10 Best Free Product Analytics Tools Shortlist
Here's my pick of the 10 best software from the 16 tools reviewed.
With so many different free product analytics options available, figuring out which one is right for you is tough. You need all of the essential features to track and analyze user interactions, behavior, and key metrics related to a digital product, but you still have to stick to a limited budget. I've got you! In this post I'll help make your choice easy, sharing my experiences using multiple free tools with larger teams and dozens of diverse products on a tight budget, with my picks of the best free product analytics tools.
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Best Free Product Analytics Tools Summary
While all of the product analytics tools in my list have free offerings, they also have paid plans should you wish to upgrade. Here are the base costs for each of the tools that made it onto my shortlist:
| Tool | Best For | Trial Info | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Best for a universally-popular choice | Free plan available | Free for small and medium-sized businesses | Website | |
| 2 | Best for interactive reporting | Free plan available | Starts at $0 with 1M monthly events | Website | |
| 3 | Best for analyzing customer journeys | Free plan available | From $49/month (billed annually) | Website | |
| 4 | Best for heatmaps of user activity | Free plan available | From $49/month (billed annually) | Website | |
| 5 | Best for digital research | Free trial available | From $125/month (billed annually) | Website | |
| 6 | Best for product-led organizations | 14-day free trial + free plan available | Pricing upon request | Website | |
| 7 | Best for surfacing hidden opportunities | Free demo available | Pricing upon request | Website | |
| 8 | Best for enhanced search engine optimization (SEO) | 21-day free trial available | Plans start at $21/month | Website | |
| 9 | Best for advanced session replay | 14-day free trial | $99/month | Website | |
| 10 | Best for open-source data analytics | Free Use | Website |
Best Free Product Analytics Tools Reviews
Below are my detailed summaries of the best free product analytics tools that made it onto my shortlist. My reviews offer a detailed look at the key features, pros & cons, integrations, and ideal use cases of each tool to help you find the best one for you. While some of these tools offer a completely free version, others offer a free trial period. I’ve added a note about what’s free in each of my reviews.
Google Analytics is the de facto web analytics tool for good reason. As well as being a free solution, this platform has the backing of the Google brand and a long history of continuous improvement.You can use this tool to gain real-time insights into activity on both websites and mobile apps.
Flexible and easy to use, it uses state-of-the-art conversion attribution and A/B testing tools to help people build better user experiences. Google Analytics helps organizations determine their top sources of traffic, measure the success of social media campaigns, and track goal completions.
Key features include data analysis, visualization, monitoring, and reporting. This tool integrates with a wide variety of applications, including WordPress, Shopify, ZenDesk, and HootSuite.
Google Analytics is free for most users.
Mixpanel is a self-serve product analytics tool that helps you engage, convert and retain more users. Features include analytics reports that allow you to query and visualize data in seconds. Using this data, you can determine how the product is used, who your power users are, and who stays onsite the longest. You can also build retroactive funnels and analyze conversion rates on the fly. It’s easy to build funnels that show top user flows and segment people into cohorts.
Mixpanel also reads directly from any data lake, without the need to install SDKs or build customized data import processes.
Mixpanel integrates with data platforms such as Snowflake, BigQuery, and Redshift. The free Mixpanel plan supports up to 100,000 monthly tracked users. Paid plans cost from $20/month/account.
Amplitude is a popular product analytics suite that tracks website visitors using collaborative analytics. The software uses custom behavior reports and notifications to offer a better understanding of how visitors interact, as well as provide actionable insights to accelerate product development.
Key features include analysis of the customer product experience, a growth engine for product iteration, and SQL access for custom queries. Users get a 360-degree view of the customer’s journey.
Amplitude also offers the ability to set product strategies, improve customer engagement and optimize conversions. It can also be used to benchmark new features against old ones.
This tool integrates with business applications such as Google Play, iTunes, Adjust, and Iterable.
The Amplitude free plan supports up to 10 million actions per month.
Hotjar is a cloud-based platform that helps businesses track and analyze visitors’ click, scrolling, or tap actions. Heatmaps give a clear visual picture of how people interact with the website. Analysts can view users’ sessions anonymously and surface usability or navigation issues that may need improvement.They can also add tags to recordings, replay sessions, add notes, and share recordings with colleagues.
