Skip the setup.
Start tracking now.
Matomo gives you full control with self-hosting. But maintaining servers and instrumenting events takes time. Happenstance gives you zero-config analytics with no infrastructure.
Happenstance
Zero-config
- 1 Add one script tag to your site
- 2 Done. Events are tracked automatically.
Matomo
Traditional setup
- 1 Deploy Matomo on your server (or use Cloud)
- 2 Configure PHP, MySQL, and web server
- 3 Create a site in the Matomo dashboard
- 4 Add the Matomo tracking code
- 5 Set up custom events with _paq.push()
- 6 Configure goals, segments, and reports
- 7 Maintain server and apply updates regularly
Matomo (formerly Piwik) is the most established open-source analytics platform. With full self-hosting, you own every byte of data. But that control comes with responsibility — you need to manage servers, apply security patches, and handle scaling. Custom event tracking still requires manual instrumentation. Happenstance eliminates both the infrastructure burden and the instrumentation work.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Happenstance | Matomo |
|---|---|---|
| Zero-config setup | ||
| Automatic event discovery | ||
| No hosting required | ||
| Page view tracking | ||
| Click tracking | Automatic | Manual |
| Form tracking | Plugin | |
| Error tracking | ||
| Goal tracking | ||
| Heatmaps | Premium plugin | |
| Privacy-friendly | ||
| No cookies | Configurable | |
| Open source | ||
| Self-hosted option | ||
| Free tier | 10k events/mo | Self-host free |
Why teams switch
Teams switch from Matomo when server maintenance becomes a distraction. Updating PHP, patching MySQL, scaling during traffic spikes — it's a part-time job. And the tracking code still needs manual event calls for anything beyond page views. Happenstance is fully managed and discovers events automatically.
How to migrate from Matomo
- 1 Add the Happenstance script tag alongside Matomo.
- 2 Compare automatically discovered events with your Matomo custom events.
- 3 Map your Matomo goals to Happenstance goals.
- 4 Remove the Matomo tracking code and decommission the server.
- 5 Save time on infrastructure maintenance and tracking code upkeep.
Who should use what
Choose Happenstance if...
You want powerful analytics without managing infrastructure. Perfect for teams who've outgrown the maintenance burden of self-hosted analytics.
Choose Matomo if...
You need full data ownership through self-hosting, require GDPR compliance via on-premise deployment, or need Matomo's extensive plugin ecosystem.
Integration Code
Happenstance (complete setup)
<script src="https://happenstance.click/v1/track.js"></script>Matomo (just initialization)
<!-- Matomo tracking code -->
var _paq = window._paq || [];
_paq.push(['trackPageView']);
_paq.push(['enableLinkTracking']);
// Custom events require code:
_paq.push(['trackEvent',
'Category', 'Action', 'Name']);
Matomo is the right choice if you need full data ownership through self-hosting and have the resources to maintain infrastructure. Happenstance is for teams who want powerful analytics without managing servers or writing tracking code.
Start tracking in 30 seconds
No signup. No configuration. Just add one script tag and see your analytics instantly.
Get your script tag