# Chartbeat — Web Analytics

Chartbeat by Chartbeat, Inc. holds a panel rating of 2/5 from 6 AI judges (category median 2.5/5), as of 2026-11-04. Provenance: provenance unknown; sovereignty: 1 of 6 dimensions proven.

- Vendor: Chartbeat, Inc. (https://chartbeat.com)
- Category: [Web Analytics](https://whats-best.ai/software/web-analytics.md)
- Provenance (editorial classification): provenance unknown
- Canonical page: https://whats-best.ai/software/web-analytics/chartbeat
- Alternatives: https://whats-best.ai/software/web-analytics/chartbeat/alternatives ([markdown](https://whats-best.ai/software/web-analytics/chartbeat/alternatives.md))
- Data as of: 2026-11-04 · evaluated 2026-11-04 · oldest source captured 2026-11-03

**AI-generated.** Every score, rationale and verdict here is written by a panel of AI judges from public evidence — an analysis, not a hands-on test. Every fact quotes the vendor page it was read from. No score can be bought. How scores are made: https://whats-best.ai/methodology

## At a glance

- Vendor: Chartbeat, Inc.
- Headquarters: Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 3 Nov 2026
- Data hosting: Outside the EU by default [S8]
- Free plan: Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 3 Nov 2026

## The panel's verdict

No written verdict: the summary did not survive our own contradiction check, twice. The scores and sources below are unaffected.

## Scores by judge and criterion

Scores out of 5, each judge scoring independently against the published rubric (v1). "n/r" = not rated: the vendor publishes no price, or the judge found no public information on that criterion.

| Criterion | The E-Commerce Marketing Lead | The Data Protection Officer | The Agency Developer | The Growth Analyst | The Public-Sector Site Owner | The Skeptic |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Traffic, sources & campaign reports | 3/5 | 3/5 | 2.5/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 |
| Goals, events, funnels & e-commerce | 2.5/5 | 2.5/5 | 2.5/5 | 3/5 | 2.5/5 | 2.5/5 |
| Consent-free operation & data minimisation | 1/5 | 1/5 | 1.5/5 | 1/5 | 1/5 | 1/5 |
| Data access, export & self-hosting | 2/5 | 2.5/5 | 2/5 | 2.5/5 | 2.5/5 | 2/5 |
| Installation, integrations & performance | 3/5 | 3/5 | 2.5/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 |
| European sovereignty | 1.5/5 | 1.5/5 | 1.5/5 | 1.5/5 | 1.5/5 | 1.5/5 |
| Pricing transparency | n/r | n/r | n/r | n/r | n/r | n/r |
| **Weighted verdict** | **2.5/5** | **2/5** | **2/5** | **2.5/5** | **2/5** | **2/5** |

### The judges

- **The E-Commerce Marketing Lead** (v1.0): Runs marketing for a Shopware shop selling outdoor gear in Germany and Austria, with a monthly ad budget split between Google, Meta and two price comparison sites. Since the consent banner went live, a third of the orders no longer show a source. Wants revenue per campaign that matches the shop backend, a checkout funnel that shows where carts are left, conversions sent back to the ad platforms, and numbers that hold without a click on "accept".
- **The Data Protection Officer** (v1.0): External data protection officer for eleven mid-sized companies, three of which still ran Universal Analytics when the Austrian authority ruled on it. Reads the data policy before the feature page: which fields are stored, how a visitor is counted without a cookie, whether the IP address is cut before it is written, who the subprocessors are and where. Signs off a site without a banner only when the vendor states its reading of §25 TDDDG in writing.
- **The Agency Developer** (v1.0): Lead developer at a twelve-person web agency that runs forty client sites on WordPress and TYPO3 and a few Shopify shops. Installs the analytics once per site and answers for it for years. Wants a small script or server-side collection, a plugin per CMS, an own tracking domain so ad blockers do not cut the numbers in half, client accounts with their own logins, and a price that does not jump when one client goes viral.
- **The Growth Analyst** (v1.0): Product and growth analyst at a B2B SaaS in Munich with a marketing site, a web app and a mobile app. Needs signups traced from the first campaign click to the first paid invoice, funnels and cohorts on custom events, and the raw events in the company's warehouse every night. Has moved tracking twice and knows that a tool without a raw export means starting the history again from zero.
- **The Public-Sector Site Owner** (v1.0): Web editor for a district administration whose site serves 400,000 residents, from vehicle registration to daycare places. The state data protection authority publishes guidance on analytics, and the council will not show a cookie banner on a public service. Needs to know which pages people search for and where forms are abandoned, with data that stays in Germany or on the municipal data centre's own servers, and a contract the procurement office can sign.
- **The Skeptic** (v1.0): Has seen "no cookie banner needed" on a tool that fingerprints every visitor, "EU-hosted" on a proxy in front of a US data store, and "unlimited" data history that ends with the subscription. Reads that a product is "GDPR-compliant" and asks which ruling the vendor means, what is stored per visit, whether the history can be exported in a format another tool imports — and what leaving would cost.

