As a strategic communications agency, our team collaborates with clients on a global scale.
A large percentage of our digital services are based on utilising data to plan, analyse and optimise accordingly.
But with many territories becoming increasingly stringent in terms of GPDR, data privacy and the digital security of their websites, some countries such as France, the Netherlands, Austria and Denmark are now actively using Google Analytics alternatives.
Well, when we say they are ‘actively’ using Google Analytics alternatives, what we really mean to say is that GA is now blocked in those countries. Meaning that companies now need to use alternative platforms.
For other organisations, it may not be down to data privacy as to why they would choose another platform. Some will choose alternatives based on ease of use, data harvested and sometimes cost.
And it’s always important to remember that whilst Google Analytics may be the ‘biggest’ platform, that doesn’t always mean that it is the right tool for every client or situation.
Why Are Tracking Analytics Tools Important?
To begin with, let’s look at why analytics tools are an important addition to any website.
One of the biggest benefits is that these tools allow you to learn more about your audience. For example, how users find the website, which pages they interact with and how long they spend. Being able to analyse audience behaviour allows for a more personalised marketing activity plan.
Once you understand audience behaviours, you can utilise this information to create the perfect campaign. Analytics tools then enable you to track the campaign performance and success.
It all comes down to having the ability to build up information on user behaviour and utilise it to create more engagement or conversions.
Why You Should Consider Using Google Analytics Alternatives
With Google Analytics being so popular, why should you even consider looking at alternatives?
Don’t get us wrong, we do favour Google Analytics (or GA4 as we have now evolved to) for tracking purposes. But for some, despite the many positives, there are some aspects that should be considered when choosing which tracking platform.
Here’s why.
Privacy concerns
There are concerns over privacy and related laws within certain countries, such as with GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA and PECR to name a few. As mentioned, countries that don’t allow GA include France, Italy, The Netherlands, and Austria.
When working with global communities and businesses, ensuring compliance with these difference laws is vital, and should be considered. Many alternative tools offer compliance with these laws to avoid this issue.
Ease of use
Whilst Google Analytics is a powerful analytics tool, the highly technical interface can be complicated to learn, and figuring out all the different aspects can be challenging. Following the transition from Universal Analytics to GA4, Users have had to learn new interfaces, and keep up to date with features that are constantly being changed as the new interface is developed.
Limited data availability
Due to data sampling, GA only provides limited data. It also suffers from a lack of behavioural insights when compared to other available tools, such as heat maps and session journey recordings.
Google Analytics Alternatives
Whilst Google Analytics is still one of the most widely used analytics tools, and has comprehensive reporting availability, there are several alternatives you can try.
Matomo
Based: France
This is a service provided by Stackhero. A powerful privacy-focused, open source web analytics platform, Matomo tracks traffic, visits and user behaviour. Offering everything Google Analytics provides, it also includes additional features such as heatmaps, session recordings, A/B testing and SEO keyword tools.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Adheres to privacy laws such as GDPR and CCPA | Google platforms not integrated |
| Import historical GA Universal data directly into the tool | Mobile application is slow |
| Unlimited number of websites, users and segments | Free version has limited features, paid for version £17/month |
| Behavioural analytics are available |
Piwik PRO
Based: Poland
Piwik PRO is intuitive and easy to use, with dashboards and report similar to those in Google Analytics. With real-time data monitoring, customisable reports, goal tracking and user segmentation, it offers detailed analysis.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Compliant with GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA and more | User Interface could be improved |
| Provides full data sets with 100% accuracy | Limited integration with third-party tools |
| User-friendly dashboard | Enterprise plan requires a quote – no visible pricing |
| Integrated business intelligence tools | |
| Free core plan |
Heap
Based: USA
Heap is an analytics tool that allows for detailed customer behaviour analysis. It offers traditional analytics such as page views, events, and engagement metrics, as well as digital insights such as heatmaps and session recordings.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| GDPR compliant | Onboarding set-up can be difficult to understand |
