Matomo Analytics for WordPress vs MonsterInsights
Updated 10 Oct 2026. 27 features compared side by side.
Full Matomo analytics platform running inside WordPress, with ecommerce, goals, tag manager and GDPR tools; premium plugins add heatmaps and more.
Freemium Google Analytics plugin from Awesome Motive that adds GA4 tracking and in-dashboard reports, with eCommerce, forms and custom dimensions in paid plans.
Choose Matomo Analytics for WordPress if…
- You need self-hosted stats and cookieless tracking
Choose MonsterInsights if…
- You need Google Analytics 4 integration
- You prefer the more widely used option
Matomo Analytics for WordPress includes 2 features that MonsterInsights lacks, including Self-hosted stats and Cookieless tracking; MonsterInsights has 1 that Matomo Analytics for WordPress lacks, including Google Analytics 4 integration. Both include 23 of the 27 features we track. 1 feature is not yet verified for one or both plugins.
At a glance
Feature comparison
Click a screenshot to see both plugins side by side.
Matomo Analytics for WordPress MonsterInsightsTracking setup6/75/7
Replaces GA rather than connecting GA4; it can import historical GA data.
Setup wizard connects a GA4 property through Google sign-in and adds the gtag tracking code.
Data stored in your WordPress installation, no third party.
All data is collected by and read back from Google Analytics; nothing is stored locally.
Cookies can be disabled so visits are tracked without them.
Relies on Google Analytics, which uses cookies; consent integrations are offered instead.
Real-time reports and a live visits log.
Real-time report of current visitors, pages and sources is part of the Plus plan.
Includes its own Matomo Tag Manager rather than Google Tag Manager; not on multisite.
Docs say it runs alongside a GTM container for extra events, but it does not insert GTM itself.
JS tracker by default; optional REST API endpoint can route hits through WordPress.
Paid eCommerce and form events are sent via GA4's Measurement Protocol; pageviews still use gtag.
Uses the full matomo.js tracker, heavier than minimalist counters.
Loads Google's gtag.js asynchronously; paid plans can host the gtag file locally.
Events & ecommerce7/77/7
Event tracking with automatic outlink and download tracking.
Lite tracks outbound links, file downloads and phone clicks; reports, media and custom events need Plus.
Paid Form Analytics premium plugin.
Forms add-on tracks impressions and conversions for WPForms, Gravity Forms, CF7 and others.
Ecommerce tracking for WooCommerce, EDD and MemberPress out of the box.
Enhanced eCommerce for WooCommerce, EDD, MemberPress and more, with revenue and product reports.
Campaign tracking for UTM and Matomo campaign parameters.
Campaigns and Source/Medium reports plus a UTM link builder come with the Plus plan.
Goals with conversion rates and revenue; funnels are a premium plugin.
Form and eCommerce conversion rates are shown in the Pro-level reports.
Free Custom Dimensions plugin from the Matomo Marketplace.
Tracks author, category, tag, post type, user role, SEO score and focus keyword dimensions.
Scroll maps via the paid Heatmap & Session Recording plugin.
Scroll depth tracking switches on automatically on Plus or higher.
Reports in WordPress7/88/8
Full Matomo reporting UI and dashboards inside wp-admin.
Lite shows an Overview report and dashboard widget; the full report suite starts at Plus.
Page URL and page title reports rank the most visited content.
Overview report lists top posts and pages; Plus adds dedicated Pages and Publishers reports.
Acquisition reports cover websites, search engines, social and campaigns.
Top referral sources appear in the Lite Overview report.
Geolocation maps plus browser, OS and device reports.
Overview covers top countries and device split; Plus adds a Technology report.
No per-post stats column or editor panel is documented.
Page Insights add-on shows per-post stats in the admin bar and post list; Plus or higher.
Paid Search Engine Keywords Performance plugin imports Search Console data.
Search Console keyword report inside WordPress is included from the Plus plan.
Scheduled email reports with chosen reports and frequency.
Lite sends a monthly email recap; weekly summaries to multiple addresses need Plus.
Reports can be exported (CSV, TSV, XML, JSON and more).
Reports can be exported as PDF on Plus and higher; no CSV export is advertised.
Privacy & admin5/55/5
GDPR manager, IP anonymisation, opt-out shortcode and retention rules.
EU Compliance add-on (IP anonymising, consent tool integrations) and Privacy Guard start at Plus.
Exclude specific roles, visitors and pages from tracking.
Admins and editors are excluded by default and further roles can be excluded.
Known bots and crawlers are excluded from reports.
No plugin-level filter; GA4 automatically excludes known bots and spiders.
Map each WordPress role to Matomo view, write or admin access.
Lite lets you choose which roles can view reports; Elite adds advanced per-report access control.
Supports multisite, network-activated or per site; Tag Manager excluded.
Readme confirms multisite support; Elite adds network-level management features.
Statuses: Yes Pro Add-on Partial 3rd-party No ?
Pricing compared
Matomo Analytics for WordPress Freemium
| Free | $0 |
|---|---|
| Free | Free per year, Unlimited |
MonsterInsights Freemium
| Free | $0 |
|---|---|
| Lite | Free per year, Unlimited |
| Plus | $199 per year, 1 site |
| Pro | $399 per year, 5 sites |
| Elite | $599 per year, 5 sites |
| Agency | $799 per year, 25 sites |
Downloads trend
Matomo Analytics for WordPress
5,006 downloads last week
MonsterInsights
116,501 downloads last week
Verdict
Matomo Analytics for WordPress and MonsterInsights are closely matched on features (86/100 and 84/100). The differences are in the details: Matomo Analytics for WordPress adds self-hosted stats and cookieless tracking, while MonsterInsights adds Google Analytics 4 integration. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Biggest differences
Matomo Analytics for WordPress: not included. MonsterInsights: included. Setup wizard connects a GA4 property through Google sign-in and adds the gtag tracking code.
Matomo Analytics for WordPress: included. MonsterInsights: not included. Data stored in your WordPress installation, no third party.
Matomo Analytics for WordPress: included. MonsterInsights: not included. Cookies can be disabled so visits are tracked without them.
Written from the feature, pricing and install data on this page, not from hands-on testing. How we compare.
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FAQ
Which is better, Matomo Analytics for WordPress or MonsterInsights?
Matomo Analytics for WordPress and MonsterInsights are closely matched on features (86/100 and 84/100). The differences are in the details: Matomo Analytics for WordPress adds self-hosted stats and cookieless tracking, while MonsterInsights adds Google Analytics 4 integration. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Which has more features?
They are level: both include 25 of the 27 analytics plugins features we track.
Is Matomo Analytics for WordPress free?
Matomo Analytics for WordPress has a free version on WordPress.org.
Is MonsterInsights free?
MonsterInsights has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $199/yr.
Feature data last changed 10 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit to Matomo Analytics for WordPress or MonsterInsights. Some links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no cost to you; it never affects our data or rankings.