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• Interfacing to an Xbox Optical Drive

  1er octobre 2013, par Multimedia Mike — xbox

  The next generation Xbox is going to hit the streets soon. But for some reason, I’m still interested in the previous generation’s unit (i.e., the original Xbox). Specifically, I’ve always wondered if it’s possible to use the original Xbox’s optical drive in order to read Xbox discs from Linux. I was never curious enough to actually buy an Xbox just to find out but I eventually came across a cast-off console on a recycle pile.

  I have long known that the Xbox has what appears to be a more or less standard optical drive with a 40-pin IDE connector. The only difference is the power adapter which I surmise is probably the easiest way to turn a bit of standardized hardware into a bit of proprietary hardware. The IDE and power connectors look like this :

  
  
  

  Thus, I wanted to try opening an Xbox and plugging the optical drive into a regular PC, albeit one that supports IDE cables, and allow the Xbox to supply power to the drive. Do you still have hardware laying around that has 40-pin IDE connectors ? I guess my Mac Mini PPC fits the bill, but I’ll be darned if I’m going to pry that thing open again. I have another IDE-capable machine buried in my closet, last called into service when I needed a computer with a native RS-232 port 3 years ago. The ordeal surrounding making this old computer useful right now can be another post entirely.

  Here’s what the monstrosity looks like thanks to characteristically short IDE cable lengths :

  
  

  

  Click for larger image

  
  

  Process :

  1. Turn on Xbox first
  2. Turn on PC

  Doing these things in the opposite order won’t work since the kernel really wants to see the drive when booting up. Inspecting the 'dmesg' log afterward reveals interesting items :
  

  <br />
hdd: PHILIPS XBOX DVD DRIVE, ATAPI CD/DVD-ROM drive<br />
hdd: host max PIO5 wanted PIO255(auto-tune) selected PIO4<br />
hdd: UDMA/33 mode selected<br />
[...]<br />
hdd: ATAPI DVD-ROM drive, 128kB Cache<br />

  Why is that interesting ? When is the last time to saw disk devices prefixed by ‘hd’ rather than ‘sd’ ? Blast from the past. Oh, and the optical drive’s vendor string clearly indicates that this is an Xbox drive saying ‘hi !’.

  Time To Read
  When I first studied an Xbox disc in a normal optical drive, I noticed that I was able to read 6992 2048-byte sectors — about 14 MB of data — as reported by the disc table of contents (TOC). This is just enough data to play a standard DVD video animation that kindly instructs the viewer to please use a proper Xbox. At this point, I estimated that there must be something special about Xbox optical drive firmware that knows how to read alternate information on these discs and access further sectors.

  I ran my TOC query tool with an Xbox Magazine demo disc in the optical drive and it reported substantially more than 6992 sectors, enough to account for more than 2 GB of data. That’s promising. I then tried running 'dd' against the device and it was able to read… about 14 MB, an exact quantity of bytes that, when divided by 2048 bytes/sector, yields 6992 sectors.

  Future (Past ?) Work
  Assuming Google is your primary window into the broader internet, the world is beginning to lose its memory of things pertaining to the original Xbox (Microsoft’s naming scheme certainly doesn’t help searches). What I’m saying is that it can be difficult to find information about this stuff now. However, I was able to learn that a host needs to perform a sort of cryptographic handshake with the drive at the SCSI level before it is allowed to access the forbidden areas of the disc. I think. I’m still investigating this and will hopefully post more soon.

• A Guide to App Analytics Tools that Drive Growth

  7 mars, par Daniel Crough — App Analytics

  Mobile apps are big business, generating £438 billion in global revenue between in-app purchases (38%) and ad revenue (60%). And with 96% of apps relying on in-app monetisation, the competition is fierce.

  To succeed, app developers and marketers need strong app analytics tools to understand their customers’ experiences and the effectiveness of their development efforts.

  This article discusses app analytics, how it works, the importance and benefits of mobile app analytics tools, key metrics to track, and explores five of the best app analytics tools on the market.

  What are app analytics tools ?

  Mobile app analytics tools are software solutions that provide insights into how users interact with mobile applications. They track user behaviour, engagement and in-app events to reveal what’s working well and what needs improvement.

