Coremetrics / IBM Digital Analytics (discontinued) vs. Parse.ly

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Coremetrics / IBM Digital Analytics (discontinued)
Score 7.9 out of 10
N/A
Based on the former Coremetrics, IBM Digital Analytics is a discontinued analytics product. IBM acquired Coremetrics in 2010, and re-branded the platform to the IBM Digital Marketing Optimization Solution. Product support was ultimately provided by Acoustic, but the product is not a part of the company's plans going forward.N/A
Parse.ly
Score 7.8 out of 10
N/A
Parse.ly is a content optimization platform for online publishers. It provides in-depth analytics and helps maximize the performance of the digital content. It features a dashboard geared for editorial and business staff and an API that can be used by a product team to create personalized or contextual experiences on a website.N/A
Pricing
Coremetrics / IBM Digital Analytics (discontinued)Parse.ly
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Coremetrics / IBM Digital Analytics (discontinued)Parse.ly
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeRequired
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Coremetrics / IBM Digital Analytics (discontinued)Parse.ly
Considered Both Products
Coremetrics / IBM Digital Analytics (discontinued)
Chose Coremetrics / IBM Digital Analytics (discontinued)
In comparison to Adobe, I believe IBM Digital Analytics and Adobe Analytics are fairly similar in terms of features. When it comes to the marketing attribution approach, IBM is what sets it apart. Additionally, pre-integrated technologies with great ROI, like LIVEmail or IBM …
Chose Coremetrics / IBM Digital Analytics (discontinued)
Cognos has exploration but it doesn't have much AI and ML functionality. Watson is much more helpful when it comes to customer experience analytics. Watson gives clarity into end-to-end journeys and effectiveness while also giving the ability to visualize the actual customer …
Chose Coremetrics / IBM Digital Analytics (discontinued)
IBM Analytics is a great tool for measuring and analyzing web traffic along with consumer behavior to a degree. When compared to other solutions and tools available in the market today, I'd suggest checking out Kissmetrics or even Google analytics over this tool. Ultimately, it …
Chose Coremetrics / IBM Digital Analytics (discontinued)
IBM Digital Analytics was already in place when our team was brought on. None of us are fans. IBM does not seem to care from a customer service level whether or not we are satisfied or getting what we need out of their offering.
Chose Coremetrics / IBM Digital Analytics (discontinued)
I think that Google Analytics does everything just a little bit better than IBM. I was brought in with IBM being so deeply integrated with existing systems that changing to another tool isn't viable at this time.
Chose Coremetrics / IBM Digital Analytics (discontinued)
The alternative products mentioned differ wildly.

Adobe Analytics is similar to IBM CXA although not as strong for transactional web assets (eStores). In keeping with IBM CXA, integration with Adobe's own suite of products is strong. However, in a heterogeneous environment, this …
Chose Coremetrics / IBM Digital Analytics (discontinued)
IBM Analytics typically goes up against Adobe Analytics in the enterprise web analytics product selection process. When we determine a client isn't after the big guns, we'll usually refer them to Google Analytics, but when individual user conversion tracking is a must, we will …
Chose Coremetrics / IBM Digital Analytics (discontinued)
We have used Adobe Analytics and Google Analytics in similar instances. IBM Digital Analytics is between the 2 products, slightly better than Google Analytics but far behind the flexibility offered in Adobe.
Chose Coremetrics / IBM Digital Analytics (discontinued)
IBM Digital Analytics is typically a choice driven by CMS and pricing decisions. In terms of stand alone considerations:

Adobe Analytics typically wins on flexibility (aka ability to customize the system to your particular business)
Chose Coremetrics / IBM Digital Analytics (discontinued)
Coremetrics was the overall most comprehensive solution at the time.
Chose Coremetrics / IBM Digital Analytics (discontinued)
The customer support, advanced analysis and no data sampling are the primarily reasons why I would choose IBM over GA.
Chose Coremetrics / IBM Digital Analytics (discontinued)
Google Analytics - Compared to IBM, not as strong on the product reporting (product views, abandoned carts etc.). The end results can be achieved through custom variables, but that does require custom coding. While Google does at least have a reporting API, it is not nearly as …
Chose Coremetrics / IBM Digital Analytics (discontinued)
Google Analytics is great low cost alternative to IBM Digital Analytics for smaller, low traffic sites but does not offer the in depth product performance reports we require for our retail clients. IBM can add notes on Google's user interface but Google should really add …
Chose Coremetrics / IBM Digital Analytics (discontinued)
As a consulting company, we tailor the analytics solution to our clients. Usually they start with a free solution like Google Analytics, but they rapidly end up with a paying solution because it offers a deeper analysis and less restrictions on the data.

