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Burst Statistics vs MonsterInsights

Updated 10 Oct 2026. 27 features compared side by side.

Burst Statistics

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.9 (186)

Self-hosted, privacy-focused WordPress analytics with goals, real-time stats and optional cookieless tracking; Pro adds UTM, forms and WooCommerce.

Free installs200K+
From$49/yr
UpdatedOct 2026
Visit site Full profile
VS

MonsterInsights

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.5 (3,157)

Freemium Google Analytics plugin from Awesome Motive that adds GA4 tracking and in-dashboard reports, with eCommerce, forms and custom dimensions in paid plans.

Free installs2M+
From$199/yr
UpdatedSep 2026
Visit site Full profile

Choose Burst Statistics if…

  • You need self-hosted stats and cookieless tracking
  • You want the lower entry price ($49/yr vs $199/yr)
  • You weigh user ratings (4.9 vs 4.5 on WordPress.org)

Choose MonsterInsights if…

  • You need Google Analytics 4 integration and Google Tag manager
  • You want the more complete feature set (84/100 vs 78/100)
  • You prefer the more widely used option

Burst Statistics includes 2 features that MonsterInsights lacks, including Self-hosted stats and Cookieless tracking; MonsterInsights has 2 that Burst Statistics lacks, including Google Analytics 4 integration and Google Tag Manager. Both include 21 of the 27 features we track. 2 features are not yet verified for one or both plugins.

At a glance

Burst Statistics
MonsterInsights
78/100
Feature score
84/100
23 of 27
Features included
25 of 27
4.9/5
WordPress.org rating
4.5/5
200K+
Active installs
2M+
100%
Support threads resolved
80%

Feature comparison

Click a screenshot to see both plugins side by side.

Feature
Burst Statistics
MonsterInsights
Tracking setup5/75/7
Google Analytics 4 integration KeyConnects a GA4 property and adds the tracking code for you.
Burst Statistics Not included

Built as a GA replacement; it does not add or connect a GA4 property.

MonsterInsights Included

Setup wizard connects a GA4 property through Google sign-in and adds the gtag tracking code.

Self-hosted stats KeyTracks visits itself and stores data in your WordPress database.
Burst Statistics Included

All statistics are stored locally in your WordPress database.

MonsterInsights Not included

All data is collected by and read back from Google Analytics; nothing is stored locally.

Cookieless tracking KeyCounts visits without setting tracking cookies.
Burst Statistics Included

Optional cookieless mode, plus a hybrid mode that sets cookies only after consent.

MonsterInsights Not included

Relies on Google Analytics, which uses cookies; consent integrations are offered instead.

Real-time statsShows who is on the site right now.
Burst Statistics Included

Live count of active users, the pages they are on and their sources.

MonsterInsights Paid version Plus

Real-time report of current visitors, pages and sources is part of the Plus plan.

Google Tag ManagerAdds or works with Google Tag Manager containers.
Burst Statistics Not included

No Google Tag Manager integration is offered or documented.

MonsterInsights Partial

Docs say it runs alongside a GTM container for extra events, but it does not insert GTM itself.

Server-side trackingRecords hits on the server, unaffected by ad blockers.
Burst Statistics Partial

Pageviews come from a JS beacon; goals and ecommerce can be recorded server-side via hooks.

MonsterInsights Partial Pro

Paid eCommerce and form events are sent via GA4's Measurement Protocol; pageviews still use gtag.

Lightweight tracking scriptSmall or no front-end script, so tracking does not slow pages.
Burst Statistics Included

Tracking script under 4 KB, with Turbo mode to defer loading.

MonsterInsights Partial

Loads Google's gtag.js asynchronously; paid plans can host the gtag file locally.

Events & ecommerce6/77/7
Link, click & download tracking KeyTracks outbound links, file downloads and button clicks.
Burst Statistics Partial

Free click goals; automatic outgoing link tracking needs Creator.

MonsterInsights Included

Lite tracks outbound links, file downloads and phone clicks; reports, media and custom events need Plus.

Form conversion trackingTracks form views and submissions.
Burst Statistics Paid version Creator

Automatic form tracking with CF7, WPForms, Gravity Forms and others.

MonsterInsights Paid version Pro

Forms add-on tracks impressions and conversions for WPForms, Gravity Forms, CF7 and others.

WooCommerce tracking KeyTracks orders, revenue and products from WooCommerce.
Burst Statistics Paid version Business

Revenue, products, cart abandonment, AOV and funnels.

MonsterInsights Paid version Pro

Enhanced eCommerce for WooCommerce, EDD, MemberPress and more, with revenue and product reports.

Campaign & UTM reportsReports on UTM campaigns, sources and mediums.
Burst Statistics Paid version Creator

UTM campaign and URL parameter reports with campaign-filtered dashboards.

MonsterInsights Paid version Plus

Campaigns and Source/Medium reports plus a UTM link builder come with the Plus plan.

Goals & conversionsSet goals and see conversion rates.
Burst Statistics Included

Goals for views, clicks, WordPress hooks and custom events with conversion stats.

MonsterInsights Paid version Pro

Form and eCommerce conversion rates are shown in the Pro-level reports.

Custom dimensionsReport by author, category, post type, user role and similar.
Burst Statistics Not verified

No reports by author, category or user role are documented.

MonsterInsights Paid version Pro

Tracks author, category, tag, post type, user role, SEO score and focus keyword dimensions.

Scroll depth trackingMeasures how far visitors scroll.
Burst Statistics Partial

Free plan lists engagement and reading tracking; no dedicated scroll-depth report confirmed.

MonsterInsights Paid version Plus

Scroll depth tracking switches on automatically on Plus or higher.

