Friendly Analytics vs Piwik PRO

Compare Friendly Analytics and Piwik PRO on capabilities, jurisdiction, assurance, and fit for European buyers.

Both listed as alternatives to: Google Analytics, Matomo

Friendly Analytics

Switzerland· Web Analytics

Needs review

Shortlist when you need full Matomo depth (heatmaps, funnels, ecommerce, API) with Swiss product hosting and managed privacy defaults—especially regulated CH/EU orgs leaving Google Analytics. Skip when you only want a minimal pageview counter, a free self-serve tier, or pure DIY Matomo ops—consider Plausible, etracker, or self-hosted Matomo instead.

Matomo-as-a-ServiceCookieless by defaultSwiss product hostingISO 27001 (claimed)DPA availableEU / on-prem option

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Piwik PRO

Poland· Web Analytics

Needs review

Shortlist Piwik PRO when you need a managed European analytics controller with integrated consent, tagging, and real-time data activation—and you can accept cloud residency on Azure and/or Elastx. Skip when you require open-source self-hosting (consider Matomo or Friendly Analytics) or only need a minimal cookieless counter (Plausible, Simple Analytics).

EU HQ (Poland)Analytics + tags + consentData activationEU hosting optionsISO 27001 / SOC 2 (claimed)HIPAA BAA (Enterprise)

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Highlighted rows differ between the two products.

Friendly Analytics vs Piwik PRO: Snapshot
Feature	Friendly Analytics	Piwik PRO
Country of origin	Switzerland	Poland
Category	Web Analytics	Web Analytics
Open source	Yes	No
Self-hosted	Yes	No
Headquarters	Switzerland	Poland
Legal entity	Friendly LLC (Friendly GmbH on DPA), Werkhofstrasse 5, 6052 Hergiswil, Switzerland	Piwik PRO SA (Wrocław); affiliates Piwik PRO LLC (New York), Piwik PRO GmbH (Berlin)
Governing law	Swiss law (per customer principal agreement / DPA framework)	Not listed
US parent / control	No known US parent	No known US parent
CLOUD Act exposure (indicative)	Medium	Medium
Hosting / residency	Analytics product: Infomaniak (CH) primary hosting; Netstream and Hosttech (CH) backups. AWS listed only for Friendly Automate email, not Analytics. Enterprise marketing also offers EU or on-premise hosting. Company ops: US SaaS including Google Workspace, HelpScout, Stripe, Notion, Calendly, Cloudflare (help docs).	Customer-selectable regions: Microsoft Azure public cloud (US, Netherlands, Germany, Hong Kong) and Elastx (Sweden, EU-operated). Enterprise private cloud: 60+ Azure regions plus Elastx. Business plan marketing highlights Swedish EU-operated hosting. No classic customer self-host.
Summary	Swiss Matomo-as-a-Service: cookieless-by-default web analytics with heatmaps, funnels, and ecommerce, product data hosted in Switzerland, plus enterprise DPA and on-prem options.	Polish privacy-first analytics suite combining web and mobile analytics, tag management, consent management, and real-time data activation for regulated teams.
Tags	analytics privacy gdpr enterprise matomo open-source switzerland nfadp self-hosted	analytics privacy gdpr enterprise hipaa consent-management tag-manager saas api

At a glance: Friendly Analytics vs Piwik PRO
At a glance	Friendly Analytics	Piwik PRO
HQ	Hergiswil, Switzerland	Wrocław, Poland (Piwik PRO SA)
Legal entity	Friendly LLC / Friendly GmbH	Not listed
Stack	Matomo (unmodified + premium plugins)	Not listed
Product hosts	Infomaniak; backups Netstream & Hosttech (CH)	Not listed
Commercial model	Hit-based SaaS; enterprise custom; no free trial	Business subscription + trial; Enterprise custom
Open source base	Matomo; portable to other Matomo hosts	Not listed
Product type	Not listed	Commercial analytics suite (SaaS / private cloud)
Open source	Not listed	No (closed source since split from Matomo lineage)
Self-host	Not listed	No classic on-prem; public or private cloud only
Hosting (public)	Not listed	Azure US/NL/DE/HK; Elastx Sweden
Modules	Not listed	Analytics, Tag Manager, Consent Manager, Data Activation

