7+ Best FREE Website Analytics Tools in October 2023

Website analytics tools are becoming more and more popular because without data you don’t get to know your customers. And with demand comes the supply of more and more “best website analytics tools”. But not all can be the best… 

The pain points that many users of web analytics tools encounter are:

• Complicated and laborious manual event tracking: While useful for filtering out irrelevant data, manually tracking events requires coding knowledge. That’s why you need tagless data capture, so you can analyze unpredictable visitor behavior. Plus, it’s great for beginners and users without technical expertise.

• Inadequate qualitative data capture to understand visitor behavior: Most website analytics tools collect web traffic data that shows you what visitors are doing. But if you want the full picture of why your website’s visitors perform certain actions, you need a platform that provides heatmaps, session replays, and co-browsing.

• Lack of detailed visitor information: Besides analyzing aggregate visitor patterns, a good website analytics platform must be able to monitor behavior down to the individual visitor. It must provide tools for creating custom profiles for each visitor and remember them on repeat visits to your website.

There are better options! Let’s examine the 7 free website analytics tools that resolve all of the listed pain points. And they’re completely free or at least offer a free plan in their subscription package.

Best Free Website Analytics Tools at a Glance

• SessionStack — Best for recording and replaying user sessions
• Google Analytics — Best for quantitative data analytics
• Heap — Best for tagless auto-capture of web traffic data

Best Overall		Runner-up	Third-Best Alternative
SessionStack		Google Analytics	Heap
Best for session replays that provide over-the-shoulder info on each customer.		Best for analyzing and organizing large amounts of web traffic data.	Best for beginners who need a no-code solution for automatic data capture.
Visit SessionStack		Visit Google Analytics	Visit Heap

Best Free Website Analytics Tools: Executive Summary

Before looking at each tool in-depth, here’s a table that outlines the features, strengths, limitations, and ratings of each tool.

	SessionStack Best for product, developer, and customer support teams that need a lightweight solution for in-depth user interaction insights, bug reproduction & resolution, and providing real-time support.
	Ease of use: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	Features: ⭐⭐⭐⭐	Quantitative analytics: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	Qualitative analytics: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
	Google Analytics Best for quantitative website analytics and processing large amounts of site data. Integrated with the Google ecosystem.
	Ease of use: ⭐⭐⭐⭐	Features: ⭐⭐⭐⭐	Quantitative analytics: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	Qualitative analytics: ⭐⭐⭐
	Heap Best for data capture and recording user events. Offers decent quantitative data collection with automatic event tracking but excels at qualitative analytics because of its heatmaps, session replays, and user journeys.
	Ease of use: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	Features: ⭐⭐⭐⭐	Quantitative analytics: ⭐⭐⭐⭐	Qualitative analytics: ⭐⭐⭐
	MixPanel Best for collaborative product analysis using a shared visualization dashboard. This dashboard is fully customizable with GIFs, images, audio, and other media.
	Ease of use: ⭐⭐⭐⭐	Features: ⭐⭐⭐⭐	Quantitative analytics: ⭐⭐⭐⭐	Qualitative analytics: ⭐⭐⭐
	Clicky Best for collecting stats and metrics of third-party websites. Offers white-label analytics that allows you to rebrand the platform as your own.
	Ease of use: ⭐⭐⭐⭐	Features: ⭐⭐⭐⭐	Quantitative analytics: ⭐⭐⭐⭐	Qualitative analytics: ⭐⭐⭐
	Woopra Best for analyzing and reporting on individual website visitors. Creates distinct user profiles for each visitor.
	Ease of use: ⭐⭐⭐⭐	Features: ⭐⭐⭐⭐	Quantitative analytics: ⭐⭐⭐⭐	Qualitative analytics: ⭐⭐⭐
	Hotjar Best for heatmaps and user feedback surveys. Offers suggestion boxes, surveys, and live user interviews for unbiased feedback
	Ease of use: ⭐⭐⭐⭐	Features: ⭐⭐⭐	Quantitative analytics: ⭐⭐⭐	Qualitative analytics: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

1. SessionStack — Best for user session analysis

Ease of Use	Features	Quantitative analytics	Qualitative analytics
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

SessionStack was founded by Alexander Zlatkov to help product teams collect and analyze data on user behavior. It doesn’t just reveal what visitors are doing on your website, it also helps you understand why they perform specific actions.

Top SessionStack Features:

SessionStack is the most feature-rich website analytics platform on this list. From session replays and co-browsing to tagless auto-capture and user segmentation, this platform provides everything you need for quantitative and qualitative analytics.

With just a small change to your website header, SessionStack can collect all sorts of stats and metrics on:

• clicks,
• browser events,
• network information,
• outbound links, 
• and more.

But that’s not all.