For instance Google …
Chose Coremetrics / IBM Digital Analytics (discontinued)
Much of the work we did in IBM Digital Analytics could have been answered through Google Analytics, a much simpler, agile and FREE solution set. Not mention, given the vast number of Google Analytics USERS, free and actionable support is simply a click away ... this compared to …
Chose Coremetrics / IBM Digital Analytics (discontinued)
Have extensive use of Omniture and Google Analytics, but I find Digital Analytics the best for retailers. It's is an easy to use solution that highlights the merchandising and marketing issues related to your website.
Chose Coremetrics / IBM Digital Analytics (discontinued)
Compared to Adobe: I think Adobe Analytics and IBM DA are very close in terms of functionalities. IBM makes the difference when it comes to the marketing attribution model. Also, the pre-integrated solutions such as LIVEmail or IBM Recommendations are very easy to use and allow …
Chose Coremetrics / IBM Digital Analytics (discontinued)
I mentioned Adobe and Google and made some comparisons in prior questions. I believe that any of these packages can be made quite powerful with a good implementation, which includes a good tagging strategy. I like Coremetrics best because I believe it is easier to get a solid …
Chose Coremetrics / IBM Digital Analytics (discontinued)
I feel that Google Analytics give you what you really need, without the hefty price tag. Along with giving you what you need, it is extremely more user friendly than IBM DA and can be easily learned by a multitude of people while still giving very significant information that …
Chose Coremetrics / IBM Digital Analytics (discontinued)
At the time we signed they were a Cadillac of software, there are really only 1-2 others that can compete on their level but that comes at a cost.
Chose Coremetrics / IBM Digital Analytics (discontinued)
IBM analytics prices can get really high if you overpass the contracted server calls, also increasing the amount of credits reports can get you the price to the roof
Chose Coremetrics / IBM Digital Analytics (discontinued)
Webtrends and Omniture were on the shortlist. Webtrends tagging implementation seemed a little less flexible than Omniture and Coremetrics. When it finally came down to pricing and desired features, Omniture and Coremetrics were not significantly different, so we based the …
Chose Coremetrics / IBM Digital Analytics (discontinued)
Omniture and Webtrends were also considered. When business needs are met by both Coremetrics and Omniture, the latter tends to be more expensive. Webtrends is often a good choice when server logs are also used with page tags. Server logs is an older technology which tends to …
Parse.ly
Chose Parse.ly
Parse.ly provides clearer insights into what stories are performing strongly in real time. Its interface is more user-friendly and it is easy to compare different time periods, titles or author statistics. Chartbeat had a website overlay to show where readers are going on site, …
Chose Parse.ly
Parse.ly excels in providing detailed insights into how users are interacting with specific pieces of content, allowing us to make data-driven decisions about content strategy and optimization. Its real-time reporting also provides us with immediate feedback on the …
Chose Parse.ly
Faster feedback and quicker visualization than what Google provides. However, it obviously can't get as specific or in-depth as Google Analytics
Chose Parse.ly
Doesn't come with an integrated overlay like Chartbeat, but is more intuitive (just) than GA. Seems more accurate and detailed than Chartbeat but less than GA. It's my go-to for day-to-day traffic engagement but monthly I'm more likely to look at in-house GA-generated reports.
Chose Parse.ly
I have not used or evaluated any other platforms similar to Parse.ly.
Chose Parse.ly
Parse.ly is way better because of how much more user-friendly and intuitive it is.
Chose Parse.ly
Parse.ly is the most comprehensive interface and system.
Chose Parse.ly
Have nothing similar to compare it with.
Chose Parse.ly
Parse.ly gives a more detailed look into how content is performing, versus the overall site metrics provided by Google Analytics.
