Google Analytics is a great free tool. However, is it free if you don’t have secure data?
Google Analytics is a popular tool in the analytics world. Google Analytics is a well-known tool in the analytics community.
This is a complete comparison of Google Analytics alternatives that are more sensitive in terms of data privacy and handling. This allows you to save time, continue your analysis, and not worry about data privacy violations.
What privacy-friendly alternatives to Google Analytics are there?
Google Analytics can be used to track and measure your website traffic.
People choose Google Analytics over other options because they want more privacy. They own an ecommerce website and don’t want Google sharing their customer or product data.
Private analytics may also be useful for your business.
- Google Analytics websites should display a consent screen. Popup tracking consent must also be displayed.
- Google Analytics doesn’t give you data ownership.
- You have no control over your data.
Is Google Analytics accurate Learn 6 common Google Analytic Problems & Solutions
Are you looking for an alternative to Google Analytics, Keep reading to find out more about the best alternatives.
Privacy-First Alternatives To Google Analytics
1. Matomo
Matomo is a privacy-friendly alternative to Google Analytics. More than 1,000,000 websites use it in more than 190 countries. Matomo is preferred by many companies and organizations, including the United Nations, NASA, and the European Commission.
Pros
- 100% Data Ownership
- If you’ve already been trusted by top organizations and companies, you won’t need to take any risks.
- It’s open-source, so it is transparent.
- Matomo provides support that isn’t available in open-source Google Analytics alternatives.
- Fully complies with privacy legislation
- It offers more analytics capabilities than other options.
Cons
- Matomo cannot integrate with Google properties in the same way that Google Analytics.
Privacy Compliance
Matomo can also be used without consent. Google Analytics is not able to use Matomo. Matomo, however, allows you complete control over the collected data and conforms with privacy regulations.
Pricing
Matomo is available for free for as long as it is hosted on your servers. Matomo is free for life if hosted on your servers. However, users may feel it takes up too much space. Matomo’s hosted solution is 19 EUR per 50,000 monthly traffic.
2. TinyAnalytics
TinyAnalytics is a free alternative to Google Analytics. It provides web analytics that is simple to use and complies with privacy laws in the United Kingdom.
What’s TinyAnalytics?
To allow Piwik PRO to collect information about your visitors, first, embed a JavaScript tracking tag on your web pages.
Pros
- More precise than Google Analytics
- There is no need to opt in and cookies are not used
- Data is located in London, UK
- This script runs at 6kb and is fast.
- All tracking data is kept private and will not be shared with any company, unlike Google. All data are yours.
- The free plan allows you to view up to 50.000 pages.
Cons
- This could be improved.
TinyAnalytics Compliance with the United Kingdom GDPR
PiwikPro does not collect any visitor data.
- Site visitors have enabled do not track in their browsers. These settings will apply to you: Tag Manager > Tags>>Piwik PRO tag (tracking code) Respect visitor privacy
- You have selected to exclude an IP address and/or user agent.
- The visitor has not consented to data collection and usage on your website.
PiwikPRO also works with Consent Management Software if you have it.
Pricing
TinyAnalytics is free for a lifetime, and the price is based on a quote.
3. Plausible Analytics
Plausible Analytics is an open-source alternative to Google Analytics. It respects user privacy. Plausible embeds a script on your website. However, it is 45x smaller than Google Analytics and can be made private by default. But you can also make your statistics public to let anyone see them.
Side note – Plausible can also be accessed via GitHub.
Pros
- Cookies are prohibited: is GDPR compliant, and is CCPA/PECR compliant
- It can also be produced and hosted within the EU.
- Lightweight script speeds page loading (1KB).
- It’s open-source and you can host it yourself.
Cons
- Open-source analytics tools offer many benefits but also some serious drawbacks.
- Insufficient Support: It is possible that you don’t have the support you need.
- This is not recommended to be used at an enterprise level.
- The plausible pricing model is based on page views. This can confuse some users.
Privacy Compliance
Plausible analytics complies with all regulations, including the GDPR, PECR, and CCPA. It does not track across devices or sites and does not store identities.
Pricing
Pricing is determined based on pageviews. The minimum price for 10K pageviews per Month is $9/mo
4. Fathom Analytics
Fathom might be another privacy-focused option for Google Analytics.
