Comparison of Analytics Tools

Google Analytics vs Plausible vs Conversion Tracking vs Simple Analytics vs Matomo

John Turner

Real reviews by me, John Turner.

Founder of ConversionTracking.com

Included tools
Included tools:
Analytic tool comparisons
Google Analytics

Google Analytics

Plausible

Plausible

ConversionTracking

ConversionTracking

Simple Analytics

Simple Analytics

Matomo

Matomo

Review
My Take

The once awesome Google Analytics is now GA4. In my opinion, it's a regression in usability but power users may like the advanced capabilities. There are fewer built-in reports now so you'll have to use the built-in report builder tool or Looker Studio if you need advanced reports that used to exist by default. This is an issue for most casual users as they are not easy to create. You can still get some general data with the built-in reports like visits, some attribution and e-commerce revenue.

Plausible is a lightweight, privacy analytics tool. This means it uses no cookie to comply with GDPR but the downside is you have a limited 24hr window to track events and associates them with a user. The result is less accurate data. They have an easy-to-use single dashboard page with lots of built-in reports and filters.

ConversionTracking.com focuses on prioritizing revenue over just counting visits, aiming to maximize profit rather than merely tracking site traffic. With over 25 user-friendly reports, we it provides first-touch, last-touch, and assisted attribution insights, allowing you to identify the initial source, what drives conversions,

Simple Analytics is also a privacy-first Google Analytics alternative tool. Their interface is the simplest and easy to use and understand. But this is at the cost or more advanced features that Plausible and Fathom have. 

Matomo may be the closest thing to what the old Google Analytics used to offer. They have an interface similar to the old Google Analytics but they are now Privacy First as well. In my testing, they were the least accurate due to how they send data back to their servers. They use a technology that can be blocked by people using adblockers and I found about 20% of my test data was missing. This setting can be changed, however.

Pros
  • Itโ€™s FREE
  • Lots of Integrations
  • Large Community for Help
  • Advanced Filtering
  • Very nice and fast User Interface
  • Custom Properties, Funnels and Ecommerce Tracking
  • Best ecommerce tracking
  • See exactly where sales and leads come from
  • Easy to use and has lots of built-in reports
  • Super Simple Interface
  • Privacy First
  • Goals and Events Tracking


  • Interface similar to old version of Google Analytics
  • Lots of Built-in reports
  • Lots of Add Ons like Ecommerce Tracking, A/B Testing, etc


Cons
  • Lack of Built-In Reports
  • Slow
  • Bugy

  • Privacy First means less accurate data
  • No ability to create custom reports
  • May be too simple depending on your needs
  • Only tracks ecommerce, does not track vanity metrics like pageviews and bounce rate
  • May be too simple for some advanced marketers
  • Uses cookies and serverside tracking for the most accurate data
  • Least amount of built-in reports of the Privacy First analytics tools
  • Limited filtering
  • May be too simple for some


  • The default tracking method leads to loss of data
  • The interface may be too complex for some.
  • Pricing is more expensive but the service offers more features.


Verdict

The main thing GA4 has going for it is that it is free. Besides that, itโ€™s kind of a pain. I use it for general analytics and I built and use conversiontracking.com for ecommerce tracking.

I really like Plausible and itโ€™s my favorite out of the Privacy First analytics tools like Fathom and Simple Analytics. The limit of a 24-hour lookback window is the biggest downside especially if you need accuracy of campaigns and how people are finding you.

If you want to know know where your sales are from then this is the tool you need. Most analytics tools focus solely on the last touchpoint. This means for example that if someone visits your site or product through an ad or a blog post, then returns directly to your website the next day to make a purchase or sign up, most platforms will attribute the conversion to the last touchpoint, in this case, "Direct." ConversionTracking.com provides first, last, and assisted.

I like Simple Analytics, but it is a bit to simple and for the cost there are better privacy-first alternatives. They do have a Free plan but it denotes fair use. Not sure what that means.

Matomo is nice and offers a lot of add-ons and is perfect for someone wanting that old Goolge Analaytcs feel back.

Pricing
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Pricing: FREE - larger sites will be sampled.

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Pricing is based on number of monthly pageviews. The plans are featured gated. Free trial, no credit card required. Get 2 months free with annual plans.

Growth: Starts at $9 per month for 10k pageviews
Business: Starts at $19 per month for 10l pageviews, includes more features.


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Pricing: We are still in development. Contact us if you would like to be a beta tester.

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Plans are based on monthly pageviews and are feature-gated. Free plan. 2 months free with annual plans.

Free:  Fair use unlimited pageviews
Simple: Starts at $10 per month for 10k pageviews
Team: Starts at $40 per month for 10k pageviews

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Pricing is based on pageviews and add-ons. Try for free, no credit card required. 2 months off with annual plans.

Pricing: Starts at $26 per month for 50,000 page views.

See any errors with the data above or want me to add another comparison? Let me know.

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