How to Choose the Best WordPress Analytics Solution for Your Site (2023 Edition)

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Do you want to find out how your WordPress site is performing and what you can do to improve it? Then you need an analytics solution that can collect and analyze your site’s data and give you actionable insights.

Analytics solutions help you understand your audience, identify and fix issues, and optimize your user experience. They also help you measure the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns, track your conversions, and grow your revenue.

But with so many analytics solutions available, how do you choose the best one for your WordPress site?

In this article, we’ll compare 13 of the best WordPress analytics solutions and help you decide which one suits your needs.

1. MonsterInsights

MonsterInsights is the best Google Analytics plugin for WordPress. It makes it super easy to connect your WordPress site with Google Analytics and access all the powerful features of the world’s most popular analytics tool.

With MonsterInsights, you don’t need to touch any code or edit any files. You can simply use the setup wizard to connect your site with Google Analytics in minutes.

MonsterInsights also brings Google Analytics reports right inside your WordPress dashboard. You can see all the important metrics and stats at a glance, such as:

  • Traffic sources
  • Top pages and posts
  • Bounce rate and session duration
  • Device breakdown
  • Real-time visitors
  • eCommerce performance
  • Form conversions
  • Custom dimensions
  • And much more

MonsterInsights also lets you enable advanced tracking features with just a few clicks, such as:

  • Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4 integration
  • Enhanced eCommerce tracking
  • Scroll depth tracking
  • Affiliate link tracking
  • File download tracking
  • Ads tracking
  • Author tracking
  • And much more

MonsterInsights also integrates with popular WordPress plugins and services, such as WooCommerce, MemberPress, WPForms, Yoast SEO, and more.

MonsterInsights has a friendly support team and a comprehensive documentation library to help you get the most out of your analytics.

Features

  • Easy setup and user-friendly interface
  • Comprehensive reports inside WordPress dashboard
  • Advanced tracking features with no coding required
  • Seamless integration with Google Analytics 4 and Universal Analytics
  • Integration with popular WordPress plugins and services
  • GDPR and EU compliant
  • Google Optimize addon for A/B testing

Cost

MonsterInsights has a free version that you can download from the WordPress.org plugin directory. The premium version starts from $99.50 per year for a single site license.

Get MonsterInsights Now

2. ExactMetrics

ExactMetrics, formerly known as Google Analytics Dashboard for WP, is another popular Google Analytics plugin for WordPress. It allows you to connect your site with Google Analytics and view reports inside your WordPress dashboard.

ExactMetrics has a simple setup process that guides you through connecting your site with Google Analytics. You can also use the plugin to customize your tracking settings and enable features like:

  • Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4 integration
  • Enhanced eCommerce tracking
  • Custom dimensions tracking
  • File download tracking
  • Ads tracking
  • Affiliate link tracking
  • And more

ExactMetrics also shows you reports on various aspects of your site’s performance, such as:

  • Traffic overview
  • Top pages and posts
  • Top countries and cities
  • Top referrers and keywords
  • Device breakdown
  • Real-time visitors
  • eCommerce performance
  • Form conversions
  • And more

ExactMetrics also has a support team and a documentation section to help you with any questions or issues.

Features

  • Easy setup and user-friendly interface
  • Detailed reports inside WordPress dashboard
  • Advanced tracking features with no coding required
  • Seamless integration with Google Analytics 4 and Universal Analytics
  • GDPR and EU compliant

Cost

ExactMetrics has a free version that you can download from the WordPress.org plugin directory. The premium version starts from $99.50 per year for a single site license.

Get ExactMetrics Now

3. Jetpack Site Stats

Jetpack Site Stats is a built-in feature of Jetpack, a popular WordPress plugin that offers various features to enhance your site’s security, performance, design, and marketing.

Jetpack Site Stats is a simple and lightweight analytics solution that shows you basic stats about your site’s traffic, such as:

  • Total views and visitors
  • Top pages and posts
  • Top referrers and search terms
  • Top countries and regions
  • Top posts and pages
  • Top authors and categories
  • Top clicks and downloads

Jetpack Site Stats is a good option if you want a simple and free analytics solution that works out of the box. However, it doesn’t offer as much detail and customization as other solutions, and it doesn’t integrate with Google Analytics.

Features

  • Built-in feature of Jetpack plugin
  • Simple and lightweight analytics solution
  • Basic stats inside WordPress dashboard
  • No coding or configuration required

Cost

Jetpack Site Stats is free to use as part of the Jetpack plugin.

