Website analytics can help website owners understand how visitors interact with their websites. Website analytics are beneficial since they enable website improvement. Owners can modify their website by looking at how long visitors stay on it and what pages they visit.
StatCounter is a popular web analytics tool, but it has its drawbacks. In this article, we'll dive into StatCounter and showcase alternatives that might suit you better.
- What is StatCounter used for?
- StatCounter Pricing
- StatCounter Alternatives
- Things to Look For in an Analytics Tool
- Frequently Asked Questions
What is StatCounter used for?
StatCounter is one of the oldest web analytics tools, and it was launched back in 1999. It’s a simple tool built to help webmasters monitor their traffic, analyze visitor behavior and track online campaigns.
Though StatCounter started as a web analytics tool but lately, they have also added features such as session replay and live visitor feed. The major issue with StatCounter is that it has a very dated UI that needs a refresh, and also, the session replay feature is very expensive, which tools like Clarity can do for free (though privacy can be a concern).
StatCounter 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.
StatCounter Alternatives
StatCounter is a decent web analytics application that delivers valuable insights into website traffic. It does, however, have some drawbacks.
The user interface of StatCounter is one of its drawbacks because it might need to be more precise and more intuitive than ideal. However, StatCounter's free version also has a few features and data analysis tools.
Given StatCounter's limitations, looking into alternatives that provide a more user-friendly interface and all-encompassing analytics solutions is crucial.
Simple Analytics
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. It is cost-effective, privacy first, easy to use, and real-time data collection oriented. What more do you need?
Now let's review a few benefits of using Simple Analytics over Adobe Analytics.
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.
Visitor Analytics
Visitor Analytics is a website analytics 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.
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.
Matomo
Matomo, formerly Piwik (not to be confused with Piwik PRO), is a Google Analytics alternative that provides both cloud and on-premise versions. The cloud version is recommended for those who don’t want to go through the hassle of setting and managing the server, whereas the self-hosted version is for those with deep technical knowledge.
Apart from web analytics, Matomo can also provide services such as collecting form inputs, SEO vitals checker, A/B testing tool, etc.
Pros
- The self-hosted version is free to use.
- Feature-rich.
Cons
- Payment is required to unlock additional features in the self-hosted version, and the cloud version lacks certain features.
- The UI might feel complex to some.
- Cloud plans are expensive compared to other tools.
Pricing
The pricing of Matomo depends on whether you are on the self-hosted or cloud plan. Also, based on add-one, the price might change. Currently, the self-hosted plan with no add-ons is free, and the cloud version costs ~$35/month (changes based on your local currency).
Things to Look For in an Analytics Tool
Selecting a tool for product analytics is a crucial decision. You might ask what could possibly go wrong when choosing one, yet you can miss out on a lot. 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
Why is Simple Analytics preferred over StatCounter?
Simple Analytics is an intuitive web analytics tool that gives you the insights you need in an easy-to-use dashboard. Statcounter was built in 1999 and does not have the same user experience. It’s less intuitive to use, and its UI is not great. In addition, Simple Analytics is cookieless by design and 100& GDPR-compliant.
Is StatCounter GDPR-compliant?
Statcounter is based in Dublin, but it’s not mentioned where they host their data. In addition, Statcounter does not come across a privacy-friendly analytics tool that collects personal data. It’s mainly focused on user tracking and advertising.
Is StatCounter easy to use?
Statcounter is certainly less complex than Google Analytics but not as intuitive as Simple Analytics. If you want a tool that gives you the insights you need in an easy-to-use dashboard, you should check out Simple Analytics.
Should I use Simple Analytics?
Simple Analytics is a privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative that gives you the insights you need without collecting personal data. If you care about the privacy of your users and want an intuitive dashboard with the most important website insights, Simple Analytics might be the tool you are looking for.