  Insights gained from mobile app analytics help companies make more informed decisions about app development, marketing campaigns and monetisation strategies.

  What do app analytics tools do ?

  App analytics tools embed a piece of code, called a software development kit (SDK), into an app. These SDKs provide the essential infrastructure for the following functions :

  • Data collection : The SDK collects data within your app and records user actions and events, like screen views, button clicks, and in-app purchases.
  • Data filtering : SDKs often include mechanisms to filter data, ensuring that only relevant information is collected.
  • Data transmission : Once collected and filtered, the SDK securely transmits the data to an analytics server. The SDK provider can host this server (like Firebase or Amplitude), or you can host it on-premise.
  • Data processing and analysis : Servers capture, process and analyse large stores of data and turn it into useful information.
  • Visualisation and reporting : Dashboards, charts and graphs present processed data in a user-friendly format.

  

  Six ways mobile app analytics tools fuel marketing success and drive product growth

  Mobile app analytics tools are vital in driving product development, enhancing user experiences, and achieving business objectives.

  #1. Improving user understanding

  The better a business understands its customers, the more likely it is to succeed. For mobile apps, that means understanding how and why people use them.

  Mobile analytics tools provide detailed insights into user behaviours and preferences regarding apps. This knowledge helps marketing teams create more targeted messaging, detailed customer journey maps and improve user experiences.

  It also helps product teams understand the user experience and make improvements based on those insights.

  For example, ecommerce companies might discover that users in a particular area are more likely to buy certain products. This allows the company to tailor its offers and promotions to target the audience segments most likely to convert.

  #2 Optimising monetisation strategies for increased revenue and user retention

  In-app purchases and advertising make up 38% and 60% of mobile app revenue worldwide, respectively. App analytics tools provide insights companies need to optimise app monetisation by :

  • Analysing purchase patterns to identify popular products and understand pricing sensitivities.
  • Tracking in-app behaviour to identify opportunities for enhancing user engagement.

  App analytics can track key metrics like visit duration, user flow, and engagement patterns. These metrics provide critical information about user experiences and can help identify areas for improvement.

  How meaningful are the impacts ?

  Duolingo, the popular language learning app, reported revenue growth of 45% and an increase in daily active users (DAU) of 65% in its Q4 2023 financial report. The company attributed this success to its in-house app analytics platform.

  

  #3. Understanding user experiences

  Mobile app analytics tools track the performance of user interactions within your app, such as :

  • Screen views : Which screens users visit most frequently
  • User flow : How users navigate through your app
  • Session duration : How long users spend in your app
  • Interaction events : Which buttons, features, and functions users engage with most

  Knowing how users interact with your app can help refine your approach, optimise your efforts, and drive more conversions.

  #4. Personalising user experiences

  A recent McKinsey survey showed that 71% of users expect personalised app experiences. Product managers must stay on top of this since 76% of users get frustrated if they don’t receive the personalisation they expect.

  Personalisation on mobile platforms requires data capture and analysis. Mobile analytics platforms can provide the data to personalise the user onboarding process, deliver targeted messages and recommend relevant content or offers.

  Spotify is a prime example of personalisation done right. A recent case study by Pragmatic Institute attributed the company’s growth to over 500 million active daily users to its ability to capture, analyse and act on :

  • Search behaviour
  • Individual music preferences
  • Playlist data
  • Device usage
  • Geographical location

  The streaming service uses its mobile app analytics software to turn this data into personalised music recommendations for its users. Spotify also has an in-house analytics tool called Spotify Premium Analytics, which helps artists and creators better understand their audience.

  #5. Enhancing app performance

  App analytics tools can help identify performance issues that might be affecting user experience. By monitoring metrics like load time and app performance, developers can pinpoint areas that need improvement.

  Performance optimisation is crucial for user retention. According to Google research, 53% of mobile site visits are abandoned if pages take longer than three seconds to load. While this statistic refers to websites, similar principles apply to apps—users expect fast, responsive experiences.

  Analytics data can help developers prioritise performance improvements by showing which screens or features users interact with most frequently, allowing teams to focus their optimisation efforts where they’ll have the greatest impact.

