Fathom Analytics Review 2024: Best Google Analytics 4 Alternative For Bloggers

Good news bloggers! There’s a fantastic, easy-to-use analytics platform that’s a great alternative to the mess that’s GA4. In this Fathom Analytics review, I’ll share some of the top reasons why I’m pleased to see this option for bloggers and small business owners.

Anybody who’s tracking their analytics to grow their blog or for business purposes (sponsored posts and brand collaborations), will be happy to know relief is here.

Like many other bloggers and even pro SEO people out there, I haven’t been impressed with Google Analytics’ “upgrade” to Google Analytics 4.

It’s a dog’s breakfast… not easy to set up for the information you need.

We’re all wondering “Why????”.

It was all running so well. But Google’s just going to Google.

In comes Fathom Analytics to the rescue.

Now, it’s not free, because these are developers that are working hard to create something that we all need.

BUT… it’s one of the easiest and most affordable for serious bloggers who want to know how they’re doing.

You’ll understand in a moment why I’m pretty much saying … “Here, take my money!”

DISCLOSURE: This post contains affiliate links, meaning if you click on a product or service, and decide to purchase it, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. All recommended products and services are based on my positive experience with them. For more information, please read my Disclaimer.

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What Is Fathom Analytics?

Touting itself as the “Google Analytics without compromise”, Fathom Analytics is a software platform that focuses on making its software easy to use, as well as digital privacy.

Let’s dive into the features and why I’m over the moon…

• I can see ALL of my key analytics in one spot: the current number of people on my site, visitors, pageviews, average time spent on the site, bounce rate and event completions.

• It’s easy to see the top page views and referrers at a glance

• If I want, I can drill down for each page to see its specific breakdown with all of the above

• It’s compliant with GDPR, CCPA, ePrivacy, PECR and more

• Has a super simple setup for analytics (a mere few minutes compared to the convoluted setup for GA4)

• You can import your Google Analytics Universal historical data to save it from deletion

• You can add up to 50 sites

• It’s a super fast, light script meaning it’s good for your SEO

• It does not collect or store personal data (see how it does all of this without cookies and its anonymous pageview tracking)

• If you switch from GA4 to Fathom Analytics you can remove the pesky cookies notice (see previous point)

• It’s easy to add to your site: either via their plugin and a specific code that you’re assigned or by adding the code in the header.

These are just some of the key features.

For bloggers, it speeds things up, making it easier and more convenient to find all the pertinent information we need… without the overwhelm.

Top 3 Things I Like: My Fathom Analytics Review

Want to see what it looks like?

I did a mini preview with a peek at my dashboard.

I’ve included the top reasons why I think this is a fantastic alternative to Google Analytics 4.

Fathom Analytics For Bloggers: Ways To Use It

I need to share a brief note as to how bloggers can use Fathom Analytics – because it does make life easier:

• Get a quick snapshot of your daily, weekly or monthly progress – no need to click on so many different things to get a report on your pageviews

• When it comes to pitching brands, you can grab a screenshot to show proof that you’re getting the kind of traffic and the kind of country demographics they’re seeking.

• Once a sponsored campaign ends, you can report to your brand partner the results (pageviews, visitors, time spent) with a screenshot of the traffic to that review post.

• Check to see which blog posts need a boost by doing a monthly review

• Compare your data over specific periods and see which posts are doing better or worse (with specific stats). This is a useful feature if you want to see which posts need a traffic boost or update.

What Fathom Analytics Currently Lacks

Although Fathom Analytics is a great option compared to Google Analytics 4, as with any new platform, there are a few issues.

While I’m overall extremely pleased with it, there are a couple of things that are missing or require improvement.

And there’s one thing that I think can be accepted because there are so many good things about Fathom Analytics.

And these are things most bloggers would appreciate.

1. Integration With Google Search Console

It’s not integrated with Google Search Console yet.

The key word here is “yet”. The team notes that it’s working on this for the future.

We all know that GSC is so important for SEO purposes and understanding keywords on your site.

This is supposedly in the works, so we’ll just have to be a bit patient.

2. An Easy To Access App

As of yet, there is no app. But let’s keep our fingers crossed.

I’ve loved using Google’s GA app because it offered me quick screenshots and access to my analytics.

There’s a workaround for Fathom Analytics. With your iPhone, once you have it opened in Safari, you just need to “Add to Homescreen”.

It creates a bookmark that opens the page on Chrome.

3. Favourable Pricing For Completely New Bloggers

OK… so I know you’re going to be growing your site because you’re following me along and I’m sharing with you my blog traffic-boosting secrets.

But, for beginners, the idea of USD $15/month (for an entry plan of up to 100K pageviews a month, with up to 50 sites) might be a bit too much. Especially when Google Analytics Universal was free.

Luckily, if you switch to an annual plan with Fathom Analytics you get 2 months free.

If a fancy Starbucks coffee is about $6-7, I’m sure you can afford USD $11.66/month.

Remember, you’re paying for the team at Fathom Analytics to keep building an awesome easy-to-use platform that’s constantly adding features that will make YOUR LIFE EASIER… without GA4.

Not to mention, they aren’t selling your data to third parties. So it only makes sense to pay for a software service like this that’s keeping things as clean as possible data-wise.

| READ MORE: Top Things To Invest In Your Blog To Explode Your Growth And Monetization

Alternatives To Fathom Analytics

There are a number of alternatives to Fathom Analytics.

However, they all have two factors that are keeping me from recommending them: price and complexity of setup/features.

I know that you’re looking at your budget and there’s only so much you can do to invest in your blog – between blog hosting, plugins, schedulers and other blog tools.

So, price is important.

And ease of use. You don’t want to fiddle around with trying to set things up.

Unfortunately, many of the free options aren’t that simple for some of us not-too-technical bloggers.

For example, Matomo On-Premise is free but you need to self-host it, which costs money. A hidden cost!

Although Piwik Pro is free for up to 500,000 actions per month but has more advanced features. No easy one-glance dashboard. It can be overwhelming.

Is Fathom Analytics Worth It?

I’ve made Fathom Analytics an essential part of my blog’s key toolkit.

Unfortunately, the upgrade to GA4 has made analyzing your stats as a blogger more difficult.

Fathom Analytics for bloggers is like night and day when compared to GA4, especially if you’re looking for time-saving tools.

Is it worth the investment?

You know you’re using that site daily for your design needs. You’re going to be using this analytics platform daily too! Consider how much value you’ll be getting out of it.

Try Fathom Analytics for free for a month and you’ll see why I’m a fan of Fathom Analytics for bloggers!

QUESTION: What else would you like to know in this Fathom Analytics review?

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