Key capabilities: Friendly Analytics vs Piwik PRO
Key capabilities	Friendly Analytics	Piwik PRO
Matomo-as-a-Service	Yes	Not listed
Cookieless by default	Yes	Not listed
Swiss product hosting	Yes	Not listed
ISO 27001 (claimed)	Yes	Not listed
DPA available	Yes	Not listed
EU / on-prem option	Yes	Not listed
EU HQ (Poland)	Not listed	Yes
Analytics + tags + consent	Not listed	Yes
Data activation	Not listed	Yes
EU hosting options	Not listed	Yes
ISO 27001 / SOC 2 (claimed)	Not listed	Yes
HIPAA BAA (Enterprise)	Not listed	Yes

Friendly Analytics

Matomo-as-a-Service with privacy defaults
Runs unmodified Matomo plus selected premium plugins, preconfigured for cookieless tracking, IP truncation, and nFADP/GDPR-oriented defaults so teams avoid operating Matomo themselves while keeping exit paths to another Matomo host.
Heatmaps, funnels, session recording, and ecommerce
Beyond pageviews: heatmaps, privacy-oriented session replays, conversion funnels, form analytics, A/B tests, and ecommerce reporting for UX and revenue analysis without bolting on a separate US product suite.
Swiss product hosting with EU or on-prem options
Visitor analytics hosted with Infomaniak in Switzerland; backups via Netstream and Hosttech (CH). Enterprise can contract Swiss, EU, or on-premise placement—confirm region in the order form rather than assuming SaaS-only CH.
Ads conversion export without third-party pixels
Advertising Conversion Export sends conversions to Google or Bing via API so campaigns can be optimized without placing those vendors' tracking codes on your site—useful when privacy policy bans extra ad tags.
GA import, reporting API, and Matomo portability
Historical Google Analytics data can be imported (manual, effort-billed). Reporting API and live export links feed BI tools; data can move to another Matomo instance, limiting classic SaaS lock-in.
Enterprise contracts, SSO, and dedicated instances
Enterprise tier adds custom DPA/DORA/NDA/SLA paperwork, dedicated account management, SSO, custom domain, dedicated instance, and phone/video support for banks, insurers, and public bodies.

Piwik PRO

ClickHouse-backed web & mobile analytics
Session-level web and app analytics with custom reports, funnels, user flows, multi-channel attribution, and calculated metrics. Vendor positions unsampled collection by default with optional sampling for extreme volumes, plus raw export via API, files, and BigQuery—aimed at teams that outgrew pre-aggregated MySQL-style tools.
Anonymous tracking when cookies are declined
Collect privacy-safe behavioral signals without identifiers when visitors refuse cookies or when you configure limited measurement modes. Marketing can still see channels and journeys; personal identifiers and full attribution wait for a valid lawful basis—useful under GDPR/ePrivacy friction.
Integrated Consent Manager and Tag Manager
Capture and store consent, drive tag firing from preferences, and handle visitor data requests in-product. Optional Cookie Information CMP and server-side tagging paths reduce the usual glue code between a separate CMP, GTM, and analytics.
Data Activation for real-time personalization
Segment audiences from live behavior and trigger on-site or outbound actions without exporting every event to a second CDP first. Suited to regulated marketers who want activation on first-party data they control.
Selectable cloud residency (Azure + Elastx)
Public cloud regions include Azure US, NL, DE, and HK plus Elastx Sweden; Enterprise private cloud spans 60+ Azure regions and Elastx. Business plan marketing highlights EU-operated Swedish hosting—pick region in procurement, not after go-live.
Regulated-industry packaging (GDPR tooling, HIPAA BAA path)
DPA available on Business signup; Enterprise adds private cloud, higher action volumes, SLAs, and HIPAA Business Associate Agreements for healthcare marketing analytics. Vendor also claims ISO 27001 and SOC 2—request current certificates in diligence.

