track your Flash, video, and social networking sites and applications. Google Analytics shows you the full customer picture across ads and videos, websites and social tools, tablets and smartphones. That makes it easier to serve your current customers and win new ones.
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Matomo
Google Analytics alternative that protects your data and your customers' privacy. Take back control with Matomo – a powerful web analytics platform that gives you 100% data ownership. Provides open-source On-Premise and SaaS options.
Google Analytics and Matomo (formerly Piwik) are both popular web analytics platforms, but they differ in several aspects.

Google Analytics is a widely-used web analytics tool provided by Google. It offers a comprehensive set of features and robust data tracking capabilities. It provides detailed insights into website traffic, user behavior, conversion rates, and more. Google Analytics has a user-friendly interface and integrates seamlessly with other Google products and services. It offers advanced reporting, data visualization, and AI-powered features, making it a powerful tool for analyzing website performance and optimizing marketing strategies. However, it requires a Google account and collects data anonymously, which raises privacy concerns for some users.

Matomo, on the other hand, is an open-source web analytics platform that gives users full control over their data. It provides similar features to Google Analytics, including visitor tracking, goal conversion tracking, and campaign analytics. However, unlike Google Analytics, Matomo allows self-hosting, enabling users to retain complete ownership and control over their data. Matomo offers advanced customization options, privacy-focused analytics, and compliance with data protection regulations. It allows users to personalize their analytics setup and offers various plugins for enhanced functionality.

See also: Top 10 Web Analytics software
Google Analytics vs Matomo in our news:

2020. Google Analytics 4 allows to combine website and mobile app statistics



Google has introduced a major update to its website analytics platform, Google Analytics 4. The key highlight of this update is the inclusion of a new resource type called App + Web. This feature allows users to combine data from both websites and mobile applications, enabling the creation of unified reports for comprehensive analysis. The functionality of analytics tools has been significantly revamped, with improved visualization of user behavior and the adoption of a new model called "Event + Parameter." Notably, the updated platform now offers enhanced capabilities for online stores. Users can create user groups based on the likelihood of placing an order or leaving the website within the next seven days. It is important to note that the option to continue using the previous version, Universal Analytics (UA), is still available. Users have the flexibility to work with both Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4 simultaneously by creating new resources with dual analytics capabilities (UA + GA4). This dual approach is designed to accommodate users who may find exclusive use of the new tool less convenient in certain scenarios.


2018. Piwik rebrands as Matomo



After a decade of developing Piwik and achieving remarkable success in creating the leading open-source analytics software that empowers users to have complete control over their data, the developers are embarking on a new chapter. As a result, the community project known as Piwik will now be known as Matomo. This change in name is the only modification; everything else remains unchanged. The developers' commitment to privacy has proven to be visionary, especially in light of the increasing global emphasis on privacy and the imminent introduction of privacy regulations in Europe. With the highly anticipated release of Matomo 4.0 planned for this year, new privacy protections will equip users with the necessary tools to comply with GDPR privacy laws. Matomo will continue to evolve in harmony with these regulations, guided by a clear and focused vision.


2016. Google Analytics adds automated insights



Google Analytics has introduced enhanced functionality on iOS and Android platforms, allowing users to easily identify crucial trends within their data. On the Assistant screen, users will now have access to automatically generated insights. For instance, if there is a sudden surge in new users on your website or app, Google Analytics will prominently highlight this information and provide details regarding the source of these new users. Likewise, for e-commerce companies, it can pinpoint the products experiencing the most significant increase in sales. Although Google Analytics was already tracking this information, it is now presented in a concise and easily digestible card format. This enhancement enables businesses to swiftly access the relevant information without the need to navigate through multiple pages, reducing the chances of overlooking important data changes.


2016. New Google Analytics app improves user experience


The most recent update of the Google Analytics app (version 3.0) introduces several features inspired by chat platforms. Google has streamlined the app's navigation, resulting in a cleaner interface that enhances the visibility of reports. Metrics and dimensions are now displayed within scorecards, which bear a resemblance to the widgets found in Google Analytics dashboards. These scorecards present a concise overview of the top dimensions within a specific report. By utilizing familiar tablet and smartphone user behaviors, such as swiping, users can easily navigate to their desired dimensions. The condensed listing of scorecards also facilitates the effortless discovery and bookmarking of reports.


2015. Google Analytics adds Calculated Metrics



Google has introduced a new feature in Google Analytics called Calculated Metrics. This feature enables users to create custom metrics based on existing metrics within Google Analytics. It eliminates the need to navigate away from the report, streamlining the process of performing calculations. Essentially, Calculated Metrics serves as a convenient tool for adding compound metrics that frequently arise in business intelligence discussions. For instance, an e-commerce retailer could generate a currency conversion metric by multiplying the Revenue metric from Google Analytics reports with the current conversion rate. To access Calculated Metrics, users can find it in the admin panel under the view column.


2014. Google Analytics is available on iPhone



After more than two years of launching Google Analytics for Android, Google has now introduced a version of Google Analytics specifically designed for the iPhone. This app enables users to conveniently monitor their website analytics, including real-time visitor reports, directly from their smartphones. In addition to providing real-time and time-based reports, the app offers insights into user behaviors, conversions, and more. The user interface (UI) of the app aligns with the aesthetic of other Google apps available for iOS. Moreover, the app leverages the sign-in capabilities of Gmail, Google+, and the standard Google app for iOS. It's important to note that Google Analytics for iPhone is currently not optimized for iPad, but there is hope that future updates will include support for iPads.


2014. Google Analytics gets brand new E-Commerce section



Google is introducing a comprehensive overhaul of its Google Analytics E-commerce, focusing on delivering insights throughout the entire customer journey, going beyond just the purchase stage. The updated version includes new metrics such as product detail views, 'add to cart' actions, clicks on internal campaigns, the effectiveness of internal merchandising tools, the checkout process, and the final purchase. Additionally, users can now create audience segments directly from funnel reports to analyze user actions, including cart and product page abandons. Funnels are accessible at the device category level, as depicted in the screenshot below.

Author: Sandeep Sharma
Sandeep is a marketing expert with a wealth of knowledge in various domains: customer relationship management, social media management, advertising, search engine optimization, website building, Sandeep has established himself as a multifaceted professional. He honed his skills while working at Salesforce and Hubspot, where he gained invaluable insights into the industry. Now, as the proud owner of a small advertising consulting agency, Sandeep continues to provide innovative and effective strategies to businesses, helping them thrive in the competitive landscape of digital marketing. You can contact Sandeep via email sandeep@liventerprise.com