WordPress Google Analytics Plugin: 11 Options Compared (2026)

Most site owners want two things from analytics: to know what's working, and not to spend their week inside reports. A plugin puts the tracking on every page and, with most of these, brings the numbers into WordPress where you already work.

I've split them into two camps because they solve different problems, and picking the wrong camp is the mistake that wastes the most time. If you're open to leaving Google altogether, my guide to Google Analytics alternatives goes deeper.

How I picked these analytics plugins

Every row comes from the WordPress.org plugin directory, as of Oct 2026: active installs, the rating out of 5, how many ratings it has and when it was last updated. I picked eleven widely installed plugins across both camps, Google connectors and self-hosted stats. The last column says Yes only where the listing names free use, and Not stated everywhere else.

Tool	Type	Good for	Free plan
Analytify	GA4 dashboard	Google Analytics 4 reports inside WordPress	Not stated
Beehive Analytics	GA connector	Google Analytics data in your WordPress admin	Not stated
Burst Statistics	Self-hosted stats	Simple visitor stats without Google Analytics	Not stated
ExactMetrics	GA connector	Setting up Google Analytics tracking without code	Not stated
GA Google Analytics	GA4 tag	Adding the GA4 tag across your whole site	Not stated
Independent Analytics	Self-hosted stats	Plain answers about visitors without tracking scripts	Not stated
Koko Analytics	Self-hosted stats	Lightweight, privacy-friendly stats with no third parties	Not stated
Matomo Analytics	Self-hosted analytics	Matomo analytics run from your WordPress site	Yes
MonsterInsights	GA connector	Google Analytics reports and tracking inside WordPress	Not stated
Site Kit by Google	Official Google plugin	Several Google tools set up and reported in one place	Yes
WP Statistics	Self-hosted stats	Visitor stats stored in your own WordPress database	Not stated

Eleven analytics plugins for WordPress

Analytify

Best for: Seeing your Google Analytics 4 reports without leaving WordPress or logging into Analytics; 20,000+ active installs and 4.7 from 488 ratings, as of Oct 2026.

Beehive Analytics

Best for: Site owners who want Google Analytics stats and a traffic dashboard in the WordPress admin; 20,000+ active installs and 4.5 from 13 ratings, as of Oct 2026.

Burst Statistics

Best for: Site owners who find Google Analytics overkill and want simple visitor tracking they'll check; 200,000+ active installs and 4.9 from 186 ratings, as of Oct 2026.

ExactMetrics

Best for: Setting up Google Analytics tracking features without writing code or hiring a developer; 200,000+ active installs, as of Oct 2026.

GA Google Analytics

Best for: A lightweight way to add Google Analytics 4 tracking across your whole WordPress site; 400,000+ active installs and 4.9 from 158 ratings, as of Oct 2026.

Independent Analytics

Best for: Answering basic questions about your visitors without wrestling with scripts, variables and dimensions; 100,000+ active installs and 4.8 from 167 ratings, as of Oct 2026.

Koko Analytics

Best for: Privacy-minded owners who want visitor insights with no third-party service involved; 70,000+ active installs, as of Oct 2026.

Matomo Analytics

Best for: Newcomers to Matomo; existing Matomo On-Premise or Cloud users are pointed to the Connect Matomo plugin instead; 100,000+ active installs, as of Oct 2026.

MonsterInsights

Best for: Business sites that want to see how people find and use them, through Google Analytics inside WordPress; 2,000,000+ active installs and 4.5 from 3,156 ratings, as of Oct 2026.

Site Kit by Google

Best for: Getting Google's own tools onto your site through its official plugin, with insights in your dashboard; 5,000,000+ active installs and 4.2 from 1,012 ratings, as of Oct 2026.

WP Statistics

Best for: Keeping full ownership of your data, with unlimited visitor tracking stored in your WordPress database and no external accounts; 500,000+ active installs, as of Oct 2026.

Installs and ratings don't line up

Here's the one that surprised me. ExactMetrics has 200,000+ active installs and a big pile of reviews, 1,546 ratings, yet averages 2.5 out of 5 as of Oct 2026, the lowest here. Koko Analytics, with 70,000+ active installs, averages 5.0 from 245 ratings.

A rating from 1,546 people is a lot of signal, so don't skip past it because the install count looks healthy. Before you install any analytics plugin, open its reviews and read the newest one-star and five-star reviews side by side. You'll learn more in five minutes than from the install count.

Google connectors or stats that stay on your site

Google connectors add the Google Analytics tag to your pages and, in most cases, show the reports in your WordPress dashboard. Your data lives with Google, and you get everything Google Analytics can do.

Self-hosted stats plugins skip Google. Several of these listings say the data's stored in your WordPress database with no third-party service, and they pitch themselves as simpler than Google Analytics. The trade-off is that you won't get Google's full reporting.

Which kind of analytics plugin for your site

• You already rely on Google's tools: pick Google's official plugin or a GA connector with a dashboard.
• You only want the tracking tag on every page: pick a lightweight GA4 tag plugin.
• You want simple numbers you'll look at: pick a self-hosted stats plugin.
• Privacy and owning your data come first: pick a stats plugin that keeps data in your WordPress database with no third-party service.
• You want deep reports and simple stats: run one Google connector for the reports, and don't stack several connectors on the same site.

Setting it up without double counting

1. Check whether your theme or another plugin already adds the Google Analytics tag before you install a connector.
2. Install one analytics plugin, then load a page in a private window and check the visit shows up.
3. Set up the conversions you care about, so the reports tell you something useful. My guide to creating Google Analytics goals walks through it.
4. Look again after a month and remove anything you haven't opened.

Do you make a WordPress analytics plugin? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.

My plain advice on WordPress analytics plugins

Pick your camp first. If you need Google's full reporting, use one Google connector and keep it at that. If you just want to know which pages people read and where they came from, a self-hosted stats plugin is simpler and keeps the data with you. Either way, read the newest reviews before you install, because the rating can tell a very different story to the install count.

And once the data's flowing, my piece on using analytics tools alongside your SEO strategy shows what to do with it.

Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.

Frequently asked questions

How do I add Google Analytics to WordPress?

Use one plugin to add the Google Analytics tag, either Google's official plugin or a GA connector, then check that a test visit shows up in your reports.

Do I need a plugin for Google Analytics on WordPress?

Not strictly, since you can add the tag by hand, but a plugin keeps it in one place and many show the reports in your dashboard.

Is there a WordPress analytics plugin that doesn't use Google?

Yes. Several self-hosted stats plugins here say they keep visitor data in your WordPress database with no third-party service.

Which WordPress Google Analytics plugin has the most installs?

Google's official plugin has 5,000,000+ active installs in the WordPress.org plugin directory as of Oct 2026, and the next biggest here has 2,000,000+.

Should I trust plugin ratings?

Read them alongside the number of ratings. A 5.0 from a few hundred people and a 2.5 from well over a thousand say different things, so check the newest reviews too.