Matomo vs Countly
Both are alternatives to Amplitude. Here's how they stack up — verified facts, no spin.
Also searched as Countly vs Matomo — same comparison, one verdict.
Matomo is open source (GPL-3.0 (core; some plugins are paid)) and Countly is not (Countly Lite License (custom, source-available — not OSI open source)) — so the real question is whether you want to own the product analytics stack or rent it.
Matomo
GPL analytics you host yourself — the compliance answer.
Matomo is the veteran of privacy-respecting analytics: GPL-3.0, self-hosted, with 100% data ownership, no sampling, and configurations that let it run without cookie consent in many jurisdictions. Around 21.7k stars and well over a decade of continuous development. It leans web analytics rather than product analytics — sessions, sources, campaigns, goals — with product-style funnels and cohorts available as paid plugins. If the reason you are on this page is a legal or procurement requirement rather than a product question, Matomo is usually the shortest route to a yes.
Countly
Mobile-first analytics you can run on-premise — but check the licence.
Countly is built around mobile and IoT rather than the web, with crash reporting, push notifications and user profiles alongside analytics, and a long history of on-premise deployment in regulated and government settings. Around 5.9k stars. One correction to how it is usually listed: Countly is very often described as open source, but the community edition ships under a custom "Countly Lite License" rather than an OSI-approved licence — it is source-available, with restrictions, and the terms are worth reading before you build a product on it. Included here because the mobile and on-premise combination is genuinely rare, and because the licence deserves to be stated accurately.
Side by side
10 points of comparison, every one read from a verified field. Green marks the side that wins a row outright. A dash means we do not hold that fact — never that it is zero.
| Matomo | Countly | |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereignty ScoreOur transparent 0–100 composite for data ownership and exit cost. | 92 | 66 |
| Open source | Yes | No |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| Local-first data | Yes | Yes |
| License | GPL-3.0 (core; some plugins are paid) | Countly Lite License (custom, source-available — not OSI open source) |
| Pricing | Self-hosted core free. Cloud hosting and premium plugins are paid. | Community edition free to self-host under its own licence terms; enterprise is commercial. |
| RAM to run it wellThe figure that actually matters, not the vendor's minimum. | 4 GB once traffic is real, and MySQL wants most of it | — |
| Realistic running costWhat the box costs each month if you run it yourself. | $25–45/mo for a moderately busy site | — |
| Setup timeHonest first-install estimate, not the marketing quickstart. | 1–2 hours | — |
| Ongoing maintenanceThe part nobody budgets for. | Active. Archiving must be moved to cron or the site slows down. | — |
Matomo edges it on the Sovereignty Score, but the right pick depends on the trade-offs below.
Matomo
Strengths
- +Full data ownership with a mature, well-trodden self-host path
- +Can be configured to run without cookie consent in many jurisdictions
- +No sampling — the numbers are the numbers
- +Over a decade of development and a large plugin ecosystem
Trade-offs
- −Web analytics first; product analytics needs paid plugins
- −Interface feels dated next to PostHog and Amplitude
- −PHP and MySQL need tuning at high traffic
- −Several of the features people expect are premium add-ons
Countly
Strengths
- +Mobile and IoT first, where most of this category is web first
- +Crash reporting and push notifications alongside analytics
- +Long track record of on-premise deployment in regulated environments
- +Rich user-profile and cohort features in the enterprise tier
Trade-offs
- −Not open source despite being widely listed as such — read the Lite License
- −Much of the useful functionality sits in the paid enterprise edition
- −Smaller community than every other option here
- −Heavier to deploy than Umami or OpenPanel
Which one fits you
The trade-offs above, turned into a decision. Find the line that describes your team.
Choose Matomo
if you want the source and the option to fork it, and full data ownership with a mature, well-trodden self-host path.
Choose Countly
if mobile and IoT first, where most of this category is web first.
Neither, yet
if both carry a real cost you should weigh first — web analytics first; product analytics needs paid plugins, and not open source despite being widely listed as such — read the Lite License. If either of those is a dealbreaker for your team, the shortlist is wrong rather than the choice.
What it takes to run these yourself
Real requirements and honest running costs, not the vendor quickstart.
Matomo vs Countly — common questions
Is Matomo a better fit than Countly for product analytics?
It depends on what you are optimising for, and the honest split is this: Matomo scores 92 to Countly's 66 on data ownership and exit cost, so it is the safer choice if you care about being able to leave. Countly earns its place on a different axis — mobile and IoT first, where most of this category is web first. Neither is a wrong answer for every team; the table above is the actual comparison.
What happens if we want to switch later?
Matomo keeps its data local or in open formats, so leaving is an export rather than a negotiation. Countly is still self-hostable, so the files stay on your server either way — but it is not local-first by design, so check what its export produces before you rely on it.
Can I self-host Matomo or Countly?
Both can be self-hosted. The difference is what it costs you in time rather than whether it is possible — see the setup and maintenance rows above.
Are Matomo and Countly both alternatives to Amplitude?
Yes — both appear in our Amplitude comparison, which is why they are worth putting side by side. People usually arrive here already having decided to move off Amplitude and now choosing between the two replacements, which is a narrower and much easier question.
Related alternative guides
Facts verified 2026-07-31. Licenses and pricing change — spotted something out of date? That's a correction we want.