Analytics tools for non-technical founders: Top 5 compared

You don’t need SQL skills to track your store’s performance. The right analytics tool should answer basic questions—revenue trends, top products, conversion rates—without requiring technical setup or data expertise.

Here’s the reality: most analytics platforms are built by engineers for engineers. They assume you understand UTM parameters, attribution models, and custom event tracking. But if you just want to know whether sales are up or down this week compared to last, that complexity is overkill. These five tools prioritize simplicity without sacrificing useful insights.

What non-technical founders actually need

Technical analytics platforms offer endless customization. Non-technical founders need something different: clear answers to specific questions without configuration overhead.

The essentials look like this. Can you see revenue and order trends immediately? Does the tool explain what changed and why? Can your team access reports without individual logins? Will you understand the interface in five minutes or less?

If setup requires reading documentation, watching tutorial videos, or hiring a consultant, it’s too complex. The five tools below meet non-technical requirements while delivering actionable data.

Peasy: Email reports without dashboard complexity

Peasy sends automated analytics reports directly to your inbox. No dashboard login required. You connect your e-commerce platform (Shopify, WooCommerce, or others), configure report frequency, and start receiving insights via email.

What makes it non-technical: Setup takes under 10 minutes. Reports arrive automatically daily, weekly, or monthly. Year-over-year comparisons are built in—no manual date range selection needed. The email format means your whole team sees identical data simultaneously without sharing logins.

Best for: Founders who want consistent reporting without daily dashboard checking. Teams that collaborate better through shared email updates than individual analytics access. Stores running multiple platforms needing unified reporting.

Pricing: $49/month flat rate. Includes unlimited team members, unlimited stores, all report types.

Shopify Analytics: Native and immediately accessible

If you run a Shopify store, analytics are included in your subscription. The platform tracks orders, revenue, traffic sources, and customer behavior automatically. Every metric lives inside your Shopify admin—no external tool required.

What makes it non-technical: Zero setup. The analytics section appears the moment you launch your store. The interface mirrors Shopify’s clean design. Metrics are clearly labeled. You won’t encounter unfamiliar technical terms or complex configuration screens.

Limitations show up at scale. Year-over-year comparisons require manual date selection. Exporting data for deeper analysis means downloading CSV files. If you run stores on multiple platforms, you’ll need separate tools for each.

Best for: Single Shopify stores under $150k annual revenue. Founders comfortable checking analytics within their Shopify admin regularly. Businesses that don’t need historical comparison capabilities.

Pricing: Included with Shopify subscription ($39-$399/month depending on plan).

Fathom Analytics: Privacy-focused website tracking

Fathom replaces Google Analytics with a privacy-first approach. No cookie consent banners needed. No complex reports filled with meaningless metrics. Just clear visitor counts, popular pages, and traffic sources.

What makes it non-technical: The dashboard shows six metrics by default. That’s it. Pageviews, unique visitors, average time, bounce rate, top pages, and referral sources. No endless menu navigation. No customization paralysis. You see what matters immediately.

The trade-off? Fathom tracks website behavior, not e-commerce transactions. You’ll see which products get traffic but won’t see revenue per product without connecting additional tools. It’s complementary to platform analytics, not a replacement.

Best for: Content-driven stores where traffic analysis matters as much as sales data. Founders concerned about privacy regulations. Businesses tired of Google Analytics complexity.

Pricing: Starts at $14/month for 100k monthly pageviews.

Glew: Mid-market analytics without enterprise complexity

Glew connects to your e-commerce platform, email marketing tools, and advertising accounts to create unified dashboards. It’s more sophisticated than Shopify Analytics but less overwhelming than enterprise BI tools.

What makes it non-technical: Pre-built dashboards for common use cases. Customer lifetime value, product performance, marketing ROI—these reports exist by default. You don’t build them from scratch. The platform handles data integration automatically once you connect your accounts.