  #6. Identifying growth opportunities

  App analytics tools can reveal untapped opportunities for growth by highlighting :

  • Features users engage with most
  • Underutilised app sections that might benefit from redesign
  • Common user paths that could be optimised
  • Moments where users tend to drop off

  This intelligence helps product teams make data-informed decisions about future development priorities, feature enhancements, and potential new offerings.

  For example, a streaming service might discover through analytics that users who create playlists have significantly higher retention rates. This insight could lead to development of enhanced playlist functionality to encourage more users to create them, ultimately boosting overall retention.

  Key app metrics to track

  Using mobile analytics tools, you can track dozens of key performance indicators (KPIs) that measure everything from customer engagement to app performance. This section focuses on the most important KPIs for app analytics, classified into three categories :

  • App performance KPIs
  • User engagement KPIs
  • Business impact KPIs

  While the exact metrics to track will vary based on your specific goals, these fundamental KPIs form the foundation of effective app analytics.

  

  App performance KPIs

  App performance metrics tell you whether an app is reliable and operating properly. They help product managers identify and address technical issues that may negatively impact user experiences.

  Some key metrics to assess performance include :

  • Screen load time : How quickly screens load within your app
  • App stability : How often your app crashes or experiences errors
  • Response time : How quickly your app responds to user interactions
  • Network performance : How efficiently your app handles data transfers

  User engagement KPIs

  Engagement KPIs provide insights into how users interact with an app. These metrics help you understand user behaviour and make UX improvements.

  Important engagement metrics include :

  • Returning visitors : A measure of how often users return to an app
  • Visit duration : How long users spend in your app per session
  • User flow : Visualisation of the paths users take through your app, offering insights into navigation patterns
  • Event tracking : Specific interactions users have with app elements
  • Screen views : Which screens are viewed most frequently

  Business impact KPIs

  Business impact KPIs connect app analytics to business outcomes, helping demonstrate the app’s value to the organisation.

  Key business impact metrics include :

  • Conversion events : Completion of desired actions within your app
  • Goal completions : Tracking when users complete specific objectives
  • In-app purchases : Monitoring revenue from within the app
  • Return on investment : Measuring the business value generated relative to development costs

  Privacy and app analytics : A delicate balance

  While app analytics tools can be a rich source of user data, they must be used responsibly. Tracking user in-app behaviour and collecting user data, especially without consent, can raise privacy concerns and erode user trust. It can also violate data privacy laws like the GDPR in Europe or the OCPA, FDBR and TDPSA in the US.

  With that in mind, it’s wise to choose user-tracking tools that prioritise user privacy while still collecting enough data for reliable analysis.

  Matomo is a privacy-focused web and app analytics solution that allows you to collect and analyse user data while respecting user privacy and following data protection rules like GDPR.

  The five best app analytics tools to prove marketing value

  In this section, we’ll review the five best app analytics tools based on their features, pricing and suitability for different use cases.

  Matomo — Best for privacy-compliant app analytics

  Matomo app analytics is a powerful, open-source platform that prioritises data privacy and compliance.

  

  It offers a suite of features for tracking user engagement and conversions across websites, mobile apps and intranets.

  Key features

  • Complete data ownership : Full control over your analytics data with no third-party access
  • User flow analysis : Track user journeys across different screens in your app
  • Custom event tracking : Monitor specific user interactions with customisable events
  • Ecommerce tracking : Measure purchases and product interactions
  • Goal conversion monitoring : Track completion of important user actions
  • Unified analytics : View web and app analytics in one platform for a complete digital picture

  Benefits

  • Eliminate compliance risks without sacrificing insights
  • Get accurate data with no sampling or data manipulation
  • Choose between self-hosting or cloud deployment
  • Deploy one analytics solution across your digital properties (web and app) for a single source of truth

  Pricing

  Plan	Price
  Cloud	Starts at £19/month
  On-Premise	Free

  Matomo is a smart choice for businesses that value data privacy and want complete control over their analytics data. It’s particularly well-suited for organisations in highly regulated industries, like banking.

  While Matomo’s app analytics features focus on core analytics capabilities, its privacy-first approach offers unique advantages. For organisations already using Matomo for web analytics, extending to mobile creates a unified analytics ecosystem with consistent privacy standards across all digital touchpoints, giving organisations a complete picture of the customer journey.

