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KISSmetrics vs Mixpanel: What are the differences?
Introduction
KISSmetrics and Mixpanel are two popular analytics tools used by businesses to track and analyze user behavior on their websites or applications. While both platforms offer similar functionalities, there are key differences between them that can help businesses choose the one that best fits their needs.
Data Collection and Tracking: KISSmetrics primarily uses a person-based tracking approach, where each user is identified by a unique identifier. This allows for tracking individual users across multiple devices and sessions. On the other hand, Mixpanel uses an event-based tracking approach, where actions or events performed by users are tracked and analyzed. This provides a more granular understanding of user behavior but may require additional configuration for user identification.
Visualization and Reporting: KISSmetrics offers a comprehensive set of pre-built reports and visualizations, making it easier for users to quickly gain insights from their data. Mixpanel, on the other hand, provides more flexibility in terms of customizing reports and visualizations, allowing users to create tailored dashboards and charts based on their specific needs.
Funnel Analysis: Both KISSmetrics and Mixpanel allow for funnel analysis, which tracks user behavior through a predefined series of steps or events. However, KISSmetrics offers a more intuitive and user-friendly funnel builder, making it easier for non-technical users to set up and analyze funnels. Mixpanel, on the other hand, provides more advanced funnel analysis capabilities, including the ability to create funnels based on user properties and engage in retroactive funnel analysis.
Retention Analysis: KISSmetrics provides a comprehensive set of retention analysis reports, allowing users to understand user retention and engagement over time. Mixpanel also offers retention analysis features, but with additional flexibility to define custom timeframes and segmentation criteria for analyzing user retention.
User Segmentation: KISSmetrics offers powerful user segmentation capabilities, allowing users to segment their audience based on various criteria such as demographics, behavior, or custom events. Mixpanel also provides user segmentation features, but with additional flexibility to define complex segmentation criteria and combine multiple conditions using Boolean logic.
Integration and Data Export: Both KISSmetrics and Mixpanel provide integration options with popular third-party tools and platforms. However, KISSmetrics offers a more seamless integration with other marketing tools and platforms, allowing for easy data sharing and cross-platform analysis. Mixpanel, on the other hand, provides more flexibility in terms of data export options, including raw data exports and real-time data streaming.
In Summary, while both KISSmetrics and Mixpanel offer similar analytics capabilities, KISSmetrics excels in providing a user-friendly interface and pre-built reports, while Mixpanel offers more flexibility and advanced analysis options. Businesses need to consider their specific requirements and preferences to choose the right analytics tool for their needs.
I am trying to decide on a solution to better track our user data. We need to track which google ads are leading to signups, and which signups are performing various actions on the site. We then need to visualize this data in various ways. We also need to run A/B tests on features and content, to track which ones lead to the most paid conversions.
Functionally, Amplitude and Mixpanel are incredibly similar. They both offer almost all the same functionality around tracking and visualizing user actions for analytics. You can track A/B test results in both. We ended up going with Amplitude at BaseDash because it has a more generous free tier for our uses (10 million actions per month, versus Mixpanel's 1000 monthly tracked users).
Segment isn't meant to compete with these tools, but instead acts as an API to send actions to them, and other analytics tools. If you're just sending event data to one of these tools, you probably don't need Segment. If you're using other analytics tools like Google Analytics and FullStory, Segment makes it easy to send events to all your tools at once.
Another option you might consider is Google Analytics App+Web.
It is a new type of Google Analytics property which is event-based (like Amplitude and Mixpanel). In App+Web you can collect exactly the same data and in the same format as the other 2 tools mentioned.
The great things about it are: - it is free - there is a free integration with BigQuery (though you'll need to pay for BigQuery, but for most SmB's it is peanuts - $5-30 a month)
Not so great: - reporting side is pretty buggy (App+Web is very new).
So if you are ok building your reporting in something like Google Data Studio, App+Web will be a great option. Your data analyst will especially be happy to have all the data in SQL format (BigQuery).
If you choose App+Web, then you can use Google Optimize (also free) as an A/B testing solution.
Hello Ben,
I have been using Mixpanel and Amplitude and both of them are good solutions in order to track events on your product; events, funnel analysis, retention and so on. The most important thing is that you set up properly the taxonomy and naming convention of your events' structure. I don't have anything against Segment I tried once but I didn't work with that tool but it for sure is a good one based on other workmates' opinions. ¡Important! When tracking distribution channels, take into consideration the attribution channel and all the touches that the users do in all the channels before your conversions. Some of them are good to open a path and other ones good to close.
Besides that, for A/B testing there are several options in the market but VWO is a good one that with a lot of features to get good insights into the A/B testing. Another one could be Optimizely or Google Optimize. ¡Important! Some teams instead run A/B testing because sometimes that could be a technological issue, they run cohort tests, where basically they change features on the product and they analyse this performance with the new users and compare. That could have another issue like seasonality but it is another option.
Overview, I recommend Amplitude and VWO but just to make simple the answer, because Mixpanel, Segment and the other options that the other users wrote here are good too.
All the best, and let me know how your experience was with all these tools. :)
Cheers,