Test – eTracker free vs. Google Analytics
Long I had made me try eTracker. Now I have managed and just registered for the free version. The free version is permitted for private and non-commercial use only. For the commercial market, you should resort to the royalty paid professional versions.
With the free Web analytics tools naturally top dog of Google Analytics mixes and now wanted or not, that is the bar for each other free (and many paid) tool. The comparison may slightly unfair because the concept of eTracker builds naturally to sell the license versions and it will verschachern therefore of course not all features in the free version. For many webmasters, the budget is a limiting factor but now times and then the question whether Google Analytics or eTracker-free will quickly.
First to take it: the free version of eTracker unable to record it with Google Analytics. But one by one:
eTracker is a German company and comes from Hamburg. Thats although no advantage I but anyway, since I am now choice hamburger. Also I think that the Web analytics market is dominated by American companies and therefore welcome every European and German companies in the market.
Once the very long code is first I noticed you incorporate have. Other tools come from JavaScript code with 3 to 5 rows, eTracker, however, requires much more. Also the logo appears in the free version of eTracker where, where the tracking code has been integrated, which I find not nice. On top of that every visitor click on the eTracker logo gets displayed statistics and figures my page.
Very positive: After I had registered me, it took only about 5 minutes until someone by eTracker on my website was and then also equal times clicked my XING profile. Being vigilant with eTracker so what I think is very good. So we can hope for a quick support when you have the pay version. Be the first to eTracker employees at this point :-)
After the tracking code was integrated, I observed the next visitors immediately. One advantage of eTracker is the live view of visitors. There are always on the Web site what. For everyday I find not so important, class but if you tried something new and does not know whether the setting now does what you want. Google Analytics is extremely annoying that you have to wait after each target definition or each newly created filter once until the next day. But unless drum, there are something for eTracker not filter or objectives, at least not in the free version.
etracker-01.pngAfter I had collected a few, I contributed equally to my favorite report. The origin of the user. The origin for eTracker is not measurable for much of the traffic. I am typing this is direct traffic, however the name is somewhat misleading.
The more origin the reports with the referrers and the top providers give comparability. Unfortunately there is no information to the typed keywords to search engines, shows only the distribution on the individual search engines.
etracker-2.pngMore reports give some basic information about technology like browser and operating system of visitors. There is an interesting report about the supported technologies of user where you can see who understands JavaScript and CSS. However, I get the users who accept cookies always 0. To count that you must include the tracking script with at least version 2.2 supposedly, because I am using version 2.4, I was assuming that it should work.
At this point, an end to the functions and reports of the free version is already largely. All other reports are indicated in the menu, but only accessible if you decide for one of the paid versions.
I especially liked the graphics which are nice animated. Some find important, for me a nice interface but is just as important as a functional. The remaining building is clearly structured, one finds along without instruction within a few minutes. Shortcoming in the graphics: the legend is too small, I can’t read that even with glasses.
There is also an export feature which, however, only the graphic exported in PDF export, but not the table with the numbers which is actually much more important. Although there are still a button elsewhere, to represent the reports in printable form, wished I had it me but in PDF, because that better send email.
The buttons are labeled something unfortunate. If you want the Flash picture alone, you must click on “Download image”, for PNG, choose “Download as graphic” :-)
When the measured traffic eTracker differs only slightly from Google Analytics, i.e. per day counted visitors varied up to 4. Therefore, I assume that when a possible change are very similar.
Conclusion: The free version of eTracker has not very much, just a few basic figures get also with many other tools. What very lacked me is the way of the segmentation also filtering or setting targets. You get all the paid versions may in one and I think the strengths lie there. Why eTracker ever goes way, publish a free version is honestly me self-diagnosis. To honor eTracker, I should mention, however, there is the possibility of a 14-day test of all functions which in turn is a fair way to fully try the tool. Maybe I look at the trial sometime at to dragging a comparison and see what really lies under the hood. Anyway is there also a way of RSS tracking.
If I here praise already Google Analytics as a class, must be particularly larger firms have still a reluctance to leave their data on Google and therefore Google Analytics reject but also mentioned. Also you will get not just support on Google because the software is so free. Many companies in the professional environment but want exactly. I guess that eTracker here can score.
My feeling the bottom line: there are better alternatives to the free version. If you need professional support, best equal access to the license versions and free trial on your needs.