Piwik Pro review and a Better alternative

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Published on Aug 17, 2023 by Ankit Ghosh

Piwik PRO (formerly known as Piwik) has been a prominent analytics software offering useful data to website owners for years. However, a few things have made users like you look out for an alternative.

This article will cover Piwik PRO’s features, strengths, and weaknesses. But there's more! We'll introduce you to an exciting alternative. This innovative solution offers a fresh perspective, empowering you to make informed decisions.

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  1. Piwik PRO
  2. Piwik Reviews
  3. Simple Analytics: A simpler alternative
  4. Feature comparison between Piwik Pro and Simple Analytics
  5. Conclusion
  6. FAQs: A Better Alternative to Piwik PRO
    1. Is Piwik PRO still a trustworthy web analytics software after rebranding from Piwik?
    2. Can I still use Piwik PRO if I'm not comfortable with self-hosting?
    3. Is there a free version of Simple Analytics like Piwik PRO?
Logo of MichelinMichelin chose Simple AnalyticsJoin them

Piwik PRO

Piwik PRO and Matomo (formerly known as Piwik) evolved out of an open-source project known as Piwik.

Piwik PRO is now an enterprise-focused analytics tool built on Piwik’s open-source project that allows website owners to track and analyze visitor behavior. It offers various features such as real-time analytics, visitor demographics, goal monitoring, consent manager, etc.

Pros of Piwik PRO

  • Provides detailed reports on visitor behavior, including location, device, and more
  • Open-source, which means it's free to use
  • Offers customizable dashboards and reports
  • Provides privacy-focused options
  • Offers a cloud-hosted solution

Cons of Piwik PRO

  • Complex analytics tool that requires training
  • Poor data retention policy
  • Primarily meant from enterprise, hence an expensive solution

Piwik Reviews

"Piwik reviews and information."

What do you like best about Piwik PRO?

Piwik is good and its maintained the CRM. Customer are very happy. Piwik product are also good it is very user friendly, so customer can easily handle it and use it

It is very easy to use and more confertable as compair Google analytics.

What do you dislike about Piwik PRO?

There is nothing for dislike but we noticed few things where they can improve self.

Some time in few case what customer is expecting that does not match but it happened in rear case.Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering Piwik PRO:

Please use piwik it is most secured and user friendly relationship.

What problems is Piwik PRO solving and how is that benefiting you?

I am personally not using piwik but fronmy colliug i heard piwik is providing very best security.

If you want to buy them product they will steps to your home.

*Prafulla J. | Salesforce Developer, Enterprise*

Source: G2

"It has a lot of potential to grab Google Analytics users but still has a long way to go."

What do you like best about Piwik PRO?

It is very similar to Google Universal Analytics in terms of dashboards and data model. That makes for a quick transition.

It has cool features like Abandoned Cart and anonymous tracking and also app tracking.

It is very GDPR compliance focused. If you have a simple business to track, go for it!

What do you dislike about Piwik PRO?

  • Its tag manager is still far from GTM, so I did the entire setup of PiwikPro Analytics using GTM.
  • Google Analytics 4 allows to choose default attribution model, while PiwikPro does not. You are stuck with Last Click Attribution which can mess your metrics vs Last non direct click or data-driven in Google Analytics 4.
  • Limited Ecommerce tracking (no product and promo impressions, checkout, payment, remove from cart, wishlist,...)

What problems is Piwik PRO solving and how is that benefiting you?

A GDPR compliant version of Google Universal Analytics because it is a full european company with european hosting provider and anonymous tracking options. It solves most of our tracking needs.

*João V. | Metrics & Digital Analytics Tutor, Mid-Market*

Source: G2

Simple Analytics: A simpler alternative

Simple Analytics is an easy-to-use analytics tool that gives you the insights you need while being 100% GDPR-compliant.

It was founded by Adriaan van Rossum shortly after the GDPR was approved. Since its inception, Simple Analytics has had customers of all sizes, notable ones being: Michelin, Havas Media, Nomadlist, and the UK Government.

Though Simple Analytics might sound like a simple minimal analytics tool, it does pack some powerful features that many marketers love, such as automated event collection, goal tracking, e-commerce analytics, bypassing ad blockers (as it’s privacy-friendly), and much more.

