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Ahrefs Web Analytics alternative
Ahrefs Web Analytics vs Hitsteps: Which fits your site?
Ahrefs Web Analytics calls itself a "Simple, free Google Analytics alternative", and for a lot of sites that's exactly what it is. It's free for sites with verified ownership, it shows traffic within a minute and it keeps your history. Hitsteps answers a different question: who is on your site right now, what are they doing, and can you help them before they leave? If that's the question you keep asking, read on. (Ahrefs Web Analytics, checked 17 Oct 2026.)
Product proof
Understand your visitors. Take action with confidence.
Use it when you need live visitor context, practical installation routes, and action tools around the traffic you already have.
Works where your site already lives
WordPress, Shopify, Wix, Google Tag Manager, HTML, CMS, commerce, browser, and desktop setup paths are documented from one hub.
From tracking hit to next action
Live dashboard, visitor profiles, heatmaps, chat, Segments, uptime, reports, and alerts stay connected after tracking is installed.
Ahrefs Web Analytics vs Hitsteps at a glance
Pick Ahrefs Web Analytics if you want a lot of free traffic reporting. Ahrefs says it is "free for up to 1 million events per project each month", and its own comparison table lists historical data as "Unlimited". That free tier is far bigger than Hitsteps Free, which covers one site up to 2,000 pageviews a month with 14 days of history. If volume and history on a free plan are what matter most, Ahrefs wins that one clearly.
Pick Hitsteps if you want to open a live visitor, follow the pages they viewed, start a chat with them and see where people click. The live visitor view is on Free. Chat starts on Starter at $4.99 a month and click heatmaps on Growth at $9.99 a month. The reason to choose Hitsteps is what you can do with each visit, not the price.
| Question | Hitsteps | Ahrefs Web Analytics |
|---|---|---|
| Is there a free plan? | Yes. One site up to 2,000 pageviews a month, 14 days of history, live visitor view included. | Yes. "Free for websites with verified ownership", "free for up to 1 million events per project each month". |
| How fresh is the data? | Live. Visitors appear in the real-time visitor view while they browse. | "Instantly see website visitors within 1 minute of an event." |
| Can I open one visitor and see their path? | Yes, visitor profiles with page paths, on Free. | A per-visitor profile view is not listed on Ahrefs' public Web Analytics page (checked 17 Oct 2026). |
| Can I chat with a visitor? | Yes, from Starter ($4.99), with one chat agent. Growth has three, Pro has ten. | Live chat is not listed on Ahrefs' public Web Analytics page (checked 17 Oct 2026). |
| Are click heatmaps listed? | Yes, click heatmaps from Growth ($9.99). | Click heatmaps are not listed on Ahrefs' public Web Analytics page (checked 17 Oct 2026). |
| Are funnels listed? | Yes, from Pro ($21.99). | Yes. Ahrefs lists funnels to "see exactly how visitors move through your website's key stages". |
| Can I track campaigns and events? | UTM campaign context, plus goals from Starter ($4.99). Custom events can be sent as JavaScript Actions. | Yes. Ahrefs lists UTM tags, custom events and outbound link clicks. |
| Website uptime monitoring? | Yes, from Pro ($21.99). | Uptime monitoring is not listed on Ahrefs' public Web Analytics page (checked 17 Oct 2026). |
| How long is history kept? | 14 days on Free, 30 on Starter, 60 on Growth, 180 on Pro, 360 on Business. | Listed as "Unlimited" in Ahrefs' own GA4 table. |
Ahrefs column source: ahrefs.com/web-analytics, checked 17 Oct 2026.
What Ahrefs Web Analytics measures
Ahrefs built Web Analytics as a lighter replacement for Google Analytics. Setup is a JavaScript snippet, or you can "import data from GA4", and Ahrefs lists the script at 2 KB. Ahrefs describes it as "privacy-friendly" with "No cookies. No IP addresses stored with analytics data." Those are Ahrefs' own words about its own product.
The page lists more than basic traffic. You can see which AI chatbots send visitors, connect Google Search Console to see which keywords bring people in, build funnels, track custom events such as button clicks and form submissions, tag campaigns with UTM parameters and capture outbound link clicks. If you already use other Ahrefs tools, keeping web analytics in the same account is a real convenience. (Ahrefs Web Analytics, checked 17 Oct 2026.)