Get Jetpack Site Stats Now

4. Google Analytics

Google Analytics is the most popular and powerful analytics tool in the world. It lets you track and analyze every aspect of your site’s performance, such as:

  • Traffic sources and channels
  • User behavior and engagement
  • Conversions and goals
  • eCommerce transactions and revenue
  • Demographics and interests
  • Segments and cohorts
  • Custom dimensions and metrics
  • And much more

Google Analytics also offers advanced features like:

  • Real-time analytics
  • Attribution modeling
  • Data Studio integration
  • Google Ads integration
  • Google Optimize integration
  • Google Tag Manager integration
  • And more

Google Analytics is a great option if you want a comprehensive and customizable analytics solution that can handle any amount of data and complexity. However, it can be overwhelming and confusing for beginners, and it requires some technical skills to set up and use.

Features

  • Comprehensive and powerful analytics tool
  • Detailed reports on every aspect of your site’s performance
  • Advanced features and integrations with other Google products
  • Customizable tracking and reporting options

Cost

Google Analytics is free to use for up to 10 million hits per month per property. For more data and features, you can upgrade to Google Analytics 360, which starts from $150,000 per year.

Get Google Analytics Now

5. Matomo Analytics

Matomo Analytics, formerly known as Piwik, is an open-source analytics solution that gives you full control over your data. It lets you track and analyze your site’s performance, such as:

  • Traffic sources and channels
  • User behavior and engagement
  • Conversions and goals
  • eCommerce transactions and revenue
  • Demographics and interests
  • Segments and cohorts
  • Custom dimensions and metrics
  • And more

Matomo Analytics also offers some unique features that set it apart from other solutions, such as:

  • Heatmaps and session recordings
  • Funnels and goals
  • A/B testing and personalization
  • Tag manager
  • Form analytics
  • And more

Matomo Analytics is a great option if you want a self-hosted and open-source analytics solution that gives you full control and ownership over your data. However, it can be more challenging and costly to install, maintain, and update than cloud-based solutions.

Features

  • Self-hosted and open-source analytics solution
  • Full control and ownership over your data
  • Detailed reports on every aspect of your site’s performance
  • Unique features and integrations with other platforms
  • Customizable tracking and reporting options

Cost

Matomo Analytics is free to download and use on your own server. You can also use Matomo Cloud, which starts from $9 per month for up to 10,000 monthly visits.

Get Matomo Analytics Now

6. WP Statistics

WP Statistics is another self-hosted analytics solution that lets you track and analyze your site’s data without relying on external services. It collects and stores all the data on your own WordPress database.

WP Statistics shows you basic stats about your site’s traffic, such as:

  • Total views and visitors
  • Top pages and posts
  • Top referrers and search terms
  • Top countries and regions
  • Top browsers and platforms
  • Real-time visitors

WP Statistics also lets you enable some advanced features, such as:

  • GeoIP location tracking
  • Email reports
  • Data export
  • Graphs and charts
  • And more

WP Statistics is a good option if you want a simple and free analytics solution that works offline. However, it doesn’t offer as much detail and customization as other solutions, and it can slow down your site if your database gets too large.

Features

  • Self-hosted analytics solution
  • Basic stats inside WordPress dashboard
  • No coding or configuration required
  • Some advanced features and integrations with other plugins

Cost

WP Statistics is free to use as a WordPress plugin.

Get WP Statistics Now

7. WPForms

WPForms is the best WordPress form builder plugin that lets you create any type of form for your site, such as:

  • Contact forms
  • Feedback forms
  • Survey forms
  • Newsletter forms
  • Registration forms
  • Payment forms
  • And more

WPForms has a drag and drop form builder that allows you to create beautiful and responsive forms in minutes without writing any code. You can also use the pre-built form templates to save even more time.

WPForms also integrates with popular analytics solutions like Google Analytics and MonsterInsights, so you can track and analyze your form submissions and conversions.

WPForms also offers some advanced features like:

  • Conditional logic
  • File uploads
  • Spam protection
  • Email notifications
  • Form landing pages
  • And more

WPForms is a great option if you want a user-friendly and powerful form builder plugin that can also help you with your analytics needs. However, it doesn’t offer as much detail and customization as dedicated analytics solutions.

Features

  • Drag and drop form builder
  • Pre-built form templates
  • Responsive and mobile-friendly forms
  • Integration with analytics solutions
  • Advanced features and integrations with other plugins

Cost

WPForms has a free version that you can download from the WordPress.org plugin directory. The premium version starts from $39.50 per year for a single site license.

