Comparison
StoreMetrics vs Simple Analytics: Revenue feeds
By Rob Sannazzaro, founder of StoreMetrics · Last updated August 2026 · Prices verified August 2026
Simple Analytics does exactly what its name says: simple aggregate traffic counts, no cookies, no personal data. For a store owner, the limitation is that it cannot show who converted, recognize returning customers, or connect traffic to orders. StoreMetrics is the tool for that. If you are evaluating Simple Analytics as an alternative to heavier tools and your site runs on Shopify, read the section on revenue attribution below before deciding.
Aggregate-only and what that means
Simple Analytics deliberately does not store any personal data or session-level information. You see totals: page views, unique visitors (estimated), referrers, and device types. There is no way to look at a single visitor's session, no funnel analysis, and no conversion attribution. For a personal blog or a simple brochure site, that is often all you need. For a store making decisions about which ad campaign drove sales last week, it is not enough.
Privacy model
Simple Analytics is genuinely privacy-forward. No cookies, no fingerprinting, aggregate-only data. This makes it one of the easiest tools to use without a consent banner in most EU jurisdictions. StoreMetrics uses a first-party server-side cookie. Both approaches avoid ad networks entirely. The difference is that StoreMetrics accepts more data collection responsibility in exchange for more useful analytics for e-commerce operators.
Revenue attribution
Simple Analytics has no native e-commerce integrations. There is no way to connect it to Shopify orders or Stripe charges. You could fire custom events at checkout, but you would lose the session attribution path. StoreMetrics receives order data via webhooks and automatically links each order to the visitor session that preceded it.
The right tool for the right job
Simple Analytics is a clean, honest product for sites that genuinely only need traffic counts. If you are building a content site, a newsletter landing page, or a portfolio and you want to know how many people visit without any privacy complexity, Simple Analytics is an excellent choice. If you run a Shopify store and want to know which marketing channel is driving revenue, you need something more.
Who Simple Analytics is best for
Bloggers, newsletter operators, portfolio sites, and anyone who wants the simplest possible traffic count with zero privacy complexity. Simple Analytics is well-suited to sites where aggregate pageviews are the only metric that matters.
Who StoreMetrics is best for
Store owners who need to connect traffic to revenue, recognize returning customers, and see live session data. StoreMetrics is the right tool when e-commerce intelligence is the goal rather than simple pageview counts.
Frequently asked questions
Is Simple Analytics good for Shopify stores?
Simple Analytics can be added to a Shopify store for basic traffic counts. It tracks pageviews and referrers but has no connection to Shopify's order data, so you cannot attribute revenue to a traffic source or see which visitors converted. For a store where understanding what drives sales is important, the lack of revenue attribution is a significant gap.
Is StoreMetrics more expensive than Simple Analytics?
Simple Analytics starts at around $10/mo. StoreMetrics is $19/mo. The difference is the feature set: StoreMetrics adds live visitor feed, per-visitor timelines, and native revenue attribution that Simple Analytics does not offer.
Can I use both at the same time?
Yes. The scripts do not conflict. Some store owners use Simple Analytics for a quick public-facing stat page and StoreMetrics for their private operational dashboard.
Does Simple Analytics track returning visitors?
No. Because it is cookieless, Simple Analytics estimates unique visitors using a daily hash of IP address and user-agent. It cannot recognize the same person across separate days.
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