By the Numbers vs Shopify Analytics
Shopify Analytics is the reporting built into every Shopify plan: accurate topline sales, orders, and traffic reports at no extra cost. Here is the honest side-by-side, including where Shopify's built-in analytics is the better pick.
60-second install · 14 days free · No card, no auto-charge
Shopify Analytics is free, always on, and correct about what happened: sales, orders, sessions, conversion. Every store should use it. The question is not whether Shopify Analytics is good - it is which questions it stops short of answering.
It tells you revenue went up. It does not tell you whether that revenue came from loyal repeat customers or one-off discount chasers, which cohorts are quietly churning, what a customer acquired in March is worth by December, or how to get your best-customer segment into Meta before the weekend. Those are the questions By the Numbers exists to answer, starting at $19 a month.
$19 to $299 a month by order volume on top of your Shopify plan, with a 14-day no-card trial. The first insight most merchants act on is usually a repeat-purchase or loyalty fix that pays the subscription for the year.
Included free with every Shopify plan. Deeper report customization is reserved for higher Shopify tiers, and there is no RFM, predictive LTV, or audience sync at any tier.
At a glance
| Capability | By the Numbers | Shopify Analytics |
|---|---|---|
| Topline sales, orders, traffic | ||
| Accurate order data, zero setup | ||
| RFM loyalty scoring (16-cell matrix) | - | |
| Cohort retention curves | Limited | |
| Predictive customer LTV | - | |
| Sales forecasting and goals | - | |
| AI segmentation (75+ filters) | Basic segments | |
| Hourly segment sync to Klaviyo / Meta / Google / TikTok | - | |
| AI Monday briefing + chat with your data | - | |
| Price | From $19/mo | Free |
- By the Numbers
- Shopify Analytics
- By the Numbers
- Shopify Analytics
- By the Numbers
- Shopify Analytics
- -
- By the Numbers
- Shopify Analytics
- Limited
- By the Numbers
- Shopify Analytics
- -
- By the Numbers
- Shopify Analytics
- -
- By the Numbers
- Shopify Analytics
- Basic segments
- By the Numbers
- Shopify Analytics
- -
- By the Numbers
- Shopify Analytics
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- By the Numbers
- From $19/mo
- Shopify Analytics
- Free
Based on publicly available information, verified 24 August 2026. Shopify Analytics is a trademark of its owner; confirm current details on their site.
Where Shopify's built-in analytics wins
- Free, and already installed: for topline questions there is no reason to pay anyone.
- Source of truth for orders: it is the platform's own ledger. By the Numbers reads from it, not around it.
- No learning curve: if you know Shopify admin, you know where the reports are.
Where By the Numbers wins
- Customer-level economics: RFM scores, cohort curves, and predictive LTV turn "revenue was up 12%" into "your 90-day repeat rate is slipping in the March cohort, here is the segment to win back".
- Action, not just reporting: any segment syncs hourly to Klaviyo, Meta, Google Ads, and TikTok.
- The Monday briefing: what changed, why, and the three moves that matter, in your inbox before your first coffee.
- 38 reports, each built around one operating question - not a report builder you have to configure.
Which one fits your store?
Stay with Shopify Analytics alone if you are pre-100 orders a month and topline revenue is the only number you act on. Genuinely - do not pay for analytics you will not use yet.
Add By the Numbers when repeat purchase, loyalty, ad payback, or forecasting start driving decisions. That is usually the moment a store crosses a few hundred orders a month.
Weighing more options? See all comparisons or how stores consolidate their reporting stack.
Frequently asked questions
Is Shopify Analytics enough for my store?
For topline sales, orders, and conversion tracking, yes. It stops short of customer-level analytics: no RFM scoring, no predictive lifetime value, limited cohort analysis, and no way to sync a customer segment to ad platforms. When those questions start to matter, you need a dedicated tool on top.
Does By the Numbers replace Shopify Analytics?
It sits on top of it. Shopify remains the source of truth for orders; By the Numbers imports your full history and adds the 38 reports Shopify does not build: RFM, cohorts, LTV, forecasting, ad ROI, and segment sync.
What does By the Numbers cost compared to Shopify's built-in reports?
Shopify's reports are free with your plan. By the Numbers starts at $19 a month for up to 500 orders, with a 14-day trial that takes no credit card. Most merchants judge it against the revenue from one recovered segment or one repeat-purchase fix, which is typically multiples of the subscription.
Run By the Numbers next to Shopify's built-in analytics for two weeks.
Both read the same Shopify data, so the trial is a fair test. Ours never takes a card, so comparing costs you nothing.
60-second install · 14 days free · No card, no auto-charge