## European sovereignty — proven facts

Built only from facts on the vendor's own pages; a dimension we could not prove is left open, never scored as zero. Headline: 1 of 6 dimensions proven.

| Dimension | Finding | Points | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal entity | Not determined | — | — |
| Hosting location | Outside the EU | 0/4 | [S8] |
| Hosting options | Not determined | — | — |
| Open source | Not determined | — | — |
| Data processing agreement | Not determined | — | — |
| Transfer impact assessment | Not determined | — | — |

## Key facts

Each fact is the vendor's own statement, cited to the source page it was read from ([S*n*] → Sources).

**Compliance**
- CCPA: CCPA · CPRA · U.S. State Privacy Laws [S8]
- Children age minimum: COPPA · 18 [S8]
- Coppa age: 16 [S2]
- DPA sccs: yes · yes [S8]
- Dpf certified entities: Chartbeat · Tubular Labs, Inc. · FatTail, Inc · Lineup Systems Corporation · EU-U.S. DPF · UK-U.S. DPF · Swiss-U.S. DPF [S8]
- Dpf dispute resolution: BBB NATIONAL PROGRAMS · yes [S8]
- Ftc jurisdiction: Federal Trade Commission [S8]
- GDPR art27 representatives: DP-Dock GmbH · DP Data Protection Services UK Ltd. [S8]
- GDPR legal bases: consent · contractual necessity · legitimate interests [S8]
- HR dpf DPA advice: yes [S8]
- Security measures: encrypted storage · firewalls · password protection [S8]

**Data**
- Deidentified sharing: yes [S8]
- Deletion guarantee: yes [S8]
- Post termination script removal: Customer must remove Chartbeat scripts and disable API access within 90 days after termination [S2]
- Retention principle: no longer than necessary for processing purposes [S8]
- Sell share disclosure: Personal Identifiers · Internet or Other Similar Network Activity · advertising partners (social media platforms, DSPs, ad servers, exchanges) · yes [S8]
- Youtube deletion timeline: privacy@chartbeat.com with subject 'YouTube Data Deletion Request' · 30 [S8]
- Youtube revocation: yes · 30 [S8]

**Hosting**
- Region: United States [S8]

**Integrations**
- Advanced queries CSV export: yes [S6]
- Google tag manager example: Example implementation provided for Google Analytics Tag Manager [S7]
- Historical API: yes [S6]
- Historical API available: yes [S10]
- Ios installation cocoapods: yes · pod ‘Chartbeat’, ‘~> 1.5.0’ [S12]
- Ios installation manual: yes [S12]
- Ios installation spm: yes · https://github.com/chartbeat-labs/chartbeat-ios-sdk · 1.5.0 [S12]
- Mobile app: Apple App Store (iOS) · Google Android [S2]
- Piano composer example: Example implementation provided for Piano Composer [S7]
- Ping query string keys: actual domain of the page · account ID (config.uid) · site id / host · page title (first ping only) · page path · external referring URL · page-session unique identifier · internal referring URL · sections list · authors list [S11]
- Subscriptions js prerequisite: Tracking requires adding the subscriptions.js snippet then calling the global chartbeat() function [S7]
- Youtube API: Chartbeat (Tubular) APIs may deliver YouTube-sourced data; Customer must accept YouTube Terms of Service and flow down obligations to end users [S2]

