Google Analytics vs MonsterInsights (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Google Analytics: it is first in our ranking of website and product analytics tools, and it grades higher too, 3.4 against 1.8.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Google Analytics grades higher on value for money, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Google Analytics
Google's free website and app analytics, with a paid 360 tier
MonsterInsights
Google Analytics reports inside the WordPress dashboard
Which one is for you
Pick Google Analytics if
- Fits if you run Google Ads and want to see which campaigns bring in sales
- Works for small businesses that want free traffic reports with raw data in BigQuery
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to watch recordings of visits, which it doesn't do
- Not for you if you need more than 14 months of user-level history without paying for 360
- Tight if you need data within the hour, as intraday freshness is a 360 feature
- Watch out: Analytics 360 has no published price, and sub-properties and roll-up reports are 360 only
- Watch out: Google Ads data in reports covers a rolling 36 months, and Google signals data is kept 26 at most
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
| 3.4GPAGoogle AnalyticsVery good | 1.8GPAMonsterInsightsWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A$0 for a 10,000-visitor site, or one a hundred times that size: the standard version is free, with reports, explorations, attribution and BigQuery export. Only Analytics 360, quoted by Google's sales team, costs money. | 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 | AFree for sites and apps of any size, with no traffic cap a normal business would reach. The limits that do exist are about history: user- and event-level data is kept for 2 or 14 months. | 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 | BTraffic and acquisition reports, funnel and path explorations, cohorts, data-driven attribution, predicted audiences and BigQuery export. The whole traffic analytics job, graded against Matomo, Plausible and Fathom. It doesn't record visits; that's Clarity's job. | CReports in WordPress, custom dashboards, ecommerce and form tracking, AI question credits. But it reads Google Analytics and collects nothing itself. |
| Ease of use | B4.6 from 5,249 App Store ratings for its phone app. You can ask questions in plain words, but explorations, events and attribution settings take some learning. | CNo store rating on record. You install a plugin and then connect a Google Analytics account. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb plus iPhone and Android apps, with links to Google Ads, Search Console, BigQuery, Tag Manager, Firebase and Salesforce Marketing Cloud. No desktop app, which keeps it off an A. | CRuns inside WordPress only. It links to WooCommerce, WPForms, MemberPress, Yoast SEO and similar plugins. |
| Best for | free traffic reports for any size of site | 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: Google Analytics and MonsterInsights. How we grade
Where they differ
- MonsterInsights also covers surveys and dashboards.
At a glance
| Google Analytics | MonsterInsights | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | Not published | $199 per year for 1 site at renewal, after a first-year price of $99.50 |
| Free plan | The standard Google Analytics is free for sites and apps of any size, with reports, explorations, attribution and BigQuery export. User- and event-level data is kept for at most 14 months. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | MonsterInsights | |
| Price read from | marketingplatform.google.com | monsterinsights.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Google Analytics
- Analytics 360 has no published price; it is quoted through Google's sales team.
- In the free version, user- and event-level data is kept for 2 or 14 months; 26, 38 and 50 months are 360 only.
- Intraday data freshness, sub-properties, roll-up reporting and higher limits on custom dimensions and audiences are 360 only.
- Google Ads data in reports is limited to a rolling 36 months, and Google signals data is kept no more than 26 months.
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
Google Analytics
- Traffic and acquisition reports
- Shows how people reach a site or app across paid and organic channels, which pages and screens they use, and what happens in real time.
- Explorations
- Free-form analysis, open or closed funnels, path analysis, segment overlap, cohorts and user lifetime value, built by dragging fields onto a canvas.
- Attribution
- Data-driven attribution, conversion path reports and model comparisons show how each marketing channel contributes to conversions.
- Predictions and insights
- Machine learning predicts actions such as purchase or churn to build audiences, flags notable changes automatically, and answers typed questions.
- Google Ads and BigQuery links
- Imports Google Ads, Display & Video 360 and Search Ads 360 data, sends audiences and conversions back, and exports raw events to BigQuery.
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
Google Analytics
Google Analytics$0
Free: reports, explorations, attribution, predictive audiences, Google Ads and Search Console links, and BigQuery export.
Analytics 360Custom
Sold through sales: intraday data within an hour, sub-properties, roll-up reporting, higher limits, up to 50 months of data and SLAs.
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
Google Analytics
No public discounts listed.
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, Google Analytics or MonsterInsights?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Google Analytics publishes no starting price, 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, Google Analytics or MonsterInsights?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Google Analytics has a free plan. MonsterInsights does not.
Which platforms do Google Analytics and MonsterInsights run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Google Analytics lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.