What is Mixpanel? 4 Best Practices and 5 Alternatives

Mixpanel is a powerful analytics tool that focuses on event tracking and real-time metrics. While Google Analytics has been the industry standard for years, Mixpanel stands out by offering deeper insights into user behaviors and actions, beyond simple page-view statistics. It allows businesses to monitor specific events, improving customer retention and product engagement through detailed, visualized data analysis.

However, Mixpanel can feel overwhelming initially due to its vast features. Here's a breakdown of best practices and alternatives to help you make the most out of Mixpanel.

4 Best Practices for Mixpanel

1. Start small:

Mixpanel offers hundreds of metrics and properties, which can be overwhelming. Begin by tracking a few key metrics like sign-ups, downloads, or subscriptions. This lets you understand the basics while avoiding unnecessary complexity. Keeping it simple helps you focus on what’s important without getting distracted.

Read More: 10 SaaS Marketing Metrics You Should Absolutely Use

2. Use properties:

Properties in Mixpanel are attributes associated with an event (e.g., revenue, user demographics). These properties are categorized as:

• Event-specific: (e.g., revenue generated, items purchased)

• User-specific: (e.g., age, location)

• Profile-specific: (e.g., individual and group profiles)

  
  

Super Properties, a subset of event properties, are automatically linked to events, making it easier to track specific user actions like referrals. Use these properties effectively to gain deeper insights, but be mindful of performance impacts if too many properties are stored in cookies.

Read More: 6 Best Practices: Your Ultimate Guide to SaaS Customer Onboarding

3. Name Events Clearly

Naming events and properties clearly is crucial. For instance, differentiate between different sign-up events by naming them as “Newsletter_Signup” and “Service_Signup.” Using easy-to-read names helps your team quickly understand the data. Avoid symbols and numbers unless necessary, as they can make tracking and identifying events more complicated.

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4. Unique IDs and tracking:

Mixpanel assigns a unique distinct_id to each user, tracking their actions across multiple devices. This ID helps identify user journeys and interactions. You can also define distinct_ids manually using the identify method if you prefer more control. The platform uses client-side libraries for assigning these IDs, ensuring consistency across web and mobile channels.

Read More: Top 10 App Analytics Software You Should Experiment With

5 Mixpanel Alternatives

1. CleverTap

CleverTap combines analytics and marketing, offering tools like behavior tracking and product usage analysis. It focuses on customer retention by tracking user interactions across platforms and channels, including in-app, email, and social media notifications. CleverTap uses SDKs to collect data, allowing for personalized campaigns triggered by user actions.

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2. Adjust:

Adjust offers powerful tools for event tracking, allowing you to define unlimited events and apply filters for user behavior analysis. It features cohort analysis, making it easy to track customer retention and conversion rates. Adjust also includes a Fraud Prevention Suite to secure your data and protect against fraudulent activity.

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3. Google Analytics

Google Analytics remains a popular choice due to its real-time tracking, ease of setup, and custom reporting features. It integrates well across web and mobile apps, providing a comprehensive view of user behavior. While it requires intermediate analytics knowledge, its free version is suitable for most businesses, and it’s highly customizable.

Read More: 11 Things That You Should Analyse in Your Google Analytics Account

4. Piwik Pro

Piwik Pro is an open-source alternative that offers both free and enterprise options. It focuses on user privacy and data protection, making it an excellent choice for companies concerned with GDPR compliance. Piwik Pro offers customizable dashboards and visual reports, providing insights into user behavior, source of traffic, and interaction patterns.

Read More: 10 App Analytics Software Your Should Try

5. Heap

Heap is a low-code, visual analytics platform that automatically tracks every touchpoint and user action, without needing tracking codes. It provides a complete view of the customer journey and supports mobile, web, and app analytics. Heap’s simple interface makes it easy to define and analyze events, even allowing retrospective event tracking for past data.

Mixpanel’s Key Features

• Real-time Data: Track user actions and view updates instantly.

• Event Tracking: Monitor specific actions like purchases, sign-ups, or downloads, giving you deeper insights into customer behaviors.

• Custom Properties: Define user and event properties for personalized tracking and improved marketing strategies.

• Integration with Multiple Channels: Analyze data from web, mobile, and social media platforms.

• Cohort Analysis: Identify patterns in user behavior for targeted campaigns.

Conclusion

Mixpanel is a powerful tool for businesses looking to understand user behavior in detail. However, if it feels overwhelming or doesn’t meet all your needs, exploring alternatives like Google Analytics, Heap, or CleverTap could be beneficial. Each platform offers unique features that can complement your business goals, from customer retention to behavioral analysis.