Google Analytics is the standard website analytics platform. Shopify makes it easy to set up via its backend dashboard and it can be a great way to start collecting data to help you make decisions about your business. But any tool that is free always comes at some cost, whether it be financial or privacy.
Google's offering is so popular that as a result, there aren't many great alternatives. Many find the benefits to greatly outweight any concerns. If the privacy implications are not on your radar, you may reach a point where the breadth of data and the complexity of Google Analytics becomes burdensome to the point of unusable.
Fortunately, there are some great options. One of those is Plausible Analytics.
The service offers a wonderful live demo showcasing the ease with which you can view the most important data you're likely to be curious about. Rest assured, the ability to track goals and campaigns is also present. Pricing starts at $4 / month on a yearly plan all the way up to $100 and beyond depending on your traffic.
If you've found Google Analytics to be difficult to use or you are worried about handing over all your data to Google, Plausible Analytics is definitely worth your consideration.