It’s also possible to set up custom user behavior triggers while creating surveys. Visitors can leave visual feedback so that sentiment across pages can be measured.
This tool integrates with popular third-party applications such as Slack, HubSpot, WooCommerce, Wix, and Joomla.
Hotjar’s free plan allows for up to 35 daily sessions and 1050 recordings per month.
SimilarWeb is a cloud-based website traffic analysis platform. Features include data export, performance metrics, custom dashboards, and conversion analysis.The software helps businesses optimize their budget, discover new keywords, and identify referral opportunities.
Retailers can monitor shoppers’ buying and browsing patterns, track category performance, and create retail search strategies.Marketing teams benefit from the ability to view demographics, analyze customer behavior and discover new opportunities.
This tool integrates with platforms such as Salesforce through an API.A free plan is available for a single user only.
Pendo is a product analytics tool that helps businesses improve user onboarding, customer retention, and product roadmap planning. It tracks product usage across both web and mobile applications. You can distribute surveys and polls to generate both quantitative and qualitative insights into customer sentiment.
Using the product roadmap module, you can also visualize product strategy and create plans based on features, timeline, and segment. You can also capture, manage and prioritize feature requests from customers. This data can then be used to improve products, facilitate customer success and generate additional revenue.
This tool integrates with popular business platforms such as Jira, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Salesforce, and Tableau.
Pendo is free for websites or apps with up to 1000 monthly active users.
Heap is a digital insights platform that brings together a complete trustworthy dataset. It uses automation to capture every data point in the user journey, integrating data science to surface hidden friction in the user experience and reduce churn.
Using Heap, you can eliminate problems and bottlenecks to build better digital experiences. You get visibility into the complete user journey with no gaps in the real-time data.
Heap can be implemented with a single snippet of code. This tool integrates with major business and ecommerce tools such as Salesforce, HubSpot, Amazon S3, and Shopify. Heap is free for up to 10,000 sessions a month.
Matomo (formerly Piwik) is a web analytics platform that is committed to complete customer privacy. It’s also fully compliant with GDPR, HIPAA, CCPA, and PECR. This tool includes a built-in tag manager, so you can track and monitor performance across various marketing campaigns.
Features include custom data retention, SAML, and LDAP authentication, activity logs, media analytics, and customizable reports. Matomo offers white-label capabilities. Users can personalize the interface using their own themes, logos, colors, and fonts.
This tool integrates with business apps such as WordPress, Magento, PrestaShop, and Drupal.Matomo is free when hosted on your own servers.
Using the session replay functions, product teams can rerun sessions to better understand network logs, Javascript errors, and performance data. Managers can then analyze this data to resolve support tickets and reported issues.
The software measures front-end performance by monitoring CPU usage, page load times, page rendering, and browser crashes. It also tracks changes in user flows, engagement, and conversions.
This tool integrates with tools such as React, Angular, Reduc, and Plain JS. LogRocket is free to use for up to 1000 sessions a month.
Open Web Analytics is a free, open-source web analytics framework. Using this tool, you can monitor analytics via the dashboard or see heatmaps of where users click. You can also view the details of usage on any web page, examine pageviews or examine the clickstream of anonymized users sessions.
The software also allows you to track an unlimited number of custom site actions, as well as tracking which search terms are referring visitors and producing rankings. You can track clicks on all elements on web pages and analyze visitor frequency.
You can also customize the workflow and web analytics framework to suit your business needs.
This tool integrates with major web platforms such as WordPress. Open Web Analytics can be used free with no restrictions.