SessionStack’s main feature is the best-in-class session capture that gives you an over-the-shoulder perspective on each user’s session.

SessionStack helps website owners analyze unpredictable data and boost conversion rates. It also enables web developers to quickly identify UX issues, resolve them, and improve the visitor’s experience. In addition, SessionStack provides great value for support teams that need to understand customers’ behavior.

SessionStack Pros	SessionStack Cons
✅ SessionStackAI recommendations	❌ No chat features
✅ Advanced insights and behavior analysis	❌ No mobile app support
✅ User segmentation and sales funnels
✅ Pixel-perfect session replays
✅ JavaScript captures all interactions without affecting the look and feel of your site

Automatic Data Capture: Tagless auto-capture to collect undefined metrics

Most website analytics software require you to predefine which user actions and events to collect during a browsing session. For example, you must tag an outbound link before you can measure its click rate.

This isn’t the case with SessionStack.

That’s because, with its tagless auto-capture, it tracks all defined and undefined user actions and gives you the option to filter out what you don’t need. 

Without manual tagging, SessionStack automatically detects:

• clicks,
• window resizing,
• scrolling,
• tab and window switching,
• bounce rates, 
• session duration, 
• and much more.

Unlike other platforms that focus on either individual visitor journeys or aggregate user behavior, SessionStack offers the best of both worlds. It tracks and automatically generates profiles for individual users based on:

• email, 
• name, 
• user id, 
• or any other preset data. 

And the trends dashboard lets you analyze aggregate user data with its segmentation, funnel, charts, and analytics features. This tool helps you identify friction points when navigating your website and spot opportunities for conversion.

Session Replay: Collect qualitative data to complement quantitative data

We’ve discussed how SessionStack automatically collects data on user actions on your website. However, this isn’t nearly enough if you’re looking to improve their browsing experience and increase conversion rates. 

That’s why SessionStack allows you to create high-fidelity recordings of your visitors’ browsing sessions. After all, session recordings are the best way to provide more context for your data and understand the reasons behind user actions.

This feature provides much more than video recordings of the visitor’s screen. It also logs all network information, browser events, and user input.

Furthermore, it uses a built-in SessionStackAI to generate bite-sized summaries from session replays. This way, you can have a complete overview of users’ experiences in less time and receive insights on how to improve visitor journeys.

While other web analytics platforms offer session replay, SessionStack stands out as the most affordable platform offering the best recording quality. Moreover, it runs smoothly without affecting your website performance. And, if needed, you get to be live on-site with your customer, using the co-browsing feature. This way you get qualitative data firsthand.

Conversion Funnels: Use insights and reports from analytics to optimize conversion rate

Many website analytics tools don’t offer much more than data collection and analysis. However, SessionStack is different. It allows you to create segmentation funnels that optimize your website’s conversion rates.

You can also connect with the trends dashboard to refine funnel steps with subfilters and exclusion filters. In addition, SessionStack lets you save user segments for future use, allowing your team members to collaborate on them

SessionStack’s conversion funnels don’t require any coding knowledge or technical expertise to set up. And, the beginner-friendly dashboard allows you to visualize user flows and conversion rates on your website.

SessionStack Pricing

Use SessionStack If:

• You want the best session recording platform for qualitative analysis.
• You want advanced developer tools to help discover new ways to improve user experience.
• Your product team needs advanced insights and user analytics.

2. Google Analytics — A free platform for quantitative analytics

Ease of Use	Features	Quantitative analytics	Qualitative analytics
⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐

Google Analytics is a free web analytics tool offered under the Google Marketing Platform. It is the most popular analytics platform with support for iOS, Android, and web applications.

Top Google Analytics Features:

• Built-in automation,
• Real-time website and app reporting,
• Integration with the Google ecosystem,
• Conversion funnels and user segmentation,
• Data collection APIs.

Google Analytics is best for small- to medium-sized businesses that need a reliable platform for analyzing large amounts of web traffic. 

Google Analytics Pros	Google Analytics Cons
✅ Completely free with no limits	❌ No qualitative data analytics
✅ Robust integrations with other Google apps (Google Search Console, Google Tag Manager, Google Ads, …)	❌ No session replays
✅ AI-generated insights	❌ Requires manual event tracking

Google Analytics Overview:

Google Analytics allows you to use any data collection API on your website and send the results for analysis. It automatically tracks some events and interactions, but you must manually set up the rest using Google Tags Manager.

This platform is usually the go-to for quantitative data analytics. That’s because it provides real-time data about your website’s:

• traffic, 
• web page views, 
• clicks, 
• bounce rates,
• and session durations. 

It also comes with a variety of reporting and data organization tools to help you analyze your business data. In addition to these, Google Analytics uses machine learning models to predict future user actions and detect actionable insights from data. Integrated with Google Search Console, you’ll get to follow search queries with rankings and search traffic for landing pages, right on your dashboard.