Reports in WordPress8/88/8
Reports inside WordPress KeyTraffic reports in the WordPress admin, no need to open another tool.
Burst Statistics Included

Dashboard, Insights and Sources screens inside wp-admin.

MonsterInsights Included

Lite shows an Overview report and dashboard widget; the full report suite starts at Plus.

Top pages & postsShows which content gets the most visits.
Burst Statistics Included

Top pages and posts ranked by views.

MonsterInsights Included

Overview report lists top posts and pages; Plus adds dedicated Pages and Publishers reports.

Traffic sources & referrersWhere visitors come from.
Burst Statistics Included

Referral sources listed free; deeper source analysis in Creator.

MonsterInsights Included

Top referral sources appear in the Lite Overview report.

Location & device reportsCountry, browser and device breakdowns.
Burst Statistics Included

Country and device breakdowns free; city-level data needs Creator.

MonsterInsights Included

Overview covers top countries and device split; Plus adds a Technology report.

Stats per postVisit numbers shown on each post or in the editor.
Burst Statistics Partial

Pageviews Counter block shows views on a page; no editor panel documented.

MonsterInsights Paid version Plus

Page Insights add-on shows per-post stats in the admin bar and post list; Plus or higher.

Search Console dataSearch queries and rankings from Google Search Console.
Burst Statistics Included

Optional integration shows Google search data in the dashboard.

MonsterInsights Paid version Plus

Search Console keyword report inside WordPress is included from the Plus plan.

Email summaries KeyScheduled email reports with key stats.
Burst Statistics Included

Weekly or monthly email reports; Agency adds branded PDF client reports.

MonsterInsights Included

Lite sends a monthly email recap; weekly summaries to multiple addresses need Plus.

Export reportsExport to CSV or PDF.
Burst Statistics Paid version Creator

CSV export (listed as coming soon on the pricing page).

MonsterInsights Paid version Plus

Reports can be exported as PDF on Plus and higher; no CSV export is advertised.

Privacy & admin4/55/5
GDPR & consent tools KeyIP anonymisation, consent mode or cookie-banner integration.
Burst Statistics Included

Cookieless mode, Do Not Track support and Complianz consent integration.

MonsterInsights Paid version Plus

EU Compliance add-on (IP anonymising, consent tool integrations) and Privacy Guard start at Plus.

Exclude users & rolesLeave admins or chosen roles out of the stats.
Burst Statistics Included

Exclude chosen user roles and IPv4/IPv6 addresses from tracking.

MonsterInsights Included

Admins and editors are excluded by default and further roles can be excluded.

Bot filteringFilters out bots and crawlers.
Burst Statistics Included

Known crawlers are not tracked; custom user-agent and referrer block rules.

MonsterInsights Partial

No plugin-level filter; GA4 automatically excludes known bots and spiders.

Report access by roleChoose which user roles can view reports.
Burst Statistics Partial

Access uses view_burst_statistics and manage_burst_statistics capabilities; no role UI.

MonsterInsights Included

Lite lets you choose which roles can view reports; Elite adds advanced per-report access control.

Multisite supportWorks across a WordPress multisite network.
Burst Statistics Not verified

Multisite support is not documented; Creator offers per-domain filtering only.

MonsterInsights Included

Readme confirms multisite support; Elite adds network-level management features.

Statuses: Yes Pro Add-on Partial 3rd-party No ?

Pricing compared

Burst Statistics Freemium

Free$0
FreeFree per year, Unlimited
Creator$49 per year, 1 site
Business$99 per year, 1 site
Agency$199 per year, Unlimited

MonsterInsights Freemium

Free$0
LiteFree per year, Unlimited
Plus$199 per year, 1 site
Pro$399 per year, 5 sites
Elite$599 per year, 5 sites
Agency$799 per year, 25 sites

Downloads trend

Burst Statistics

114,274 downloads last week

MonsterInsights

120,810 downloads last week

Verdict

Based on our feature data Checked 10 Oct 2026

MonsterInsights scores higher on our feature checklist (84/100 against 78/100) and includes Google Analytics 4 integration and Google Tag manager that Burst Statistics does not. Burst Statistics still has the edge on self-hosted stats and cookieless tracking. Paid plans start at $49/yr for Burst Statistics and $199/yr for MonsterInsights. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.

Biggest differences

Google Analytics 4 integration

Burst Statistics: not included. MonsterInsights: included. Setup wizard connects a GA4 property through Google sign-in and adds the gtag tracking code.

Self-hosted stats

Burst Statistics: included. MonsterInsights: not included. All statistics are stored locally in your WordPress database.

Cookieless tracking

Burst Statistics: included. MonsterInsights: not included. Optional cookieless mode, plus a hybrid mode that sets cookies only after consent.

Google Tag Manager

Burst Statistics: not included. MonsterInsights: partial. Docs say it runs alongside a GTM container for extra events, but it does not insert GTM itself.

Written from the feature, pricing and install data on this page, not from hands-on testing. How we compare.

Which would you choose?

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FAQ

Which is better, Burst Statistics or MonsterInsights?

MonsterInsights scores higher on our feature checklist (84/100 against 78/100) and includes Google Analytics 4 integration and Google Tag manager that Burst Statistics does not. Burst Statistics still has the edge on self-hosted stats and cookieless tracking. Paid plans start at $49/yr for Burst Statistics and $199/yr for MonsterInsights. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.

Which has more features?

MonsterInsights includes 25 of the 27 features we track, against 23 for Burst Statistics. Feature count is only part of the picture; check which of the differences matter to you.

Is Burst Statistics free?

Burst Statistics has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $49/yr.

Is MonsterInsights free?

MonsterInsights has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $199/yr.

Feature data last changed 10 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit to Burst Statistics or MonsterInsights. Some links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no cost to you; it never affects our data or rankings.