What it gives you is a report on your traffic. It's a good report, and for many sites it's all they need.
When you need to see and talk to the visitor
Some days a traffic report isn't the job. A visitor has been on your pricing page for three minutes. Someone came in from a campaign and went straight to your contact page. A customer keeps landing on a help article that doesn't answer their question.
That's where Hitsteps fits. Open the live visitor view and you'll see each visitor as they browse, with their source and the pages they've viewed so far. On Starter and above you can start a chat right there and ask if they need a hand. On Growth and above, click heatmaps show where people click on the pages that matter, so you can see whether that button is being found at all.
One thing to be clear about: Hitsteps doesn't record sessions. You see live visitors, their page paths, chat and click heatmaps, not video replays.
Hitsteps works on any site with a tracking code, and there are plugins for common platforms. Comparing other options too? See our Plausible comparison, Fathom comparison and Google Analytics comparison.
Plans and limits side by side
Ahrefs Web Analytics. Web Analytics is included with Ahrefs Free for sites with verified ownership, up to 1 million events per project each month. Above that, Ahrefs says you can "Unlock higher limits with Web Analytics Add-on". The add-on price isn't shown on the Web Analytics page, so check Ahrefs' own plans page for current pricing. (Ahrefs Web Analytics, checked 17 Oct 2026.)
Hitsteps. Monthly billing, one plan per account:
| Plan | Price | Pageviews a month | Sites | History | Adds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | up to 2,000 | 1 | 14 days | Live visitor view |
| Starter | $4.99 | 10,000 | 2 | 30 days | Live chat (1 agent) |
| Growth | $9.99 | 50,000 | 5 | 60 days | Click heatmaps, 3 chat agents |
| Pro | $21.99 | 500,000 | 30 | 180 days | Uptime monitoring, funnels, 10 chat agents |
| Business | $49.99 | 1,000,000 | 100 | 360 days | Higher limits |
| Scale | $99.99 | 12,000,000 | 400 | 360 days | Higher limits |
There are higher tiers beyond Scale for very large sites. See all plans.
To be straight about it: on raw free volume, Ahrefs gives you far more. One million events a month against 2,000 pageviews isn't close. You'd pay for Hitsteps because you want to see and talk to individual visitors, not to save money on traffic reporting.
Every new Hitsteps account starts with a 7-day Pro trial, no card, so you can try chat, heatmaps and uptime on your own site before choosing a plan. Start free.
Start watching real visitors freeFrequently asked questions
Is Ahrefs Web Analytics really free?
Yes, for sites with verified ownership. Ahrefs says Web Analytics is "Free for websites with verified ownership" and "free for up to 1 million events per project each month". Higher limits come with the Web Analytics Add-on, and Ahrefs doesn't list that price on its Web Analytics page. (Ahrefs Web Analytics, checked 17 Oct 2026.)
Does Ahrefs Web Analytics show individual visitors or session replay?
Ahrefs says you can "Instantly see website visitors within 1 minute of an event", which is real-time traffic reporting. A profile view of one visitor and their page path is not listed on Ahrefs' public Web Analytics page (checked 17 Oct 2026), and neither is session replay. Hitsteps shows each live visitor with their source and page path on every plan, including Free. Hitsteps doesn't record sessions either.
Can I chat with visitors or see heatmaps in Ahrefs Web Analytics?
Live chat and click heatmaps are not listed on Ahrefs' public Web Analytics page (checked 17 Oct 2026). In Hitsteps, live chat starts on Starter at $4.99 a month and click heatmaps start on Growth at $9.99 a month.
Which is better for a small site on a budget?
If you only need traffic numbers and want to pay nothing, Ahrefs Web Analytics gives you far more free volume and history than Hitsteps Free. If you want to watch visitors live, chat with them and see where they click, Hitsteps is built for that. The live view is on Free, chat costs $4.99 a month and heatmaps $9.99 a month.
Can I try Hitsteps before switching?
Yes. Every new account gets a 7-day Pro trial with no card needed. After the trial you can stay on Free, which includes the live visitor view, as long as your email is verified and your site fits Free's limits (up to 2,000 pageviews a month, 1 site), or choose a paid plan. You can create an account and test it on your own site.