vs

Matomo vs PostHog: Which is Better in 2026?

Analytics

Choosing between Matomo and PostHog? Both are popular analytics tools. Below we compare them on pricing, free tiers, features, and pros & cons so you can pick the right fit for your stack.

Matomo is for: Organisations that want Google Analytics-style reports on servers they control, or a hosted version.

PostHog is for: Product teams who want analytics, session replay, feature flags, experiments and error tracking in one tool with a free monthly allowance.

Quick verdict

There’s no single winner; pick on your constraint. Choose Matomo if you want to keep analytics data on your own servers. Choose PostHog if you want product analytics, session replay and feature flags without stitching three tools together.

Matomo vs PostHog — Side by Side

MatomoPostHog
CategoryAnalyticsAnalytics
What it isWeb analytics, self-hosted or cloudProduct analytics suite
What it measuresWebsite traffic, goals, ecommerceProduct events, replays, flags, errors
Self-hostingYes, free (GPL v3 core)Hobby deploy (about 100K events a month)
How you payFree on-premise, or Cloud by hitsFree allowance, then per-product usage
Free accessFull on-premise Community edition1M events and 5K recordings a month
PricingFree · paid from $29/moFree · then usage-based
Starting priceFree tier availableFree tier available
Free tier
Best forAnalytics — data ownership, self-hosted, GA-style reportsAnalytics — product analytics, session replay, feature flags

Pros & Cons

  • Self-hosted data stays on your servers
  • Reports resemble Google Analytics
  • Self-hosting is free
  • Heavier than the minimal trackers
  • On-premise needs real maintenance
  • Free monthly allowance: 1M events and 5,000 recordings
  • Analytics, replay, flags and error tracking in one tool
  • Billing limit per product
  • Usage is billed separately for each product
  • Self-hosted hobby deploy suits about 100,000 events a month
  • Free plan keeps 1 year of data and 1 project

Key Features Compared

Matomo

  • On-Premise Community: free forever, unlimited users and hits; core licensed GPL v3
  • Paid on-premise bundles: Team 275 € (4 users, 5M hits), Business 1 450 € (20 users, 30M hits), Enterprise 3 400 € (50 users, 100M hits)
  • Cloud entry tier: 50,000 hits a month, 30 websites, 30 users
  • Cloud free trial with all core features; no credit card
  • Premium plugins are sold separately and are closed source

PostHog

  • Free every month: 1M analytics events, 5,000 session recordings, 1M feature flag requests
  • Also free monthly: 100,000 error-tracking exceptions and 1,500 survey responses
  • Usage above the free allowance is billed per product, with a billing limit per product
  • Paid plans keep events 7 years (1 year on free) and allow 6 projects (1 on free)
  • Open source under MIT, except the ee directory; self-hosted hobby deployments suit about 100,000 events a month

Choose Matomo if…

  • You want to keep analytics data on your own servers.
  • You want reports that resemble Google Analytics without sending data to Google.
  • You have many users who need access on one install.

Choose PostHog if…

  • You want product analytics, session replay and feature flags without stitching three tools together.
  • You want a free tier that resets monthly, with or without a card on file.
  • You want to cap spend per product with billing limits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Matomo better than PostHog?⌄

There’s no single winner; pick on your constraint. Choose Matomo if you want to keep analytics data on your own servers. Choose PostHog if you want product analytics, session replay and feature flags without stitching three tools together.

What is the difference between Matomo and PostHog?⌄

What it is — Matomo: Web analytics, self-hosted or cloud. PostHog: Product analytics suite. What it measures — Matomo: Website traffic, goals, ecommerce. PostHog: Product events, replays, flags, errors. Self-hosting — Matomo: Yes, free (GPL v3 core). PostHog: Hobby deploy (about 100K events a month). How you pay — Matomo: Free on-premise, or Cloud by hits. PostHog: Free allowance, then per-product usage. Free access — Matomo: Full on-premise Community edition. PostHog: 1M events and 5K recordings a month.

Matomo vs PostHog: which is cheaper?⌄

Matomo pricing: Free · paid from $29/mo. PostHog pricing: Free · then usage-based. Confirm current pricing on each tool's official site, as plans change.

When should I skip both Matomo and PostHog?⌄

Skip Matomo if you want a lightweight script and a one-page dashboard. Plausible or Fathom are simpler. Skip PostHog if you only need simple website traffic stats. Plausible and Fathom are simpler.

Sources · tool facts checked November 2026

  1. 1.Matomo pricingmatomo.org
  2. 2.Matomo free softwarematomo.org
  3. 3.PostHog pricingposthog.com
  4. 4.PostHog on GitHubgithub.com

See more options in our guide to the best analytics tools for startups.

Still not sure which to pick?

Get a free, AI-powered tech stack — including the best analytics pick for your budget and team — in 60 seconds.

Build my stack free