SEO Pillar
GDPR-Compliant Analytics
The four common tools compared
| Criterion | GA4 | Plausible CE | Piwik PRO | Matomo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cookies | Yes (first-party) | None | Optional | Optional |
| Consent banner | Required | Not required | Configurable | Configurable |
| Hosting | US (Google) | Self-hosted EU | EU (Poland) | Self / EU Cloud |
| IP anonymisation | Default | No IP stored | Configurable | Configurable |
| Marketing integrations | Strong (Ads) | Minimal | Solid | Solid |
| Licence cost | €0 | €0 (self-host) | From €270/mo | €0 / €19/mo Cloud |
| Best fit | Ads-heavy marketing | Content sites, agencies | Enterprise, regulated | Flexible setups |
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What does "GDPR-compliant analytics" mean?
Visitor data is collected only on a valid legal basis, processed on EU infrastructure, and where cookies or personal data are involved, informed consent is obtained before tracking begins.
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Is Google Analytics 4 GDPR-compliant?
Conditionally yes: with a DPA with Google Ireland, IP anonymisation enabled, Consent Mode V2 correctly configured, a clean CMP integration and limited data retention. Defaults are not compliant out of the box.
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Does Plausible CE require a cookie banner?
No. Plausible Community Edition sets no cookies, stores no IP addresses, and processes no personal data. A consent banner is not required.
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What's the difference between Plausible and Matomo?
Both are privacy-friendly alternatives to GA4. Plausible is cookie-free by default and minimal. Matomo is more powerful but can set cookies, so depending on configuration a consent banner may still be needed. For marketing sites without deep attribution, Plausible is usually the better choice.
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When does Piwik PRO make sense?
For regulated industries (banking, healthcare) and organisations with strict EU-cloud requirements. The Polish enterprise variant ships with EU servers and an integrated CMP, technically close to GA4 but legally far less brittle.
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What is Consent Mode V2?
Google's API for controlling tag behaviour based on consent state. Correctly implemented it sends aggregated signals even when consent is declined, which powers conversion modeling. It complements a full GDPR-compliant CMP, it does not replace one.