  Firebase — Best for Google services integration

  Firebase is the mobile app version of Google Analytics. It’s the most popular app analytics tool on the market, with over 99% of Android apps and 77% of iOS apps using Firebase.

  

  Firebase is popular because it works well with other Google services. It also has many features, like crash reporting, A/B testing and user segmentation.

  Pricing

  Plan	Price
  Spark	Free
  Blaze	Pay-as-you-go based on usage
  Custom	Bespoke pricing for high-volume enterprise users

  Adobe Analytics — Best for enterprise app analytics

  Adobe Analytics is an enterprise-grade analytics solution that provides valuable insights into user behaviour and app performance.

  

  It’s part of the Adobe Marketing Cloud and integrates easily with other Adobe products. Adobe Analytics is particularly well-suited for large organisations with complex analytics needs.

  Pricing

  Plan	Price
  Select	Pricing on quote
  Prime	Pricing on quote
  Ultimate	Pricing on quote

  While you must request a quote for pricing, Scandiweb puts Adobe Analytics at £2,000/mo–£2,500/mo for most companies, making it an expensive option.

  Apple App Analytics — Best for iOS app analysis

  Apple App Analytics is a free, built-in analytics tool for iOS app developers.

  

  This analytics platform provides basic insights into user engagement, app performance and marketing campaigns. It has fewer features than other tools on this list, but it’s a good place for iOS developers who want to learn how their apps work.

  Pricing

  Apple Analytics is free.

  Amplitude — Best for product analytics

  Amplitude is a product analytics platform that helps businesses understand user behaviour and build better products.

  

  It excels at tracking user journeys, identifying user segments and measuring the impact of product changes. Amplitude is a good choice for product managers and data analysts who want to make informed decisions about product development.

  Pricing

  Plan	Price
  Starter	Free
  Plus	From £49/mo
  Growth	Pricing on quote

  Choose Matomo’s app analytics to unlock growth

  App analytics tools help marketers and product development teams understand user experiences, improve app performance and enhance products. Some of the best app analytics tools available for 2025 include Matomo, Firebase and Amplitude.

  However, as you evaluate your options, consider taking a privacy-first approach to app data collection and analysis, especially if you’re in a highly regulated industry like banking or fintech. Matomo Analytics offers a powerful and ethical solution that allows you to gain valuable insights while respecting user privacy.

  Ready to take control of your app analytics ? Start your 21-day free trial.

• 7 Mixpanel alternatives to consider for better web and product analytics

  1er août, par Joe

  Mixpanel is a web and mobile analytics platform that brings together product and marketing data so teams can see the impact of their actions and understand the customer journey. 

  It’s a well-rounded tool with features that help product teams understand how customers navigate their website or app. It’s also straightforward to set up, GDPR compliant, and easy for non-technical folks to use, thanks to an intuitive UI and drag-and-drop reports. 

  However, Mixpanel is just one of many product and web analytics platforms. Some are cheaper, others are more secure, and a few have more advanced or specialist features.

  This article will explore the leading Mixpanel alternatives for product teams and marketers. We’ll cover their key features, what users love about them, and why they may (or may not) be the right pick for you. 

  Mixpanel : an overview

  Let’s start by giving Mixpanel its dues. The platform does a great job of arming product teams with an arsenal of tools to track the impact of their updates, find ways to boost engagement and track which features users love. 

  Marketing teams use the platform to track customers through the sales funnel, attribute marketing campaigns and find ways to optimise spend. 

  There’s plenty to like about Mixpanel, including : 

  • Easy setup and maintenance : Mixpanel’s onboarding flow allows you to build a tracking plan and choose the specific events to measure. When Mixpanel collects data, you’ll see an introductory “starter board.” 
  • Generous free plan : Mixpanel doesn’t limit freemium users like some platforms. Collect data on 20 million monthly events, use pre-built templates and access its Slack community. There are also no limits on collaborators or integrations.
  • Extensive privacy configurations : Mixpanel provides strong consent management configurations. Clients can let their users opt out of tracking, disable geolocation and anonymise their data. It also automatically deletes user data after five years and offers an EU Data Residency Program that can help customers meet GDPR regulations. 
  • Comprehensive features : Mixpanel gives marketers and product teams the tools and features they need to understand the customer, improve the product and increase conversions. 
  • Easy-to-use UI : The platform prioritises self-service data, meaning users don’t need to be technically minded to use Mixpanel. Drag-and-drop dashboards democratise access to data and let anyone on your team find answers to their questions.

