Website analytics enables website owners to improve their websites and make them more attractive to visitors. Piwik Pro is a web analytics tool that provides metrics such as page views, visitors (and their characteristics), real-time visitors, and time on page, etc., to help website owners improve their website experience.
Piwik Pro is a popular web analytics tool, but it has its drawbacks. In this article, we'll dive into Piwik Pro and showcase a few alternatives that might suit you better.
Let's dive in!
- What is Piwik PRO used for?
- Piwik PRO Pricing
- Piwik Alternatives
- Things to Look For in an Analytics Tool
- Frequently Asked Questions
What is Piwik PRO used for?
Like Matomo, Piwik PRO also branched out of a popular open-source analytics tool, Piwik.
Piwik PRO has seen significant development compared to when it was branched out of Piwik. It has now become a web and product analytics tool for enterprise customers, making it a very expensive choice for many.
If Piwik PRO’s pricing doesn’t suit your budget, then it is worthwhile looking at the below alternatives. Also, the low data retention policy of Piwik PRO is a deal breaker for many.
Piwik PRO Pricing
Piwik PRO is an enterprise solution and is expected to be expensive. If you try looking up the pricing on their site, you won’t be able to, as it requires contacting the sales team.
Though the pricing isn’t public, but according to Optimize Smart, the pricing plans start at $419/month for 1,000,000+ actions. Note that this info was shared in 2022, so the pricing is highly likely to be updated.
Piwik Alternatives
Now that we've covered the features and cost of Piwik PRO let's look at why you might want to look for a different solution. Even though Piwik PRO has robust analytics features, it's crucial to consider any potential downsides that can make you feel other options.
Though Piwik PRO has most of the features, poor data retention policy and complex implementation can be a dealbreaker for many. Here are some alternatives to consider.
Simple Analytics (easy to use and predictable pricing)
As the name goes, Simple Analytics is a simple and easy-to-use analytics tool. It's also one of the few analytics tools completely GDPR-compliant with EU-hosted servers.
Also, “simple” doesn’t refer to a lack of features here. It's a robust web analytics tool that doubles as a minimal product analytics tool, too, with event and goal-tracking capabilities.
Now let's review a few benefits of using Simple Analytics over Piwik PRO.
Pros of using Simple Analytics
- Simplified UI - Using tools that are easy to navigate around is always preferred over complex ones. Simple Analytics offers a straightforward user interface that makes analysis easier. Working with it is, therefore, a smooth activity.
- Affordable Pricing- Simple Analytics is exceptionally cost-effective. They offer both product and web analytics tools at a reasonable price. They have plans starting at $9/month. It packs the tools and features from the most expensive tools for a friendly price.
- Automated Event Collection- Another feature that makes Simple Analytics stand out in its product category is automated event collection. While you must manually set additional tags for other tools, Simple Analytics does the job for you. Once you link it to your website, it lets you track the metrics of all action buttons just by hovering over them.
- Mini Websites- As a business with an online presence, you often get featured in the conversation of your users. You might get a mention on Twitter or a feature on a website. While most tools let you know where you got a mention, they don’t deliver the specifics. Simple Analytics stands out here. It gives you the specifics of your feature and helps you track it through a mini website.
Cons of using Simple Analytics
The user interface of Simple Analytics is made to look simple and easy to understand so everyone, be it the founder or marketing teams, can use it easily. The Product Manager may need a few more screens, but that is something that can be quickly built with goals.
Pricing of Simple Analytics
Simple Analytics is one of the most cost-efficient tools available in its segment. The product is perfect for businesses. It caters to companies and has plans for individuals and businesses of all sizes. Therefore it ensures that the best features are available at a very reasonable price.
The pricing of Simple Analytics starts at a low $9/month, making it a pocket-friendly tool for businesses of all sizes.
Statcounter
Statcounter is a web analytics tool that helps website owners monitor their traffic, analyze visitor behavior and track online campaigns. It was founded in 1999 and is based in Dublin, Ireland.
It has other helpful features besides general analytics data, such as session replay and live visitor feed.
Pros
- Provides real-time analytics and session replay.
- Easy to install and use.
Cons
- The pricing plans can be expensive for small businesses.
- The free version has many limitations.
- Dated and poor UI.
Pricing
Statcounter has three pricing tiers for website analytics: Basic, Premium, and Premium Plus. Also, the pricing is based on the number of page views and session replays you choose.
The Premium plan starts at €7/month for up to 100,000 pageviews, and if you add session replay too, the price goes up to €16/month, which adds 1,000 session replays to the plan. One good part about their pricing is that every plan is customizable based on your needs.
