Argusmetrics vs

Self-hosted analytics,
without the ops burden

Both are free, open source and self-hosted. But Matomo means a PHP/MySQL stack, cron jobs and constant patching. Argusmetrics is a single Docker stack you bring up in minutes, so you spend your time on your actual work.

Self-host with Docker Privacy approach

Time you get back

Self-hosting Matomo's PHP/MySQL stack is a commitment. Argusmetrics ships as a single Docker stack. Here's the difference.

Matomo (self-hosted)

  • 1 Provision a server: Choose a VPS, configure firewall, set up SSH. (1–2 hours)
  • 2 Install the stack: PHP, MySQL/MariaDB, web server (Nginx or Apache), Matomo itself. (2–4 hours)
  • 3 Configure cron jobs: Archive reports, process queues. Debug when they fail silently. (1–3 hours)
  • 4 Apply security updates: Regularly patch PHP, the OS, Matomo core, and plugins. (~2 hours/month ongoing)
  • 5 Handle database bloat: Matomo stores granular log data. At scale the database grows aggressively and needs manual archiving. (ongoing)
  • 6 Set up backups: Database backups, config backups, off-site replication. (2–4 hours to do properly)
Initial setup: 6–13 hours. Ongoing: 2+ hours/month.
Argusmetrics

Argusmetrics (Docker self-host)

  • 1 Clone & run, git clone the repo and docker compose up -d. One self-contained stack, no separate PHP/MySQL install. (a few minutes)
  • 2 Add your site: Open your dashboard and enter your domain name. (30 seconds)
  • 3 Add the script tag: One <script> line in your <head>, pointing at your instance. (2 minutes)
  • Done: Data starts flowing immediately. Updates are a single docker compose pull, no cron jobs, no archiving rituals.
Initial setup: minutes with Docker. Ongoing maintenance: minimal.

Feature comparison

How the two products stack up across setup, privacy, and features.

Feature
Argusmetrics Argusmetrics
Matomo
Setup time Minutes (Docker) Hours to days
Deployment ✓Single Docker stack ~PHP/MySQL stack to manage
Ongoing maintenance docker compose pull Cron jobs & patching
No cookies by default ✓ ✗Cookies on by default
No consent banner required ✓ ✗Required with default config
Visitor IP never stored ✓ ~Requires manual configuration
Data location under your control ✓Your server ✓Your server
Lightweight tracking script ✓<3KB gzip ✗~50KB+
Simple dashboard ✓ ✗Complex, plugin-heavy UI
Open source ✓AGPL-3.0 ✓
Full data ownership ✓Your server, your data ✓Your server, your data

The difference is the default, not the ceiling

Matomo can be run without a consent banner. France's data protection authority has approved it that way. Getting there means turning off cookies, shortening the visitor identifier, anonymising IP addresses and disabling several defaults, then keeping all of it correct through every upgrade, and being able to show that you did.

Argusmetrics has no such setting, because there is nothing to turn off. No cookie is ever written. No identifier is stored on the visitor's device. The visitor hash is derived on the server from a salt that is replaced every day, over an address already truncated to its /24 network, and scoped to one site. So the full address never enters the hash, yesterday's visitors cannot be matched to today's even by us, and the same person on two of your sites is two unrelated hashes. An installation nobody configured behaves exactly like one that was.

That matters most when the person who has to answer for it is not the person who installed it. A default you can describe in one sentence is easier to defend in a procurement review than a configuration you have to audit.

When Matomo makes sense

We're being honest here. Matomo is the right choice if:

  • You're already comfortable running and tuning a PHP/MySQL application and don't mind the maintenance.
  • You have a dedicated DevOps team who can maintain the stack and are comfortable doing so.
  • You need advanced features like heatmaps, session recordings, A/B testing, and funnel visualizations, Matomo has a broad plugin ecosystem.
  • You rely on Matomo's large, established community and long-standing plugin marketplace.

When Argusmetrics makes sense

Argusmetrics is the better choice if:

  • You want self-hosting to be a single Docker stack, not a PHP/MySQL setup with cron jobs to babysit.
  • You want no consent banner as the default rather than as a configuration: nothing to switch off, nothing to re-check after an upgrade, nothing to explain to a reviewer.
  • You want a clear dashboard that answers real questions fast, without navigating a maze of plugins and reports.
  • You want free, AGPL-3.0 open-source software you can read, fork and contribute back to.

Self-host in minutes, not hours

One Docker stack. No cron jobs. No consent banners. Just your data, clean and private, on your own server.

Free & open source · Self-hosted · No signup

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