Get WPForms Now

8. Google Site Kit

Google Site Kit is the official WordPress plugin from Google that lets you integrate different Google services with your WordPress site. You can then view a small amount of the data inside your WordPress dashboard from these services.

Google Site Kit supports the following Google products:

  • Search Console
  • Analytics
  • AdSense
  • PageSpeed Insights
  • Tag Manager
  • Optimize

Google Site Kit has a simple setup process that guides you through connecting your site with different Google products. You can also use the plugin to customize your tracking settings and enable features like:

  • Site verification
  • Search performance
  • User behavior and engagement
  • Site speed and performance
  • Ads revenue
  • A/B testing

Google Site Kit also shows you reports on various aspects of your site’s performance, such as:

  • Traffic overview
  • Top pages and posts
  • Top countries and regions
  • Top referrers and keywords
  • Device breakdown
  • Real-time visitors
  • And more

Google Site Kit is a good option if you want a free and easy way to connect your site with multiple Google products and see some basic stats inside your WordPress dashboard. However, it doesn’t offer as much detail and customization as other solutions, and it doesn’t replace the need to use the Google products directly.

Features

  • Official WordPress plugin from Google
  • Integration with multiple Google products
  • Simple setup and user-friendly interface
  • Basic stats inside WordPress dashboard
  • Some advanced features and integrations with other plugins

Cost

Google Site Kit is free to use as a WordPress plugin.

Get Google Site Kit Now

9. WordPress.com Stats

WordPress.com Stats is a feature of Jetpack, a popular WordPress plugin that offers various features to enhance your site’s security, performance, design, and marketing.

WordPress.com Stats is a simple and lightweight analytics solution that shows you basic stats about your site’s traffic, such as:

  • Total views and visitors
  • Top pages and posts
  • Top referrers and search terms
  • Top countries and regions
  • Top clicks and downloads
  • Real-time visitors

WordPress.com Stats is a good option if you want a simple and free analytics solution that works out of the box. However, it doesn’t offer as much detail and customization as other solutions, and it requires you to connect your site with WordPress.com.

Features

  • Built-in feature of Jetpack plugin
  • Simple and lightweight analytics solution
  • Basic stats inside WordPress dashboard
  • No coding or configuration required

Cost

WordPress.com Stats is free to use as part of the Jetpack plugin.

Get WordPress.com Stats Now

10. Parse.ly Analytics

Parse.ly Analytics is a premium analytics solution that helps you understand your audience and optimize your content strategy. It lets you track and analyze your site’s performance, such as:

  • Traffic sources and channels
  • User behavior and engagement
  • Conversions and goals
  • Content performance and trends
  • Demographics and interests
  • Segments and cohorts
  • And more

Parse.ly Analytics also offers some advanced features like:

  • Real-time analytics
  • Content recommendations
  • Campaign tracking
  • Data export and API
  • Custom dashboards and reports
  • And more

Parse.ly Analytics is a great option if you want a comprehensive and customizable analytics solution that can handle large-scale data and complexity. However, it can be expensive and overkill for small or medium-sized sites.

Features

  • Premium analytics solution
  • Detailed reports on every aspect of your site’s performance
  • Advanced features and integrations with other platforms
  • Customizable tracking and reporting options

Cost

Parse.ly Analytics starts from $499 per month for up to 1 million monthly pageviews.

Get Parse.ly Analytics Now

Conclusion

As you can see, there are many WordPress analytics solutions available, each with its own pros and cons. The best one for you depends on your needs, budget, and preferences.

To help you decide, here are some general recommendations based on different scenarios:

  • If you want a free and easy way to connect your site with Google Analytics and see some basic stats inside your WordPress dashboard, go with MonsterInsights or ExactMetrics.
  • If you want a comprehensive and powerful analytics tool that can handle any amount of data and complexity, go with Google Analytics or Parse.ly Analytics.
  • If you want a self-hosted and open-source analytics solution that gives you full control and ownership over your data, go with Matomo Analytics or WP Statistics.
  • If you want a simple and lightweight analytics solution that works out of the box, go with Jetpack Site Stats or WordPress.com Stats.
  • If you want a user-friendly and powerful form builder plugin that can also help you with your analytics needs, go with WPForms.
  • If you want a free and easy way to connect your site with multiple Google products and see some basic stats inside your WordPress dashboard, go with Google Site Kit.

We hope this article helped you choose the best WordPress analytics solution for your site. If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to leave a comment below.

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