The increasing importance of website analytics (or web analytics) in today’s digital world is accounted for by the fact that more corporations are adopting an effective web analytics tool for real-time insights on their website performance.

The growing number of online visitors accessing your website from a desktop or mobile phone is good for your website and overall business but can also pose a challenge when it comes to analyzing online customer behavior and how to improve customer experience.

The global market for data analytics is getting more competitive with start-up companies starting to capture their share of the web analytics tools market along with established companies like Google, IBM, and Adobe. While the Google Analytics tool continues to dominate the market share at 56.5%, how does it rate when compared to the web analytics tools such as Adobe Analytics (formerly known as Omniture Analytics) and IBM Digital Analytics (formerly known as IBM Coremetrics).

Here’s a detailed comparison between each of the following web analytics tools based on attributes such as tool features, usability, and pricing:

Google Analytics Vs Adobe Analytics

Adobe Analytics Vs IBM Coremetrics

Google Analytics Vs IBM Coremetrics

So, let’s get started.

Google Analytics Vs Adobe Analytics

Among the more popular tools adopted globally in 2018 and 2019, Google Analytics vs Adobe Analytics is a choice for business users based on their web analytics requirements and budget.

Let’s start with a detailed comparison of the Google Analytics vs Adobe Analytics tools for web analytics. While there are many common features with both tools such as cloud integration, support for E-commerce, and use of custom variables, here are some of the key differences between Google Analytics and Adobe Analytics:

Google Analytics Vs Adobe Analytics – Key Differences Google Analytics Adobe Analytics Ease of implementation Seamless implementation using JavaScript along with Google Analytics assistance Adobe Analytics implementation is harder and requires technical assistance and programming knowledge Data visualization Intuitive dashboards that are easier to customize. Harder to share data charts with other users. Less intuitive than Google Analytics but is much easier to share with other users. Third-party integration Works well with data analysis languages like R and Python Continuous improvement in integrating with third-party tools Customer Support No dedicated customer support team; availability of free online resources 24×7 Dedicated customer support Pricing Free tool for the first 10 million hits with an annual Google Analytics pricing of $150,000 (for over 1 billion hits) More expensive Adobe Analytics pricing starting at $100,000 (and higher for more website hits)

Additionally, here is a feature-wise comparison for Google Analytics vs Adobe Analytics tools:

Google Analytics Vs Adobe Analytics – Features Google Analytics Adobe Analytics Attribution Modelling A strong feature with its support for multi-channel funnels Lacks support for advanced attribution modeling E-commerce tracking More structured with robust reporting along with E-commerce features like product impressions and add-to-cart data. E-commerce tracking in Adobe Analytics is stronger, however, it lacks a structure and support for predefined reports. Third-party Data connections Works well with other Google tools like AdWords and Search Console but lacks native support for other third-party tools. Built-in data connectors for both Adobe and third-party tools. Pathing Poor implementation Excellent implementation with support for traffic or hit variables Reporting Enabled by the Google Data Studio tool that can connect to Google Analytics data and other data sources Enabled by the Adobe Analytics Workspace tool for drag-and-drop report building, along with the Adobe Analytics Report Builder as a plugin tool for MS Excel data.

Here is the main Google Analytics vs Adobe Analytics pros and cons that you should be aware of:

Google Analytics Vs Adobe Analytics – Pros and Cons Google Analytics Adobe Analytics Pros Works on a real-time basis. Support for real-time business decisions Structured business reporting tools Data storage for entire customer lifetime Stores cookies for 15 years Access to personal visitor data Can track over 100 goals Cons Data storage only for 24 months Stores cookies for only 30 days Unable to capture personal information Can track only 4 goals Delayed by around 2 hours No support for real-time business decisions Lacks structured reporting

Our Takeaway: Based on this comparison for Google Analytics vs Adobe Analytics, Google Analytics works better if you are looking for basic web analytics features while Adobe Analytics is a better option for advanced web analytics. If you have a higher budget for web analytics, Adobe Analytics (vs Google Analytics) provides you with the necessary infrastructure for better collaboration and customer support. On the other hand, the free Google Analytics (vs Adobe Analytics) is more suited if you have a limited budget.

