If you’re considering using an analytics platform other than, or in addition to, Google Analytics, it can be a bit difficult to determine what the best alternative will be. Search Engine Land compiled a great buyers guide to enterprise web analytics tools, but what if you’re in the market for a free to mid-level tool, or don’t even know yet exactly what type of software you need?

Analytics Software Solutions & Platforms

Below is a brief overview of 25 analytics software options (and one add-on) that should give you an idea of what each tool costs and what functionality each offers. Before you check out the chart and series of descriptions below, note that it is important to go into any analytics evaluation with a clear idea about what you need the software to do. Some important questions to ask yourself before you start to evaluate Web analytics tools are:

• Why do I need a different/new tool?
• What sort of data do I need this tool to give me?
• What actions will be driven by that data? How, specifically, will I use the data to inform decisions and activities?

Just because a feature sounds interesting and provides you with some additional data about your site doesn’t mean it’s actually valuable. You want to know the specific holes in your current reporting that will be filled by additional functionality, and more importantly, you want to be sure that that extra information will drive better decisions and ultimately more revenue and profit for your business.

Once you’ve identified what you’re looking for in these tools, you should be able to use the information below to help you make a better decision about which analytics package will be right for you.

The table below is available as an image, and you can also get the raw data in this Google Doc.

Web Analytics Software Comparison Guide

Google Analytics

Google Analytics was originally designed as a tool for AdWords users. It was basically a repackaged version of Urchin on Demand, which Google acquired in 2005. It was redesigned in 2006 with additions from Adaptive Path after the company acquired Measure Map.

Key Features:

• Benchmark against all other analytics programs
• Content Experiments for A/B Testing

Cost: Free for all users, enterprise solutions available

Adobe Digital Marketing Suite

Adobe SiteCatalyst (part of the Adobe Digital Marketing Suite) is created by Adobe, best known for its Adobe Creative Suite which includes software programs such as Photoshop, Dreamweaver and Fireworks.

Key Features:

• Can be enhanced with Test&Target (for A/B testing)
• Drag-and-drop dashboard
• Embeddable reports
• Customization options

Cost: $5,000+ per month

IBM Coremetrics Web Analytics, Now IBM Digital Analytics

IBM Digital Analytics is part of IBM’s Enterprise Marketing Management group and works in conjunction with the optional add-on IBM Digital Analytics Multisite. The program was originally Coremetrics Web Analytics but was renamed after IBM’s 2010 acquisition of Coremetrics and subsequent restructuring of its analytics offerings.

Key Features:

• Comparative insights/benchmarks against industry leaders
• Actionable data
• Customizable dashboard

Cost: Custom quote

Optional: IBM Coremetrics Enterprise Analytics, Now IBM Digital Analytics Multisite

IBM Digital Analytics Multisite is part of IBM’s new umbrella Enterprise Marketing Management (EMM) group and is an optional add-on to IBM Digital Analytics. It’s based on Coremetrics Enterprise Analytics; in addition to Coremetrics, IBM acquired Unica in 2010, as well.

Key Features:

• Three-pronged enterprise analytics solution under EMM
• Combines best features from two original products

Cost: Custom quote

IBM’s Unica NetInsight

IBM Unica NetInsight is one component under IBM’s Enterpise Marketing Management group, created based on Unica’s original offering after IBM acquired the company in 2010.

Key Features:

• On-premise
• Customizable dashboards
• Drag-and-drop functionality
• Heat map overlays
• Multiple data configuration options

Cost: Custom quote

iPerceptions

iPerceptions was founded in 2000. While iPerceptions isn’t a stand-alone analytics tool, it’s designed to be integrated with a core analytics application, such as Google Analytics, to provide a more comprehensive look into the VoC. iPerceptions offering consists of five different components, including webValidator, 4QSuite, WASP, Mobile Website Feedback and Tealeaf.

Key Features:

• Captures Voice of Customer (VoC) data
• Live feedback
• Customer surveys
• Real-time customer path analysis
• iPerceptions Satisfaction Index

Cost: Custom quote

Google Analytics Premium

Google Analytics Premium is a relatively new program, introduced in September 2011. Advanced data capabilities are the biggest selling point to date, but expect most improvements to Google Analytics to hit the Premium version first.

Key Features:

• Nearly limitless data (one billion hits per month)
• 24/7 customer support
• 50 custom variables
• Four-hour data turnaround

Cost: $150,000 per year

Web Trends

Webtrends was one of the first Web analytics solutions to enter the market with its inception in 1993. Webtrends Analytics is the company’s core analytics offering.

Key Features:

• Unlimited custom metrics
• Heat maps
• Custom mobile and social measurement features

Cost: Custom quote

Mint

Mint is an affordable, on-premise solution created by Shaun Inman. There are no official split testing tools, although testing is possible by flagging two pages for detailed analysis and comparison.

Key Features:

• On-premise solution
• Unlimited site tracking
• Extensive plugin library (Peppermill) for additional functionality

Cost: $30 per site, one-time fee

Reinvigorate

Reinvigorate is another analytics offering by Webtrends, which acquired the company in 2011. This acquisition allowed Webtrends to offer real-time analytics across Web, social and mobile channels.

Key Features:

• Real-time analytics
• Web, social and mobile channels
• Affordable pricing with sophisticated capabilities

Cost: Free (3 sites, 3 users, 500,000 visitors per month); paid plans range from $10 to $20 per month for additional limits, custom plans also available

MixPanel

MixPanel first entered the space in 2009 when the company began researching and raising seed capital. By July 2012, MixPanel was already tracking one billion actions per month.