Other Free Product Analytics Tools
Here are some additional product analytics tools options that also offer free plans or trials. While these tools didn’t make it onto my shortlist, they’re still worth checking out:
Free Product Analytics Tool Selection Criteria
When selecting the best free product analytics tools to include in this list, I considered common buyer needs and pain points like limited budgets and the need for user-friendly interfaces. I also used the following framework to keep my evaluation structured and fair:
Core Functionality (25% of total score)
To be considered for inclusion in this list, each solution had to fulfill these common use cases:
- Track user behavior
- Measure engagement metrics
- Provide real-time analytics
- Offer data visualization
- Support event tracking
Additional Standout Features (25% of total score)
To help further narrow down the competition, I also looked for unique features, such as:
- Customizable dashboards
- Advanced segmentation
- Heatmaps and session recordings
- Predictive analytics
- A/B testing capabilities
Usability (10% of total score)
To get a sense of the usability of each system, I considered the following:
- Intuitive interface
- Easy navigation
- Minimal learning curve
- Clear data presentation
- Responsive design
Onboarding (10% of total score)
To evaluate the onboarding experience for each platform, I considered the following:
- Availability of training videos
- Interactive product tours
- Access to webinars
- Ready-to-use templates
- Chatbot assistance
Customer Support (10% of total score)
To assess each software provider’s customer support services, I considered the following:
- 24/7 support availability
- Live chat options
- Comprehensive knowledge base
- Timely response to inquiries
- Access to community forums
Value For Money (10% of total score)
To evaluate the value for money of each platform, I considered the following:
- Competitive pricing
- Range of features in free plan
- Cost of upgrades
- Flexibility in pricing tiers
- Discounts for annual subscriptions
Customer Reviews (10% of total score)
To get a sense of overall customer satisfaction, I considered the following when reading customer reviews:
- User satisfaction ratings
- Commonly mentioned pros and cons
- Feedback on feature effectiveness
- Comments on customer service
- Overall product reliability
How to Choose Free Product Analytics Tool
Complex feature lists and pricing structures can make it hard to figure out what you’re really getting from a free product analytics tools. To help you stay focused as you work through your software selection process, here are some factors to keep in mind:
| Factor | What to Consider |
|---|---|
| Free offer scope | Check what's included in the free plan. Ensure it covers essential features like user tracking and analytics without hidden costs or limitations. |
| Scalability | Consider if the tool can grow with your needs. Look for options that offer easy upgrades and handle increased data volumes as your business expands. |
| Integrations | Ensure the tool integrates with your existing software stack. Popular integrations might include CRM systems, marketing platforms, and data visualization tools. |
| Ease of use | Evaluate the user interface and learning curve. Choose a solution that your team can quickly understand and use without extensive training. |
| Data security | Assess the tool's data protection measures. Ensure it complies with relevant regulations and offers features like data encryption and user access controls. |
| Customization | Look for tools that allow customization of reports and dashboards. This helps tailor insights to your specific business needs and workflows. |
| Customer support | Check the availability and quality of customer support. Access to live chat, a knowledge base, and community forums can be valuable resources. |
| Analytics depth | Determine the depth of analytics provided. Ensure it offers detailed insights into user behavior and engagement, not just surface-level metrics. |
What Are Free Product Analytics Tools?
Free product analytics tools are software that help you track and understand how people use your product without having to pay for it. Product managers, marketers, and UX designers use these to spot trends in user behavior, see what’s working, and find ways to make your product better. With basics like user and event tracking, you get quick, visual answers on how people interact with your app or website so you can make smarter decisions—without breaking the bank.
Features
Let’s go over the features commonly found in product analytics tools, and which ones are usually included in free vs. paid plans.
Typically Free Product Analytics Tools Features
- User tracking: Monitors user interactions and behaviors, helping you understand how users engage with your product.
- Event tracking: Captures specific actions users take, providing insights into user journeys and feature usage.
- Data visualization: Offers charts and graphs to make complex data more accessible and easier to interpret.
- Real-time analytics: Provides immediate data updates, allowing you to quickly react to user behavior and trends.
- Basic reporting: Generates essential reports that summarize key metrics and user activities for quick insights.
- Session replays: Allows you to view user sessions to understand navigation patterns and identify usability issues.
- Heatmaps: Visualizes areas of high activity on your site, helping you see where users are most engaged.
- Feedback collection: Gathers user feedback through surveys or polls to understand user satisfaction and needs.
Typically Paid Product Analytics Tools Features
- Advanced segmentation: Enables detailed user group analysis based on multiple criteria for targeted insights.
- A/B testing: Compares different product versions to determine which performs better, optimizing user experience.
