Fathom Analytics vs MonsterInsights (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Fathom Analytics grades higher than MonsterInsights: 2.4 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Fathom Analytics grades higher on the free plan, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Fathom Analytics
Cookie-free, privacy-first website analytics priced by pageviews
MonsterInsights
Google Analytics reports inside the WordPress dashboard
Which one is for you
Pick Fathom Analytics if
- Fits if you're an agency sending traffic reports to many clients
- Works for bloggers and small businesses who want stats without a cookie banner
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to try it without handing over a card, as the 7-day trial needs one and renews itself
- Tight if you track lots of custom events, as they eat into your pageview allowance across all sites
- Not for you if you want to host your analytics yourself, which Fathom doesn't offer
- Too light for anyone who wants recordings, funnels or visitor-level data
- Pricey if traffic grows: $60 a month at 1M pageviews, $200 at 10M, and $10 a month per extra pack of 50 sites
Pick MonsterInsights if
- Fits if your site is on WordPress and you already use Google Analytics
- Works for a store on WooCommerce that wants sales numbers in the WordPress admin
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if your site isn't WordPress, as it runs only inside it
- Not for you if you want a free plan or trial, as there isn't one
- Pricey if you renew: the advertised prices are introductory and every renewal is at full price
- Watch out: Plus covers 1 site; you need Pro or Elite for 5
- Watch out: it needs a Google Analytics account, so you're still tied to Google
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAFathom AnalyticsFair | 1.8GPAMonsterInsightsWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$12.50 a month billed yearly ($15 monthly) covers up to 100k pageviews, which fits a 10,000-visitor site, across 50 sites. That's inside the cheapest quarter of what this category charges, with every feature on every plan. | B$199 a year for 1 site at renewal, about $16.58 a month, which is where the cheaper quarter of analytics tools ends. The first year is half that, at $99.50. |
| Free plan and trial | DNo free plan. The 7-day trial needs a card and the plan renews by itself, though Fathom emails you before billing starts. A week is short to judge traffic stats. | FNo free plan and no trial. A 14-day money-back guarantee is the only way to try it, and that isn't a trial. |
| Features | CPages, referrers, countries, campaigns, events with revenue, Search Console terms and client email reports. It does the page counting job fully, but it's a smaller job than the suites: no recordings, funnels or visitor-level data on record. | CReports in WordPress, custom dashboards, ecommerce and form tracking, AI question credits. But it reads Google Analytics and collects nothing itself. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating on record, but there's nothing to set up beyond a small script, or a plugin for WordPress, Ghost and the like. Everything is on one page. | CNo store rating on record. You install a plugin and then connect a Google Analytics account. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, no desktop or phone app. It works with WordPress, Ghost, Webflow, Next.js and Nuxt, pulls in Search Console and old Google Analytics data, and has an API. | CRuns inside WordPress only. It links to WooCommerce, WPForms, MemberPress, Yoast SEO and similar plugins. |
| Best for | cookie-free stats across lots of client sites | Google Analytics inside WordPress |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Fathom Analytics and MonsterInsights. How we grade
Price against what you get
Fathom Analytics starts at $12.50 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. MonsterInsights starts at $16.58 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.0.
Fathom Analytics scores higher and starts $4.08 a month lower. Of the other website and product analytics tools on the chart, none scores higher than Fathom Analytics for less, and 9 score higher than MonsterInsights for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- MonsterInsights also covers surveys and dashboards.
At a glance
| Fathom Analytics | MonsterInsights | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Starts at | $12.50 per month for up to 100k pageviews, billed yearly ($15 billed monthly) | $199 per year for 1 site at renewal, after a first-year price of $99.50 |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial, card required; Fathom emails you before billing starts | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Fathom Analytics | MonsterInsights |
| Price read from | usefathom.com | monsterinsights.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Fathom Analytics
- There is no free plan: the 7-day trial needs a card, then the plan renews automatically.
