Best Free WooCommerce Plugin for Tracking Sales: Free vs Pro
- The free version of Pixel Manager for WooCommerce is ideal for small shops with a limited advertising budget, offering basic tracking (Google Ads, Meta) without the complexities of Google Tag Manager.
- The Pro version is recommended for businesses spending more than $10/day on ads, featuring advanced tools like Automatic Conversion Recovery (ACR), Google Ads Enhanced Conversions, and support for more platforms, ensuring accurate tracking and data recovery.
- Upgrading to the Pro version enables better data accuracy, additional pixel integrations, and premium support, providing improved ROI and optimization for growing businesses.
Management summary
When it comes to digital marketing (especially paid ads), it's crucial you know exactly which campaigns and ads convert into a sale and which don't. This allows you to allocate the budget correctly and grow your shop.
The free version of the Pixel Manager plugin is suitable for small WooCommerce shops with a small advertising budget (say $10/day). They'll be able to track the basics (i.e. Google Ads, META) and have the correct pixel tracking setup implemented.
This is far better than fiddling around with Google Tag Manager yourself which might be “free” but is far more complex in terms of setup. What's worse is that if you set it up incorrectly, you'll get inaccurate tracking data which means you'll be blindly allocating marketing budget and increase the risk of losing money.
See our article on "Is Google Tag Manager Really Free?" for more information.
Any serious WooCommerce shop spending more than $10/day should consider the Pro version of the Pixel Manager plugin. Why?
The Pro version of the Pixel Manager for WooCommerce plugin also tracks all purchases that do not go smoothly. It does this by using its built-in ACR (Automatic Conversion Recovery) feature and Google Ads Enhanced Conversions and Adjustments. This gives you the complete picture of your digital marketing spend and return. Plus, you get access to an API to META, the option to set up tracking on more platforms like TikTok, and one-on-one support for your WooCommerce shop.
Read the full article to understand how to save money by allocating ad budget to the right campaigns and ads. You'll also learn how to track sales accurately and get actionable tips to grow your sales and profits.
The Pro version of the Pixel Manager plugin is an incredible bargain compared to your ad spend. It could very well be the best investment you make for your shop!
Introduction
Pixel tracking is a technique savvy digital marketers use to monitor the behavior of website visitors and the performance of digital marketing campaigns.
Whenever a user visits a page, views an ad, or completes a purchase, the pixel is loaded and data about the user's interaction is sent back to the server. This data enables businesses to understand better how users interact with their content and help them make informed decisions about optimizing their site's performance and enhancing marketing campaigns..
While many digital marketers still use Google Tag Manager (GTM) for pixel tracking, an increasing number are shifting to easier solutions to set up and provide accurate tracking data, like Pixel Manager for WooCommerce (PMW).
Now, you might be unsure whether to choose the free version or the pro version of the plugin. In this article, we'll help you decide by highlighting the features and benefits of each option.
Overview of Pixel Manager: Free Version
The free version of the Pixel Manager for WooCommerce plugin has over 50,000 active installations and a 5-star rating in the WordPress Plugin Directory. Google's Tag Implementation Team endorses it.
With the free version of the plugin, you can track WooCommerce store visitors and collect data for conversion optimization, paid ads, dynamic remarketing, and reporting. The plugin is user-friendly and easy to get started with.
You can use customizable filters for even more precise tracking and get standardized data output across platforms. The free version of the plugin is GDPR-aligned and comes with advanced data privacy features.
In addition to all this, its lightweight JavaScript library ensures your WooCommerce site maintains high performance and speed.
The free version of the plugin is perfect for digital marketers and WooCommerce site owners who need to implement the Google Ads Pixel, Google Analytics Pixel, HotJar Pixel, or Meta Ads Pixel on their site.
It lets you set up neat features like order duplication prevention, dynamic remarketing, Google Ads cart data tracking, and payment gateway accuracy reports to ensure you're collecting accurate data from your site visitors.
You can download the free version of the Pixel Manager for WooCommerce plugin from the WordPress Plugin Directory or by searching for it from the WordPress back-end.