Assurance & compliance: Friendly Analytics vs Piwik PRO
Assurance & compliance	Friendly Analytics	Piwik PRO
Independent security / no-logs audit	Not found Vendor describes anonymization defaults and mentions external pen tests in ISO materials; no public independent no-logs audit report found.	Partial Vendor states regular external security audits and SOC 2/ISO programs; no public third-party no-logs-style audit PDF reviewed for this draft. Request reports under NDA.
ISO 27001	Vendor claimed Vendor publishes ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification covering the company/products with a certificate PDF; not independently re-verified against the cert body registry in this draft.	Vendor claimed Asserted on privacy-security and platform pages; certificate not independently re-verified against a public registry for this entry.
SOC 2 / SOC 3	Not found No SOC 2/3 claim found on security/about pages reviewed.	Vendor claimed Vendor claims SOC 2 (comparison content references type II) and SOC 2-certified infrastructure; obtain current report in diligence.
GDPR / EU data protection	Vendor claimed Swiss entity; public materials assert nFADP and GDPR alignment; cookieless defaults and CH processing described in DPA.	Vendor claimed EU legal entity, residency options, consent tooling, anonymization, and DPA. Compliance depends on customer configuration and purposes.
US CLOUD Act exposure (indicative)	Partial Swiss entity, no known US parent; Analytics product hosts are Swiss (Infomaniak/Netstream/Hosttech). Medium/partial because company subprocessors include US SaaS (e.g. Google Workspace, HelpScout, Stripe, Cloudflare). AWS not used for Analytics per vendor list. Indicative only—not legal advice.	Partial No known US parent (Polish SA). Medium exposure due to Microsoft Azure as public/private cloud subprocessor and optional US region; Elastx Sweden is EU-operated alternative. Not legal advice.
Data processing agreement (B2B)	Vendor claimed Public DPA text for Friendly GmbH; customers asked to contact to sign. Enterprise also references DORA/NDA/SLA packs.	Vendor claimed Business DPA linked from Business plan signup (piwik.pro/business-dpa/); Enterprise contracts expand terms.
EU AI Act	Not applicable Web analytics SaaS; not positioned as an AI system product.	Not applicable Analytics/activation platform; not marketed as an AI system provider. Customer AI use of exported data is out of product scope.
ISO 9001	Vendor claimed Vendor publishes ISO 9001 certification materials alongside ISO 27001.	Not listed
HIPAA / BAA	Not listed	Vendor claimed HIPAA-oriented offering with BAA on Enterprise path per vendor; not available on all plan tiers.

Considerations & known limitations: Friendly Analytics vs Piwik PRO
Considerations & known limitations	Friendly Analytics	Piwik PRO
US company-operation subprocessors	Medium Support, email/calendar, payments, CRM/docs, and help-docs edge use US-headquartered SaaS even though Analytics visitor data hosts are Swiss. Material for DPIAs that demand zero US processors in any vendor process.	Not listed
Cookie features can reintroduce consent needs	Low Default is cookieless, but enabling cookie-based Matomo capabilities may require banners for EU visitors—configuration discipline required.	Not listed
Small Swiss operator dependency	Low Seven-person-scale Open Startup; mitigations include Matomo portability and open financial transparency, but capacity and roadmap still depend on a small firm.	Not listed
Certifications vendor-published	Low ISO 27001/9001 are claimed with PDFs on the vendor site; procurement should verify certificate validity with the issuing body.	Low ISO 27001, SOC 2, and HIPAA are vendor-claimed. Request certificates/reports and BAA text before treating them as assured.
Do not conflate with Friendly Automate	Medium Automate uses AWS for email sending. Scope assessments to Analytics-only subprocessors unless you also buy Automate.	Not listed
US-group cloud (Azure) in hosting path	Not listed	Medium Even with EU region selection, Azure introduces US-group infrastructure risk. Pin region, review SCCs/subprocessors, and escalate if policy forbids US cloud groups entirely.
Closed source and no classic self-host	Not listed	Medium Cannot independently audit full source or run fully air-gapped on customer iron. Private cloud still involves vendor-managed stack on Azure/Elastx.
Paid plans only after Core sunset	Not listed	Low Free Core has been discontinued; evaluation relies on trials and paid Business/Enterprise metering by actions/domains.
Compliance depends on configuration	Not listed	Medium Anonymous modes and CNIL exemption require correct setup and purpose limitation. Misconfiguration can recreate the same legal exposure teams left GA to avoid.

