To decrease the dependence on Google and to get better service and privacy, you can always look for alternate analytics programs and tools like Heap, Matomo, Piwik Pro, Woopra, Clicky, Plausible Analytics, Adobe Analytics, and Fathom. This blog addresses all your related queries and discusses these alternate options and their differences from Google Analytics.
Why Look for an Alternative to Google Analytics?
Limited cross-device tracking, incomplete attribution modelling, fragmented data collection, and barely any support for apps were some of the drawbacks of Universal Analytics. Tracking and customisation were only available on predefined events, which made it challenging to understand the full customer journey.
GA4 Vs. Universal Analytics
- UA focused on individual users
- Universal Analytics is an event-driven data model
- UA has machine learning anomalies
- GA4 has simplified implementation
- GA4 does not directly integrate with Universal Analytics
- GA4 integrates with fewer third-party tools
Best Alternatives to Google Analytics
Now, you need not settle for less. There are many alternative programs that you can choose from other than Google Analytics. Here are some wise suggestions:
Heap
As a sister company of Hotjar within the Contentsquare group, Heap provides you with a complete understanding of your customers’ digital journeys. Heap offers 10,000 tracked sessions per month for free, and like GA, it is primarily an analytics tool with additional features like Heatmaps and Session Replay. However, unlike GA, which requires you to define the events you’d like to track, Heap can track retroactively.
Why Heap Is a Strong Alternative to Google Analytics?
- GDPR-compliant
- Automates data capture
- Features heatmaps and session recordings
- Offers traditional quantitative analytics
- Get better product analytics
- Monitor user interactions
Matomo
Matomo is an online analytics tool with a privacy focus that monitors user behaviour and website traffic and offers these metrics reports. Matomo is completely free of cost, but you will have to set it up on your web server and pay for it. Extra capabilities like A/B testing and custom reports cost when self-hosted.
Nearly all of the features that Google Analytics offers are also included in Matomo. Some of the additional features are heatmaps, session recordings, SEO keyword reporting, and A/B testing. In contrast to GA4, Matomo employs cookieless tracking. It also doesn’t sample website traffic, so you can easily follow more site users’ activities while abiding by GDPR and other privacy regulations.
Why is Matomo a Top Alternative to Google Analytics?
- Avoids data sampling
- Offers behavioural analytics
- GDPR- and CCPA-compliant
- Can easily import historical data from Google Analytics.
- Gives complete data ownershi
Adobe Analytics
Adobe Analytics is a platform for web analytics. It is similar to Google Analytics in terms of data and metrics, and it is also a cloud-based analytics platform. Adobe Analytics collates data from multiple channels like web, email, and mobile apps and offers advanced customisation options.
Adobe Analytics is a comparable alternative to Google Analytics 360. It is an advanced, enterprise-level software and one of the most expensive options, too. Adobe Analytics is part of Adobe Experience Cloud. Here are some reasons to choose Adobe Analytics over GA:
Why Adobe Analytics Could Be a Better Choice Than Google Analytics?
- Predictive Modeling
- Beautiful data visualisations
- Detailed data of your users and their journey
- Access to business intelligence tools
Fathom
Fathom Analytics prioritises privacy above anything. It offers a single dashboard with quantitative data on your website’s performance. The bounce rate, site time, and goal completions are some of such data. Fathom operates and tracks the most important metrics with the intent to shorten data into an easily readable report to help you make critical marketing decisions more quickly.
Fathom employs cookieless tracking, which allows it to get information from users who disable their cookies or use ad-blockers. In contrast to GA4, UTMs, pageview, other fundamental analytics data and referral sources are tracked by Fathom. All these are presented in a single dashboard, too. Here are some reasons for you to choose Fathom over Google Analytics:
Key Benefits of Fathom Compared to Google Analytics:
- Better data privacy
- Meets EU standards
- Free uptime monitoring
- Compliant with the GDPR, CCPA, and PECR
- Streamlined dashboard with ad blocker compatibility
Plausible Analytics
An open-source, privacy-conscious substitute for Google Analytics is called Plausible Analytics. It’s a terrific choice for website owners who value privacy as well as those who want a quick and easy way to use Plausible Analytics. A simpler substitute for Google Analytics is Plausible. It is designed to comply with GDPR and other privacy and data-gathering requirements. It employs cookieless monitoring and presents fundamental analytics on an easy-to-understand dashboard. Below are some reasons to choose Plausible Analytics as an alternative.
Why Plausible Analytics Is a Worthy Google Analytics Replacement?
- Easy to use
- Compliance with GDPR and CCPA
- Single-page, user-friendly dashboard.
- No cookies and 100% data ownership.
Clicky
Clicky is a real-time analytics solution for websites that respect user privacy. Because of its simplicity of use and easy installation, it is frequently chosen as an alternative to Google Analytics. The program is well-known for its heatmap tracking feature, which lets you see how users scroll through your website. It gives a set of reports with real-time data, such as page views and referral sources. One of the main reasons why people choose Clicky is that it doesn’t require any additional tools or cookies.
Benefits of Choosing Clicky Over Google Analytics:
- Mobile compatibility
- Backlink analysis
- Compliant to GDPR
- Heatmap tracking and real-time reporting
Woopra
Woopra is an analytics tool similar to Google Analytics in terms of features. It is different and could be a better alternative to GA as it prioritises and stresses the five data categories, i.e., trends, journey, behaviour, cohort, and retention. Compared to plain data presentation, this categorisation enables more useful understandings. Woopra monitors each customer’s unique activity and associates it with other user data. Here are some features of Woopra which make it an alternative to Google Analytics:
Reasons to Consider Woopra Over Google Analytics:
- User-friendly interface
- Integration with third-party tools
- Advanced analytics categorisation
- Real-time analytics and customer segmentation
Piwik Pro
Piwik Pro, formerly known as Piwik, is an analytics package and customer data platform. It is designed with a strong emphasis on data protection and privacy. The quantitative data range provided is almost similar to GA. Additionally, you can use business intelligence to expand your study beyond traffic analytics. As mentioned earlier, the fundamental features of Piwik Pro are remarkably similar to those of GA4: you may obtain information on funnel analysis, website visitor engagements and user flow. Here are some reasons for stating Piwik Pro as an alternative for GA:
Benefits of Piwik Pro Compared to Google Analytics:
- Excellent activity panel.
- User-friendly dashboards.
- Control over your data.
- Compliant with the GDPR and CCPA.
- Abandoned cart tracking.
Conclusion
While Google Analytics has been a dominant player, its limitations in privacy and data ownership have opened the door for better alternatives like Heap, Matomo, Piwik Pro, and others. However, navigating these tools can be complex and time-consuming, especially when considering the need for GDPR compliance, accurate data tracking, and seamless integration.
At Rankingeek Marketing Agency, we specialise in providing customised SEO solutions that take the hassle out of managing these advanced analytics tools. Our expert team is dedicated to ensuring that you can effortlessly switch to or integrate these alternatives, allowing you to focus on growing your business without the technical headaches. Whether you’re looking for in-depth analytics, better data privacy, or seamless third-party integration, we’re here to guide you every step of the way. Contact us today to experience stress-free optimisation and make the most of your digital marketing efforts.