**Legal**
- Address: 701 Tillery St, Unit 12-1019, Austin, TX 78702 [S1]
- Address: 701 Tillery St, Unit 12-1019, Austin, TX 78702 [S4]
- Address: 701 Tillery St, Unit 12-1019, Austin, TX 78702 [S6]
- Address: 701 Tillery Street, Unit 12-1019, Austin, Texas 78702 [S8]
- Assignment: yes · no [S2]
- Contracting entity: Terms bind Customer with Chartbeat, Inc. and affiliate Tubular Labs, Inc. · Chartbeat, Inc. · Tubular Labs, Inc. [S2]
- Effective date: 2026-06-22 [S2]
- Entity: Chartbeat, Inc. [S1]
- Entity: Chartbeat, Inc. [S4]
- Governing law: Delaware, USA; Federal Arbitration Act [S2]
- Incorporated documents: Chartbeat Privacy Policy · Chartbeat Data Processing Agreement · API Terms of Use · Chartbeat AI Policy · Work Orders [S2]
- Ip indemnity: Chartbeat indemnifies Customer for third-party IP infringement claims regarding the Services [S2]
- Liability cap: fees paid/payable in the 12 months preceding the claim [S2]
- Termination rights: Customer may terminate only for Chartbeat material breach with 30-day cure period [S2]
- Vendor termination: Chartbeat may terminate or suspend Customer's account for any reason in its sole discretion [S2]

**Pricing**
- Advanced queries tier: Premium [S9]
- Invoicing: in advance · USD · annual · 30 [S2]
- Model: website and native app pageviews · Essentials · Plus · Premium · Enterprise · yes [S1]
- Refund on termination: prorated refund of prepaid fees [S2]
- Refunds: yes · 0.015 [S2]
- Taxes: Applicable taxes invoiced separately; Customer pays all taxes except those based on Chartbeat's income/property; exemption certificates accepted [S2]