Chose Parse.ly
Firstly, I didn't make the business decision to use Parse.ly. I'm just an employee using it. However, the first thing you notice is the change in appearance. Parse.ly's dashboard looks far more complicated than Chartbeat's and the black, white, and green theme [are] not as …
Chose Parse.ly
Parse.ly has very rich products and market use in media for content analytics. [The] dashboard provides [a] holistic view on the overall site visitor's information and what needs improvements. [The] dashboard is divided based on sections, author, posts, pages, etc., on the site …
Chose Parse.ly
Adobe Analytics is our organization's "official" data source and provides a much more in-depth feature set and customizable reporting tool. It's much less user-friendly than Parse.ly but can provide more detailed reporting. Google Analytics is used by my organization as a …
Chose Parse.ly
I used Google Analytics for years. I loved it and still love it. Google Analytics isn't as robust as Parse.ly and doesn't have some of the same capabilities, nor do I trust the data as much. But Google Analytics is still really good, and it's free. If I were at a …
Chose Parse.ly
Parse.ly is far more user-friendly than Google Analytics, which feels like a developer's tool by comparison. Parse.ly feels like it is designed for ease of access and use. While analyzing trends is more difficult in Google Analytics, it is straightforward in Parse.ly. Google …
Chose Parse.ly
I've used other web analytics tools such as Google Analytics, Baidu Analytics, and SiteCatalyst.
Chose Parse.ly
I use then in tandem; where Parse.ly lacks, I go over to Google Analytics and vice versa. Sometimes I need to look deeper at referral sources and that is where Parse.ly isn't as strong, especially if I am looking at a bigger set of content.
Chose Parse.ly
We used Chartbeat, which wasn’t as user friendly.
Chose Parse.ly
Parse.ly works better than Google Analytics. This is mainly due to its simplicity whereas Google Analytics can quickly become quite complicated with a lot of moving parts. Parse.ly, on the other hand, is quick to learn and understand while also providing a lot of information.
Chose Parse.ly
Parse.ly offers a more friendly user experience, with better ease in navigating the software.
Chose Parse.ly
Parse.ly is easier to use and more self-explanatory than Google Analytics. The site essentially explains itself upon visiting it. Chartbeat was quite good but I believe Parse.ly provides more granular details on web traffic and gives the user more insights into how and why …
Chose Parse.ly
Parse.ly is easier to track and to understand for me than the features that Google Analytics offers. Nonetheless, graphics seems to be more complex in Google's environment, which [I feel] can be a weakness for Parse.ly in the case of Data Analysts. Although, both are used in …
Features
Coremetrics / IBM Digital Analytics (discontinued)Parse.ly
Web Analytics
Comparison of Web Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Coremetrics / IBM Digital Analytics (discontinued)
-
Ratings
Parse.ly
7.6
Ratings
5% below category average
Lead Conversion Tracking00 Ratings6.20 Ratings
Bounce Rate Measurement00 Ratings6.70 Ratings
Device and Browser Reporting00 Ratings8.30 Ratings
Pageview Tracking00 Ratings8.20 Ratings
Event Tracking00 Ratings7.80 Ratings
Reporting in real-time00 Ratings8.40 Ratings
Referral Source Tracking00 Ratings7.60 Ratings
Customizable Dashboards00 Ratings7.60 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Coremetrics / IBM Digital Analytics (discontinued)Parse.ly
Small Businesses
StatCounter
StatCounter
Score 9.0 out of 10
StatCounter
StatCounter
Score 9.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Optimal
Optimal
Score 9.0 out of 10
Optimal
Optimal
Score 9.0 out of 10
Enterprises
Optimal
Optimal
Score 9.0 out of 10
Optimal
Optimal
Score 9.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Coremetrics / IBM Digital Analytics (discontinued)Parse.ly
Likelihood to Recommend
7.0
(0 ratings)
7.8
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
5.8
(0 ratings)
8.7
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(0 ratings)
7.7
(0 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
8.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
2.3
(0 ratings)
7.8
(0 ratings)
Online Training
7.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.9
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
8.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Coremetrics / IBM Digital Analytics (discontinued)Parse.ly
Likelihood to Recommend
  • As mentioned earlier, transactional heavy web assets such as eStores are particularly strong candidates.
  • IBM CXA along with other, similar tools, is not set-and-forget. The solution must be well managed in order to deliver value. Purchase of the solution is one thing; driving analytic results is another. If a company's staff are not strong analytical thinkers, CXA will not help. IBM CXA is not just a technology platform - it is a basis to design strong customer touchpoints and interactions. You need to be customer journey design literate to get the best from this.