Setup takes longer than simpler tools (30-60 minutes typically), but you’re configuring integrations, not writing code. If you use Klaviyo for email and Facebook Ads for marketing, Glew can combine that data with your store metrics.

Best for: Stores doing $200k+ annually that use multiple marketing channels. Founders who want integrated reporting but lack technical resources for custom BI solutions.

Pricing: Starts around $79/month. Exact pricing depends on data sources and features needed.

Triple Whale: Real-time mobile-first analytics

Triple Whale brings e-commerce analytics to your phone. The mobile app delivers real-time notifications when sales happen, conversion rates change, or traffic spikes occur. Desktop dashboard available but mobile experience is the focus.

What makes it non-technical: Push notifications replace dashboard checking. You get alerts like “Sales up 15% vs yesterday” or “Facebook ads driving high traffic.” The app summarizes changes instead of showing raw data tables. Less analysis paralysis, more actionable insights.

The mobile-first approach works well for founders who manage stores on the go. But team collaboration is limited—notifications go to individual phones, not shared inboxes. And real-time updates can become noise if you’re not actually responding to minute-by-minute changes.

Best for: Mobile-first founders who want instant sales visibility. Stores where real-time performance monitoring drives immediate decisions. Solo operators who don’t need team-wide reporting.

Pricing: Starts at $99/month for basic plans.

How to choose the right tool

Your revenue level matters. Under $100k annually? Use your platform’s built-in analytics. Between $100k-$300k? Consider dedicated tools like Peasy or Triple Whale. Above $300k with multiple channels? Glew’s integration capabilities become valuable.

Your team structure matters too. Solo founder checking metrics on your phone? Triple Whale fits. Small team needing shared visibility? Peasy’s email reports work better. Multiple team members with different analytics needs? Consider Glew’s dashboard approach.

Time investment matters most. How much time do you actually want to spend on analytics? Peasy requires the least ongoing time (reports arrive automatically). Shopify Analytics requires moderate time (you check it regularly). Glew and Triple Whale require more attention (dashboards need monitoring, notifications need responding to).

Choose Peasy if:

• You want analytics without daily dashboard checking

• Your team needs shared visibility through email

• Year-over-year comparisons matter for your business

Choose Shopify Analytics if:

• You run a single Shopify store under $150k/year

• Basic metrics satisfy your reporting needs

• You already check Shopify admin daily

Choose Fathom if:

• Website traffic analysis matters as much as sales data

• Privacy compliance is a priority

• You want to escape Google Analytics complexity

Choose Glew if:

• You’re doing $200k+ annually across multiple channels

• You need integrated reporting from ads, email, and e-commerce

• You want pre-built advanced reports without custom BI work

Choose Triple Whale if:

• You manage your store primarily from mobile

• Real-time notifications drive your decision-making

• You’re a solo operator who doesn’t need team reporting

Frequently asked questions

Can I use multiple analytics tools together?

Yes, and many stores do. Shopify Analytics for platform-specific details plus Peasy for team reporting is common. Or Fathom for website traffic plus your e-commerce platform’s native sales analytics. Just avoid redundancy—three tools tracking the same metrics creates confusion, not clarity.

Do these tools require technical setup or coding?

No. All five tools listed connect via standard integrations—you authorize access to your store, they pull data automatically. Peasy, Shopify Analytics, and Fathom require under 10 minutes. Glew takes longer (30-60 minutes) because you’re connecting multiple data sources, but it’s still point-and-click configuration.

Will switching tools affect my historical data?

Your platform (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.) stores order history indefinitely. Analytics tools read from that history. If you switch from Shopify Analytics to Peasy, your past sales data remains intact—Peasy just imports it and presents it differently. You won’t lose historical information by changing analytics tools.

Analytics shouldn’t require technical expertise or daily dashboard checking. Peasy delivers automated e-commerce reports directly to your inbox for $49/month—no setup complexity, no ongoing maintenance. Your team receives consistent insights without individual logins. Try free for 14 days and see how email-based analytics simplifies your routine.