The Chartbeat Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Chartbeat in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Chartbeat
The Insider’s Guide
Real-time content analytics built for digital newsrooms
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among website and product analytics tools, read from Chartbeat’s own pages.
Made by Chartbeat, Inc. · checked Nov 12, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Chartbeat’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Chartbeat’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 12, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
1.6
GPA, above 0 of the 58 other website and product analytics tools we grade
Chartbeat is a content analytics service for publishers and newsrooms. It shows live traffic and engagement for every page across websites and native apps, with 13 months of history, headline and image testing, publisher benchmarking and a data stream for analysts. Plans are quoted by sales.
To get you started, here are 7 things to know about Chartbeat, taken from its own pages and our grades.
It's built for newsrooms, and plans are quoted by sales on pageviews.
- 1
Best for live reader stats for newsrooms
Chartbeat is real-time content analytics for publishers, with headline testing and benchmarking.
- 2
It runs on Web
Web.
- 3
Real-time dashboard
Concurrent pageviews, unique visitors and recirculation for every page, plus a Heads Up Display with scroll depth and placement ranking.
- 4
Historical reporting
13 months of trends in engaged time, traffic and topics, with reports that can be scheduled and exported as CSV.
- 5
Headline and image testing
Tests variants on a homepage with reader data, including AI-suggested headline variants. Part of the Testing suite.
- 6
A 1.6 GPA, above 0 of 58
That is against the other website and product analytics tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 7
Keep it
The plain part of Chartbeat you could make: reports. What surrounds it you could not. The 4 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
Chartbeat at a glance
- Pricing
- Paid
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Chartbeat, Inc.
- Category
- Website & Product Analytics
- Our grade
- 1.6 GPA, weak
The report card
Best for live reader stats for newsrooms
Chartbeat is real-time content analytics for publishers, with headline testing and benchmarking. It's built for newsrooms, and plans are quoted by sales on pageviews. No prices are published.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | No price is published; plans are quoted on pageviews. With nothing to compare, it sits in the middle. |
| Free plan and trial | F | No free plan or free trial is on record for it. |
| Features | C | Real-time dashboard, history, headline and image testing, benchmarking and reader tools. It's a publisher tool, not general product analytics. |
| Ease of use | C | No rating on record. A site tag and a quoted plan are needed. |
| Platforms and integrations | C | Web only, with one connection named (Tubular Viewpoint). |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Chartbeat is for
- Fits if you run a news site and want to see live what readers are reading
- Works for editors who test headlines and images
Who it is not for
- Not for you if you want product analytics, as it's aimed at publishers
- Skip it if you need a price: sales quotes it
- Tight if you want to try first, since there's no free plan or trial
- Watch out: single sign-on is Enterprise only, the highest of four tiers
Good to know
Good for
- Newsrooms that want live audience data on a big screen
- Publishers testing headlines and images on the homepage
- Editorial teams benchmarking against other publishers
Worth knowing
- No prices are published; plans are quoted by sales and based on website and native app pageviews.
- Plans come in four tiers (Essentials, Plus, Premium, Enterprise); Plus and above add a choice of performance suites.
- Single sign-on is listed only on the Enterprise tier.
- It is aimed at publishers and content teams rather than general product analytics.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
Chartbeat's current pricing could not be confirmed from its own site.
No price is published; plans are quoted on pageviews.
We could not confirm Chartbeat’s current prices from its own site, so this guide lists no plans. chartbeat.com has them.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Real-time content analytics built for digital newsrooms. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: AI features, reports, dashboards, web analytics, a/B testing.
Real-time dashboard, history, headline and image testing, benchmarking and reader tools.
- Real-time dashboard
- Concurrent pageviews, unique visitors and recirculation for every page, plus a Heads Up Display with scroll depth and placement ranking.
- Historical reporting
- 13 months of trends in engaged time, traffic and topics, with reports that can be scheduled and exported as CSV.
- Headline and image testing
- Tests variants on a homepage with reader data, including AI-suggested headline variants. Part of the Testing suite.
- Benchmarking
- Compares your site with other publishers in Chartbeat's network using Cohorts, plus social video benchmarks via Tubular Viewpoint.