- Predictive analytics: Uses historical data to forecast future user behaviors and trends, aiding decision-making.
- Custom dashboards: Allows personalized data views to focus on metrics that matter most to your team.
- Funnel analysis: Tracks user paths to identify where users drop off, improving conversion rates.
- Cohort analysis: Analyzes groups of users with shared characteristics over time, understanding retention and behavior.
- Data integration: Connects with other data sources to provide a more comprehensive view of user interactions.
- Data governance: Ensures data quality and compliance with regulations, maintaining data integrity and security.
Benefits
Implementing free product analytics tools provides several benefits for your team and your business. Here are a few you can look forward to:
- Cost-effective insights: Gain valuable insights into user behavior without spending money, helping you make data-driven decisions.
- User engagement tracking: Monitor how users interact with your product, allowing you to improve user experience based on real data.
- Immediate feedback: Access real-time analytics to quickly understand user trends and respond to changes effectively.
- Visual data representation: Use data visualization features to easily interpret complex data and communicate findings with your team.
- Improved user satisfaction: Collect user feedback through surveys and polls, helping you address user needs and enhance satisfaction.
- Identification of pain points: Use session replays and heatmaps to spot usability issues and improve product design.
- Scalability: Start with basic features and upgrade as your needs grow, ensuring your analytics capabilities can expand with your business.
Costs & Pricing
I realize you came to this article looking for the best product analytics tools options that are available for free. However, since free plans only offer limited features, there's a good chance you'll need to scale your plan up in the future.
The table below summarizes common plans, their average prices, and typical features included in product analytics tools solutions:
Plan Comparison Table for Product Analytics Tools
| Plan Type | Average Price | Common Features |
|---|---|---|
| Free Plan | $0 | Basic user tracking, event tracking, data visualization, real-time analytics, and feedback collection. |
| Personal Plan | $5-$25/user/month | Advanced user tracking, customizable dashboards, funnel analysis, cohort analysis, and basic integrations. |
| Business Plan | $50-$150/user/month | Comprehensive analytics, A/B testing, predictive analytics, advanced segmentation, and extensive integrations. |
| Enterprise Plan | $200+/user/month | Full customization, dedicated support, data governance, unlimited data storage, and enterprise-level integrations. |
Free Product Analytics Tools FAQs
Here are some answers to common questions about free product analytics tools:
How do free product analytics tools differ from paid versions?
Free product analytics tools often provide basic features like user tracking, event tracking, and basic reporting. Paid versions typically offer advanced features such as A/B testing, predictive analytics, and more detailed data analysis. As your needs grow, you may find it beneficial to upgrade to access these additional features.
Can I rely on free product analytics tools for comprehensive data analysis?
While free tools are great for getting started, they may not offer the depth needed for comprehensive data analysis. They provide essential insights but may lack advanced capabilities such as in-depth segmentation or predictive analytics. If your team requires more detailed data analysis, consider upgrading to a paid plan.
What limitations should I expect with free product analytics tools?
Free product analytics tools often come with limitations like data caps, restricted features, and fewer integrations. These constraints can affect the depth of insights you can gain. It’s important to evaluate these limitations against your team’s needs to ensure they align with your goals.
Are free product analytics tools secure?
Most free product analytics tools prioritize security, offering basic data protection measures. However, they may not provide the same level of security or compliance features as paid versions. If security is a major concern for your team, make sure to verify the security protocols of the tool you choose.
How easy is it to switch from a free plan to a paid plan?
Switching from a free plan to a paid plan is usually straightforward. Most providers offer an easy upgrade process with clear instructions. You can often maintain your existing data and settings, allowing for a smooth transition as your needs evolve.
Do free product analytics tools offer customer support?
Free product analytics tools often provide limited customer support options. You might have access to online resources like FAQs, forums, and knowledge bases. For more personalized support, such as live chat or dedicated account managers, you may need to consider a paid plan.
What’s Next:
If you're in the process of researching free product analytics tools, connect with a SoftwareSelect advisor for free recommendations.
You fill out a form and have a quick chat where they get into the specifics of your needs. Then you'll get a shortlist of software to review. They'll even support you through the entire buying process, including price negotiations.
