Member Avatar for InsightsDigital

As internet marketers, we need to measure the stickiness value and engagmenet level of visitors to a site. Thus, many companies have used Google Analytics in the past few years since it is FREE. But there were other companies who preferred to still use paid tools like WebTrends, Omniture, and Coremetrics to mention a few. Thus, I found it interested that on the Forrester blog it mentioned:

"The merits of free are compelling.Web analytics tools, 66% would consider displacing them with a free alternative. While the primary driver for this consideration is cost, 60% of enterprises are more likely to consider a free tool now because of recent improvements in free solutions. Additionally, 52% are enticed by free tools because they allow enterprises to invest more in the people necessary to drive insight rather than the technology used to collect and analyze data."

So what do you think? I personally liked Visual Science before it got gobbled by Omniture.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by TopCat23

Dani AI

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Good thread — it correctly frames the decision as one of capability, not price. started the debate, and note that free tools now cover many common needs, and rightly reminds us ROI sometimes favors paid platforms. Below is a concise, practical checklist and a short proof-of-concept workflow to help decide whether to retire a paid tool for Google Analytics (or any modern free analytics).

  • Define the decision in measurable terms. List the KPIs and reports you must produce (conversion funnels, attribution, unsampled cohorts, raw exports). If a tool cannot reliably deliver those KPIs, cost is secondary.
  • Data ownership and exports. Confirm whether your team needs raw event data, unsampled exports, or exports into a data warehouse. Free tiers often limit direct raw-data access.
  • Sampling and scale. For high-traffic sites, check whether reporting is sampled or delayed under normal load; sampling can invalidate small-but-important differences.
  • SLAs, support, and training. Paid vendors usually include account support and SLAs; free tools shift that burden to internal staff and community docs.
  • Integrations and identity stitching. If you must join web data to CRM, offline conversions, or cross-device identity, validate integration and matching capabilities.
  • Privacy, retention, and compliance. Confirm how each option handles PII, data locality, retention windows, and regulatory needs.

Quick proof-of-concept (30–60 days)

  • Run both systems in parallel for a representative period.
  • Recreate 6–10 priority reports and compare results end-to-end.
  • Attempt a full export/ETL for one critical use case (attribution, lifetime value).
  • Estimate ongoing analyst hours required to bridge any gaps.

If the POC shows small gaps that are cheaper to solve with people or ETL, the free option wins. If gaps are structural (no raw exports, no SLA, or compliance blockers), retain or negotiate an enterprise solution.

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Member Avatar for MktgRob

As internet marketers, we need to measure the stickiness value and engagmenet level of visitors to a site. Thus, many companies have used Google Analytics in the past few years since it is FREE. But there were other companies who preferred to still use paid tools like WebTrends, Omniture, and Coremetrics to mention a few. Thus, I found it interested that on the Forrester blog it mentioned:

"The merits of free are compelling.Web analytics tools, 66% would consider displacing them with a free alternative. While the primary driver for this consideration is cost, 60% of enterprises are more likely to consider a free tool now because of recent improvements in free solutions. Additionally, 52% are enticed by free tools because they allow enterprises to invest more in the people necessary to drive insight rather than the technology used to collect and analyze data."

So what do you think? I personally liked Visual Science before it got gobbled by Omniture.

I think the analysis is spot on, especially in terms of greater acceptance of the free tools because of improvements and I would add innovation. While Google does some questionable things (Google Dance, anyone?) their Analytics tools are top notch and the fact that they are free is a credit to the powers that be at Google knowing that free is better public relations wise.

Member Avatar for vannarith

Why do not use anything free like Gtrend? Try searching on the net.

Member Avatar for MktgRob

Why do not use anything free like Gtrend? Try searching on the net.

For myself and the needs of my clients, Google Analytics serves our purposes but I will check out GTrend. Thanks for the heads up.

Member Avatar for InsightsDigital

I have used both Google Trend and Google Analytics. Google Trends helps the researcher understand from a macro perspective - what are the global trends but nothing specific. Think of it as your free version of HitWise. Meanwhile Google Analytics is a robust tool to tell you about your site's visitor behavior. Think of it as an amp up verion of AWStats.

Member Avatar for MktgRob

I have used both Google Trend and Google Analytics. Google Trends helps the researcher understand from a macro perspective - what are the global trends but nothing specific. Think of it as your free version of HitWise. Meanwhile Google Analytics is a robust tool to tell you about your site's visitor behavior. Think of it as an amp up verion of AWStats.

Did not realize Gtrends was Google Trends, so thank you for pointing out my dopey miss. Also, thanks for clarifying the difference between the two. I was never certain if Google Trends was a value to my clients as they are small companies and in the grand scheme of things Analytics provides much of what I need.

Member Avatar for pavelreva

Well, Google Analytics serves greatly for most of the needs, especially after improvements. Others are pretty limited and costs much, so why to pay for worse tools? Custom reporting opens much more opportunities to analyze websites. Now, also use chrome exntesion to make in-page reports analysis much easier and faster.

Member Avatar for TopCat23

It is important to get return on investment, but this isn't always achievable using free software. We use A1WebStats as it provides us with huge insights into how well our website is doing and it's obvious when a page isn't converting visitors as it should do.

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