  You wouldn’t be reading this page if Mixpanel offered everything, though. No platform is perfect, and there are several reasons people may want to look for a Mixpanel alternative :
  

  • No self-hosted option : You’ll never have complete control over your data with Mixpanel due to the lack of a self-hosted option. Data will always live on Mixpanel’s servers, meaning compliance with data regulations like GDPR isn’t a given.
  • Lack of customisation : Mixpanel doesn’t offer much flexibility when it comes to visualising data. While the platform’s in-built reports are accessible to everyone, you’ll need a developer to build custom reports. 
  • Not open source : Mixpanel’s proprietary software doesn’t provide the transparency, security and community that comes with using open-source software like Matomo. Proprietary software isn’t inherently wrong, but it could mean your analytics solution isn’t future-proof. 
  • Steep learning curve : The learning curve can be steep unless you’re a developer. While setting up the software is straightforward, Mixpanel’s reliance on manual tracking means teams must spend a lot of time creating and structuring events to collect the data they need.

  If any of those struck a chord, see if one of the following seven Mixpanel alternatives might better fulfil your needs. 

  The top 7 Mixpanel alternatives

  Now, let’s look at the alternatives.

  We’ll explain exactly how each platform differs from Mixpanel, its standout features, strengths, common community critiques, and when it may be (or may not be) the right choice. 

  1. Matomo

  Matomo is a privacy-focused, open-source web and mobile analytics platform. As a proponent of an ethical web, Matomo prioritises data ownership and privacy protection. 

  It’s a great Mixpanel alternative for those who care about data privacy. You own 100% of your data and will always comply with data regulations like GDPR when using the platform. 

  

  Main dashboard with visits log, visits over time, visitor map, combined keywords, and traffic sources
  (Image Source)

  Matomo isn’t short on features, either. Product teams and marketers can evaluate the entire user journey, capture detailed visitor profiles, combine web, mobile and app reports, and use custom reporting to generate the specific insides they need.

  Key features :

  • Complete app and web analytics : Matomo tracks performance metrics and KPIs across web, app and mobile. Understand which pages users visit, how long they stay and how they move between devices.
  • Marketing attribution : Built-in marketing attribution capabilities make it easy for marketers to pinpoint their most profitable campaigns and channels. 
  • User behaviour tracking : Generate in-depth user behaviour data thanks to heatmaps, form analytics and session recordings.

  Strengths

  • On-premise and cloud versions : Use Matomo for free on your servers or subscribe to Matomo Cloud for hosting and additional support. Either way, you remain in control of your data.
  • Exceptional customer support : On-premise and Matomo Cloud users get free access to the forum. Cloud customers get dedicated support, which is available at an additional cost for on-premise customers. 
  • Consent-free tracking : Matomo doesn’t ruin the user’s experience with cookie banners. 
  • Open-source software : Matomo’s software is free to use, modify, and distribute. Users get a more secure, reliable and transparent solution thanks to the community of developers and contributors working on the project. Matomo will never become proprietary software, so there’s no risk of vendor lock-in. You will always have access to the source code, raw data and APIs. 

  Common community critiques :

  • On-premise setup : The on-premise version requires some technical knowledge and a server.
  • App tracking features : Some features, like heatmaps, available on web analytics aren’t available in-app analytics. Features may also differ between Android SDK and iOS SDK.

  Price : 

  Matomo has three plans :

  • Free : on-premise analytics is free to use
  • Cloud : Hosted business plans start at €22 per month
  • Enterprise : custom-priced, cloud-hosted enterprise plan tailored to meet a business’s specific requirements.

  There’s a free 21-day trial for Matomo Cloud and a 30-day plugin trial for Matomo On-Premise.

