Cookies on
Default tracking mode
Cookieless mode exists but is limited and not the default.
vs Matomo
Open-source is great. Cookies are still the bottleneck.
Updated · By Rafa Jiménez, Founder, SealMetrics
Matomo (Cloud or self-hosted) is the most credible open-source analytics in Europe. But its default is cookie-based, its cookieless mode trades features for compliance, and the operational cost of self-hosting eats the 'free' label. SealMetrics is cookieless by design, EU-hosted, with a modern stack — from €499/mo, no devops required.
No migration · Run in parallel · You decide
The gap
Where Matomo falls short.
Matomo is open-source and EU-friendly. Cloud is mid-priced and self-hosted is 'free' on paper. But cookies are still on by default, the cookieless mode is partial, and the modern stack — MCP, native BigQuery, real-time — isn't there.
Self-host
DevOps overhead
Servers, backups, security patches, scaling — your team's time.
Plugin maze
Modern features bolted on
Real-time, advanced reports and integrations live behind paid plugins.
No MCP
No AI-native interface
No MCP server. No agent-ready API. Built before the AI shift.
Comparison
Feature by feature. No spin.
The honest comparison against Matomo. Acknowledges its strengths; clear about where it falls short for modern European eCommerce.
| Capability | Matomo | SealMetrics |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & operations | ||
| Entry cost | Cloud from ~€23/mo · self-hosted 'free' + ops | €499/mo · all-inclusive · no ops |
| Total cost of ownership (self-host) | Server, ops, security, plugins, upgrades | Zero infra cost · fully managed |
| Implementation support | Community forum / paid consultancy | Founder-led on all plans |
| Data capture | ||
| Default mode | Cookies on · consent banner required | Cookieless · no banner needed |
| Cookieless mode available | Yes, but limited (no visitor profiles, fewer reports) | Full functionality, always cookieless |
| EU traffic captured (typical) | ~60% with banner | 100% captured |
| Sampling at scale | Performance-driven (self-host bottlenecks) | Zero sampling |
| Compliance | ||
| GDPR posture | Compliant if cookieless mode + DPIA + banner | GDPR by architecture · no DPIA needed for visitor data |
| Data residency (Cloud) | EU options · paid plans | EU-only · Dublin · all plans |
| Schrems II | Clean (Cloud EU) | Clean |
| Modern stack | ||
| Native MCP / AI agents | No | Native MCP server |
| BigQuery / warehouse export | Paid plugin or manual ETL | Native · all plans · full resolution |
| Real-time latency | Minutes (with extra plugins) | < 2 minutes · default |
| Anomaly detection / forecasts | Premium plugin | LENS AI included from Growth |
Not "Matomo is broken". It works for its original use case. For deciding with complete data in today's European context, it falls short. Run both 30 days and decide.
FAQ
The objections, answered.
What CMOs and CTOs ask before switching from Matomo.
Still have questions? Our team — including the founder — is one message away.
Talk to us →Cookieless by design. No devops required.
30 minutes with the founder. We run your site through SealMetrics and Matomo simultaneously — you see the traffic Matomo's banner still loses and what your real-data dashboards look like.
Built by a founder · supported by a founder · EU-hosted by design
How we compared
Methodology + sources
- Sources
- Public vendor documentation for Matomo (pricing, feature lists, EU data residency statements). G2 and Capterra reviews referenced where they illuminate workflow differences. SealMetrics data points come from our own architecture and from named customer audits (Palladium Hotel Group, Dreamplace Hotels).
- Pricing as of
- Pricing data is current as of . Vendor pricing changes; we review quarterly and re-anchor on every major competitor release. SealMetrics pricing comes from /pricing (single source of truth).
- Disclosure
- SealMetrics is our product. We built this comparison to be useful even if you don’t choose us — every competitor mention is verifiable against its public documentation. If you find a fact that’s wrong or has changed, write to us and we’ll correct it within 48 hours.
- Update cadence
- Reviewed quarterly. Flagged for immediate update when a competitor ships a major change (pricing, EU hosting, attribution model). The page “updated” date below the H1 reflects the most recent edit.
The single source of truth European eCommerce signs against
Dreamplace Hotels recovered +30% more traffic vs GA4 and closed a 15–20% gap in sales attribution against their CRM. Palladium Hotel Group recovered 35% of unattributed bookings and improved Display CPS by +165%.