Let's explore why it's become a preferred choice for businesses seeking reliable and affordable analytics tools.

Pros of using Simple Analytics

  1. Simple UI: Simple Analytics is one of the easiest analytics tools. The dashboard is built in a way to easily understandable to non-marketers.
  2. Affordable: Tracking website and product metrics is pretty affordable with Simple Analytics. For just $9/month, you can track 100,000 data points (pageviews + events). Additionally, you get features that you would find in much more expensive tools.
  3. Privacy First: The world is moving in a direction where privacy is becoming increasingly important. Google Analytics has been declared illegal in multiple EU countries. You would rather avoid getting caught up in this mess. Take privacy or compliance with regulations into account.
  4. Mini Websites: Have you ever seen “t.co” as a referrer in your web analytics? If you have, you must have broken your head trying to find the source. Simple Analytics helps you find the exact tweet that referred/mentioned to your website.
  5. Lightweight: Your website is your storefront on the internet. Providing the best possible experience matters. Installing an analytics script has an impact on page speed. Choose an analytics tool that won’t slow your website down. Even Google recommends having a website that loads quickly.
  6. Integration: Installing and integrating Simple Analytics is also super easy. It has 20+ integrations to select from, so you can get it added quickly.

Cons of using Simple Analytics

Due to privacy laws, Simple Analytics doesn’t store IPs and user identifiers, which makes it lack a couple of metrics, such as bounce rate, but it does have time on page to give you an idea of user stickiness.

Pricing of Simple Analytics

Simple Analytics offers one of the most affordable pricing structures in its segment. The plans start at just $9/month, which lets you track 100,000 data points.

If you need more features, such as team access, the pricing goes up to $49/month, increasing the data points limit from 100,000 to 1,000,000.

Feature comparison between Piwik Pro and Simple Analytics

Simple AnalyticsPiwik PRO
Account Management
Trackable ItemsUnlimited10 sites or apps (free) Unlimited (Enterprise)
User Seats1 to Unlimited usersUnlimited
User RolesAvailableN/A
Account SecurityPasswordless LoginSingle Sign-on, Two-factor Authentication
Data Processing
Data RetentionUnlimited14 months to 25 months or a custom period, Unlimited for Enterprise (on-premises) plan
Data Center LocationsEuropean Economic Area (EEA)European Economic Area (EEA), United States
Data ImportGA importer includedImport cost, search keywords, user/client ID data, audience data (CDP in 2023)
Data OwnershipYouYou
Software HostingPublic CloudPublic Cloud, Private Cloud, On-Premise
ComplianceGDPR, PECR, CCPAGDPR
Data FreshnessRealtime30 min
Data ExportAs CSV or via APIAs CSV, XML, JSON, or via an API
CookielessSimple Analytics is cookielessPiwik features a cookieless tracking option
Reporting
Funnel ReportingAvailableDetailed funnel report up to 5 steps
Device ReportingAvailable (based on OS and screen sizes)Available
SegmentationAvailableUnlimited segments
Trend ReportingAvailableAvailable
Alerts & Automation
Integrations20+ Available and can send a request to the Simple Analytics team for more20+ Available
Email ReportsWeekly, monthlyDaily, weekly or monthly reports
Customizability
AnnotationsAvailableAvailable
Custom EventsAvailableAvailable

Conclusion

Piwik PRO is a great analytics tool, but not everyone would prefer using the complex UI. Also, the data retention policy is very low for most.

On the other hand, Simple Analytics provides a much easier and more straightforward solution. It gives you the insights you need while being 100% compliant with GDPR.

FAQs: A Better Alternative to Piwik PRO

Is Piwik PRO still a trustworthy web analytics software after rebranding from Piwik?

Yes, Piwik PRO's renaming from Piwik does not affect its dependability as a web analytics tool. Piwik PRO continues to provide the same powerful features and functionalities that Piwik was known for, with continual updates and improvements.

Can I still use Piwik PRO if I'm not comfortable with self-hosting?

Piwik PRO only provides cloud-hosted solutions, which means you can self-host it. However, you can self-host Matomo, which is also built on Piwik.

Is there a free version of Simple Analytics like Piwik PRO?

There is no free version of Simple Analytics (it may come soon). It provides pricing plans based on the number of page views recorded per month, including affordable choices ideal for small to medium-sized websites.

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