Own an iPhone? Analytics junkie? I've reviewed four analytics apps (at my own cost, no disclosure needed here) to help you choose the best one to get your fix.
Analytics App
One of the more robust tools on the iPhone market, Analytics App is a great tool to monitor multiple sites across a single login. That is, when it works. I've had login issues for the last couple of weeks - fair enough, they say that you can try refreshing the captcha on your Google account via Safari on your iPhone to get it to work, but I've so far been SOL. When it does work, Analytics App is stunningly easy to use and more than comprehensive. You want access to your custom reports created in Google Analytics? Goals? Event Tracking? Done. My one little gripe is that you can't drill down into geographic content.
Since it is, in my opinion, the most comprehensive analytics app available and I've had it since February 2009, I haven't put in for a refund because I'd like to give them a chance to correct the issue. I still wouldn't bother downloading it if you haven't got the tool already; they don't think they'll be fixing it until late October.
Touchlytics
The new kid on the block from New Street Software, Touchlytics has a few more bells and whistles than Analytics App does. I bought the Pro version ($4.99), with access to 40 different reports. One feature I really like is the ability to tilt the phone sideways to get a visual representation of your site's results - handy if you're with a client or colleague and need to show a segment that might not be on the presentation you've already prepared.
Touchlytics also has a few nice but not essential frills on the side. Shaking your iPhone updates the data (much like the Facebook app for iPhone), and you can doubly protect your data from prying eyes with another passcode lock (if your home screen lock isn't enough). Helpfully (and not frilly at all), there's a drilldown by country location, but it would be even more handy if this drilldown went down to regions or cities. You'd need this when you're launching a multi-city campaign with the same creatives and needed to tell the client what worked in Cheyenne didn't work in Boise.
The drawback? It's a bit clunky when you ask it to perform multiple tasks sequentially. I've found myself staring at a black screen for a few moments while the app shuts down and takes me to the home screen. Annoying if you're trying to show people lots of data, but not a dealbreaker - you can get right back in to the report you've just been looking at.
Analytics Agent
Global Agent Inc offers two versions of its Analytics Agent, Pro and Lite (the latter being free). It's not clunky by any stretch of the imagination, but the instructions are written in such a way that I didn't feel comfortable shelling out the £2 to buy the Pro version. It would be a relatively sexy interface too, if the advertising on the Lite version didn't cover up the title of the report you were trying to access.
Obvious drawbacks include needing to sign in every time (even though I'd set the application to remember my password) and the fact that this was released before someone with better than average English skills gave it a once-over. In the Lite version, you're not able to select the date range you'd like to see, and I don't know if it's available in the Pro version because the features on the Global Agent site are written in Japanese. This is definitely an application I'd give a miss, even at the free price tag.
Ego
We all have big egos in search marketing, right? Ego will help you get your fix of followers, site visits and stats at a glance, but it's not comprehensive by any stretch of the imagination (fair enough, it's not marketing itself as such). With all your ego-feeding needs at the touch of a button, it's fair to say that this is the harried man's version of a bolder analytics package.
There's really only support for three major ego fixes though. You've got Twitter, where you can check how many followers you've gained or lost overnight and what your last tweet was - handy for remembering a particularly saucy night out and making a mental note to delete the tweet as soon as possible. There's Google Analytics, and it's dead simple to check how many page views you've had today, yesterday, this week, this month and this year - not anything beyond that though. Then you've got Feedburner, where you can check your stats to make sure your last post didn't tick people off enough for them to remove your blog from their feed reader. There's also support for Ember, Mint and Squarespace, but since these are fee-paying analytics or hosting services, there's not much use for those of us who don't subscribe or host our blogs there. Hopefully, they'll add TypePad (what this blog runs on) support soon. In the meantime, it's a fun little app with a sexy interface - just don't expect to get much meaningful data beyond visitors and followers.
The Bottom Line
I would hesitate to recommend Analytics App because it's not working for me right now. It's too bad, because it's simple to use and doesn't send me into home screen frustration if I ask it to switch between accounts. The winner by default (and by good design, it must be said) is Touchlytics, who also do a Lite version for $1.99. The functionality is superior, you can extract meaningful insight and data, and the frills add a cherry on the top of an already fantastic analytics app.