  2. Adobe Analytics

  Adobe Analytics is an enterprise analytics platform part of the Adobe Experience Cloud. This makes it a great Mixpanel alternative for those already using other Adobe products. But, getting the most from the platform is challenging without the rest of the Adobe ecosystem. 

  

  Adobe Analytics Analysis Workspace training tutorial
  (Image Source)

  Adobe Analytics offers many marketing tools, but product teams may find their offer lacking. Small or inexperienced teams may also need help using this feature-heavy platform. 

  Key features :

  • Detailed web and marketing analytics : Adobe lets marketers draw in data from almost any source to get a comprehensive view of the customer journey. 
  • Marketing attribution : There’s a great deal of flexibility when crediting conversions. There are unlimited attribution models, too, including both paid and organic media channels.
  • Live Stream : This feature lets brands access raw data in near real time (with a 30- to 90-second delay) to assess the impact of marketing campaigns as soon as they launch. 

  Strengths :

  • Enterprise focus : Adobe Analytics’s wide range of advanced features makes It attractive to large companies with one or more high-traffic websites or apps. 
  • Integrations : Adobe Analytics integrates neatly with other Adobe products like Campaign and Experience Cloud). Access marketing, analytics and content management tools in one place. 
  • Customisation : The platform makes it easy for users to tailor reports and dashboards to their specific needs.

  Common community critiques :

  • Few product analytics features : While marketers will likely love Adobe, product teams may find it lacking. For example, the heatmap tool isn’t well developed. You’ll need to use Adobe Target to run A/B tests.
  • Complexity : The sheer number of advanced features can make Adobe Analytics a confusing experience for inexperienced or non-technically minded users. While a wealth of support documentation is available, it will take longer to generate value. 
  • Price : Adobe Analytics costs several thousand dollars monthly, making it suitable only for enterprise clients.

  Price : 

  Adobe offers three tiers : Select, Prime and Ultimate. Pricing is only available on request.

  3. Amplitude

  Amplitude is a product analytics and event-tracking platform. It is arguably the most like-for-like platform on this list, and there is a lot of overlap between Amploitduce’s and Mixpanel’s capabilities. 

  

  The Ask Amplitude™ feature helps build and analyse conversion funnel charts.
  (Image Source)

  The platform is an excellent choice for marketers who want to create a unified view of the customer by tracking them across different devices. This is possible with several other analytics platforms on this list (Matomo included), but Mixpanel doesn’t centralise data from web and app users in a signal report. 

  Amplitude also has advanced features Mixpanel doesn’t have, like feature management and AI, as well as better customisation. 

  Key features :

  • Product analytics : Amplitude comes packed with features product teams will use regularly, including customer journey analysis, session replays and heatmaps. 
  • AI : Amplitude AI can clean up data, generate insights and detect anomalies.
  • Feature management : Amplitude provides near-real-time feedback on feature usage and adoption rates so that product teams can analyse the impact of their work. Developers can also use the platform to manage progressive rollouts. 

  Strengths :

  • Self-serve reporting : The platform’s self-serve nature means employees of all levels and abilities can get the insights they need. That includes data teams that want to run detailed and complex analyses. 
  • Integrated web experimentation. Product teams or marketers don’t need a third-party tool to run A/B tests because Amplitude has a comprehensive feature that lets users set up tests, collect data and create reports. 
  • Extensive customer support : Amplitude records webinars, holds out-of-office sessions and runs a Slack community to help customers extract as much value as possible.

  Common community critiques :

  • Off-site tracking : While Amplitude has many features for tracking customer interaction across your product, it lacks ways to track customers once they are off-site. This is not great for marketing attribution, for example, or growing search traffic. 
  • Too complex : The sheer number of things Amplitude tracks can overwhelm inexperienced users who must spend time learning how to use the platform. 
  • Few templates : Few stock templates make getting started with Amplitude even harder. Users have to create reports from scratch rather than customise a stock graph. 

  Price : 

  • Starter : Free to track up to 50,000 users per month. 
  • Plus : $49 per month to track up to 300,000 users.
  • Growth : Custom pricing for no tracking limits
  • Enterprise : Custom pricing for dedicated account managers and predictive analytics
    

  4. Google Analytics

  Google Analytics is the most popular web analytics platform. It’s completely free to use and easy to install. Although there’s no customer support, the thousands of online how-to videos and articles go some way to making up for it. 

