MonsterInsights Review, Pricing, Pros and Cons

Unlock the full potential of your WordPress website with MonsterInsights, the Google Analytics plugin that’s more than just a tracker. From real-time stats to eCommerce metrics, this plugin is the Swiss Army knife of website analytics.

But how does it work? Will it slow down your site? And what about GDPR compliance? Dive into our comprehensive review to get the answers to all your burning questions and discover why MonsterInsights is the game-changer you’ve been waiting for.

What is MonsterInsights ?

MonsterInsights is a WordPress plugin designed to simplify the integration of Google Analytics into WordPress websites. It offers a range of features including real-time analytics, e-commerce reports, GDPR compliance, and user behavior tracking.

The plugin also provides an in-dashboard Google Analytics report, 1-click Google Analytics eCommerce tracking for various platforms like WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads, and detailed stats for each post and page. It is trusted by over 3 million professionals and offers a 14-day money-back guarantee.

MonsterInsights features

Uncover the myriad of features that make MonsterInsights the ultimate analytics plugin for WordPress, from real-time tracking to eCommerce insights.

Analytics Tracking

Google Analytics Tracking: Allows for easy setup of Google Analytics 4 on your WordPress website with just a few clicks, requiring no coding.

eCommerce Tracking: Enables Google Analytics eCommerce tracking for various platforms like WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads, and others with a single click.

EU Compliance: Helps in making Google Analytics compliant with GDPR, CCPA, and other privacy regulations automatically.

Outbound Link Tracking: Tracks every outbound link click to understand what sites you’re directing users to.

Affiliate Link Tracking: Simplifies tracking of affiliate link clicks inside Google Analytics.

Video & Media Tracking: Automatically tracks YouTube, Vimeo, and HTML 5 video events, providing insights like average watch time per video.

Enhanced Link Attribution: Helps in identifying which specific call-to-action buttons or links on your pages are getting the most clicks.

File Download Tracking: Enables tracking of file downloads to see which files are most popular.

Scroll Tracking: Allows you to see where users lose interest in your content by enabling scroll-depth tracking.

Forms Tracking: Tracks all forms on your WordPress site to show conversion data and submission counts.

UserID Tracking: Enables tracking of browsing sessions of logged-in users for better insights.

Logged-In User Tracking: Differentiates sessions of logged-in users from those who aren’t, allowing for precise analysis.

Author Tracking: Allows you to see how many views each of your blog’s authors are receiving.

Post Type Tracking: Provides stats on which custom post types get the most views.

SEO Score Tracking: Offers stats for your SEO score to gauge the effectiveness of your SEO efforts.

Published Time Tracking: Shows which publish times lead to the most traffic.

Category Tracking: Provides session stats for your WordPress categories.

Tag Tracking: Offers view data for your content tags.

Focus Keyword Tracking: Allows users of SEO plugins to identify which focus keywords bring in the most traffic.

Telephone & Email Link Tracking: Automatically detects and tracks clicks on telephone and email links.

Anchor Link Tracking: Adds clicks on anchor links to Google Analytics as pageviews.

Custom Event Tracking: Allows setting up custom event tracking without writing any JavaScript.

Custom Reports

Analytics Overview Report: Displays important Google Analytics data in an easy-to-understand report within your WordPress dashboard.

Customizable Dashboard Widget: Provides quick access to important stats upon logging in to your WordPress dashboard.

Page Insights: Offers detailed analytics for each individual page and post.

Email Summaries: Sends weekly analytics summaries containing important metrics to your email.

Real Time Report: Provides real-time stats within WordPress.

eCommerce Report: Shows all important eCommerce metrics in one view.

Publisher Report: Displays which content gets the most visits and which affiliate links are performing the best.

Audience Demographic Report: Provides insights on visitor interests, ages, and genders.

Popular Posts: Promotes your content based on Google Analytics data.

Custom Dimensions Report: Shows useful stats like popular authors, best publication times, and popular categories.

Search Console Report: Integrates with Google Search Console to show ranking and click-through rate data.

Forms Report: Shows conversion stats for all forms on your website.

Media Report: Provides stats for your embedded videos.

Site Speed Report: Helps improve user experience and Google ranking by tracking site speed.

Individual Post & Page Report: Shows stats like pageviews and average time on page for individual posts and pages.

Customizable Date Ranges: Allows running reports in standard and custom date ranges.

PDF Exports: Enables exporting reports as PDFs.

Access Control for Custom Reports: Restricts access to reports based on user roles.

Integrations

WooCommerce: Offers complete eCommerce tracking for WooCommerce.

Easy Digital Downloads: Provides complete eCommerce tracking for Easy Digital Downloads.

All WordPress Form Plugins: Enables form tracking for all popular WordPress form plugins.

WPForms: Offers advanced form tracking for WPForms.

Formidable Forms: Provides one-click advanced form tracking for Formidable Forms.

Gravity Forms: Enables form tracking for Gravity Forms.

Ninja Forms: Makes Ninja Forms tracking easy with a 1-click setup.

Contact Form 7: Offers full Google Analytics forms tracking without any coding.

Short Links by Pretty Links: Automatically detects and tracks all Pretty Links clicks inside Google Analytics.

MemberPress: Provides full eCommerce tracking for MemberPress.

LifterLMS: Offers complete eCommerce tracking for LifterLMS.

ThirstyAffiliates: Automatically tracks all your affiliate link clicks.

