Your app is live, downloads are rolling in, and users are signing up. But then—silence. Engagement drops, churn rises, and you’re left wondering: What went wrong?

The truth is, your app is only as good as the experience it delivers—and without the right insights, you’re flying blind. Are users abandoning the onboarding flow? Struggling with navigation? Encountering crashes? 

With over 72% of online sales happening on mobile, every lost user means missed revenue. App analytics tools don’t just give you data; they reveal the “why” behind user behavior, helping you fine-tune performance, optimize conversions, and keep users coming back.

With countless analytics solutions out there, which one fits your needs best? We’ve done the legwork and rounded up five tools that are free to get started with—so you can jump in, uncover what’s working (and what’s not), and make smarter decisions without any upfront investment. Let’s dive in!

What are mobile app analytics tools?

Mobile app analytics tools track and analyze user interactions, app performance, and marketing effectiveness, helping businesses and developers understand where users click, which features they engage with, why they churn, and how campaigns perform. These tools provide real-time data, session tracking, conversion analysis, and in-app event monitoring, offering a clear view of the customer journey.

Why are mobile app analytics important?

To understand the importance of mobile app analytics, let’s consider an example. Imagine ShopEase, an e-commerce app experiencing high drop-off rates, a decline in daily active users, and low average order value. Mobile analytics show that users struggle with navigation, abandon carts, and encounter checkout crashes. Without mobile app analytics, diagnosing the reasons behind the underperforming metrics would be challenging. By leveraging mobile analytics, ShopEase gains actionable insights, optimizes the app, and improves both user experience and key app metrics. Here’s how:

1. Enhancing user experience

ShopEase discovers through session recordings and heatmaps that users struggle to find product categories. A redesigned navigation layout makes browsing easier, increasing click-through to the app’s product screen by 20%.

2. Boosting retention & engagement

Funnel analysis and cohort reports reveal that many first-time users leave without returning to the app. By introducing personalized push notifications and loyalty rewards, ShopEase saw a 30% increase in repeat visits.

3. Optimizing marketing efforts

Attribution tracking shows that some ad campaigns bring more engaged users than others. By reallocating ad spending to the most effective channels, ShopEase improved its return on ad spending (ROAS) by 40%.

4. Increasing app revenue

Metrics revealed a rise in cart abandonment, prompting further investigation. Session recordings identified crashes during checkout, showing exactly where users dropped off. With crash reports and performance monitoring, the issue was quickly diagnosed and resolved, leading to a  25%  increase in completed transactions.

With mobile app analytics, ShopEase turns friction points into opportunities, enhancing user experience, refining marketing strategies, and driving business growth. Whether it’s identifying usability issues, optimizing retention, or fixing technical problems, mobile analytics can provide the data-driven insights necessary for success in a competitive mobile landscape.

Disclaimer: The pros and cons listed are based on reviews and feedback from third-party sites such as G2, TrustRadius, and other sources.

5 Best free mobile app analytics tools: Quick Glimpse

• Firebase (Google Analytics)
• Apple Analytics
• AppsFlyer
• Countly
• Smartlook

5 Top free mobile app analytics tools

1. Firebase (Google Analytics)

Google Analytics for Firebase helps businesses track app usage and user engagement at no cost, offering unlimited reporting on up to 500 events. It automatically captures key user actions while allowing customization for deeper insights.

With real-time analytics, businesses can monitor live user behavior through StreamView and validate data with DebugView. Attribution tracking across multiple ad networks ensures better campaign measurement and optimization. It also provides seamless integration with BigQuery and Google Data Studio for advanced reporting.

Best features

Crash Reporting, Deep-Link Tracking, In-App Purchase Insights, Segmentation, Integrations, In-App Messaging

Pricing

• It is free of cost for all.

Pros and cons

Pros: 

• Simplifies app development by handling backend infrastructure, real-time data syncing, user authentication, and performance monitoring.
• Scalable and cross-platform, with a serverless approach that adapts to app growth while ensuring consistency across iOS, Android, and the web.

Cons: 

• Real-time data may occasionally show inconsistencies.
• Advanced analytics features are limited compared to specialized platforms.

2. Apple app analytics

Apple App Analytics, available in App Store Connect, provides iOS developers with data-driven insights to track app performance, user engagement, and marketing campaign impact. Included with the Apple Developer Program membership, it requires no technical setup, making it easy to monitor app visibility, downloads, retention, revenue, and campaigns.

The App Engagement and Usage feature helps app developers to understand user interactions by tracking installations, sessions, active devices, and crash data. By identifying engagement trends and drop-off points, they can optimize onboarding, enhance features, and improve retention, driving long-term app success on the App Store.

Best features

App Store Performance, View Paying Users, App Clip Performance, In-App Event Performance, Peer Group Benchmarks, Sales & Trends Reports, Subscription Activity, Business Performance, Payments & Financial Reports

Pricing

• It is free for all members of the Apple Developer Program.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Provides detailed insights into app performance and user behavior.

Cons:

• Limited to Apple/iOS apps; not compatible with other platforms.

