GoatCounter vs Matomo: which one to choose in 2026?
Both are open source alternatives to Google Analytics. We compare license, tech stack and features to help you decide which fits your team best.
| GoatCounter | Matomo | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | EUPL-1.2 | GPL-3.0 |
| GitHub stars | 5k | 19k |
| Tech stack | Go, SQLite | PHP, MySQL/MariaDB |
| Replaces | Google Analytics | Google Analytics |
Matomo has more GitHub stars, which usually indicates a larger community (not necessarily that it's the best option for your use case).
GoatCounter
Ultra-lightweight web analytics in a single binary, an alternative to Google Analytics.
Pros
- The lightest deployment in the whole category
Things to consider
- Not built for complex product analytics
Matomo
Complete web analytics with heatmaps and sessions, 100% yours.
Pros
- The most complete open source alternative to GA4
Things to consider
- Heavier interface, needs more resources than Plausible or Umami
Key features
GoatCounter
- Single binary, no external dependencies
- Simple visits and referrers dashboard
- No cookies or fingerprinting
Matomo
- Heatmaps and session recording (official plugin)
- Advanced funnels and segments
- 100% of the data, no sampling