Google Analytics Pricing:

Google Analytics is completely free to use on all your websites. There are no Google Analytics alternatives in this sense—there are no limits to the amount of data you can process, and all features are unlocked.

The premium version of this software, Google Analytics 360, costs $150,000 per year. While costly, it is designed for large businesses that need advanced tools and enterprise support.

Use Google Analytics If:

• Your tech stack is based on the Google ecosystem.
• You need the best quantitative data analytics tool.
• You want AI-powered insights and predictive analysis.

3. Heap — Best for tagless automatic data capture and insights

Ease of Use	Features	Quantitative analytics	Qualitative analytics
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐

Heap was created to help development teams create exceptional digital experiences for millions of users. Designed for speed and scale, it helps developers capture user interactions, understand them, and confidently make decisions on them.

Top Heap Features:

• Behavior-driven user segmentation,
• Visitor journey maps,
• Session replays,
• Bi-directional integrations,
• Automatic event tracking.

Heap is best for teams that need a quick and efficient platform for collecting large amounts of analytics data. Its ease of use and setup make it a great tool for beginners getting into website analytics. 

Heap Pros	Heap Cons
✅ Extremely easy to set up	❌ Limited dashboard customization
✅ Session recording and replay	❌ No custom events and event filtering
✅ Heatmaps and user journeys	❌ Limited reporting functionalities

Heap Overview:

Heap’s primary feature is automatic data capture, which allows you to track every user event on your website without any prior setup. All you need to do is add the tracking code to your website’s source.

Heap can collect and perform analysis on both, quantitative and qualitative data. This makes it a versatile tool for understanding how visitors interact with your website better and quicker. 

Heap Pricing:

Heap’s free plan provides up to 10,000 monthly sessions and 6 months of data history. You also get core analytics charts and can add more context to your data from unlimited enrichment sources.

This plan also allows you to track visitor journeys and create custom funnels based on aggregate behavior. 

Use Heap If:

• You want to collect bulk user events and interactions with little effort.
• You want to use templates to save time building analytics dashboards.
• You want to track visitor journeys through your website.

4. MixPanel — Best for online dashboards and visualizing data

Ease of Use	Features	Quantitative analytics	Qualitative analytics
⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐

MixPanel is a self-serve product analysis platform that has helped over 7000 companies across multiple industries build better products for their customers. 

Top MixPanel Features:

• Data collection and tracking,
• Group analytics,
• Custom dashboards for web and TV,
• Conversion funnels,
• Experiments and A/B testing.

MixPanel is best for teams that need advanced collaboration and data visualization tools. It can also track several types of user interaction and offers multiple ways to analyze and experiment with them. Ecommerce websites will find their Ecommerce Analytics features the most useful.

MixPanel Pros	MixPanel Cons
✅ Excellent online collaboration tools	❌ Steep learning curve for beginners
✅ Customizable dashboards and UI	❌ Requires manual event tracking
✅ Lots of integrations	❌ No session recording or replays

MixPanel Overview:

MixPanel stands out with its customizable dashboard that facilitates online collaboration among team members. It allows you to insert custom text, images, GIFs, and videos into the dashboard for more contextual data analysis.

Besides data visualization, MixPanel offers excellent quantitative data collection. For example, you can track individual users and create custom profiles for each one. This data helps you measure your website’s conversion rate. 

It’s worth noting that MixPanel is difficult to set up on your website. Since it requires manual event tracking, you’ll need your developers to update your tracking code.

MixPanel Pricing:

MixPanel offers a generous free plan that allows you to track up to 20 million monthly user events. You also get unlimited integrations and collaborators, and templates to get you started.

Moreover, startups that are less than 5 years old with up to $8 million in funding can apply for the free one-year trial on the paid plans. 

Use MixPanel If:

• You want the best collaboration tools for product analysis.
• You want to customize your reports with third-party tools like Figma and Coda.
• You want full control over data storage and query.

5. Clicky — Best for collecting metrics on third-party websites

Ease of Use	Features	Quantitative analytics	Qualitative analytics
⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐

Clicky is a GDPR-compliant, open-source, and cloud-based web analytics software that can track inbound and outbound traffic through a website. Its selling point is the ability to collect metrics on third-party websites without prior installation.

Top Clicky Features:

• Automatic outbound link tracking,
• Real-time heatmaps,
• Split testing,
• Email and engagement reports,
• Basic visitor segmentation.

Clicky is best for developers who want to measure the click rates of outbound links on their websites. 

Clicky Pros	Clicky Cons
✅ Collect metrics on third-party websites	❌ No session replays
✅ Customizable dashboard	❌ The SEO backlinks are visible via Google search engine
✅ Best bot detection and blocking	❌ Outdated user interface

Clicky Overview:

Clicky automatically tracks all traffic through links that lead to third-party websites. Unlike most competitors, Clicky doesn’t require you to install a tracking code on the website.

