Best email analytics tools compared (2025)

Email analytics tools deliver metrics to your inbox automatically, eliminating dashboard checking. Five approaches: dedicated e-commerce tools (Peasy, Metorik), platform native reports (GA4, Shopify), automation builders (Zapier, Make), business intelligence (Looker Studio, Metabase), and specialized reporting (Littledata, Glew). Comparison reveals: tool choice depends on technical skill, budget, and comprehensiveness needed.

Dedicated e-commerce: Peasy

What it is

Purpose-built email analytics for Shopify and WooCommerce stores. Daily reports covering revenue, orders, conversion, traffic, products, sources. Designed specifically for operational monitoring of e-commerce metrics.

Setup complexity

Ten-minute setup. Connect store, select delivery schedule, add team members. Zero configuration needed—pre-built reports include essential e-commerce metrics automatically. Technical skill required: none (if you can connect Shopify app, you can set up Peasy).

Report comprehensiveness

Complete e-commerce operational coverage. Sales and order count (with yesterday, last week, last year comparisons). Conversion rate and average order value. Sessions and top traffic sources. Top 5 best-selling products and top 5 pages. Eight essential metrics covering daily operational needs. Mobile-optimized format (readable without zooming). Team delivery native (unlimited recipients included).

Limitations

E-commerce only. Operational metrics focused (strategic analysis requires dashboard). Fixed report format. No drill-down capability.

Best for

Shopify or WooCommerce stores wanting comprehensive reports immediately. Teams needing coordination. Non-technical users wanting turnkey solution. $49/month = $588 yearly, saves 79 hours yearly (ROI: 909-1,917%).

Dedicated e-commerce: Metorik

What it is

Comprehensive WooCommerce and Shopify analytics platform. Email reports one feature among many (dashboards, segmentation, automation, engagement tools included). Reports cover sales, products, customers, engagement.

Setup complexity

Thirty-minute setup. Connect store, configure report preferences, customize metrics, schedule delivery. More configuration options than Peasy but requires decisions (which metrics, which format, which frequency).

Report comprehensiveness

Very comprehensive. All standard e-commerce metrics plus customer segmentation, product forecasting, engagement tracking, email campaign performance. Customizable (choose exactly which metrics included). Multiple report types (daily operational, weekly summaries, monthly deep-dives).

Limitations

Complexity can overwhelm. Higher cost justified only if using multiple features. Report customization requires time investment.

Best for

WooCommerce stores needing dashboard, segmentation, and automation beyond email reports. Larger operations ($500k-1M+ revenue). Technical users comfortable with configuration. $99-249/month = $1,188-2,988 yearly (justified only if using multiple features).

Platform native: GA4 scheduled reports

What it is

Google Analytics 4 native email delivery. Create custom reports, schedule automatic delivery. Free feature included with GA4. Flexible metric selection.

Setup complexity

One-to-two hour setup. Navigate GA4 interface (notoriously complex), create custom report, select metrics, configure comparisons, format layout, schedule delivery, test formatting. Technical skill required: intermediate (GA4 proficiency needed). Maintenance: quarterly reviews to update broken reports or add metrics.

Report comprehensiveness

Depends entirely on configuration. Can include: traffic, sources, pages, conversions, e-commerce transactions. Comparisons possible but manual setup required (select comparison periods explicitly). Format basic (tables, not optimized for mobile). Team delivery possible (add multiple email addresses).

Limitations

GA4 interface complexity (steep learning curve intimidates non-technical users). E-commerce tracking often incomplete (depends on proper GA4 setup—many stores have tracking gaps). Report formatting basic (readable but not optimized). Maintenance required (GA4 updates occasionally break reports). No support (troubleshooting requires GA4 expertise or community forums).

Best for

Budget-constrained founders willing to invest setup time. GA4-proficient users. Stores with good GA4 implementation. Simple metric needs (5-6 metrics maximum). Free subscription, but 2-hour setup = $200 in time value, plus $400 yearly maintenance.

Platform native: Shopify email reports

What it is

Shopify sends automated summary emails to store owners. Basic operational metrics delivered daily or weekly. Zero setup required (automatic for all Shopify stores).

Setup complexity

None. Reports arrive automatically. Customization limited to frequency (daily or weekly) in notification settings.

Report comprehensiveness

Basic. Sales, orders, top products. Comparisons to previous period included. Mobile-optimized (Shopify-designed emails render well on all devices). Team delivery requires forwarding (not native multi-recipient support).

Limitations

Limited metrics (traffic, sources, conversion not included). Shopify data only (no Google Analytics integration for fuller picture). Minimal customization (accept what Shopify provides or don’t use). No segmentation or advanced metrics.

Best for

Shopify stores with simple needs (sales and orders sufficient). Zero-effort solution (no setup, no cost). Starting point before investing in dedicated tools. Free, included with Shopify subscription.

Automation builders: Zapier and Make

What it is

Automation platforms connecting multiple services via APIs. Build custom workflows retrieving data from Shopify, WooCommerce, Google Analytics, ad platforms, formatting into reports, delivering via email.