**Product**
- Ad operations platform: AI-powered platform combining FatTail, Lineup, Tubular and Chartbeat connecting editorial to ad operations [S1]
- Advanced queries API: yes · Advanced Queries includes all metrics/filters plus API access [S4]
- Advanced queries CSV: yes · CSV export of query results [S4]
- Advanced queries email reports: yes [S6]
- Advanced queries recurring email: yes · Instant sharing or recurring email reports [S4]
- Advanced queries reports: yes [S6]
- AI features: AI Features may generate recommendations, predictions, classifications, or other outputs (Outputs) [S2]
- AI model use: yes [S8]
- AI modification: Chartbeat may update, modify, or discontinue AI Features including changes to underlying models or providers [S2]
- AI output ownership: Customer [S2]
- AI restrictions: Prohibited: using Services/AI Features to build or train competing products or AI models; benchmarking AI Features for publication without consent; redistributing Outputs at scale without permission [S2]
- App sdks: yes · yes · SDKs for iOS and Android [S4]
- App templates: yes · Pre-built templates for app readers and custom queries [S4]
- Attribution models: yes [S6]
- Auth header: http_header · yes [S10]
- Benchmarking: Competitive benchmarking against other publishers via Chartbeat Cohorts [S1]
- Benchmarking: cross-site and vertical benchmarking [S5]
- Big board: big board · large-format displays of audience data for newsrooms [S5]
- Big board customization: yes · big board customization [S5]
- Client side tracking: Services operate via Chartbeat JavaScript tag placed on customer websites, placing cookies on visitor browsers [S2]
- Conversion event tracking: Built-in events track conversion flows and send key event properties to Chartbeat via the chartbeat() function [S7]
- Conversion events: subscriptions · registrations · newsletter sign-ups · donations · downloads [S6]
- Conversions: Conversion tracking for register, subscribe, donate, payment [S1]
- Cookie types: Essential · Personalization · Analytics · Targeted Advertising [S8]
- Data responsibility: Customer responsible for ensuring URLs containing end-user Personal Data are not captured by the Services [S2]
- Donation events: trackDonationShown · trackDonationStart · trackDonationComplete · trackDonationCancel [S7]
- Download events: trackDownloadStart · trackDownloadComplete · trackDownloadCancel [S7]
- Effective date: 2026-06-22 [S8]
- Event parameter eventlabel: eventLabel · string · Set a label (e.g. monthly or annual subscription package) [S7]
- Event parameter eventvalue: eventValue · number · Set a value (e.g. the price of the subscription package) [S7]
- Fetch default format: csv [S10]
- Fetch endpoint: https://api.chartbeat.com/query/v2/fetch/ [S10]
- Fetch json format: yes [S10]
- Headline testing: Headline and image testing with recommendation widgets [S1]
- Heads up display: Heads Up Display shows top stories, scroll depth, ranked article performance [S1]
- Historical analytics: understand evergreen trends, topics, and categories · historical analytics [S5]
- Historical API access: Advanced Queries included in Chartbeat subscription [S9]
- Historical API endpoints: Three one-time query endpoints: submit, status, fetch [S10]
- Historical dashboard: 13 [S1]
- Historical dashboard: yes [S6]
- Historical dashboard integration: yes · Reports integrate with Historical Dashboard [S4]
- Implementation review admin access: Implementation Review accessible to Admin users only [S11]
- Implementation review data window: Implementation Review shows data snapshots from the latest full calendar day [S11]
- Implementation review platform discrepancy: 5-10 [S11]
- Implementation review top articles: Traffic Audit shows top 20 canonical paths by pageviews across all platforms [S11]
- Ios automatic background stop: yes [S12]
- Ios custom view id: yes [S12]
- Ios debug mode logs: yes [S12]
- Ios sdk language: native iOS apps · Swift · Objective-C [S12]
- Ios sdk requirements: Xcode 26 version · 13.0 [S12]
- Ios sdk tracker interface: view · engagement · conversion · CBTracker singleton [S12]
- Ios sections authors metadata: yes [S12]
- Ios stop tracker: yes [S12]
- Ios subscriber tracking: yes · setUserPaid() · setUserLoggedIn() · setUserAnonymous() · 1.4.0 [S12]
- Ios swiftui support: yes [S12]
- Ios track screen views: yes [S12]
- Journeys link ranking: link ranking by clicks and position [S5]
- Journeys link tracking: every link click onsite and offsite with page variant · journeys [S5]
- Journeys offsite clicks: sponsored and affiliate content · offsite click tracking [S5]
- Mobile app: iOS · Android · mobile app [S5]
- Multi site availability: Dashboard · Big Board · mobile app [S5]
- Multi site views: multi-site views · roll-ups of multiple sites in any configuration [S5]
- Native app integration: yes · Native app data integration with Advanced Queries [S4]
- Native app integration: native app integration · app traffic into Chartbeat Dashboard [S5]
- Native app platforms: iOS · Android [S5]
- Newsletter events: trackNewsletterSignupShown · trackNewsletterSignupStart · trackNewsletterSignupComplete · trackNewsletterSignupCancel [S7]
- Next integration guides: Google AMP · Mobile App SDKs · Headline and Image Testing · Video Tracking [S11]
- No dnt support: no · yes [S8]
- Offer events: trackOfferShown · trackOfferStart · trackOfferComplete · trackOfferCancel [S7]
- Opt out methods: Your Privacy Settings footer link · Global Privacy Control [S8]
- Optional event parameters not surfaced: no · pathOverride · eventLabel · eventValue [S7]
- Page video endpoints: page · video [S10]
- Payment events: trackPaymentStart · trackPaymentComplete · trackPaymentCancel [S7]
- Ping endpoint: ping.chartbeat.net [S11]
- Ping interval seconds: 15 [S11]
- Ping session id: t key uniquely identifies a page-session / pageview [S11]
- Ping title first only: Page title (i key) appears only in the first ping per page session [S11]
- Polling interval: 10 [S10]