While it specializes in quantitative data collection, Clicky offers limited qualitative analysis through heatmaps and individual visitor tracking. It can also perform split testing and generate reports.

Clicky Pricing:

Clicky’s free plan only allows you to track one website at a time. Moreover, you’re restricted to 3000 daily page views. However, it allows you to track individual users, create widgets, and use its API.

Premium features like heatmaps, path analysis, and video analytics are locked behind a paid subscription.

Use Clicky If:

• You want to track traffic on websites other than yours.
• You want to bypass ad-blockers.
• You want to rebrand Clicky as your own product and resell it to your customers.

6. Woopra — Best for tracking individual visitor journeys

Ease of Use	Features	Quantitative analytics	Qualitative analytics
⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐

Woopra was created in 2012 by two engineers who recognized the benefits of a product analytics tool that can capture the entire customer journey. It aims to help development teams relive each user’s experience on their websites.

Top Woopra Features:

• Behavioural segmentation,
• Triggers and automation,
• Journeys, trends, and retention reports,
• Individual user profiles.

Woopra is best for product teams that want to track individual website visitors rather than just aggregate user behavior.

Woopra Pros	Woopra Cons
✅ User segmentation with custom filters	❌ No session replays
✅ Reports for visualizing user behavior	❌ No qualitative data analysis
✅ Lots of integrations	❌ Requires manual event tracking

Woopra Overview:

Most website analytics tools can only measure bulk trends and website traffic. This isn’t the case with Woopra, as it can identify individual website visitors and generate profiles for them.

Woopra creates up to six different types of reports for the end-to-end visitor journey on your website. This makes it a versatile tool for measuring website usage, conversions, and clicks.

Woopra Pricing:

Woopra’s free version allows you to track up to 500,000 monthly user actions and retain the data for 90 days. You also get all the core Woopra tools, including visitor profiles, segmentation, snapshots, and reports.

However, advanced analytics tools like behavioral segmentation, custom metrics, and dynamic journeys require a paid subscription.

Use Woopra If:

• You’re more concerned with individual user experience than aggregate behavior.
• You need advanced user segmentation tools.
• You want a No-SQL solution for identifying website visitors.

7. Hotjar — Free heatmaps and user feedback for low-traffic sites

Ease of Use	Features	Quantitative analytics	Qualitative analytics
⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Hotjar was created in 2014 to help website creators and owners understand what users need and how they behave on their sites.

Top Hotjar Features:

• Session recordings,
• Interaction heatmaps,
• Targeted surveys,
• Automated user interviews.

Hotjar is best for websites with little web traffic that need to understand individual user behaviors. It would be best to pair this platform with one focused on quantitative analytics.

Hotjar Pros	Hotjar Cons
✅ Session recordings and replays	❌ Limited quantitative website analytics
✅ Real-time user feedback	❌ Requires manual event tracking
✅ Integration with Google Analytics

Hotjar Overview:

Hotjar’s heatmaps and session replay features make it one of the best tools for qualitative analysis. In addition to these, this platform also embeds a suggestion box on your website for real-time user feedback.

You can also include website visitors in your decision-making process through targeted surveys and live interviews.

One drawback to using Hotjar is that it only offers limited quantitative data collection, making it unsuitable for tracking large amounts of web traffic. Moreover, you must manually set up event tracking on your website.

Hotjar Pricing:

Hotjar’s three pricing packages—Observe, Ask, and Engage—all offer free plans. When combined, these plans provide up to 35 daily sessions, 20 monthly responses, and 60 yearly interviews.

Aside from third-party integrations, interview recordings, and custom error charts, Hotjar’s free plans offer the same features as their paid plans.

Use Hotjar If:

• You need real-time user feedback.
• You don’t need to monitor web traffic.
• You want to have live interviews with your customers.

The Final Verdict

Since all the tools discussed in this article are either completely free or offer a free plan, it’s easy to pick any random one. However, each platform offers a unique combination of features that may or may not satisfy your business needs. 

But that’s the beauty of free tools! Try them out and figure out exactly which one’s the best web analytics tool for you.

Having said that, here’s our verdict on the free analytics tools based on our testing and experience:

• SessionStack for teams that need high-fidelity session replays to complement quantitative website analytics.
• Google Analytics for businesses that need advanced quantitative website analytics tools.
• Heap for beginners who want to automatically capture stats and metrics on web traffic.

Note: Honorable mentions of free web analytics tools we didn’t include in the article: Open Web Analytics with their open-sourced framework and Hubspot Marketing Hub which includes marketing analytics tools, sales tools, and service tools in the free plan.