| Product and behavioural analytics | Training recommended to start using the platform |
| Auto capture for event data | Various pricing categories, however, no visible pricing |
| Heatmaps and session recordings | |
| Free plan with basic tools |
Fathom Analytics
Based: Canada
Fathom offers a single dashboard with data on website performance, sharing data such as traffic, time on site, bounce rate and goals.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Compliant with GDPR, CCPA and PECR | Doesn’t have a free account option |
| View all sites at a glance | Pricing plans determined by pageviews, starting from $14/month |
| Send email reports to track analytics | Cannot view comparisons between days/weeks on same page |
| Streamlined dashboard for quick analysis |
Plausible
Based: Estonia
Plausible is an open-source alternative to Google Analytics. This lightweight web analytics service doesn’t use cookies, thus doesn’t require the use of a cookie banner. Reports are found on a single page, with a user-friendly, simple design.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Compliant with GDPR, CCPA and more | Only English language supported |
| Simple to use metrics | WordPress integration could be improved |
| Lightweight script to avoid slowing down site speed | Pricing is determined by monthly pageviews, starting from £9/month |
| 100% data ownership |
Gauges
Gauges offers a comprehensive insight into website traffic. Track customer journeys, campaign performance and analyse conversions. This platform offers real-time data breakdowns.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Real-time feature | No implementation of WordPress |
| Insights about page views and users | No pricing information on site |
| Refine with top-content analysis tool |
GoSquared
Based: London/Remote
The GoSquared interface is a single page, showing key metrics to monitor daily. This intuitive dashboard makes the platform user-friendly and easy to understand. With real-time analytics, users can instantly load data and reports.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Compliant with GDPR, CCPA and more | Pricing determined by pageviews, starting from £9/month |
| Real-time data reporting | Limited support |
| Simple interface and reports | |
| Integration with Slack, WordPress, Squarespace, Shopify and more |
Simple Analytics
Based: Netherlands
This Dutch web analytics service focuses on privacy. It offers a simple dashboard that is easy to navigate, providing metrics such as pageviews, time on page, top pages, and user demographics.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Compliant with GDPR and other privacy laws | Results can be delayed |
| Import Google Analytics historical data | Pricing plans determined by pageviews/events, starting from £9/month |
| Simple to use |
Visitor Analytics
Based: Germany
Visitor Analytics is cookie-free and supports a number of features including heatmaps and mouse movements as well as providing polls and surveys to gather customer feedback.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Cookie-free analytics tool | Limited customer service |
| Supports heatmaps and mouse movements | Many users complain about the application freezing frequently |
| Use polls and surveys to gather customer feedback | Pricing plans determined by pageviews, starting from $10.39 for 10,000 page visits/month |
| Has a free plan for 400 page visits/month |
nilly
Based: Switzerland
This privacy-first web analytics service is cookie-less, lightweight and compliant with all data privacy laws (such as GDPR, FADP, CCPA, PECR etc). It offers a WordPress plugin and integrates with other platforms with one line of code.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Simple to use dashboard | Pricing determined by pageviews, starting from 6 EUR/5K views |
| FADP, GDPR, CCPA, PECR, ePR and PIPL compliant | |
| Lightweight tool |
Friendly Analytics
Based: Switzerland
Friendly Analytics is based on Matomo, and allows for tracking without the use of cookies. A complete tag manager with functionality similar to Google Tag Manager is available, allowing for quick integration or tags or code snippets.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Compliant with FADP and GDPR | Pricing determined by pageviews, starting from $19/month |
| User-friendly interface to save time | |
| No cookie banner necessary | |
| WordPress plugin for installation |
To conclude, there are several alternative tracking tools to try besides Google Analytics. With many of these tools having similar options and interfaces, the decision comes down to business needs, budget, and data policy law requirements.
When working with clients at TMC, we have several variables we need to consider when assisting organisations in choosing what will be best for them. One of the main considerations for us is location though. Through experience working alongside Global businesses, each with different analytics tracking needs and laws within those territories, we will always recommend a bespoke solution for the unique needs of the business or project.
For further reading, take a look at our detailed reporting and data visualisation services.
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