HitKeep vs Matomo
Matomo is one of the most feature-complete analytics platforms available. HitKeep is deliberately narrower in scope. If you’re considering Matomo, this comparison will help you decide — including an honest accounting of what HitKeep currently lacks.
Feature Comparison
Section titled “Feature Comparison”| Feature | HitKeep | Matomo |
|---|---|---|
| Self-hosted | ✓ | ✓ |
| Single binary | ✓ | ✗ |
| External database required | None | MySQL / MariaDB |
| Cookie-less tracking | ✓ (default) | Configurable |
| Open source | ✓ MIT | ✓ GPL |
| Goals / conversions | ✓ | ✓ |
| Funnels | ✓ | ✓ |
| UTM tracking | ✓ | ✓ |
| Custom events | ✓ | ✓ |
| Email reports | ✓ | ✓ |
| Shareable dashboards | ✓ | ✓ |
| TOTP 2FA | ✓ | ✓ |
| Passkeys (WebAuthn) | ✓ | ✗ |
| No third-party frontend requests | ✓ | ✓ |
| Zero telemetry / phone-home | ✓ | ✓ |
| Air-gap compatible | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ecommerce tracking | ✗ | ✓ (built-in) |
| Revenue reporting | ✗ | ✓ |
| Advanced segmentation | ✗ | ✓ |
| Custom dimensions | ✗ | ✓ |
| Heatmaps | ✗ | ✓ (paid plugin) |
| Session recordings | ✗ | ✓ (paid plugin) |
| A/B testing | ✗ | ✓ (paid plugin) |
| Form analytics | ✗ | ✓ (paid plugin) |
| Media analytics | ✗ | ✓ (paid plugin) |
| GDPR consent management UI | ✗ (cookie-less) | ✓ |
| Plugin marketplace | ✗ | ✓ (100+ plugins) |
| Mobile SDK | ✗ | ✓ |
| Cloud managed | Coming soon | ✓ |
What HitKeep Is Missing
Section titled “What HitKeep Is Missing”HitKeep is a focused traffic analytics tool. It does not attempt to match Matomo’s breadth. Here is an honest list of what’s currently absent:
Ecommerce and revenue tracking — Matomo has built-in ecommerce analytics: cart abandonment, product reports, revenue by channel, order tracking. HitKeep has no ecommerce dimension. Ecommerce event support is on the roadmap.
Advanced segmentation — Matomo’s segment editor allows combining multiple conditions (device, location, behaviour, custom dimensions) into reusable segments applied across all reports. HitKeep’s current filtering is more basic.
Custom dimensions — Matomo lets you define custom visit- or action-scoped dimensions (e.g. user tier, logged-in state, content category) and report on them. HitKeep supports event names but not arbitrary custom dimensions.
Heatmaps, session recordings, A/B testing, form analytics — These are all available as Matomo plugins (some paid). HitKeep has none of these and no current plans for them — the focus is on traffic and conversion analytics.
Plugin marketplace — Matomo has 100+ plugins from community and Matomo contributors. HitKeep has no plugin system.
Mobile SDK — Matomo has official iOS and Android SDKs. HitKeep currently only has hk.js for web tracking.
GDPR consent management — Because HitKeep is cookie-less by default, it has no need for a consent management UI. If your deployment requires managing cookie consent workflows for other tools, Matomo’s consent screen is purpose-built for that.
15+ years of maturity — Matomo (formerly Piwik) has been developed since 2007. HitKeep is significantly newer, with a smaller community and fewer documented edge cases.
Architecture
Section titled “Architecture”HitKeep
Section titled “HitKeep”Single binary, single file:
./hitkeep -public-url="https://analytics.example.com" -jwt-secret="..."Matomo
Section titled “Matomo”A PHP application stack:
- PHP 8.x runtime
- MySQL or MariaDB database
- nginx or Apache to serve PHP
- Optional: Redis for caching, queuing for high-volume sites
Matomo is a LAMP-stack application. It’s proven and extensible, but requires significantly more server resources and ongoing maintenance.
Resource Usage
Section titled “Resource Usage”| HitKeep | Matomo | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum RAM | ~64 MB | ~512 MB–1 GB+ |
| Runtime | None (compiled binary) | PHP 8+ |
| Recommended VPS | $4–6/month | $10–20/month+ |
When to Choose HitKeep
Section titled “When to Choose HitKeep”- You want traffic analytics without the operational complexity of a PHP + MySQL stack
- You don’t need ecommerce tracking, heatmaps, session recordings, or A/B testing
- You care about cookie-less tracking out of the box
- You’re running on constrained hardware (low RAM, ARM, Raspberry Pi)
- You need air-gap compatibility or WebAuthn authentication
When to Choose Matomo
Section titled “When to Choose Matomo”- You need ecommerce tracking, revenue reporting, or cart abandonment analysis
- You need heatmaps, session recordings, or A/B testing
- You need advanced segmentation and custom dimensions
- Your organization already runs PHP/MySQL infrastructure
- You need specific functionality from Matomo’s plugin marketplace
- You need a mobile SDK for native app tracking
- You need 15 years of documented behaviour and a large support community
Security & Third-Party Requests
Section titled “Security & Third-Party Requests”HitKeep: Zero third-party frontend requests, favicon proxy server-side, zero telemetry, air-gap compatible.
Matomo: Assets served from your instance. Plugin installations may require outbound connectivity to the Matomo Marketplace. No WebAuthn/Passkeys support.
Related
Section titled “Related”- HitKeep vs Plausible
- HitKeep vs Umami
- HitKeep vs Google Analytics
- Security Overview
- Installation Guide
Ready to try HitKeep? Get started in 2 minutes →
Prefer managed? Join the HitKeep Cloud waitlist →