Plausible A low-cost, user-friendly option from only $9 a month

A popular choice is Plausible. It's easy to use, GDPR compliant, and offers basic but valuable data tracking at a relatively low cost. Plausible is privacy-friendly, as all the site measurement is carried out completely anonymously: cookies are not used and no personal data is collected. There’s no cross-site or cross-device tracking either.

Best for: Users on a budget, looking for a decent snapshot of essential metrics such as website traffic and conversions, and a product which allows you to import your GA data.

What’s missing: As Plausible explains, it’s “simple, lightweight analytics” - so you don’t get the layered menus, customisable dashboards or custom, deep-dive reports that some other products (in our list) offer.

Semrush Beyond keyword rankings and content gaps

SEMRUSH has always been a go-to tool for marketers. But now, some are making it their primary data analytics tool instead of Google Analytics. With the ability to monitor not only keyword rankings and content gaps but also your competitor's traffic trends and keywords, it's a comprehensive platform for all your analytical needs.

Prices start from around $129 a month. To view historical data - dating back to January 2012 - you’ll need the Guru level plan for around $250 a month.

Best for: Understanding your website performance against your competitors’ - from domain strength to backlink profiles, keyword rankings, traffic and other metrics.

What’s missing: For web traffic analytics, Semrush uses clickstream data from proprietary and 3rd party data sources - essentially, it gives you a pretty well-informed gauge of your traffic (and your competitors’) based on external sources, unlike most web analytics platforms, which utilise a tracking code installed on your site. As SEMRUSH says, “to check traffic to your website, use Google Analytics” - so in that sense, the data ownership is missing, as the platform leverages data from other sources.

incendium Ultra-slick visuals, the best attribution out there, clear-cut, actionable analytics and online-offline data integration

You get 50+ out-of-the-box reports to show you exactly how to optimise your marketing, such as which landing pages require optimization, which ads to pause and where to push more budget. A lot of GA users felt short changed with how lite GA4 was on reports, and Incendium definitely addresses this.

Aside from the analytics, Incendium’s multi-touch attribution capabilities are market-leading. We have seen many occasions when Incendium has picked up more conversions than GA4 when looking at Google properties!

Incendium doesn’t just provide precise insights, it provides AB testing and CRO tools, so you can action insights and drive results without leaving the platform.

Among its many features and capabilities, Incendium solves the problem that businesses using most mass-market analytics platforms face which is that they do not cater well for businesses which convert offline (most B2B). Incendium closes this loop and allows you to fully attribute revenue across all your channels. Ecommerce sites have an easier time than B2B, but they tend to rely on biased attribution, last-click models and flawed data that can steer them in the wrong direction - Incendium handles this impressively well.

Incendium is GDPR-compliant and gives you an outstanding level of visibility on your data, with multi-touch attribution and no time limitations, unlike the lookback windows provided by GA4 and some other analytics platforms.

Incendium is currently offering a free trial.

Best for: Ambitious SMEs who want to do far more with their data, without the budget of enterprise brands.

What’s missing: While very well-priced, at the moment, Incendium doesn’t have a basic tier comparable to Plausible’s $9 a month basic plan. With so many more features and a huge amount of data collection and processing built in, we’re assuming it wouldn’t be cost effective for them to offer it.

MATOMO Real-time data, customizable dashboards, and full control

With real-time data, a customizable dashboard, detailed reports, and complete user control, Matomo positions itself as a robust alternative to mainstream analytics platforms, emphasising privacy and data ownership. The open-source nature of Matomo means it benefits from community-driven enhancements and scrutiny, adding an extra layer of security and reliability.

Matomo currently offers a 21-day free trial, allowing users to test its capabilities without financial commitment.

Best for: Businesses and individuals who prioritise data privacy and ownership, need accurate and comprehensive analytics, and desire a customizable platform.

What’s missing: While Matomo offers plenty of functionality, the downside is that the user interface is quite complicated. So if you’re moving away from Google Analytics to escape the complex menus, you probably won’t find Matomo much easier.

fathom Privacy-focused and easy to use

Fathom offers a refreshing alternative to Google Analytics, prioritising simplicity and privacy. With its straightforward setup, users can begin analysing real-time data swiftly without deep technical know-how. Fathom's appeal lies in its simplicity and strong privacy standards, making it a good choice for those who value ease of use and data protection. Its real-time analytics and straightforward dashboard provide immediate insights, ideal for quick decision-making. While its feature set is more streamlined compared to more complex platforms like Incendium and Matomo, Fathom does well at delivering accurate, user-friendly analytics.

Fathom currently offers a free 30-day trial.

Best for: Users seeking a straightforward, privacy-conscious analytics solution that provides essential insights without complexity.

What’s missing: Audience-specific data. Fathom doesn’t retain any IP address activity - they track data using more of an "aggregated" approach, so you still get insights into things like the number of pageviews, the number of returning visitors, etc. but not audience demographics such as age, gender etc.