Umami
Umami is an open-source web analytics tool that provides website owners insights into visitor behavior. It was created by three brothers Mike, Brian, and Francis Cao.
Many devs love it as it’s easy to install and get started, but remember that this can be challenging for non-developers. Umami also has event tracking, but users have reported it to be very limited.
Pros
- Open-source, which means it's free to use if self-hosted.
- Simple and easy dashboard.
- Lightweight web analytics and doesn’t slow the website.
Cons
- Limited support options
- Limited data retention options.
- Limited features compared to other paid options.
Pricing
Umami Analytics was initially only open-source but recently launched a hosted cloud version. The pricing starts at $9/month for 100,000 pageviews. One major issue with all the plans is their limited data retention policy unless you switch to a custom plan.
Visitor Analytics
Visitor Analytics is a website analytic tool that calls itself a website intelligence platform as it comes with several other features, such as session recording, polls, surveys, and much more.
It’s a comprehensive solution for anyone who needs more than just web analytics, but at times, this can get overwhelming, too; with more features, the dashboards keep getting cluttered.
Pros
- Offers wide range of features.
- Simple and easy to install.
Cons
- Slightly expensive for small and medium-sized businesses.
- You may have to pay for features you won’t use in a higher plan.
- Uses fingerprinting and is not GDPR-compliant
Pricing
Visitor Analytics multiple pricing plans. The Basic package is priced at $10.39 monthly and includes heatmaps and website analytics for up to 10,000 page views. The Advanced plan, available for $19.99 per month, offers everything the Basic plan features but with higher limits.
Similarly, they have Pro, Pro Plus, and Pro ++ plans which are over the same as the other plans do with even higher limits. They also give access to “Company Reveal,” which lets you know if you are getting traffic for any organizations.
Things to Look For in an Analytics Tool
Selecting a tool for product analytics is a crucial decision. Therefore, be sure to go through this checklist before making a choice. You're good to go if the tool provides these:
- Ease of Use: Regardless of your chosen product, it must be simple to use. You shouldn’t spend your precious time on a complex web analytics tool that takes time and experience to get familiar with.
- Accuracy: Getting an accurate picture of what’s happening on your website is important. Inaccurate data might lead to misjudged decisions that impact your business.
- Straightforward UI: Most of the time, you don’t need 75 custom dashboards (looking at you, Google). A straightforward overview of what’s happening on your website will give you the insights you need instantly. Look for a tool that gives you the insights you need without too many distracting bells and whistles.
- Lightweight: Your website is your storefront on the internet. Providing the best possible experience to your visitors matters. Installing an analytics script has an impact on your page speed. Choose an analytics tool that doesn’t slow your website down. This not only affects your visitors’ experience. Google will notice this as well.
- Privacy: The world is moving in a direction where privacy is becoming increasingly important. Google Analytics has been declared illegal in multiple EU countries. You don’t want to get caught up in this mess. Take privacy or compliance with regulation into account.
- Integration: To get a complete picture of your business, the tool should be able to integrate with other devices you use, such as your CRM or dashboarding tools.
- Pricing: Consider the tool's pricing and ensure it aligns with your budget. Take advantage of some companies' free trials or basic versions to ensure the product suits your needs before committing to a paying plan.
Although this checklist can assist you in getting started, there may be other factors for your organization that you need to consider.
Feel free to try Simple Analytics if you want a tool that checks these boxes. It provides the insights you need in a straightforward dashboard while being 100% GDPR compliant.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Piwik and Google Analytics?
The biggest difference between Piwik and Google Analytics is the fact that Piwik is GDPR-compliant and does not transfer data to the United States. They are both complex analytics tools that enterprise companies use. If you are looking for an intuitive analytics tool, you should check out Simple Analytics.
Is Piwik GDPR-compliant?
Yes, Piwik is GDPR-compliant in the sense that they don’t transfer data to the U.S. However, Piwik does collect personal data and uses cookies. If you want to use Piwik, you still need to have an annoying cookie banner on your website.
Is Piwik self-hosted?
There is a self-hosted version of Piwik. You can install it for free, but you must pay for hosting and maintaining your own servers. If you are not technical, this is not an option. The cloud-hosted version is not free.
Why is Simple Analytics preferred over Piwik?
Piwik is a complex analytics tool that requires training and experience to use properly. Simple Analytics gives you all the insights you need in a straightforward dashboard that is easy to use. Also, Simple Analytics is cookieless by design, meaning you don’t need an annoying cookie banner if you use Simple Analytics instead of Piwik.