Pros
- Solution for custom domains. This allows you to collect data from all visitors.
- You have full control over the data you collect. You have the option to block IP addresses or countries, as well as whitelist domains without any code.
- Routes data using EU isolation
- Anonymously collects information from websites
- GDPR compliance, CCPA, and PECR compliance as well as ePrivacy
- Bypassing Ad Blockers
Cons
- Open-source structure results in a lack of support
- Similar to GA, basic features for data tracking
Privacy Compliance
This tool lets you control your data and protects your privacy.
Pricing
The service is free to try for seven days. You can also add up to 50 websites.
5. Smartlook
Smartlook is a unique alternative to Google Analytics. Smartlook is an alternative to Google Analytics.
Pros
- Combination of qualitative and quantitative analytics.
- Track user behavior on your website or mobile app
- Advanced Filtering using more than 30 filters to locate the section you are searching
- Heatmaps, events, funnels
- Customizable analytics dashboard
- Email Reporting
- Integration with many platforms like Shopify, Intercom, and Mixpanel
Cons
- It doesn’t display user acquisition data, unlike GA. It instead shows user journeys.
- Smartlook does not work as well for tracking traffic in GA.
- Users might find the learning curve difficult.
Privacy Compliance
Smartlook adheres to all legal requirements. Smartlook conforms to all regulations. It encrypts data at rest using the 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standards AES-256 algorithm.
Pricing
Smartlook offers a free plan which allows you to access up to 1500 sessions each month. The plan also offers limited features.
6. Simple Analytics
Simple Analytics is a data visualization and analytics tool with servers in the Netherlands. Simple Analytics will not automatically store or collect any data if they enable Do Not Track.
Pros
- It does not store or set cookies.
- Ad-blocking software can be bypassed
- There is also an iOS app.
- For marketers and developers
Cons
- This tool might not be the best option if you’re looking for enterprise-level analytics or advanced data.
- It doesn’t show statistics like page views, referrers, screen size, and screen resolution. It also shows the original view of the tweets you have referred to.
Privacy Compliance
Simple Analytics is committed to protecting data privacy. Simple Analytics follows the CCPA and GDPR rules.
Pricing
This tool costs EUR19 per month.
8. Indicative
Indicative, another Google Analytics alternative, is privacy-first. It includes all data sources.
Pros
- It’s easy to implement
- Cohort analysis
- Visualization of the customer journey
- Drag and Drop Interface
Cons
- This is a slightly more expensive option than other GA options, particularly for small businesses.
- Less help content is available online to solve an Indicative problem.
- Users may find the learning curve difficult.
- You can improve user segmentation options.
Privacy Compliance
Indicative compliance with the Privacy Shield Framework is not a requirement. However, you need to verify that the data they collect complies with your country’s or regional privacy laws.
Pricing
The Indicative Standard plan has limited options and is $249 per month.
7. Kissmetrics
Kissmetrics can also be used to analyze marketing campaigns. Kissmetrics is an alternative to Google Analytics. It uses analytics at the user level to help you see the customer journey, and map every action on your website to a user.
You can see on the homepage that this tool addresses two types of industries: SaaS (ecommerce) and SaaS (SaaS). Kissmetrics allows you to link all data to one person even though they visit your website or SaaS from different devices.
Pros
- Drop-offs and the whole customer journey
- A/B Test
- Reports about the cohort and funnel
Cons
- Too dependent upon the tracking code to measure metrics
- The UI can be difficult to comprehend and confusing.
- The learning curve is steep
- Exporting data takes too much time.
- This is an enterprise-level product and is very expensive.
Privacy Compliance
Kissmetrics complies with GDPR laws. You can also adjust the software to suit your privacy policies using a variety of options, such as
- Cookies for the first party
- Header Respect Do Not Track
- Do not collect any confidential information on forms
- Server-side API
Pricing
Kissmetrics is $229 per month and is payable annually.
9. GoSquared Web Analytics
GoSquared, a growth suite, is an alternative to GA. It focuses on simplifying analytics. It features a simple, intuitive dashboard.
Pros
- Integrations of third-party software like Webflow, WordPress, or Slack
- Fully documented REST API
- Dashboard with an intuitive interface
- Mobile reporting
Cons
- The mobile version could have been improved.
