Blog Post

Let’s face it—managing marketing data without the right tools is like trying to build IKEA furniture without the instructions (or the screws). You might eventually get somewhere, but it’s going to be messy, frustrating, and probably missing a leg.

I’ve worked with teams buried in spreadsheets and drowning in dashboards. Most of the time, the issue isn’t the data—it’s the tech stack. The good news? In 2025, we have more powerful, integrated tools than ever to simplify tracking, reporting, and decision-making.

In this guide, I’ll break down the top tools I recommend (and actually use) for marketing analytics and KPI tracking in 2025—and what each one does best.

• The top analytics and tracking tools for different business sizes
  
• Which platforms are best for dashboards, attribution, and automation
  
• Why I don’t believe in “one-size-fits-all” analytics stacks
  
• My go-to combo for teams that want clarity, not clutter
  
• How to avoid tool overload and data silos
  

Marketing in 2025 isn’t just about running campaigns. It’s about proving impact. Fast.

Your tools should:

• Make reporting easier, not harder
  
• Connect seamlessly (or at least play nice together)
  
• Help you spot insights, not just gather noise
  
• Be flexible enough to grow with your team
  

If you’re using four different platforms that can’t share data, you’re not tracking—you’re babysitting. A well-integrated tool stack saves hours, prevents errors, and keeps everyone focused on outcomes.

Best for: Website and behavior tracking
Price: Free

GA4 continues to be the backbone of web analytics—and in 2025, it’s finally less “beta-feeling” and more user-ready.

What I use it for:

• Tracking user behavior and event flows
  
• Monitoring conversions and custom events
  
• Building funnel and path reports
  
• Connecting data to ad platforms and CRM
  

Downside? It still takes some setup (and patience). But once you get your KPI tracking in GA4 dialed in, it becomes a performance goldmine.

Best for: Managing tracking tags without bothering your developer
Price: Free

Tag Manager is the unsung hero of any tracking setup. I use it to:

• Deploy and update marketing pixels (Google Ads, Meta, LinkedIn)
  
• Track button clicks, video views, scroll depth, and form submissions
  
• Create custom triggers for analytics events
  

It works hand-in-hand with GA4 and helps keep your site tracking clean and flexible.

Best for: Free dashboarding and reporting
Price: Free

I’ve built dozens of client dashboards in Looker Studio. It’s not the fanciest tool out there, but it checks all the boxes:

• Connects to GA4, Google Sheets, BigQuery, and more
  
• Easy to share with stakeholders
  
• Customizable visuals with real-time data
  

If you’re new to dashboarding, this is where I’d start. (Pro tip: Avoid overloading it with metrics you don’t use.)

Need help building a meaningful dashboard? Check out my process.

Best for: CRM, lead tracking, and marketing automation
Price: Starts free, scales with features

HubSpot is my go-to CRM for small and mid-size teams. Why? Because it lets you:

• Track contact lifecycle stages
  
• Align marketing and sales data
  
• Automate email sequences based on behavior
  
• Build reports that connect actions to revenue
  

It’s not just a CRM—it’s a tracking tool that helps bridge the attribution gap between marketing and sales.

Best for: Customer data infrastructure and event tracking
Price: Paid, varies by usage

Segment is the platform I recommend for brands that need:

• Unified customer profiles across tools
  
• Event tracking across apps, websites, and CRM
  
• Flexible pipelines to route data to different destinations (analytics, ads, support)
  

It’s especially valuable for B2B SaaS and DTC brands with complex customer journeys.

Best for: Behavior analytics and UX insights
Price: Hotjar (free/premium), Clarity (free)

Sometimes, the numbers don’t tell you why users drop off. That’s where session recordings and heatmaps come in.

These tools let you:

• Watch user sessions
  
• See where people click (and rage-click)
  
• Identify UX issues that hurt conversions
  

While they’re not “KPI” tools in the traditional sense, I use them to figure out what’s getting in the way of the KPIs.

Best for: Data integration and automation
Price: Paid, based on connectors

Supermetrics pulls data from multiple platforms (Google Ads, Facebook, LinkedIn, HubSpot, etc.) into:

• Google Sheets
  
• Looker Studio
  
• Excel
  

It’s a lifesaver if you don’t have time to manually update reports. I’ve saved hours each month automating weekly dashboards with it.

Best for: Multi-channel reporting and client dashboards
Price: Paid, best for agencies or large teams

Whatagraph helps marketing teams:

• Build easy-to-read reports across platforms
  
• Automate delivery to clients or stakeholders
  
• Visualize complex performance data in one place
  

If you run reports across multiple clients or business units, this tool can save your sanity.

9. Triple Whale

Best for: E-commerce analytics and ROAS tracking
Price: Paid

For DTC and Shopify brands, Triple Whale pulls together:

• Ad performance
  
• Conversion paths
  
• Customer LTV
  
• ROAS by campaign and channel
  

It’s become a favorite among e-comm brands that are tired of cobbling together Shopify, Meta Ads, and GA4.

Best for: Multi-touch attribution and revenue tracking
Price: Paid, varies

Attribution is messy—especially for long sales cycles. These platforms help:

• Connect marketing activities to revenue
  
• Analyze multi-touch journeys across channels
  
• Track down which efforts truly drive conversions
  

Which one is best? It depends on your business model:

• Dreamdata: Great for B2B
  
• Hyros: Popular with coaches, agencies, info products
  
• Ruler: Good for lead-gen and local businesses
  

No, you don’t need all 10 tools.

Here’s a starter stack I often recommend:

• GA4 + Tag Manager: Foundation for tracking
  
• Looker Studio: Basic dashboarding
  
• HubSpot or CRM: For pipeline visibility
  
• One behavior analytics tool: Hotjar or Clarity
  
• Supermetrics: For automation, if you’re tired of copying and pasting
  

As you scale, add tools that fix specific friction points—not just tools that look shiny on a product hunt list.

Before you add a new tool, ask:

• What decision will this help us make faster?
  
• What process will it automate or improve?
  
• Who owns this tool, and who’s actually using it?
  

If you can’t answer those, the tool might be unnecessary. Or worse—it’ll become just another tab you forget to open.

Marketing tools in 2025 are smarter, faster, and more connected than ever. But more tools don’t always mean better tracking.

The brands that win are the ones who:

• Choose tools that fit their goals and growth stage
  
• Connect systems for clean, actionable data
  
• Spend less time reporting—and more time optimizing
  

Whether you’re building your first dashboard or streamlining a complex stack, your tools should support strategy—not distract from it.