Machete vs Matomo Site Kit

Machete is a simple suite of tools that solves common WordPress annoyances using as few resources as possible. Machete doesn’t cover every single use case, but there is a huge amount of sites that would require less plugins if they used Machete. All Machete tools have two things in common: they solve problems faced by many web developers and they do it using as few server resources as possible. So far, Machete includes the following tools: WordPress Optimization WordPress places a lot of code inside the tag just to keep backward compatibility or to enable optional features. You can disable most of it and save some time from each page request while making your installation safer. Cookies & GDPR Warning We know you hate cookie warning bars. Well, this is the least hateable cookie bar you’ll find. It is really light, doesn’t affect your PageSpeed score and plays well with static cache plugins. Analytics and custom code You don’t need a zillion plugins to perform easy tasks like inserting a verification meta tag (Google Search Console, Bing, Pinterest), a json-ld snippet or a custom stylesheet (Google Fonts, Print Styles, accessibility tweaks…). The Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager tracking codes are PageSpeed optimized, GPDR friendly. Maintenance mode The maintenance mode that ships with WordPress is just a basic lock-down that is activated whenever you do a major update. With machete Maintenance Mode you can hide your unfinished page from visitors and search engines, give your clients a secure temporary access and lock your site without affecting your SEO. Post & Page cloner Adds a “duplicate” link to post, page and most post types lists. Also adds “copy to new draft” function to the post editor. Social Sharing Buttons Social sharing done the Machete way. The icons are made as a custom webfont embedded in a minified CSS file that only weighs 5.8KB. The sharing actions use each platform’s native share URL. WooCommerce Utils WooCommerce was designed to work for every possible use case, but that often leads to unexpected behavior. These simple fixes can improve the WooCommerce user experience by making it behave as clients expect.

Matomo Site Kit is the ultimate WordPress plugin for integrating Matomo Analytics – the leading open-source, privacy-focused alternative to Google Analytics. Whether you use Matomo Cloud or self-hosted Matomo On-Premise, this plugin provides everything you need for comprehensive website analytics while respecting your visitors’ privacy. Why Choose Matomo Site Kit? Privacy-First Analytics – Full GDPR, CCPA, and PECR compliance out of the box No Data Sampling – 100% accurate data, unlike Google Analytics You Own Your Data – No third-party data sharing Ad-Blocker Resistant – Server-side tracking bypasses most ad blockers WooCommerce Ready – Complete ecommerce tracking for your online store Three Powerful Tracking Methods Choose the tracking method that best fits your needs: Classic JavaScript Tracking – Traditional Matomo tracking with full feature support using _paq.push(). Best for most websites. Matomo Tag Manager (MTM) – Advanced tag management with dataLayer integration. Perfect for marketing teams who need flexible trigger and variable management. Server-Side PHP Tracking – Privacy-friendly tracking that works even when JavaScript is disabled or blocked. Ideal for GDPR-focused websites and bypassing ad blockers. Complete Feature List Analytics Dashboard * Real-time analytics overview in WordPress admin * Visits, page views, bounce rate, and session duration * WordPress Dashboard widget for quick stats * Per-post and per-page analytics metabox WooCommerce Ecommerce Tracking * Product view tracking with SKU, name, price, and categories * Category page view tracking * Add to cart and remove from cart events * Cart update tracking * Complete order tracking with revenue, tax, and shipping * Works with all three tracking methods Site Search Tracking * Automatic WordPress search tracking * Search keyword capture * Category filter detection * Search result count * Zero configuration required Automatic Annotations * Create Matomo annotations when content is published * Select which post types trigger annotations * Customizable format with variables: {post_type}, {title}, {url}, {author} * Live preview in settings Privacy & GDPR Compliance * Consent mode options (requireConsent, requireCookieConsent) * Privacy opt-out shortcode [matomo_opt_out] * Server-side tracking for cookieless analytics * Exclude tracking by user role * Compatible with cookie consent plugins Advanced Features * User ID tracking with SHA256 hashed email * Heartbeat Timer for accurate time-on-page measurement * DataLayer integration for Tag Manager (Matomo config + page context: page_type, post_type label, taxonomies, locale, login status, post_id) * AI Bot Tracking – Track visits from AI assistants (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, etc.) separately in Matomo (requires Matomo 5.7+) * Bot detection and filtering * Noscript fallback for JavaScript-disabled browsers * DNS prefetch and script preloading for performance * Matomo Cloud and On-Premise support Perfect For Bloggers who want simple, privacy-respecting analytics WooCommerce stores needing detailed ecommerce insights Agencies managing multiple client websites Enterprise organizations with strict data privacy requirements GDPR-conscious website owners in the EU Marketing teams using Matomo Tag Manager Matomo Cloud vs On-Premise This plugin works seamlessly with both: Matomo Cloud – Hosted solution at matomo.cloud, no server management needed Matomo On-Premise – Self-hosted on your own server for complete data ownership