Fit

Friendly Analytics

Best fit when

Teams that want Matomo's full feature set without self-hosting ops burden
Swiss and EU organizations prioritizing CH product residency (Infomaniak + CH backups)
Sites aiming for cookieless measurement under default privacy configuration
Marketing teams needing heatmaps, funnels, ecommerce, and ad conversion export without Google Analytics
Enterprises needing DPA/DORA/SLA paperwork, SSO, or dedicated instances

Poor fit when

Buyers who only need lightweight pageview analytics and prefer a free tier (see Plausible-class tools)
Teams that must self-operate every component with no SaaS operator in the path
Orgs that require zero US-headquartered tools anywhere in the vendor's company stack (support/billing SaaS is disclosed)
Use cases outside web/app analytics (Friendly Automate is a different product with different subprocessors)

Consider instead when

When: You want a minimal, open-source, cookieless counter with simpler SaaS UX
Consider: Plausible Analytics
Less Matomo plugin depth; different hosting/operator story (Estonia).
When: You need German enterprise analytics with long public-sector track record
Consider: etracker
Different stack (not Matomo); compare cookieless claims and contracts directly.
When: You prefer a modern EU analytics product with open-source core and lean UI
Consider: Pirsch Analytics
Germany-based; trade Matomo feature breadth for a different product surface.
When: You already run Matomo well and only need software, not a Swiss operator
Consider: Self-hosted Matomo
Maximum control; you own privacy config, updates, and hosting risk.

Piwik PRO

Best fit when

Regulated marketing/analytics teams that want one suite for measurement, consent, tags, and activation under a Polish legal entity
Public sector and EU enterprises that need selectable EU residency (e.g. Elastx Sweden or Azure NL/DE) plus a formal B2B DPA
Healthcare digital teams evaluating HIPAA-aware analytics with a signed BAA on Enterprise
Organizations leaving GA4 primarily for residency, no vendor ad-network reuse, and anonymous pre-consent measurement options
Teams that need enterprise reporting depth (custom reports, funnels, flows, attribution) beyond lightweight privacy analytics

Poor fit when

Buyers who mandate fully self-hosted open-source analytics with no cloud hypervisor vendor
Sites that only need simple cookieless page analytics without tag management or activation
Teams that refuse any US-group infrastructure (Azure appears in public hosting options even when EU regions are chosen)
Orgs seeking a free forever analytics tier (Core plan sunset; paid Business/Enterprise only)

Consider instead when

When: You need open-source code and true on-premises control
Consider: Matomo (self-host) or Friendly Analytics / Matomo by Stackhero for managed Matomo
Piwik PRO is proprietary cloud/private-cloud only.
When: You want minimal, cookieless EU analytics without enterprise suite complexity
Consider: Plausible Analytics or Simple Analytics
Far smaller feature surface; no HIPAA/CDP-style activation packaging.
When: You need a German enterprise analytics vendor with long public-sector presence
Consider: etracker
Different product depth and packaging—compare consent tooling and activation needs.

Open questions for due diligence

Friendly Analytics

Will the signed DPA and order form pin hosting to Switzerland only, or allow EU/on-prem variants?
Which company subprocessors (HelpScout, Google Workspace, Stripe, etc.) receive which categories of customer personal data in practice?
Can the current ISO 27001 certificate be validated against the certification body's public register (scope, dates, sites)?
For enterprise: what is the RPO/RTO and whether backups remain exclusively in Switzerland?
If both Analytics and Automate are purchased, how are subprocessors and data paths segmented contractually?

Piwik PRO

What exact subprocessor list and backup/DR locations apply to the contracted region (Azure vs Elastx) today?
Can the vendor provide current ISO 27001 certificate scope and SOC 2 Type II report under NDA?
For healthcare: which plan tier, region, and BAA wording cover the intended PHI workflows?
Does the Business Swedish hosting path avoid Azure entirely for production data, or only for selected components?
What residual free/legacy Core accounts remain, and what is the migration deadline for this tenant?