Adobe Analytics Vs IBM Coremetrics

Let’s now move on to a detailed comparison between the web analytics tools from IBM and Adobe. Also known as IBM Digital Analytics, the IBM Coremetrics Web analytics tool is currently supported by IBM TeaLeaf, a subsidiary company of the IBM Division of Digital Analytics.

Here is a comparison highlighting the main differences between Adobe Analytics and IBM Coremetrics:

Adobe Analytics Vs IBM Coremetrics – Key Differences Adobe Analytics IBM Coremetrics Ease of implementation Depends largely on the solution design and developer’s skills Requires technical assistance and implementation guide Suited for Larger corporations looking for an enterprise-wide solution Large corporation looking for enterprise-wide implementation. Recommended for Retail E-commerce. Usability Not very user-friendly and requires a steep learning curve Easy to learn and use. Customer Support 24×7 Dedicated customer support Good but not exceptional customer support Pricing Adobe Analytics pricing starting at $100,000 (and higher for more website hits) Based on page views

Here is a comparison for Adobe Analytics vs IBM Coremetrics highlighting the pros and cons of each tool:

Adobe Analytics Vs IBM Coremetrics – Pros and Cons Adobe Analytics IBM Coremetrics Pros Consistency of the reporting tools No downtime Good customer service Availability of customized digital marketing solutions from an Adobe Marketing Cloud partner. In-built metrics for E-commerce clients including product views and added products IBM Live Profile for individual user profile Provides a business edge in analytics with the Coremetrics Digital Marketing Optimization Suite. Cons Limited in data visualization No support for real-time business decisions Lacks structured reporting User interface not suited for mobile devices Slow and less intuitive UI Difficult to find professionals skilled in this tool

Our Takeaway: Based on this comparison for Adobe Analytics vs IBM Coremetrics, IBM Coremetrics is a recommended buy for E-commerce companies or a solution for corporations with large volumes of data transactions. On the other hand, the Adobe Analytics tool allows business enterprises to manage their data, marketing campaigns, or to target users more efficiently.

Google Analytics Vs IBM Coremetrics

Let’s now move on to a detailed comparison of the IBM Coremetrics Analytics vs Google Analytics tools. The IBM Coremetrics tool is now referred to as IBM Digital Analytics, while Google Analytics 360 is the paid version of the free Google Analytics tool.

The table below compares Google Analytics and IBM Digital Analytics:

Google Analytics Vs IBM Coremetrics – Key Differences Google Analytics 360 IBM Coremetrics Ease of implementation Easy to implement if you already have the Google Analytics tool. Requires technical assistance and implementation guide Data Processing 10 million hits per month (with free Google Analytics) with a limit of 1 billion hits (for Google Analytics 360) Unlimited processing Usability Very user-friendly Easy to learn and use. Customer Support No dedicated customer support team; availability of free online resources Good but not exceptional customer support Pricing Google Analytics pricing is a flat fee of $150,000 annually Based on page views

Additionally, here is feature-wise compare of Google Analytics 360 vs IBM Digital Analytics tools:

Google Analytics Vs IBM Coremetrics – Features Google Analytics 360 IBM Coremetrics Data import No data import feature Multichannel data import capability Data export Limited Multiple data export Multichannel reporting Limited multichannel reporting Available Mobile and social media tracking Available Available Lifecycle analysis Not available Available Attribution modeling Available Available

Here is a comparison for IBM Coremetrics vs Google Analytics highlighting the pros and cons of each tool:

Google Analytics Vs IBM Coremetrics – Pros and Cons Google Analytics 360 IBM Coremetrics Pros Data-driven attribution modeling Building customized reports with dynamic filters Fast processing of reports Multisite implementation Benchmark module Marketing Attribution reports In-built metrics for E-commerce clients including product views and added products IBM Live Profile for individual user profile Cons Profile filters not very intuitive Limited E-commerce reporting Data Mining or ad-hoc reports Outdated user interface

Our Takeaway: Thanks to its high scalability, IBM Coremetrics is a recommended buy for E-commerce retailers with a good mix of analytics features. On the other hand, Google Analytics 360 is a feature-rich product with 24×7 customer support and is easy to implement if you have been using Google tools like the free Google Analytics tool.

Which Tool Should You Use?

While the Google Analytics tool is dominating the market share, the other tools from IBM and Adobe have an impressive list of features and capabilities. Selecting the right tool would be completely dependent on your organizational needs and overall budget.

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