- Possible surprise costs
- It’s difficult to find retroactive information
Privacy Compliance
Gosquared Web Analytics anonymizes any data collected by default. It only collects data that is essential to provide insights.
Pricing
Gosquared offers web analytics pricing plans starting at $9 per month for up to 100,000 pageviews
11. Split Bee
Splitbee offers streamlined data analytics.
This software has only 5,000 users and is still fairly new.
Pros
- Modern and clean interface design
- Simplified funnel view
- It’s easy to implement
- You get a free plan.
Cons
- All you need is the basic data
- There are cheaper options that offer more advanced features.
Privacy Compliance
Google Analytics has yet to release its privacy statement. Google Analytics does not sell data, but it gives users the ability to withdraw consent at any point.
Pricing
Splitbee offers a free and paid plan starting at $21 per month for up to 100,000 events
10. Fair Analytics
Pros
- GDPR-compliant, DSVGO, and RGPD compliant
- Get it for free
- Sharable statistics via secure links
- Unlimited websites are possible
- Cookies are not permitted
- Pseudonymized collected user data.
- GA is less than Fair Analytics (4KB).
Cons
- Comparing more advanced analytics options to basic ones
- While simplicity is a good thing, it’s not perfect. This tool might be less effective than GA.
- The interface could be improved with categories.
- This tool still has a lot to learn.
Privacy Compliance
Fair Analytics doesn’t store data using cookies.
Pricing
You can download a WordPress plugin for free.
12. Darwin Analytics
Darwin lets you visualize customer experiences, and use analytics and surveys for UX improvement.
Pros
- Replay session
- A/B Test
- Real-time data
- Live heatmaps
Cons
- It can’t import data.
- We do not offer the integration options you may find in other solutions.
- High prices, but not balanced by the quality service
Privacy Compliance
Darwin is compliant with both the GDPR and CCPA laws.
Pricing
Prices start at $50 per Month
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13. Umami
Umami Another analytics software with a simple design is. This software only displays the most essential metrics that can be fit on one page.
Pros
- Free, self-hosted, open-source, and completely free
- Ad-blockers can be bypassed
- Lightweight (2KB)
- The data is yours because it’s self-hosted.
- Mobile optimized
Cons
- This takes effort on your part.
Privacy Compliance
This platform is fully privacy-compliant as it is self-hosted. Any data you collect is yours alone.
Pricing
Free and Open-source
14. GoatCounter
GoatCounter list tool on the list. GoatCounter requires self-hosting.
Pros
- It doesn’t track users
- It’s lighter than the other options (3.5KB), however, it’s not as light.
- No JavaScript image tracker
Cons
- Complex dashboard interface that looks outdated
- This is not the best option.
Privacy Compliance
This site is self-hosted, so you can control your data and have no third-party tools.
*Pricing
Free and open-source
15. Piwik PRO
PiwikPRO can be a great alternative to Google Analytics, especially if you are looking for an enterprise-level solution.
What does Piwik PRO do?
To allow Piwik PRO to collect information about your visitors, first, embed a JavaScript tracking tag on your web pages.
Pros
- More precise than Google Analytics
- It offers compliance and privacy features.
- You can claim ownership of the tracking information
- Raw data exports are possible.
- All tracking data is kept private and will not be shared with any company, unlike Google. All data are yours.
- The Core plan is completely free and cloud-based.
Cons
- This could be improved.
- There are not many integration options with Google properties like Adwords.
Privacy Compliance
PiwikPro does not collect any visitor data.
- The site visitor has turned on do-not-track in the browser. These settings will apply to you: Tag Manager > Tags>>> PiwikPRO tag (tracking code) Respect visitor privacy (on ).
- You have selected to exclude an IP address and/or user agent.
- The visitor has not consented to data collection and usage on your website.
PiwikPRO also works with Consent Management Software if you have it.
Pricing
The Piwik Pro Core Plan is free for life, but prices can be negotiated.
The Most Commonly Asked Questions
Google Analytics is unable to do what Google Analytics can.
- Google Analytics does not track individual users.
- This cannot give you an overview of the social media activities of your users.
- GA can not process historical data from your site.
- It can’t tell if a browser cookie has been deleted by a user.
- It is not possible to provide support.
- Google Analytics can’t track all customer journeys.
- It does not provide privacy-focused analytics solutions.
