A lighter Matomo alternative
Matomo is a capable, privacy-friendly GA alternative, but self-hosting it means running a PHP and MySQL app, an archive cron, and updates. smolanalytics is a single Go binary, does web and product analytics, and you just ask it questions in plain English.
is smolanalytics a good Matomo alternative?
Yes, if Matomo's self-host weight is the problem. Matomo is a mature, GDPR-friendly analytics platform, but running it on your own box means a PHP and MySQL or MariaDB app, a web server, and a properly configured archive cron, plus updates and occasional plugin drift. smolanalytics is a single MIT-licensed Go binary with no external database: docker run and it is up in about 30 seconds, storing roughly 7 bytes per event. It does web analytics and product analytics from one snippet (visitors, referrers, funnels, retention, paths, cohorts), leads with a daily verdict on what to fix, and lets you ask questions in plain English, either from a dashboard bar or from your own Cursor or Claude over MCP, with a CI test that proves the AI's answer matches the dashboard. Self-hosting is free forever, or the hosted cloud is $9 a month. Keep Matomo if you want its heatmaps, session recording, A/B testing, or tag manager, which smolanalytics does not do on purpose.
why people leave Matomo
“Needs PHP 8.1+, MySQL or MariaDB, and a web server, plus a properly configured archive cron or reports lag.”
Matomo's on-premise guide
“Past 500K pageviews a month, plan for 2 CPU and 4GB RAM, with headroom for the archive job.”
Matomo's performance docs
“Plan for routine maintenance, and a longer window when a major version ships, roughly twice a year.”
self-hosted analytics review, 2026
Matomo vs smolanalytics
| Matomo | smolanalytics | |
|---|---|---|
| Self-host stack | PHP + MySQL/MariaDB + web server + archive cron | one static Go binary, one file |
| What it measures | web analytics (some product features are paid) | web + product analytics from one snippet |
| Getting an answer | configure reports and dashboards | ask in plain English, a verdict on what to fix |
| Ask from your editor | no | MCP, your own AI answers free, computed not guessed |
| Maintenance | updates, the archive cron, plugin drift | one process, no stack to babysit |
| Price | free self-host (paid plugins / cloud) | free self-host (MIT), or $9 flat cloud |
when to keep Matomo
- You want its heatmaps, session recording, A/B testing, or tag manager. Those are premium Matomo features, and smolanalytics does not do any of them on purpose.
- You are already on a PHP and MySQL stack and comfortable running and updating it, and you value Matomo's long GDPR track record and plugin ecosystem.
Self-host in 30 seconds
# no PHP, no MySQL, no archive cron docker run -p 8080:8080 -v $PWD/data:/data \ -e SMOLANALYTICS_DB=/data/smolanalytics.data \ ghcr.io/arjun0606/smolanalytics # dashboard + MCP at http://localhost:8080
One binary instead of a PHP app, a database, and a cron. Point Claude or Cursor at it and ask anything: no model to pay for, no number it can make up.
questions
Is smolanalytics a good Matomo alternative?
Yes, if Matomo's self-host weight is the problem. Matomo self-hosted is a PHP and MySQL app with an archive cron and regular updates. smolanalytics is a single MIT-licensed Go binary with no external database, up in about 30 seconds with docker run, storing roughly 7 bytes per event. It does web and product analytics, leads with a verdict on what to fix, and you can ask it questions in plain English from a dashboard bar or your own editor over MCP. Keep Matomo if you need heatmaps, session recording, or A/B testing.
Is it lighter to self-host than Matomo?
Yes. Matomo needs PHP, a MySQL or MariaDB database, a web server, and a properly configured archive cron, with 2 to 4 GB of RAM past a few hundred thousand pageviews a month. smolanalytics is one static Go binary with no external services: it stores events in plain files on your box at about 7 bytes each, so there is no database or cron to run and nothing to babysit.
Does it do product analytics like funnels and retention?
Yes, from the same one snippet: funnels, retention, paths, and cohorts, plus channel and revenue attribution and a daily verdict on what to fix. In Matomo several of those product-analytics features live behind paid plugins or the cloud plan; in smolanalytics they are all included, self-hosted and free.
What does Matomo do that smolanalytics doesn't?
Heatmaps, session recording, A/B testing, and a tag manager (Matomo's premium features), plus its large plugin ecosystem. smolanalytics deliberately does not do session replay, heatmaps, or experiments. It is for teams who want a straight answer on what to fix, that they own, cheap, and can ask in plain English.
Get the verdict, not another dashboard.
Drop one snippet, ask in your editor, own your data. 14-day full trial, no credit card.