  

  GA dashboard showing acquisition, conversion and behaviour data across all channels 
  (Image Source)

  Most people are familiar with Google’s web analytics data, which makes it a great Mixpanel alternative for marketers. However, product teams may struggle to get the qualitative data they need.

  Key features :

  • User and conversion tracking : People don’t just use Google Analytics because it’s free. The platform boasts a competitive user engagement and conversion tracking offering, which lets businesses of any size understand how consumers navigate their sites and make purchases. 
  • Audience segmentation : Segment audiences based on time and event parameters.
  • Google Ads integration : Track users from the moment they interact with one of your ads. 

  Strengths :

  • It’s free : Web and product analytics platforms can cost hundreds of dollars monthly and put a sizable dent in a small business marketing budget. Google provides the basic tools most marketers need for free.
  • Cross-platform tracking : GA4 lets teams track mobile and web analytics in one place, which wasn’t possible in Universal Analytics.
  • A wealth of third-party support : There’s no shortage of Google Analytics tutorials on YouTube to help you set up and use the platform. 

  Common community critiques :

  • Data privacy concerns : There are concerns about Google’s lack of compliance with regulations like GDPR. The workaround is asking people for permission to collect their data, but that requires a consent pop-up that can disrupt the user experience. 
  • No CRO features : Google Analytics lacks the conversion optimisation features of other tools in this list, including Matomo. It can’t record sessions, track user interactions via a heatmap or run A/B tests. 
  • AI data sampling : Google generates insights using AI-powered data sampling rather than analysing your actual data, which may make your data inaccurate. 

  Price : 

  Google Analytics is free to use. Google also offers a premium version, GA 360, which starts at $50,000 per year. 

  5. Heap

  Heap is a digital insights and product analytics platform. It gives product managers and marketers the quantitative and qualitative data they need to improve conversion rates, improve product features, and reduce churn. 

  

  Heap marketing KPI dashboard
  (Image Source)

  The platform offers everything you’d expect from a product analytics perspective, including session replays, heatmaps and user journey analysis. It even has an AI tool that can answer your questions. 

  Key features :

  • Auto-capture : Unlike other analytics tools (Mixpanel and Google Analytics, for instance), you don’t need to manually code events. Heap’s auto-capture feature automatically collects every user interaction, allowing for retroactive analysis. 
  • Segmentation : Create distinct customer cohorts based on behaviour. Integrate other platforms like Marketo to use that information to personalise marketing campaigns. 
  • AI CoPilot : Heap has a generative AI tool, CoPilot, that answers questions like “How many people visited the About page last week ?” It can also handle follow-up questions and suggest what to search next. 

  Strengths :

  • Integrations : Heap’s integrations allow teams to centralise data from dozens of third-party applications. Popular integrations include Shopify and Salesforce. Heap can also connect to your data warehouse. 
  • Near real-time tracking : Heap has a live data feed that lets teams track user behaviour in near real-time (there’s a 15-second delay).
  • Collaboration : Heap facilitates cross-department collaboration via shared spaces and shared reports. You can also share session replays across teams.

  Common community critiques :

  • Struggles at scale : Heap’s auto-capture functionality can be more of a pain than a perk when working at scale. Sites with a million or more weekly visitors may need to limit data capture.
  • Data overload : Heap tracks so much data it can be hard to find the specific events you want to measure.
  • Poor-quality graphics : Heap’s visualisations are basic and may not appeal to non-technically minded users.

  Price : 

  Heap offers four plans with pricing available on request.

  • Free
  • Growth
  • Pro
  • Premier
    

  6. Hotjar

  Hotjar is a product experience insight tool that analyses why users behave as they do. The platform collects behavioural data using heatmaps, surveys and session recordings. 

  It’s a suitable alternative for product teams and marketers who care about collecting qualitative rather than quantitative data. 

  

  New heatmap feature in hotjar
  (Image Source)

  It’s not your typical analytics platform, however. Hotjar doesn’t track site visits or conversions, so teams use it alongside a web analytics platform like Google Analytics or Matomo.

