Friendly Analytics is based on Matomo (formerly Piwik), the world’s most popular open source web analytics software. Matomo is used by the Swiss government, the Swiss parliament, and the EU Commission, among others.
What are the main differences between Friendly Analytics and Matomo?
To answer this question, we must first define what is meant by “Matomo”. On the one hand, there is the open source software Matomo. On the other hand, there is the hosting offer “Matomo Cloud” from a company of the founder of Matomo.
In the following, we will go over the main differences between Friendly Analytics and Matomo respectively the Matomo Cloud:
Matomo (open source software) vs. Friendly Analytics
Friendly Analytics is Matomo-as-a-Service. Our added value is the secure hosting of Matomo in Switzerland (or the EU), compliance with data protection regulations such as the nFADP and GDPR, and competent support.
We use an unmodified version of Matomo (supplemented by some premium plugins) for Friendly Analytics. This means that all tutorials for Matomo apply without restriction to Friendly Analytics as well. In addition, you have no “lockin effect”. You can host the software with your data yourself at any time or take it to another provider who also uses Matomo.
Of course, you can also just download Matomo for free and run it on your own server. But although this seems cheap, it can be expensive.
These are the main differences of Friendly Analytics compared to an own installation of Matomo:
| Friendly Automate | Matomo (own installation) | |
|---|---|---|
| Effort | Low | High |
| Responsibility | None | High |
| Privacy | Maximum, compliance with nFADP and GDPR | Depending on settings |
Effort
The download and installation of Mautic is free of charge. However, the secure and reliable operation of the software, including regular updates and functional tests, requires a lot of time – and time is money.
Responsibility
If you run a software yourself, you are responsible for the correct function. A failure in your spare time is no fun. At Friendly Analytics, we take care of problems anytime – also on weekends.
Privacy
We have already adjusted all settings in Matomo for maximum privacy and for compliance with the nFADP (CH) and the GDPR (EU). If you install Matomo yourself, you are responsible for this configuration and therefore for complying with the nDSG and the DSGVO.
Matomo Cloud vs. Friendly Analytics
The Matomo Cloud also offers Matomo-as-a-Service. Nevertheless, there are some important differences, especially when it comes to data protection. These are:
| Friendly Automate | Matomo Cloud | |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | Switzerland | New Zealand |
| Hosting | Providers headquartered in Switzerland | Amazon AWS |
| Configuration | Maximum privacy, compliance with nFADP and GDPR | Standard |
Headquarters
Friendly Analytics is provided by Friendly LLC from Switzerland in the heart of Europe. This means you benefit from the highest standards in terms of data protection and legal security. The company behind Matomo Cloud (Innocraft), on the other hand, is based in New Zealand.
Hosting
Friendly stores all customer data exclusively in Switzerland with providers headquartered in Switzerland – and not in the clouds of tech corporations from the USA. The Matomo Cloud, however, uses Amazon AWS for hosting.
Configuration
We have already adjusted all settings in Matomo for maximum privacy and for compliance with the nFADP (CH) and the GDPR (EU). With Matomo Cloud, you are responsible for this configuration and therefore for complying with the nDSG and the DSGVO.
