Are you trying to decide between MonsterInsights vs. Google Site Kit for your WordPress website?
Using a Google Analytics plugin is an awesome way to install Google Analytics on your website. Both MonsterInsights and Google Site Kit make installing the Google Analytics code super easy — just connect the plugin with Google Analytics, and that’s it!
However, the rest of the features in the two plugins are pretty different. So, in this article, we’ll walk you through the differences so you can compare Site Kit and MonsterInsights and decide which one is the best for your WordPress website.
How does Google Site Kit compare to MonsterInsights? Let’s take a look at their features.
MonsterInsights vs. Google Site Kit
Connections & Installations
First, we’ll look at the connections and installations that each plugin offers. What tools and other plugins do the two analytics plugins connect with?
Both plugins can connect with a Google Search Console property to bring some of your keyword data into your WordPress dashboard. Both of them will also connect with Google Ads to help you track conversions from people clicking on your ads.
Google Site Kit can also connect with and install your Google Tag Manager code for you. MonsterInsights does not have this feature, as most people find they don’t need Google Tag Manager when MonsterInsights tracks so many of the events you’d need it for.
Google Site Kit will also connect with Google AdSense and insert the AdSense code on your site.
MonsterInsights, on the other hand, also connects with:
- Meta (Facebook): Input your Pixel ID to track conversions from your ads
- Microsoft Ads: Input your Microsoft Ads Tag ID to track conversions from Bing
- WPForms and other WordPress forms plugins: Use the MonsterInsights Forms addon to track form submissions from most WordPress forms plugins
- WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads, MemberPress, and other eCommerce plugins: MonsterInsights connects with the top eCommerce plugins to set up Google Analytics eCommerce tracking
- Pretty Links: Use the Pretty Links plugin and MonsterInsights together to track clicks on affiliate links
- All in One SEO and Yoast: Use MonsterInsights with one of these SEO plugins to track your focus keywords and SEO scores
Reports
Both MonsterInsights and Google Site Kit include reports in your WordPress dashboard. The plugins really differ in which reports they have, so take a look at the lists!
In Google Site Kit, you’ll get one page of reports from Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Google Ads, Google AdSense, and PageSpeed Insights, as long as you’ve connected with them.
So, Google Site Kit reports include:
- An Overview report that provides traffic sources, countries, and devices used to access your site
- A Traffic report that pulls impressions and clicks from Search Console plus unique visitors from search and key events (conversions) from Google Analytics
- A Top Search Queries report that shows your site’s top keywords from Search Console
- A Top Content report that shows your top pages’ pageviews, sessions, engagement rate, and session duration numbers from Google Analytics
- A Speed report that shows your PageSpeed Insights results
- A Monetization report that shows your AdSense earnings
MonsterInsights, on the other hand, provides a full dashboard of different reports. The reports you have access to will vary based on which license (or Lite version) you have.
No matter which license or version you have, you can access the Overview report that provides overall data about your site, such as the number of sessions, pageviews, average session duration, and total users.
Below that, you’ll see your new vs. returning visitor data and a basic device breakdown:
The overview report also shows you the top referral sources and countries that send the most traffic. You can use this data in different ways. For instance, with the top referral report, you can find new partnership opportunities to grow your traffic.
With the top countries report, you can geotarget visitors with different marketing and promotional campaigns. You can also create content for users from your top regions to make more money.
Below that, you’ll see your top posts and pages by pageviews:
Some of the other reports you’ll find in the MonsterInsights reports dashboard include:
- Top Landing Pages
- Channels (Traffic sources)
- Source/Medium
- Technology (browsers and mobile devices)
- Campaigns
- Social Media
- Outbound link clicks
- Affiliate link clicks
- Downloads
- Demographics
- Average scroll depth
- eCommerce analytics
- Form submissions
- Site speed
- Realtime
- Media (video plays)
- And more!
For more on what’s included in the MonsterInsights dashboard, check out The Ultimate Guide to MonsterInsights Dashboard Reports.
Pricing
Google Site Kit is a free plugin. Like many of Google’s tools, there’s no charge for using the plugin.
MonsterInsights also offers a free basic version (MonsterInsights Lite) which includes the Overview report, outbound link tracking, affiliate link tracking, tel and email link click tracking, and more.
You can also add more features by choosing one of the license levels.
MonsterInsights Plus adds GDPR compliance, many more of the reports we listed above, full date range history, scroll tracking, media tracking, and more. MonsterInsights Plus is $99.60/year.
MonsterInsights Pro adds form submission tracking, eCommerce tracking, author tracking, focus keyword tracking, and more. MonsterInsights Pro is $199.60/year.
MonsterInsights Agency adds an Exceptions report and alerts, Site Notes automation, multisite support, and more. MonsterInsights Agency is $399.60/year.
Advanced Features
Google Site Kit doesn’t add any advanced features beyond the connections with different Google tools and a basic reports dashboard. If you want eCommerce tracking, you’ll need to learn how to implement it with Google Tag Manager or hire an Analytics pro.
For other advanced capabilities, like form submission tracking and video tracking, you’ll need to either use the Google Analytics Enhanced Measurement feature (which has some flaws) or resort to Google Tag Manager.
Alternatively, MonsterInsights can set up those advanced tracking features for you with just a couple of clicks.
Track eCommerce Performance
Do you want to know how well your online store is performing? With MonsterInsights, you can track your store with ease. With the eCommerce addon, you’ll see the conversion rate of your store, the number of transactions, revenue, average order value, and more.
Here’s a complete guide for tracking eCommerce performance using MonsterInsights.
Form Conversion Tracking
Another benefit of using MonsterInsights vs. Google Site Kit is that you can automatically track form conversions on your website—no additional setup is required.
The Form Conversion Tracking addon by MonsterInsights makes it super easy to track all types of forms on your site. It supports popular form plugins for WordPress, and all you have to do is install the plugin, activate the addon, and let MonsterInsights take care of the rest.
Easily Make Your Site GDPR Compliant
MonsterInsights makes up for another feature that Google Site Kit lacks – GDPR compliance.
It offers a simple EU Compliance addon that you can use to disable tracking and anonymize user information.
Simply enable the option to disable demographics, user ID tracking, and more, and you can comply with privacy laws without any coding,
Check out our complete guide on GDPR and MonsterInsights for more information about making your site compliant in the EU.
There are so many features and reports you’ll want to check out. Head to the MonsterInsights Pricing page to see a list of what’s included at each license level.
That’s it!
We hope this article helped you compare Google Site Kit vs. MonsterInsights to figure out which plugin is the best for your WordPress site.
If you liked our comparison, you might also want to check out:
GA4 Enhanced Measurement Guide (+ Alternatives)
MonsterInsights vs. Google Analytics – What’s the Real Difference?
How to Set Up Google Analytics Link Click Tracking
Finally, don’t forget to follow us on X, Facebook and YouTube for more helpful Google Analytics tips.