Proxima Analytics vs Vercel: A Comprehensive Comparison

Vercel Analytics (ex Splitbee) is a web analytics tool that is designed to provide insights into the traffic and performance of websites and applications. It is built on top of the open-source platform, OpenTelemetry, and offers a range of features such as real-time monitoring, error tracking, and performance insights. While Vercel Analytics is a powerful tool for understanding the performance and usage of a website or application, it is important to consider the features and capabilities of other web analytics tools such as Proxima Analytics in order to determine the best solution for your needs.

Quick Look: Proxima vs Vercel Analytics

Comparing Proxima and Vercel Analytics: A Look at the Similarities

If you're in the market for a simple, lightweight and privacy-focused web analytics tool, you might be considering both Proxima Analytics and Vercel Analytics. Both of these tools have gained a reputation for being easy to use and fast, but what other similarities do they share? Let's take a closer look.

Weight of the Tracking Scripts

One aspect that sets Proxima Analytics and Vercel Analytics apart from many other web analytics tools is the fact that they both use extremely lightweight tracking scripts. The Proxima tracking script weighs in at just 1kb, making it 40 times lighter than Google Analytics. Vercel Analytics also boasts a lightweight script, weighing in at only 2kb. This lightweight nature means that both Proxima and Vercel have a minimal impact on the loading speed of your website, ensuring that your site remains fast and responsive for your visitors.

Simplicity and Minimal Metrics

In addition to using lightweight tracking scripts, both Proxima and Vercel are designed with simplicity in mind. Proxima measures only the most essential data points and nothing else, presenting all of the collected metrics on a single page. Vercel also keeps things simple, with a minimal set of metrics that are easy to understand and use. Both Proxima and Vercel are great choices for website owners who want a straightforward and uncomplicated way to measure the performance of their website.

How Proxima Emerges as the Privacy First Analytics Tool

As you explore the world of web analytics, it's natural to compare different tools and weigh their pros and cons. If you're considering switching to Proxima, you may be wondering how it stacks up against other options, such as Vercel Analytics. While both tools offer lightweight scripts and ease of use, there are some unique features that set Proxima apart. Let's dive in and discover the distinctions between these two powerful analytics tools.

Open Source vs Closed Source: The Transparency Debate

When it comes to web analytics, transparency is key. You want to know exactly what's happening with your data and how it's being used. That's where the open source nature of Proxima Analytics sets it apart from closed source tools like Vercel Analytics.

With Proxima, you can see exactly how the tool works and what data it's collecting. You have complete control over your data, and you can even self-host the tool to ensure that your data stays safe and secure. On the other hand, Vercel Analytics is a closed source tool, which means that you have to blindly trust the company to handle your data responsibly.

Privacy First

Another key difference between Proxima and Vercel Analytics is their approach to privacy. Proxima is designed with privacy as a top priority, and we don't use any cookies or other persistent tracking mechanisms to collect data from your visitors. Instead, we use a lightweight, 1kb tracking script that doesn't store any personal information, and we anonymise all data that we do collect in order to comply with privacy regulations like GDPR and PECR. Vercel, on the other hand, does use cookies for tracking, which means you may need to obtain consent from your visitors before installing their script on your site.

The Self-Hosting Option

With Proxima, you have the option of either using our cloud-hosted service or installing and managing the service on your own server. This gives you complete control over your data and ensures that you're not reliant on any third-party provider to access your analytics. With Vercel Analytics, on the other hand, you're limited to their hosted service, and you don't have the option of self-hosting the tool. This means you have less control over your data, and you may be subject to any changes or policies that Vercel implements in the future.

EU Regulations and Data Privacy

Another important consideration when it comes to web analytics is data privacy. Proxima Analytics is hosted within the EU, which means that it is subject to strict EU data protection laws such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulation (PECR). This ensures that your data is treated with the utmost care and respect.

In contrast, Vercel Analytics is hosted on top of AWS and Google Cloud, which means that it is not subject to the same EU regulations. While Vercel does offer some privacy controls, the fact remains that your data is being handled by a company that is not subject to the same strict data protection laws.

Available for a Wide Range of Libraries, Platforms and Frameworks

Proxima Analytics offers plugins and integrations for a wide range of libraries, platforms and frameworks, including WordPress, Ghost, Jekyll, and more. This makes it easy to use Proxima on any type of website, regardless of the technology stack you're using.

Vercel Analytics, on the other hand, is only available for certain libraries and frameworks like Next.js, Nuxt.js, and Svelte. If you're using a different technology stack, you may not be able to use Vercel Analytics at all.

Small Team vs Big Company

Proxima Analytics is part of a small, self-funded team that is dedicated to changing the way we think about analytics and marketing. We believe in building tools that are simple, lightweight, and privacy-friendly, and we are committed to continuously improving and updating Proxima to meet the needs of our users.

Vercel, on the other hand, is backed by a big VC-funded company. While this can certainly be a benefit in some cases, it's important to consider whether you want your web analytics tool to be developed by a small, independent team or by a large corporation with potentially conflicting interests.

In conclusion, Proxima Analytics offers a number of key advantages over Vercel Analytics for those looking for an open source and privacy-focused web analytics tool. From the ability to self-host and fully own your data, to the commitment to EU laws and regulations, Proxima offers a level of transparency and control that simply isn't available with Vercel. If you're looking for a web analytics tool that puts your privacy first and allows you to take control of your data, Proxima is definitely worth considering.