  Key features :

  • Surveys : Product teams can place surveys on specific pages to capture quantitative and qualitative data. 
  • Heatmaps : Hotjar provides several heatmaps — click, scroll and interaction — that show how users behave when browsing your site. 
  • Session recordings : Support quantitative analytics data with videos of genuine user behaviour. It’s like watching someone browsing your site over their shoulder. 

  Strengths :

  • User-friendly interface : The tool is easy to navigate and accessible to all employees. Anyone can start using it quickly. 
  • Funnel analysis : Use Hotjar’s range of tools to analyse your entire funnel, identifying friction points and opportunities to improve the customer experience. 
  • Cross-platform tracking : Hotjar compares user behaviour across desktop, mobile and app. 

  Common community critiques :

  • Limited web analytics : While Hotjar is great for understanding customer behaviour, it doesn’t collect standard web analytics data. 
  • Data retention : Hotjar only retains data for one month to a year on some plans.
  • Impacts page speed : The tool’s code impacts your site’s performance, leading to slower load times. 

  Price : 

  • Free : Up to five thousand monthly sessions, including screen recordings and heatmaps
  • Growth : $49 per month for 7,000 to 10,000 monthly sessions
  • Pro : Custom pricing for up to 500 million monthly sessions
  • Enterprise : Custom pricing for up to 6 billion monthly sessions. 
    

  7. Kissmetrics

  Kissmetrics is a web and mobile analytics platform that aims to help teams generate more revenue and acquire more users through product-led growth. 

  As such, the platform offers more to marketers than product teams — particularly online store owners and SaaS businesses. 

  

  Kissmetrics funnel report 
  (Image Source)

  Kissmetrics provides a suite of behavioural analytics tools that analyse how customers move through your funnel, where they drop off and why. That’s great for marketers, but product teams will struggle to understand how customers actually use their product once they’ve converted.

  Key features :

  • User journey mapping : Follow individual customer journeys to learn how each customer finds and engages with your brand. 
  • Funnel analysis : Funnel reports help marketers track cart abandonments and other drop-offs along the customer journey. 
  • A/B testing : Kissmetrics’s A/B testing tool measures how customers respond to different page layouts

  Strengths :

  • Detailed revenue metrics : Kissmetrics makes measuring customer lifetime value, churn rate, and other revenue-focused KPIs easy. 
  • Stellar onboarding experience : Kissmetrics gives new users a detailed walkthrough and tutorial, which helps non-technical users get up to speed. 
  • Integrations : Integrate data from dozens of platforms and tools, such as Facebook, Instagram, Shopify, and Woocommerce, so all your data is in one place. 

  Common community critiques :

  • Predominantly web-based : Kissmetrics focuses on web-based traffic over app- or cross-platform tracking. It may be fine for some teams, but product managers or marketers who track users across apps and smartphones may want to look elsewhere. 
  • Slow to load large data sources : The platform can be slow to load, react to, and analyse large volumes of data, which could be an issue for enterprise clients. 
  • Price : Kissmetrics is significantly more expensive than Mixpanel. There is no freemium tier, meaning you’ll need to pay at least $199 monthly. 

  Price : 

  • Silver : $199 per month for up to 2 million monthly events
  • Gold : $499 per month for up to five million monthly events
  • Platinum : Custom pricing

  Switch from Mixpanel to Matomo

  When it comes to extracting deep insights from user data while balancing compliance and privacy protection, Mixpanel delivers mixed results. If you want a more straightforward alternative, more websites chose Matomo over Mixpanel for their analytics because of its :

  • Accurate web analytics collected in an ethical, GDPR-compliant manner
  • Behavioural analytics (like heatmaps and session recordings) to understand how users engage with your site
  • Rolled-up cross-platform reporting for mobile and apps
  • Flexibility and customisation with 250+ settings, plentiful plugins and integrations, APIs, raw data access
  • Open-source code to create plugins to fit your specific business needs
  • 100% data ownership with Matomo On-Premise and Matomo Cloud

  Over one million websites in 190+ countries use Matomo’s powerful web analytics platform. Join them today by starting a free 21-day trial — no credit card required.