- Reader Experience suite
- Content recommendations for readers and conversion data that ties articles to registrations, subscriptions and donations.
- Analytics Pro
- Datastream integration for pushing real-time data into your own systems, and Data Lab for custom dashboards inside the app.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- Tubular Viewpoint
Chartbeat is made by Chartbeat, Inc.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
0/58
Other website and product analytics tools it is graded above
Chartbeat's GPA of 1.6 is higher than 0 of the 58 other website and product analytics tools we grade, and level with 6.
It stands best on value for money (C, above 5 of 58) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 59 website and product analytics tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Chartbeat’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 5 of 58
- FFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 58
- CFeaturesAbove 1 of 58
- CEase of useAbove 3 of 58
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 58
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
The plain part of Chartbeat you could make: reports. What surrounds it you could not. The 4 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 52 of the 58 other website and product analytics tools grade higher.
What you could make
- Reports: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- A tracking script and a database that counts every visit.
- Splitting visitors between versions and telling you which won.
- Connections that pull numbers from dozens of other services.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
What this rests on. Chartbeat’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Parse.ly, Google Analytics, Matomo, Amplitude and Piwik PRO
The 5 tools Chartbeat is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 1.6GPA
Parse.ly
Paid
Content analytics for publishers and editorial teams.
- Chartbeat also covers a/B testing.
- 3.4GPA
Google Analytics
Free plan
Google's free website and app analytics, with a paid 360 tier.
- Google Analytics has a free plan. Chartbeat does not.
- Only Google Analytics lists iOS and Android apps.
- Chartbeat also covers dashboards and a/B testing.
- 2.4GPA
Matomo
Free plan · from $26/mo
Open-source web analytics you can host yourself or in Matomo's cloud.
- Matomo has a free plan. Chartbeat does not.
- Matomo is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Chartbeat also covers reports and dashboards.
- 3.0GPA
Amplitude
Free plan · from $900/yr
Product analytics with session replay, experiments and in-app guides.
- Amplitude has a free plan. Chartbeat does not.
- Chartbeat also covers reports and dashboards.
- Amplitude also covers surveys and session replay.
- 2.2GPA
Piwik PRO
Free trial · from €36/mo
Privacy-focused analytics suite with tag and consent management.
- Chartbeat also covers a/B testing.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
10
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Chartbeat free?
No. Chartbeat is a paid product.
What platforms does Chartbeat work on?
Chartbeat is available on Web.
Does Chartbeat have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Chartbeat is listed for Web.
Does Chartbeat have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Chartbeat is listed for Web.
Is Chartbeat open source?
Chartbeat is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
What does Chartbeat integrate with?
Chartbeat's listing names Tubular Viewpoint. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes Chartbeat?
Chartbeat is made by Chartbeat, Inc.
What are the alternatives to Chartbeat?
The closest alternatives to Chartbeat in our directory are Parse.ly, Google Analytics, Matomo, Amplitude and Piwik PRO.
How does Chartbeat compare with other website and product analytics tools?
Chartbeat's GPA of 1.6 is higher than 0 of the 58 other website and product analytics tools we grade, and level with 6.
Could I make my own version of Chartbeat?
The plain part of Chartbeat you could make: reports. What surrounds it you could not.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Chartbeat’s own pages on Nov 12, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 12, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Chartbeat's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Chartbeat, Inc. Prices change, so check chartbeat.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
5,038
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
5,038
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Chartbeat, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/chartbeat
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Chartbeat: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 12, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/chartbeat
Know someone choosing between website and product analytics tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/chartbeat/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded website and product analytics tools after Chartbeat, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Website & Product Analytics Insider's GuideEvery one of the 59 website and product analytics tools we grade, compared
- Google Analytics Insider's GuideGoogle's free website and app analytics, with a paid 360 tier3.4 GPA
- Microsoft Clarity Insider's GuideFree session recordings and heatmaps from Microsoft, no traffic cap3.2 GPA
- PostHog Insider's GuideOpen-source product analytics with replays, flags and surveys3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Chartbeat’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Chartbeat is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Chartbeat, Inc. Prices and plans change: check chartbeat.com before you buy.