Overview of Pixel Manager: Pro Version
The Pro version of the Pixel Manager for WooCommerce plugin includes all the free version's features and adds powerful, advanced tools that take your store's performance to the next level.
With the pro version, you get access to additional pixels including LinkedIn Ads Pixel, Microsoft Ads Pixel, Pinterest Ads Pixel, Reddit Ads Pixel, Twitter (X) Ads Pixel, and more. In addition to this, it also offers server-side tracking for many platforms.
You also get access to neat features like Google Ads Enhanced Conversions, Meta Conversion API, and Automatic Conversion Recovery (ACR) – more on this later. In addition to this, you get one-on-one support for your WooCommerce shop.
You can get the Pro version of the Pixel Manager for WooCommerce plugin here.
Pixel Manager: Free vs Pro
| Feature | Free Version | Pro Version |
|---|---|---|
| Pixel Integrations | Google Ads Pixel, Google Analytics Pixel, HotJar Pixel, Meta Ads Pixel | All Free Version Pixels, LinkedIn Ads Pixel, Microsoft Ads Pixel, Pinterest Ads Pixel, Reddit Ads Pixel, Snapchat Ads Pixel, Taboola Ads Pixel, TikTok Ads Pixel, Twitter Ads Pixel |
| Google Consent Mode v2 | ✓ | ✓ |
| Google Ads Conversion Value Tracking | ✓ | ✓ |
| Google Ads Dynamic Remarketing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Google Ads Cart Item Tracking | ✓ | ✓ |
| Google Shopping New Customer Parameter | ✓ | ✓ |
| GA4 Enhanced E-Commerce | ✓ | ✓ |
| Meta Remarketing Events | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basic Order Duplication Prevention | ✓ | ✓ |
| Automatic Conversion Recovery | ✘ | ✓ |
| Google Ads Enhanced Conversions | ✘ | ✓ |
| Google Ads Conversion Adjustments | ✘ | ✓ |
| Advanced Order Duplication Prevention | ✘ | ✓ |
| Meta/Pinterest/Snapchat CAPI | ✘ | ✓ |
| Scroll Tracking | ✘ | ✓ |
| Automatic Phone and Link Click Tracking | ✘ | ✓ |
Let's take a closer look at the differences between the free version and the pro version of the plugin.
Feature #1: More pixel integrations
The free version of the plugin lets you implement the Google Ads Pixel, Google Analytics Pixel, HotJar Pixel, or Meta Ads Pixel on your site. With the pro version of the plugin, you get access to an additional 9 pixels including:
LinkedIn Ads Pixel (Pro) Microsoft Ads Pixel (Pro) Outbrain Ads Pixel (Pro) Pinterest Ads Pixel (Pro) Reddit Ads Pixel (Pro) Snapchat Ads Pixel (Pro) Taboola Ads Pixel (Pro) TikTok Ads Pixel (Pro) Twitter Ads Pixel (Pro)
Having more pixel integrations available means you can expect better tracking accuracy across various customer touchpoints, improved ad targeting, and higher return on investment (ROI).
Feature #2: Automatic Conversion Recovery
Another feature that's only available with the pro version of the plugin is Automatic Conversion Recovery. In a nutshell, ACR is a tool that's designed to detect and recover untracked purchase events on your WooCommerce site.
Many times, tracking pixels miss some purchase events because customers don't always reach the purchase confirmation page. This leads to incomplete (and inaccurate) data.
ACR solves this problem by identifying and recording missed conversions when customers revisit your WooCommerce store. As a result, you achieve more precise tracking and a clearer understanding of the effectiveness of your paid ad campaigns.
Feature #3: Google Ads Enhanced Conversions and Conversion Adjustments
The pro version of the Pixel Manager for WooCommerce plugin offers support for Google Ads Enhanced Conversions and Conversion Adjustments.
For those unfamiliar, Google Ads Enhanced Conversions improves conversion tracking accuracy by making use of first-party data.
