What's the one thing more overwhelming than the volume of your analytics data?
I'm willing to be its the volume of analytics plugin options on WordPress.
Installing an analytics plugin for your WordPress site allows you to get all your site's data, metrics, and insights without leaving your WordPress dashboard. The majority of users choose Google Analytics, although I've chosen some non-GA plugins, too.
While Google Analytics is a powerful option, many find the sheer amount of data available on GA daunting, and the interface clunky. WordPress plugins aim to simplify the interface so that users get to the data they need without feeling overwhelmed.
If you do use Google Analytics, we have a comprehensive guide on How to Set Up Google Analytics for WordPress.
With new plugins hitting the market monthly, and specialist plugins offering specific insights, it can be difficult to figure out which one is right for you.
To help you sort through, we've compiled a list of the best analytics for WordPress plugins in 2019. We'll explore basic differences, as well as features and benefits of each option, to help you choose the best plugin for your needs.
1. MonsterInsights
Price: Free | Premium: from $99
WordPress.org rating: 3.9 out of 5 from 637 reviews
Generally considered the king of analytics plugins, MonsterInsights is a good all-rounder. It's also the most popular Google Analytics plugin on WordPress, with over two million active installations.
Like most of the plugins in this list, MonsterInsights adds your Google Analytics tracking code to your site with no coding required on your part. It pulls your data into a user-friendly interface that runs inside your WordPress dashboard and offers flexibility for growing sites with free and premium versions.
It offers all the Google Analytics data you would expect, broken down into audience and behavior metrics. Additionally, you get more advanced features like ecommerce reports with the premium version.
One limitation of this goliath is you can't get statistics on individual pieces of content like you can with Analytify.
2. Analytify
Price: Free | Premium: $39 per year
WordPress.org rating: 4.9 out of 5 from 220 reviews
Analytify is a big hitter in the world of WordPress analytics and will install your Google Analytics tracking code for you. The interface allows you to access your data right from your WordPress dashboard.
Analytify is especially good for ecommerce businesses, since it offers enhanced ecommerce tracking features. The free version is fairly limited but the premium version is substantially cheaper than MonsterInsights, while offering similar functionality plus the benefit of being able to dig into individual posts and pages.
With the free version, you can monitor your site stats and you gain limited access to general reporting features. This includes tracking features like page views, top countries, social media statistics and top referrers.
With the premium version, you gain additional features like real-time statistics, campaign statistics, and email notifications.
3. Google Analytics Dashboard for WP
Price: Free
WordPress.org rating: 4.3 out of 5 from 389 reviews
It may not have the catchiest of names, but this plugin is all about functionality.
It does what it says on the tin. The interface isn't as pretty as some of the more polished plugins, but you get all the features you would expect -- insertion of tracking code, Google Analytics data, real-time tracking -- right in your WordPress dashboard for free.
A solid option for those who know they don't want to upgrade and pay for a premium plugin.
4. Clicky Analytics
Price: Free | Paid: from $9.99 per month
WordPress.org rating: 4.6 out of 5 from 17 reviews
Aside from having an excellent name, Clicky offers a plain and simple view of your analytics, which is ideal for people who feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of options available within Google Analytics. Additionally, it installs its own Clicky tracking code into your site so you don't have to mess around with code.
Clicky provides detailed insights that are still simple enough for the average blogger to understand. Most of the functionality is available for free, but some features like video analytics and custom data tracking is only available with the paid version. It also has some quirky features like a live map so you can track your visitors in real-time.
5. Crazy Egg
Price: Premium: $9 per month
WordPress.org rating: 3.8 out of 5 from 5 reviews
Crazy Egg is an open source plugin offering a totally different perspective than most of the others, since it adds Crazy Egg's tracking code to your site. This allows you to watch via heat maps -- in real-time -- what visitors are hovering over and clicking on.
The plugin also offers comprehensive A/B testing based on various content variables like color, copy and content placement, to improve the user experience and increase conversions. This is a good alternative to Google Analytics for users more interested in conversion optimization.
6. Analytics Cat
Price: Free
WordPress.org rating: 3.8 out of 5 from 5 reviews
Analytics Cat is a super simple, lightweight plugin. If you're looking to add a Google Analytics tracking code but don't want to weigh down your WordPress site with the dashboard integration, it can do it in minutes.
Analytics Cat offers a simple way to stop your data from becoming corrupted by your obsessive self-navigation, since it provides the ability to exclude logged-in users from your Google Analytics tracking. You can also exclude as many other user roles as you'd like.
7. GA Google Analytics
Price: Free | Premium: from $15 one-off
WordPress.org rating: 4.9 out of 5 from 71 reviews
This is a simple tool that does one job -- it adds a Google Analytics code to every page on your site. It doesn't pull in or display any stats for you, but it does its job well. This is ideal for complex sites with hundreds of pages. If you're happy with keeping your Google Analytics off your WordPress dashboard but want to ensure the tracking code is on every page, this is the plugin for you.
Additionally, the premium version enables a host of advanced features like an opt-out for visitors. It also supports custom code and lets you disable tracking on logged-in users.