Setup complexity

High. Three-to-five hours initial setup. Technical skills required: API understanding, workflow logic, data formatting, troubleshooting. Ongoing maintenance: updates when APIs change (quarterly debugging sessions likely). Learning curve steep but educational (understand automation broadly, applicable beyond analytics).

Report comprehensiveness

Unlimited potential. Combine any data sources (Shopify + Google Analytics + Facebook Ads + email marketing—all in one report). Completely custom format (design exactly what you want). Unique requirements achievable (edge cases no pre-built tool handles).

Limitations

Time investment substantial. Reliability concerns (more integration points = more failures). Debugging frustrating. Subscription costs $20-50/month. Opportunity cost high.

Best for

Technical founders enjoying building. Unique requirements (combining unusual data sources). Learning automation skills. $20-50/month subscription plus significant setup and maintenance time = $1,840-2,200 yearly total cost.

Business intelligence: Looker Studio and Metabase

What it is

Dashboard platforms with email delivery capability. Primary purpose: visual dashboards. Secondary feature: scheduled report delivery to email.

Setup complexity

Looker Studio (Google): Free. Two-hour setup (connect data sources, build report, schedule email). Learning curve moderate (simpler than GA4, more complex than Peasy). Metabase: Self-hosted (technical setup required) or cloud ($85+/month). Similar two-hour report building time.

Report comprehensiveness

Visual-first. Reports delivered as PDF attachments containing charts and graphs (not text summaries). Comprehensive if properly configured. Custom dashboards become email reports. Flexibility high (any metric from any connected source).

Limitations

Visual format less mobile-friendly (PDF requires downloading, zooming). Email size large (charts increase file size—slow loading on mobile). Setup complexity moderate-to-high (building good dashboards requires design skill and data understanding). Maintenance ongoing (dashboards require updates as needs evolve).

Best for

Teams already using BI tools for dashboards. Strong visual preference (charts over text). Technical capability present. Looker Studio: free plus $200 setup time. Metabase cloud: $85+/month = $1,020+ yearly.

Comparison matrix

Easiest setup

Winner: Shopify native (zero setup). Runner-up: Peasy (10 minutes). Avoid if seeking easy: Zapier/Make (5+ hours).

Most comprehensive e-commerce

Winner: Peasy (purpose-built for e-commerce operations). Runner-up: Metorik (comprehensive but complex). Avoid if seeking e-commerce focus: Looker Studio (requires manual e-commerce metric configuration).

Best value for money

Winner: GA4 scheduled reports (free, sufficient for simple needs). Runner-up: Peasy (best ROI for paid tool—$588 yearly saves $9,100 in dashboard time). Avoid if budget-conscious: Metorik high tiers ($249/month unless using all features).

Most flexible

Winner: Zapier/Make (unlimited customization). Runner-up: Looker Studio/Metabase (highly configurable). Avoid if seeking flexibility: Shopify native (zero customization).

Best for teams

Winner: Peasy (native unlimited team delivery). Runner-up: GA4 (supports multiple recipients). Challenge: Shopify native (requires manual forwarding).

Requires least maintenance

Winner: Peasy (turnkey, automatic updates). Runner-up: Shopify native (zero maintenance needed). Avoid if seeking low maintenance: Zapier/Make (ongoing debugging likely).

Decision framework

Choose Peasy if

Running Shopify or WooCommerce store. Value time over money. Want comprehensive e-commerce reports immediately. Team delivery needed. Prefer turnkey over DIY.

Choose Metorik if

Need more than email reports (dashboard, segmentation, automation all valuable). Larger operation ($500k-1M+ revenue). Comfortable with complexity. WooCommerce store specifically.

Choose GA4 scheduled reports if

Budget extremely tight. Already GA4-proficient. Time available for setup. Simple metric needs (5-6 metrics sufficient).

Choose Shopify native if

Just starting (revenue <$10k/month). Basic metrics sufficient (sales and orders only). Zero effort desired. Using as temporary solution until needs grow.

Choose Zapier/Make if

Technical founder. Unique requirements (unusual data source combinations). Automation skills worth developing. DIY preference strong.

Choose Looker Studio/Metabase if

Already using for dashboards. Strong visual preference (charts over text). Technical capability present. Teams working with BI tools daily.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use multiple tools together?

Yes, common approach. Example: Peasy for daily operational reports (comprehensive, easy), GA4 for weekly analytical deep-dives (free, visual), Shopify native as backup (redundancy). Cost: $588 yearly Peasy + $0 GA4 + $0 Shopify = reasonable for redundancy and different purposes.

Which tool has best mobile experience?

Peasy (designed mobile-first, readable without zooming). Shopify native (good mobile formatting). GA4 and Looker Studio (adequate but not optimized—small text sometimes). Metabase PDFs (poor mobile experience—downloading and zooming required).

What if my tool needs change later?

Start simple, upgrade as needed. Common path: Shopify native (months 1-6, learning basics) → Peasy or GA4 reports (months 6-24, operational efficiency) → Metorik or BI tools (year 2+, sophisticated analysis). Tool switching straightforward—email reports not locked-in commitments. Change anytime needs evolve.

Peasy delivers comprehensive e-commerce email analytics with 10-minute setup—complete operational coverage, mobile-optimized, team delivery included, zero maintenance required. Starting at $49/month. Try free for 14 days.