For example, when a user completes a conversion (like making a purchase), Google Ads Enhanced Conversions collects and matches data such as hashed email addresses or phone numbers that it sends to Google to match with Google accounts to confirm the conversion.
This process helps accurately attribute conversions to the correct ads. As a result, digital marketers and WooCommerce store owners can gain better insights from their paid ad campaigns, optimize their ads, and achieve a better ROI.
When we think of conversions, we tend to think a user's conversion path ends when they act on the conversion goal i.e. make a purchase or fill out a form. In reality, customers often return the items they bought, cancel their orders or reservations, or take action that increases their value to your business.
Google Ads Conversion Adjustments is a feature that lets advertisers adjust the value of a conversion after it's reported in Google Ads. It lets you retract conversions that should no longer be counted, restate the value of conversions in case of partial returns, or change the value of conversions based on customer lifetime value (LTV).
Additional features
In addition to these key features, the pro version of the plugin also offers:
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Advanced Order Duplication Prevention: If customer orders are recorded more than once, it can mess up your data, leading to inaccurate reports. This feature ensures the same order isn't counted multiple times so your sales data is accurate and reliable.
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Meta/Pinterest/Snapchat CAPI: Direct data transfer to Meta/Pinterest/Snapchat improves the accuracy of your ad performance tracking and helps with retargeting campaigns. As a result, it can help you boost your return on ad spend.
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Scroll Tracking: Keeping an eye on how far users scroll on your online store can help you gauge their engagement with your content. If users are only scrolling a quarter of the way down your page, you might need to rethink your content strategy or change the placement of your CTA buttons.
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Automatic phone and link click tracking: Knowing which links and phone numbers users are clicking helps you understand what they're interested in. This enables you to monitor the effectiveness of your Contact Us pages and promotional links.
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Excellent, fast response support: Having access to reliable support ensures that any problems that may come up are resolved quickly and ensures you make the most of the plugin's features.
Why you should upgrade to the pro version
If you're still on the fence about whether or not you should upgrade to the pro version, here are some reasons to go for it.
The bottom line is that upgrading to the pro version of the Pixel Manager for WooCommerce plugin is essential for any growing e-commerce store owner or digital marketer looking to maximize their data and paid ad performance.
Reason #1: You're growing and need access to more pixels i.e. more data
As your business grows and expands, having access to more pixel integrations is essential for gathering accurate and comprehensive data on your site visitors and their behavior.
Reason #2: You want accurate data for your ad performance
Accurate data is crucial for evaluating and optimizing your paid ad campaigns. The pro version of our pixel tracking plugin offers advanced features like Google Ads Enhanced Conversions and Google Ads Conversion Adjustments to ensure you're capturing the most precise information.
Reason #3: You want to see how many people are calling your business directly
Let's say you run a business that relies on direct customer interactions such as a restaurant or hotel. You can use the pro version of the Pixel Manager for WooCommerce plugin to see how many people are calling your business directly via its automatic phone and link click tracking feature. This allows for better tracking and conversion analysis.
Which plugin is right for you: free or pro?
All pricing plans come with a 14-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
With the pro version of the plugin, you get:
- More pixel integrations
- Automatic Conversion Recovery
- Support for Google Ads Enhanced Conversions and Google Ads Conversion Adjustments
- Top-notch, priority support from the developers
It's worth a shot if your business is growing and you need accurate and comprehensive data on site visitors and how they interact with your site and your paid ads. The pro version of our pixel tracking plugin can help you capture more precise information and maximize paid ad performance.
Conclusion
Pixel Manager for WooCommerce is arguably the best free WooCommerce plugin in the market for tracking sales. The free version of the plugin is suitable for anyone who wants to get started with pixel tracking and is primarily using the Google Ads Pixel and/or Meta Ads Pixel.
As your business grows and expands, you can upgrade to the pro version of the plugin to leverage additional pixel integrations as well as advanced features like Automatic Conversion Recovery, Meta Conversion API, scroll tracking, and automatic phone and link click tracking.
Ready to start using a WooCommerce plugin to track sales? Get the Pixel Manager for WooCommerce plugin today!