8. HubSpot
Price: Free
WordPress.org rating: 4.6 stars from 104 ratings
HubSpot's WordPress plugin isn't just an analytics plugin -- it also allows you to implement HubSpot's forms, pop-ups, and live chat.
HubSpot's plugin offers incredibly detailed data on the leads you collect. Additionally, you can get an in-depth understanding of which CTAs drive the highest number of sign-ups, enabling you to convert visitors more effectively. This user information is synced with your HubSpot CRM.
9. Google Analytics WD
Price: Free | Premium: $30 per year
WordPress.org rating: 4.5 out of 5 from 93 reviews
This plugin is a solid option and has both a free and reasonably priced premium version. With a low barrier to entry, it's a user-friendly, simple way to view your stats within WordPress.
The free version includes page views, top performing pages, a centralized dashboard, comprehensive reports, and bounce rates. However, if you want Google Analytics coverage, ecommerce reports, AdSense and AdWords reports, you'll need the premium version.
10. WP Google Analytics Events
Price: Free | Premium: from $79 per year.
WordPress.org rating: 4.6 out of 5 from 28 reviews
Designed to offer detailed behavioral analytics, WP Google Analytics Events digs deeper into your Google Analytics data. For instance, just because a visitor navigated to a blog post, doesn't mean they scrolled down and read all the way through. WP Google Analytics Events can help you see what's really going on at the level of individual events.
The downside of this plugin is it's difficult to set up, so this is ideal for more advanced users.
11. Jetpack by WordPress.com
Price: Free | Premium: from $5 per month
WordPress.org rating: 4.6 out of 5 from 28 reviews
Jetpack is a multi-functioning tool for design, marketing and security -- analytics is just one of its many features. It displays your stats via a simple interface offering a handy overview of how your site is doing. However, don't expect to be able to drill down into the data on individual pages and posts.
As you would expect from a WordPress.com product, the plugin offers good support and detailed troubleshooting guides. Best of all, Jetpack offers a smiley face at the bottom of your page to show whether the JetPack analytics tools are working.
12. WP Statistics
Price: Free
WordPress.org rating: 4.3 out of 5 from 396 reviews
A powerful yet simple plugin focused on stats, WP Statistic's interface is intuitive and displays graphs and charts beautifully. This plugin puts an emphasis on privacy. You can be sure that the data is not being shared with the big boys -- additionally, you don't need to deal with any third parties to use this plugin.
This plugin is particularly good when it comes to geographical data and content reports, and supports real-time stats on your site as well as the standard features you would expect. The best part? It's totally free.
13. Matomo
Price: from $9 per month
WordPress.org rating: 4.6 out of 5 from 84 reviews
Formerly Piwik, Matomo is an open-source analytics alternative which gives you detailed reports on your visitors, traffic sources, keywords, and many other common metrics. This plugin installs the Matomo tracking code and allows you to view the data within your WordPress dashboard.
Advanced features lets you follow visitors in real-time or in the visitors' log and manage multiple sites among many other features. Matomo also offers a mobile app to access reports on the go. You will need an existing Matomo account to access the data.
14. Slimstat Analytics
Price: Free | Add-ons from $12 one-off
WordPress.org rating: 4.8 out of 5 from 755 reviews
Slimstat is an alternative analytics solution sitting between WordPress and Google Analytics in terms of complexity. An open-source platform that stores all your data in your WordPress database, it allows you to track returning customers and registered users, and monitor Javascript events, detect intrusions and analyze email campaigns -- all within your Wordpress dashboard.
The basic version is free but there is a range of add-ons allowing you to use as much or as little as you need.
15. Enhanced Ecommerce Google Analytics Plugin for WooCommerce
Price: Free | Premium: $135 one-off
WordPress.org rating: 4.4 out of 5 from 95 reviews
The clue is in the title with this one. Enhanced Ecommerce Google Analytics Plugin for WooCommerce focuses on the new Google Analytics' feature for advanced ecommerce statistics.
Because it's so specialized, this plugin offers the most detailed insights into customer behavior as well as comprehensive product and sales statistics. All of it is accessible from the interface within your WordPress dashboard. However, you'll need the paid version to get any serious benefit from this plugin.
16. WP Power Stats
Price: Free
WordPress.org rating: 4.1 out of 5 from 53 reviews
WP Power Stat offers a wide-screen interface, which is good for getting an overview of your site's data. This plugin is billed as lightweight, fast, reliable and secure. As all the stats are stored on your own WordPress site, there is no meddling with your data by third parties. This plugin is a powerful free option.
Which Analytics Plugin Should You Choose?
You may want to choose more than one analytics plugin, since many of them are specialized for certain tasks.
If you're looking to bring the power of Google Analytics into your WordPress dashboard, go for a plugin like MonsterInsights or Analytify, which both have excellent free versions as well as comprehensive premium versions.
Alternatively, there are some plugins specialized in privacy, speed and reliability. There are also some simple tools to quickly set you up with a Google Analytics code.
The great thing about WordPress plugins is you can install them and play around with the free versions to see if they work for you without committing to anything. So give a few of these options a try and see what's the best fit for you and your analytics needs.
In the meantime, find out how to save time and maximize ROI by hooking up your HubSpot data with your WordPress site.
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