- Custom events count against the monthly pageview allowance, shared across all your sites.
- Fathom is hosted only and cannot be self-hosted.
- Extra sites beyond those included cost $10 a month or $100 a year per pack of 50.
MonsterInsights
- It runs only inside WordPress and reads data from Google Analytics.
- The advertised prices are introductory; all renewals are at full price.
- Plus covers 1 site; Pro and Elite cover 5.
- A 14-day money-back guarantee is stated on the pricing page.
Key features
Fathom Analytics
- No cookies or consent banner
- Counts visits without cookies and anonymizes data with hashes and salts, so the vendor says no analytics consent banner is needed. EU visitor data stays in the EU.
- Single-page dashboard
- Pages, referrers, countries, devices and UTM campaigns on one page, in real time, with saved filtered views and milestones marked on the chart.
- Events and revenue
- Tracks sign-ups, form submissions and purchases as events, with a value and currency so sales totals show beside counts.
- Client reports and sharing
- Weekly or monthly email reports covering one or several sites, and dashboards shared publicly or behind a password.
- Google Analytics and Search Console
- Imports historical GA4 data and shows Search Console terms, clicks, impressions and positions beside your traffic.
MonsterInsights
- Reports in WordPress
- Visitors, pageviews, bounce rate, locations, referral sources and page insights are shown in the WordPress admin.
- Custom dashboards
- Dashboards built from more than 20 widgets, with date comparison and PDF export.
- eCommerce and form tracking
- On Pro and Elite: conversion rate, average order value and top products for stores, plus form conversion tracking.
- Plugin integrations
- Tracking for WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads, WPForms, MemberPress and other WordPress plugins on the Pro plan.
- Surveys and heatmaps
- The Elite plan includes UserFeedback Elite, with surveys, NPS reporting and heatmaps.
- Credits for AI questions
- Plans include a yearly allowance of credits for asking questions about the data without reading reports.
Plans
Fathom Analytics
Fathom Analytics$12.50
per month for up to 100k pageviews, billed yearly ($15 billed monthly)
Every feature, 50 sites, events and revenue, email reports, API. Rises with pageviews: $60 a month at 1M and $200 at 10M, billed monthly.
High trafficCustom
High-traffic plans above 25M monthly pageviews, quoted on request. The 25M tier itself is $470 a month, billed monthly.
MonsterInsights
Plus$199
per year for 1 site, at renewal
Standard reports, realtime dashboard, custom dashboards and an EU compliance addon, with 5,000 credits. First year $99.50 (50% off); renews at full price.
Pro$399
per year for 5 sites, at renewal
Adds eCommerce, form conversion and custom dimension reports, enhanced tracking, WooCommerce and PPC ad tracking, and 10,000 credits. First year $199.50; renews at full price.
Elite$599
per year for 5 sites, at renewal
Adds exception reports, site note automations, multisite support, client license management and UserFeedback Elite, with 15,000 credits. First year $299.50; renews at full price.
Ways to pay less
Fathom Analytics
- Annual discount
2 months free with yearly billing
Yearly billing costs 10 times the monthly rate: $150 a year instead of $15 a month at 100,000 pageviews, and $600 instead of $60 a month at 1M.
MonsterInsights
- Other savings
Introductory first-year pricing
The pricing page shows 50% off the first year on each plan, with renewals at full price: Plus $99.50, Pro $199.50, Elite $299.50.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Fathom Analytics or MonsterInsights?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Fathom Analytics is cheaper to start with: $12.50 a month, against $16.58 a month when paid by the year for MonsterInsights. Fathom Analytics starts at $12.50 per month for up to 100k pageviews, billed yearly ($15 billed monthly), and MonsterInsights starts at $199 per year for 1 site at renewal, after a first-year price of $99.50.
Which has a free plan, Fathom Analytics or MonsterInsights?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Fathom Analytics nor MonsterInsights has a free plan. Fathom Analytics has a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.