Chris Wiegman
I’ve made yet another big change to this site. As of Nov 7th I have moved back to Jetpack (WordPress.com) Stats from Plausible Analytics to provide the insights I need to keep on track with my goals for this site and my writing in general.
Why is Jetpack Stats better for me?
Notice I didn’t ask “why is Jetpack stats better” because I don’t think it is for everyone. If I was still on Hugo or using something other than WordPress, Plausible would still be my go to solution. Instead I’ve switched because, simply put, Jetpack Stats is the right plugin for this site as it stands today.
While physically switching was easy, making sure Jetpack’s Stats was right for my users was another. A hard requirement for me is that any stats respect the analytics of my users. It took some research of their privacy policy as well as asking some of their team members directly, how and what data is used. After learning more about it, including the fact that data collected is about equal to Plausible, deleted after 28 days and used only to build site stats, I realized it is a safe solution for those who want to know who is visiting their site.
Jetpack Stats is easier to use
From giving stats on individual posts to giving an overall counter on the main WordPress Dashboard page, Jetpack stats makes it easier to find insights on visitors throughout the sites. In Plausible the data is hidden deeper in the menu system and requires much more heavy lifting to filter for simple questions such as how an individual post is doing.
All other things equal, these extra insights and better integration with WordPress is the primary reason I changed. I liked Plausible, but its aggregation of statistics leaves little room for many usable insights. That was fine at first but, almost 6 months after I started using Plausible I felt it was more of a glorified hit counter than a stats service that could be used to improve the site.
Jetpack Stats is simpler
First, it’s simpler to implement. I was already using Jetpack for comment subscriptions so turning on its stats module was easy and allowed me to eliminate another plugin altogether.
While more plugins isn’t worse I’ve always been something of a minimalist with my tech so simple, to me, is a virtue that I can’t overlook.
I only need to worry about WordPress
For the foreseeable future this site isn’t moving off WordPress again which means I simply don’t need a solution that works with other platforms. Combine this with the fact that Jetpack still has stats from the last time I used its stats back in 2015 and I feel like it is the best longterm solution for this site now that I’ve settled on WordPress for the long haul.
Is Jetpack’s Stats right for you?
If you’re writing a small WordPress blog and want to know what content works then, yes, Jetpack’s stats module might just be right for you. It’s simple, easy to use and provides adequate privacy to your users. If you’re not on WordPress I still recommend giving Plausible a try. While both are great solutions, Jetpack’s better integration with WordPress just makes it an easy and powerful choice for the platform.