AffiliateWP: Tracks the performance of your affiliate’s activity directly within Google Analytics.

Google Optimize: Helps in designing and implementing A/B split tests without any coding.

CookieBot: Offers a cookie consent solution for GDPR compliance.

Cookie Notice: Helps you comply with EU cookie law.

Complianz: Offers a cookie consent plugin with a conditional cookie notice.

CookieYes: Provides a cookie compliance and consent management plugin.

Custom Privacy Regulation Solutions: Compatible with all Google Analytics native opt-out solutions and APIs.

GiveWP: Offers complete eCommerce reports for GiveWP.

Restrict Content Pro: Provides complete eCommerce tracking for Restrict Content Pro.

Google Ads Tracking: Makes it easy to set up Google Ads conversion pixels.

Microsoft Ads Tracking: Enables easy setup of Microsoft Ads conversion pixels.

Meta (Facebook) Ads Tracking: Allows easy setup of Facebook campaign tracking.

UTM Builder: Helps in creating Google Analytics tracking URLs with UTM parameters.

MonsterInsights pricing

Navigate the various pricing plans of MonsterInsights to find the one that fits your needs without breaking the bank.

Agency Plan

• Price: $399.50/year (normally $799.00)
• Usage: 25 Sites
• Features: Unlimited Pageviews, Unlimited Users, Site Management, WordPress Multisite Support, Advanced Access Control, Client License Management, Premium Support

Pro Plan (Most Popular)

• Price: $199.50/year (normally $399.00)
• Usage: 5 Sites
• Features: Unlimited Pageviews, Unlimited Users, Advanced Analytics Features, Advanced Reports, eCommerce Report, Form Conversion Report, Custom Dimensions Report, Coupons Report, Advanced Tracking, Advanced Integrations, Advanced Growth Tools, Priority Support

Plus Plan

• Price: $99.50/year (normally $199.00)
• Usage: 1 Site
• Features: Unlimited Pageviews, Unlimited Users, Standard Analytics Features, EU Compliance Addon, Standard Reports, Realtime Analytics Dashboard, Full Date Range History, Publishers Report, Site Speed Report, Search Keywords Report, Pages Report, Campaigns Report, Source/Medium Report, Landing Page Report, Technology Report, Email Summaries, PDF Export, Standard Tracking, Growth Tools, Standard Support

All plans come with a 14-day money-back guarantee. Special introductory pricing is available, and all renewals are at full price.

Conclusion

MonsterInsights is a robust Google Analytics plugin for WordPress that enables users to effortlessly set up analytics tracking, view real-time stats, and gain actionable insights right from their WordPress dashboard.

The plugin offers a wide range of features including eCommerce tracking, affiliate link tracking, and GDPR compliance, making it a comprehensive solution for businesses, publishers, and eCommerce stores.

It’s designed to save you time and provide the data you need to make informed decisions, all without requiring any coding skills.

Advantages

• Ease of Use: Simple setup process with no coding required.
• Comprehensive Tracking: From eCommerce to user behavior, everything can be tracked.
• Real-Time Stats: Get real-time data inside your WordPress dashboard.
• GDPR Compliance: Automatically makes Google Analytics compliant with GDPR.
• Integration: Seamlessly integrates with popular WordPress plugins.

Disadvantages

• Cost: The advanced features come with a price tag, which might not be suitable for small businesses or individual bloggers.
• Complexity: The plethora of features can be overwhelming for beginners.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will MonsterInsights slow down my site ?

No, MonsterInsights is optimized for performance. The Google Analytics script is loaded directly from Google, which is likely already cached in your visitors’ browsers. The plugin uses modern JavaScript frameworks to ensure fast loading.

Can I use MonsterInsights with another Google Analytics plugin ?

No, using MonsterInsights alongside another Google Analytics plugin can interfere with tracking and skew your data. It’s recommended to uninstall other Google Analytics plugins before installing MonsterInsights.

Should I remove other Google Analytics tracking codes ?

Yes, if you already have Google Analytics tracking code installed, you should remove it to prevent double tracking. MonsterInsights will handle all the tracking for you.

Is MonsterInsights compatible with WordPress.com ?

Yes, but only if you have WordPress.com’s Business Plan. Lower tier plans on WordPress.com do not allow for the use of plugins.

Which eCommerce plugins are supported ?

MonsterInsights supports Easy Digital Downloads, WooCommerce, LifterLMS, and MemberPress.

How do I set up subdomain tracking ?

Subdomain tracking doesn’t require any extra configuration for domains with prefixes like sub.example.com. However, you should exclude your domain as a referral.

Why don’t I see ga('require', 'ecommerce'); in my source code ?

MonsterInsights uses direct API calls to Google Analytics for more reliable data collection, instead of the JavaScript method.

Where can I find my license key ?

Your license key can be found by logging into the My Account area on the MonsterInsights site.

Does my licensed plugin expire ?

The license is valid for one year and must be renewed for tracking and reporting functionality to continue working.

Does MonsterInsights include Enhanced Ecommerce Tracking ?

Yes, the eCommerce addon allows for both standard and enhanced eCommerce tracking.

Why does “(not set)” appear in Google Analytics ?

The “(not set)” placeholder appears when Google Analytics hasn’t received complete information. This is not caused by MonsterInsights but could be due to various reasons like customer not allowing cookies.

I’ve just installed the new tracking, why don’t I see any stats yet ?

It can take up to 24-48 hours for the new tracking code to start showing stats in Google Analytics.