**Subprocessors**
- Analytics google: Google Analytics · Google LLC [S8]
- Payment: PayPal · BlueSnap [S8]
- Youtube API: YouTube content, channels, audience analytics · Chartbeat · Tubular Labs · Google LLC [S8]

**Support**
- Devtools qa method: Browser DevTools network filtering on 'chartbeat' or 'ping?' supports integration QA [S11]
- Ios integration qa steps: yes [S12]
- Privacy contact: yes [S8]
- Sandbox site contact: support@chartbeat.com [S11]

37 more facts on the canonical page: https://whats-best.ai/software/web-analytics/chartbeat

## Questions

### Is Chartbeat European?

Not determined: the vendor’s pages as captured do not say where Chartbeat is based.

### Where does Chartbeat store data?

Chartbeat stores customer data outside the EU by default, per [the vendor’s page captured 3 Nov 2026](https://whats-best.ai/evidence/17904).

### Does Chartbeat have a free plan?

Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 3 Nov 2026.

### What are the best alternatives to Chartbeat?

As of 4 Nov 2026, the panel rates [Matomo (4/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/web-analytics/matomo), [Piwik PRO Analytics Suite (3.5/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/web-analytics/piwik-pro) and [Pirsch Analytics (3.5/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/web-analytics/pirsch) highest among the other 17 Web Analytics products evaluated. Ratings that look equal are rounded to half stars; the order uses the unrounded rating, then the name. The highest-rated European alternative is [Piwik PRO Analytics Suite](https://whats-best.ai/software/web-analytics/piwik-pro) (EU-Made). Ratings are the AI panel’s opinion, formed from public evidence: [how scores are made](https://whats-best.ai/methodology#ordering). The full list, with European products first: [Chartbeat alternatives](https://whats-best.ai/software/web-analytics/chartbeat/alternatives).

## What this page leaves out

- 2 compliance facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 2 legal facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 1 product fact could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and was left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 1 sovereignty dimension could not be confirmed on the vendor’s own pages and is shown as unknown.
- The panel’s written verdict is withheld: our own re-read found claims in it that the evidence does not carry, and a second synthesis did not fix them. The scores and the material below are unaffected.

## Sources

- [S1] Vendor page: https://chartbeat.com (checked 2026-11-03)
- [S2] Terms of service — found from the homepage: https://chartbeat.com/terms/ (checked 2026-11-03)
- [S3] Security / trust page — found from the homepage: https://chartbeat.com/data-protection/ (checked 2026-11-03)
- [S4] Traffic, sources & campaign reports — found from sitemap: https://chartbeat.com/product/reporting/ (checked 2026-11-03)
- [S5] Traffic, sources & campaign reports — found from sitemap: https://chartbeat.com/product/dashboards/ (checked 2026-11-03)
- [S6] Goals, events, funnels & e-commerce — found from sitemap: https://chartbeat.com/product/chartbeat-conversion/ (checked 2026-11-03)
- [S7] Goals, events, funnels & e-commerce — found from sitemap: https://docs.chartbeat.com/cbp/feature-integrations/conversion/conversion-events (checked 2026-11-03)
- [S8] Consent-free operation & data minimisation — found from sitemap: https://chartbeat.com/privacy/ (checked 2026-11-03)
- [S9] Data access, export & self-hosting — found from sitemap: https://docs.chartbeat.com/cbp/api/historical-api (checked 2026-11-03)
- [S10] Data access, export & self-hosting — found from sitemap: https://docs.chartbeat.com/cbp/api/historical-api/one-time-queries (checked 2026-11-03)
- [S11] Installation, integrations & performance — found from sitemap: https://docs.chartbeat.com/cbp/tracking/standard-websites/qa-web-integration (checked 2026-11-03)
- [S12] Installation, integrations & performance — found from sitemap: https://docs.chartbeat.com/cbp/tracking/mobile-app-sdks/ios-sdk (checked 2026-11-03)

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Cite as: whats-best.ai, "Chartbeat — Web Analytics", AI panel analysis, as of 2026-11-04. https://whats-best.ai/software/web-analytics/chartbeat

Corrections: https://whats-best.ai/correct/1516?target=page