3. AppsFlyer

AppsFlyer is a leading mobile app analytics and attribution platform that helps businesses optimize mobile marketing and performance, drive user engagement, and maximize revenue.

It provides real-time reporting, cross-channel insights, and advanced attribution modeling, enabling marketers to understand user behavior, improve retention, and drive conversions. With fraud protection technology ensuring data accuracy and a unified analytics suite simplifying complex metrics, AppsFlyer empowers businesses to make informed decisions, maximize ROI, and achieve sustainable growth.

Best features

Overview Dashboard, Cohort Reports, Retention Reports, Incrementality Dashboard, Custom Dashboards, Measurement Suite, Creative Optimization, Audience Segmentation

Pricing

• Free trial: 30 days for the Zero and Growth plans.
• Free: For life- 12K conversions in the first year, marketing analytics tools, 30-day access to a few premium add-ons, deep linking, and basic reports.
• Paid: Starts from 7 cents/conversion; 12K conversions in the first year.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Robust attribution tech stack with flexible UI for custom and saved dashboards covering various use cases.
• OneLinks and adaptive deferred deep linking for seamless user experience and tracking.

Cons:

• Navigation can be challenging at times, and pricing could be more competitive.
• Data download restrictions allow only 90 days of data at a time.

4. Countly

Countly is a product analytics platform that empowers teams to track product performance, customer behavior, and user journeys across mobile, web, and desktop applications.

With real-time crash analytics, Countly helps detect and fix issues instantly for a seamless user experience. Its granular data access and segmentation enable data-driven decisions, refined engagement strategies, and improved product design. By integrating the Countly SDK, businesses can instantly leverage real-time insights to enhance app performance and user satisfaction.

Best features

Push Notifications, Dashboards, Cohorts, Funnels, Heatmaps, Retention, Surveys, Performance Monitoring

Pricing

• Free: Countly Lite is free forever with limited features, including a mobile app and session analytics.
• Paid: Extensive features start with the Flex plan that is free for up to 1000 MAUs; the paid tier starts from $80/month.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Round-the-clock analytics access, enabling clients to monitor insights anytime.
• Extensive feature set, consolidating key mobile ecosystem metrics in one dashboard.

Cons:

• Lacks omnichannel capabilities despite being a web and mobile analytics tool.
• Complex queries can be challenging to process, and occasional data loss due to system crashes is reported.

5. Smartlook

Smartlook offers a mobile app analytics platform that tracks user engagement, acquisition, and performance across iOS, Android, and major frameworks. Its lightweight SDK ensures seamless insights without affecting app performance.

Smartlook captures real user interactions with session recordings, helping businesses analyze engagement and troubleshoot issues while ensuring privacy with wireframe mode. It also offers event tracking for real-time insights, funnels to map conversion paths, heatmaps for interaction analysis, and crash reports linking errors to session data for faster debugging.

Best features

Native Rendering Mode, Games Recording Mode, Easy Integration, Click Tracking

Pricing

• Free trial: 30 days on all plans.
• Free: Basic product analytics, historical heatmap data, and 3000 monthly sessions with one-month retention.
• Paid: Advanced features start from $55/month.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• In-depth visitor recordings provide valuable insights into user behavior for improving the user experience.
• Full-screen capture with tagging and comments helps developers identify and resolve issues efficiently.

Cons:

• Limited tracking history to one month on the free plan.
• The platform lacks a bulk search feature based on user IDs.

Summary – Mobile app analytics tools

Tool Name	Features	Pricing
Firebase	Crash Reporting, Deep-Link Tracking, In-App Purchase Insights, Segmentation, Integrations, In-App Messaging	It is free of cost for all.
Apple Analytics	App Store Performance, View Paying Users, App Clip Performance, In-App Event Performance, Peer Group Benchmarks, Sales & Trends Reports, Subscription Activity, Business Performance, Payments & Financial Reports	It is free for all members of the Apple Developer Program.
AppsFlyer	Overview Dashboard, Cohort Reports, Retention Reports, Incrementality Dashboard, Custom Dashboards, Measurement Suite, Creative Optimization, Audience Segmentation	Free trial: 30 days for the Zero and Growth plans. Free: For life, deep linking, and engagement features. Paid: Starts from 7 cents/conversion; 12K conversions in the first year.
Countly	Push Notifications, Dashboards, Cohorts, Funnels, Heatmaps, Retention, Surveys, Performance Monitoring	Free: Countly Lite is free forever with limited features. Paid: The Flex plan is free for up to 1000 MAUs; the paid tier starts from $80/month.
Smartlook	Native Rendering Mode, Games Recording Mode, Easy Integration, Click Tracking	Free trial: 30 days on all plans. Free: Basic product analytics and 3000 monthly sessions. Paid: Starts from $55/month.

Which free mobile app analytics tool will you choose?

