Self-host Matomo

updated Jul 2026deployed & timed by usprices checked · Aug 2026Install verified on Ubuntu 26.04 · Jul 2026 · how we test

The full-featured Google Analytics alternative — goals, e-commerce tracking, and 100% data ownership, with funnels and heatmaps available as paid premium plugins. Heavier than Plausible, but the closest like-for-like replacement for GA's depth.

Key facts

CategoryWeb analytics

LicenseGPL-3.0

StackPHP, MariaDB

Min RAM2048 MB

Dockeryes

Difficulty

What you need

Any VPS with at least 2048 MB of RAM
A domain you control — most self-hosted setups need HTTPS in front of them
About an afternoon — budget time for troubleshooting

Install with Docker Compose

Save this as compose.yml and run docker compose up -d:

# Matomo — analytics with a MariaDB backend
services:
  db:
    image: mariadb:11
    environment:
      MARIADB_ROOT_PASSWORD: changeme
      MARIADB_DATABASE: matomo
      MARIADB_USER: matomo
      MARIADB_PASSWORD: changeme
    volumes: ["./db:/var/lib/mysql"]
  matomo:
    image: matomo:latest
    ports: ["8080:80"]
    depends_on: [db]
    environment:
      MATOMO_DATABASE_HOST: db
      MATOMO_DATABASE_USERNAME: matomo
      MATOMO_DATABASE_PASSWORD: changeme
      MATOMO_DATABASE_DBNAME: matomo
    volumes: ["./matomo:/var/www/html"]
# docker compose up -d  →  http://SERVER_IP:8080  (DB host = db)

vps picksBest VPS for self-hostingbenchmarked quarterly · re-priced monthly

An alternative to

Google Analytics →

Head-to-head

AnalyticsAug 2026

Matomo

Plausible

The full GA replacement vs. the privacy-first dashboard.

GA-grade depth vs. analytics you can forget you're running.

Read the verdict →

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