Key Features:

• Built-in analytics component
• Save and tag pages
• Charts and graphs for sharing data

Cost: Six levels of service ranging from Free (25,000 data points per month) to High Volume for a custom quote. Mid-price plans range from $150 to $2,000

KISSmetrics

KISSmetrics, founded in 2008, differentiates itself with its person-centric focus. The company is headquartered in San Francisco and backed by angel investors and early venture capital funders such as True Ventures, Polaris Ventures and SoftTech VC.

Key Features:

• Integrates with CRM, email marketing and other programs
• Analyze data from multiple channels in a single interface
• Visitor-focused data instead of broad stats

Cost: $49 to $499 per month

FoxMetrics

FoxMetrics  was founded in 2011 by Rydall Williams, so it’s a newer player on the analytics scene and also one of the more affordable options.

Key Features:

• Real-time data
• Tracks data from any device
• Unlimited attributes
• Individual visitor analysis to create visitor profiles

Cost: $20 to $120 per month

Site Spect

SiteSpect has been offering A/B and Multivariate testing solutions since 2004. The company was founded by Eric J. Hansen, CEO and Larry Epstein, COO.

Key Features:

• Integrates with other analytics products
• Web Analytics Tag Transformation and Segmentation (WATTS)
• Full statistical analysis from within any third-party analytics application

Cost: Estimated $3,000 per month

Woopra

Woopra, founded in 2008 and offers real-time customer analytics along with integrated CRM analysis within a single interface.

Key Features:

• Watch single visitor path in real time
• Retention Analytics
• Funnel Analytics
• Segmented Analytics

Cost: Free Basic plan (30,000 actions per month, non-commercial only); paid plans range from $39.95 to $349.95 per month

Autonomy

Autonomy is one of the most comprehensive customer response monitoring programs available. Autonomy Explore, powered by Autonomy IDOL, is the company’s core Web analytics solution.

Key Features:

• Products range from Voice of Customer (VoC) to customer feedback, social analytics, A/B and Multi-Variate testing
• Offers complete picture of customer experience
• Integrates data across all channels

Cost: Custom quote

AT Internet

AT Internet offers a comprehensive suite including Web, social and mobile analytics in real time, serving more than 3,500 customers worldwide. Analyzer III is the company’s latest core Web analytics offering.

Key Features:

• Total customization
• Soft Tagging feature
• Data Manager configuration environment
• Drag-and-drop functionality
• Heat map overlays
• A/B and Multi-Variate testing

Cost: Custom quote

comScore Digital Business Analytics

comScore has been in the digital landscape since 1999 with the introduction of comScore Digital Business Analytics. The company handles over 1 trillion interactions from 172 different countries each month, equal to approximately 40 percent of total Internet searches each month.

Key Features:

• Lowest-form raw data
• In-cloud or on-premise
• Integrates with third-party apps

Cost: Custom quote

Yahoo Marketing Dashboard

The Yahoo Marketing Dashboard is Yahoo’s attempt to produce a similar offering to Google Analytics. The initiative is sponsored by American Express OPEN. It’s brand new on the analytics scene, introduced in May 2012. The Yahoo Marketing Dashboard pulls its Web data from Yahoo! Web Hosting, Yahoo! Merchant Solutions or Google Analytics.

Key Features:

• Integrates with Constant Contact and Orange Soda
• Unlimited visitor tracking
• 24/7 customer support

Cost: Free

Piwik

Piwik is a free, open-source analytics tool with unlimited tracking capabilities and on-premise data storage. It supports more than 100 search engines and has been downloaded more than 1.2 million times since its launch in 2008.

Key Features:

• On-premise data storage
• Reports and widgets for location-based visitor data
• Easy exporting
• Manual tracking of non-Java-enabled mobile users

Cost: Free

Clicky

Clicky is a real-time Web analytics platform developed by Roxr Software, which was founded in 2006.

Key Features:

• Tracks up to 30 goals (paid)
• Google Search rankings
• Outbound link tracking
• Heat map overlays

Cost: Free (up to 3 million page views, single site),;Pro $9.99 (10 sites, 30,000 page views); Pro Premium for custom quote (100,000 page views, up to 30 sites)

 GoingUp

GoingUp is a free service with a host of tracking and optimization tools to maximize your presence on the Web.

Key Features:

• Actions and goal tracking
• Visitor location
• User profile data
• Inbound link monitoring
• Google PageRank and Alexa Rank tracking
• Page optimization tool

Cost: Free for unlimited sites

 Open Web Analytics

Open Web Analytics was built by Peter Adams and is designed to be an alternative to Google Analytics.

Key Features:

• On-premise solution
• Open-source platform
• Up to 5 custom variables
• Real-time data
• Heat map overlays

Cost: Free

Stat Counter

Stat Counter  was founded in 2006 and now serves two million members and tracks more than ten billion page loads each month.

Key Features:

• Unlimited websites
• Broad summary and deep-level visitor views
• Intuitive dashboard

Cost: Free (up to 250,000 monthly page views), paid plans range from $5 (500,000 page views) to $119 (60 million page views) per month

Site Meter

Site Meter  provides real-time data and individual visitor tracking for the 100 most recent records in the Free version. Premium accounts have limits ranging from 4,000 individual data records to 25,000 records and up to 15 million page views per month.

Key Features:

• Individual visitor tracking
• Single-visitor path view
• Broader statistical analysis

Cost: Free version; paid plans range from $6.95 to $199.95 per month