webmetr vs. matomo: why a hosted free meter is simpler than self-hosted analytics

matomo is often mentioned as an alternative to google analytics. it's a strong, mature, and respectable product, especially for teams that need privacy, data control, and the ability to keep analytics on their own infrastructure. but this is where the main difference with webmetr begins.

webmetr does not ask the site owner to become an administrator of the analytics server. webmetr doesn't say: download the package, put php, mysql or mariadb, set up cron, archiving, updates, backups, disks, monitoring and then think about whether it can handle the traffic. webmetr already works as a hosted service. the user adds a site, takes the html code, inserts it into the page and looks at the statistics.

that is why for many small and medium-sized sites webmetr is the best choice: it is simpler, not self-hosted for the user, does not require infrastructure, does not require payment for a cloud plan and remains free for the basic task: counting site traffic.

short

why "free" doesn't always mean "easy"

matomo on-premise can indeed be downloaded and used without license fees. this is an important advantage of the open-source approach. but free on-premise does not cancel the infrastructure. the server still needs to be placed somewhere. the database must be maintained. update must be installed. backups should be made. if traffic grows, you need to think about performance and data storage.

for the technical team, this may be fine. for a website owner, editor, blogger, small media team or entrepreneur, this is often redundant. a person wants statistics, not another server.

matomo cloud solves hosting, but stops being free

matomo has a cloud-hosted option. it's convenient: you don't need to install the server yourself, updates and maintenance are taken care of by the supplier. but then it is no longer the same story that "i downloaded it for free and installed it myself". matomo's hosted cloud is a paid option.

webmetr specifically chooses another position: hosted for the user and free. that is, the site owner does not pay for a cloud plan and does not become a system administrator. it receives simple site statistics as a service.

webmetr does not sell complexity

many analytical systems want to be the "center of everything": events, campaigns, ecommerce, tag manager, heat maps, custom dimensions, data warehouse, api, integrations, segments, user profile, attribution. it can be useful. but the owner of an ordinary site often needs something else.

he should open the page and see:

webmetr leaves these things at the forefront. there is no need to create a dashboard from scratch. no need to choose dimensions. you don't need to understand why the metric is called that way. the report is called the human word and opens with a direct url.

old-school url is better for site statistics

webmetr reports as separate pages. it is fundamental. the page for the day has its own url. the online page has its own url. the countries page has its own url. it can be opened, saved, sent, updated, transferred to the site owner or partner.

the comparison is not against matomo, but against extra work

matomo is not bad. on the contrary, it is a strong product. if you need a complete analytical platform, your own server, control of every detail, open-source code and the possibility of deep customization, matomo may be the right choice.

but if the task sounds simpler - "i need a counter for the site to see traffic" - then webmetr looks better. not because matomo is weak, but because matomo is often bigger than the task.

free hosted service has a different value

when the service is hosted and free for the user, it removes two main barriers at the same time: money and maintenance. it is this combination that is important. a free self-hosted product still requires time, server and responsibility. the paid hosted product removes the technical responsibility, but adds a regular payment. webmetr wants to be the third option: hosted, simple and free.

when matomo is still the right choice

a fair comparison should also say this: matomo may be a better choice if your organization fundamentally wants self-hosting, has its own infrastructure team, wants to control the location of data, has security policies, or needs a large analytical platform with extensions.

webmetr is not trying to beat matomo in the number of enterprise functions. webmetr wins in another place: in simplicity, speed of launch, lack of self-hosting for the user and clarity of reports.

conclusion

matomo is a good choice for those who want or are willing to own an analytics infrastructure or pay for a hosted cloud. webmetr is the best choice for those who want a simple hosted site meter with no payment and no administration.

if you need a platform, get a platform. if you need site statistics, webmetr is closer to the task.

sources