Choosing the right free mobile app analytics tool depends entirely on your specific needs and priorities. Different tools offer various features, and the best fit for your app will depend on what insights you need and how you plan to use them. Here are some key factors to consider:

• User behavior tracking – If understanding user interactions, engagement patterns, and drop-off points is a priority, look for a tool that offers session recordings, heatmaps, and funnel analysis.
• Attribution & marketing analytics – If measuring ad campaign effectiveness and user acquisition is essential, choose a platform with attribution tracking, real-time campaign insights, and audience segmentation.
• Performance monitoring – If app stability and performance are your main concerns, opt for a tool that provides crash reports, error tracking, and load time analysis.
• Privacy & compliance – If your app deals with sensitive user data, select a tool with built-in privacy features, data masking, and compliance with regulations like GDPR and CCPA.
• Integration & scalability – If you need seamless integration with other tools or plan to scale, ensure the platform supports cross-platform tracking, API access, and compatibility with cloud databases.

Before making a decision, it’s essential to evaluate the features that align with your business goals, app type, and data collection needs. While many free tools provide valuable insights, some come with limitations on data retention, reporting depth, or advanced analytics, making it important to choose a solution that supports your long-term growth.

If you’re looking for a mobile app analytics tool that not only tracks user behavior but also delivers actionable insights and testing capabilities, VWO is a solution worth exploring.

VWO for mobile app analytics and testing

VWO provides powerful mobile app analytics that help businesses understand user behavior and identify friction points in apps. But it doesn’t stop at analytics; VWO enables teams to test, experiment, and optimize app experiences. By combining behavioral insights with testing, businesses can validate changes, improve usability, and drive higher engagement and conversions with confidence.

VWO Insights

Understanding how users interact with your app is crucial for delivering a seamless experience. Behavior analytics plays a key role in tracking and analyzing user actions, providing insights into what drives engagement, frustration, or drop-offs.

Session recordings: Capture user interactions, scrolls, swipes, taps, and navigation flows, helping businesses uncover usability issues and engagement bottlenecks.

They reveal friction points leading to app abandonment, streamline issue resolution by eliminating guesswork, and enhance UX research with real user insights. By sharing session data, teams can collaborate more effectively and make data-driven product improvements.

Heatmaps: Track where users tap on the screen to identify areas of high and low engagement. They help businesses understand user attention, optimize CTA placements, and identify UI clutter that may hinder engagement.

Insights from heatmaps support hypothesis testing for redesigns, helping businesses enhance conversions, improve retention, and create a more seamless in-app experience.

Funnel analysis: Identify drop-off points to understand barriers to conversion, whether it’s an unclear call to action, a slow-loading screen, or a confusing checkout process. By analyzing user journeys, businesses can reduce churn, optimize experiences, and drive app growth.

VWO Insights – Mobile app dashboard overview

VWO’s Mobile App Insights Dashboard provides a unified view of user friction, highlighting crashes, ANRs, and rage taps across sessions and user segments. With one-click access to session recordings, teams can quickly identify, prioritize, and resolve issues. The dashboard also offers user segmentation-specific insights and crash analysis, helping businesses track trends, diagnose problems, and optimize app performance efficiently.

VWO Mobile App Testing

Insights from user behavior analytics further help teams identify friction points and form data-backed hypotheses for their next A/B test. With VWO Mobile App Testing, you can then experiment with everything from UI changes like CTAs and banners to server-side logic and in-app algorithms—all aimed at improving engagement, retention, and conversions.

Let’s take a hypothetical example of a food delivery app that notices a higher-than-expected drop-off rate at checkout. Despite offering discounts and a seamless order process, many users may be abandoning their carts before completing their orders. To improve conversions, the team might turn to VWO’s mobile app analytics for insights.

Using heatmaps and session recordings, they may discover that users hesitate on the payment screen, often tapping repeatedly on the “Apply Coupon” button, possibly leading to rage taps or leaving the app, perhaps to search for discounts. Funnel analysis could indicate a spike in drop-offs at this stage, suggesting friction in the checkout experience.

To address this, the team might run an A/B test using VWO:

• Variation A: Introduces an “Apply Best Coupon” feature that automatically selects the highest discount, showing exactly how much you saved.
• Variation B: This shows all available discounts right on the checkout page with the savings amount for each, letting you pick one with a single tap instead of entering coupon codes.

After two weeks, the results may reveal:

• Variation A leads to a 28% increase in completed transactions, as users appreciate the automated discount feature.
• Variation B improves engagement but results in a slightly lower boost in conversions (12%).

With these data-backed insights, the team may choose to implement Variation A, simplifying the discount process and potentially reducing cart abandonment.

This approach isn’t just about checkout optimization, it’s about understanding user behavior, testing possible solutions, and making informed decisions. By leveraging VWO’s app analytics and experimentation tools, app owners can transform the checkout experience into a frictionless, high-converting process.

Additional features

Traffic Allocation, Advanced Targeting, Segmentation, Custom Events, Crash Analysis, Cohort Analysis

Pricing

• Free trial: 30 days, all features included.
• Paid: Enterprise plans are available on request.

VWO enables teams to eliminate guesswork, optimize user experiences, and improve business outcomes, all through a single, integrated platform designed for data-driven mobile app growth. Take the 30-day free trial today and explore how VWO can transform your app’s performance!

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