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For people working in online media, or digital content creators, the platform could help them understand their audience and allow them to interact with them in a user-friendly way. Since the digital media industry is booming, Parse.ly can allow the user and the content creators to meet each other's demands and reduce redundancies and bombard the users with unnecessary content.
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Pros
  • Marketing attribution models - capable to deliver an holistic view of the marketing channels performance
  • Multisite capabilities : allows to have a Cie view as well as individual site's view
  • Unique customer view and Live Profile: we are able to go to the visitor level and therefore use the behavioural data for marketing actions
  • Reliability of the data: we have full confidence in the data collected and the rules are clear for us
  • Support: available support 24h/7.
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  • Real-time metrics are great and help us decide what content to follow up on.
  • Audience segmenting is key, helps us determine where we're strong and where we're not.
  • Historical metrics are also helpful in helping us see what readers come back to overtime, which drives decisions about what content to devote more resources to producing.
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Cons
  • The new UI is slow, buggy, incomplete, is not intuitive, and has limited support or explanation.
  • The demo videos for the new UI showcase features that are not even available in the new UI and support said those features may never be available so they are not sure either why they are shown in the demo videos.
  • Tag management is extremely manual leaving a lot of room for human error.
  • Support across the board for the legacy UI and new UI are not very helpful. They typically do not take the time to understand the root of your problem and commonly default to the response "that feature is not available". For example, you cannot currently delete reports in the new UI even though there is a delete button available. Support says the feature is not available, so if you want anything deleted you have to submit a list to support and they will delete it for you. This is extremely frustrating when you are creating "test" reports in the new UI and then you have no option to delete them when done.
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  • Traffic source. I would like to be able to find the exact social media page a view comes from. Now I can only tell which platform.
  • I would like to be able to compare traffic more than one year ago. Now I'm limited to one year.
  • Some more customization of reports (or maybe more training).
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Likelihood to Renew
It is still a best in class analytics platform, but working with IBM contracting has proven to be quite a hassle at times... There are proven pros and cons to each of the major systems and vendors (most I already listed). I always recommend to establish the business questions you are trying to answer, determine which platform answers them best and decide whether it is worth the dollar investment
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Cost is always a factor when considering any renewal, so we will always see how that compares to other offerings, but we have been pleased with the functionality from Parse.ly. Importantly, it has engaged news teams, and writers can easily assess their own performance--it is not just a management tool. This wider take-up makes it more likely that we would renew.
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Usability
Very easy to implement and use.
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The Parse.ly platform is very user-friendly and easy to use. User management is simple, and reporting setup only takes a few minutes. They provide very helpful documentation for implementing the scripts on your site and have great customer support to help with custom development such as implementing their content recommendation engine.
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Reliability and Availability
Never had any issues
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No answers on this topic
Performance
As reports are templated, the system is pretty quick. Sometimes you have to wait a bit for a report to render. Or you might have to re-load the page. But there is no real issue here and the system is on par with other similar systems.
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No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Overall, the level of support is very good and I would say it is a strong asset of the solution. However, you can sometimes feel that there is a difference of level among the support team.
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Seems to be more bugs than I encounter in Google Analytics, but Parse.ly is always very quick to answer my questions or fix something. It seems like most of my issues are due to communications around my requests being outside of the package we pay for with this tool (i.e., only two years of data).
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Online Training
Online training is really great. One of the best assets that they have. Lots of great videos, pop quizzes at the end of each module. Fantastic. Other tools have similar features, but not as good.
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No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
See previous comment: reading and understanding the encyclopedic implementation guide is a must.
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No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
IBM Analytics is a great tool for measuring and analyzing web traffic along with consumer behavior to a degree. When compared to other solutions and tools available in the market today, I'd suggest checking out Kissmetrics or even Google Analytics over this tool. Ultimately, it will come down to the end user and if they are comfortable in the environment of the backend and workflows of IBM Digital Analytics.
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Parse.ly excels in providing detailed insights into how users are interacting with specific pieces of content, allowing us to make data-driven decisions about content strategy and optimization. Its real-time reporting also provides us with immediate feedback on the effectiveness of content changes, which is particularly important for content-heavy sites that need to iterate quickly.
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Scalability
This solution can support large amount of data and transaction. The way that user management features are built, it shows it is meant for large organizations.
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No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
  • Using IBM Digital Analytics has allowed us to optimize marketing spend for our clients and provide us the insight to reduce the spend on vendors that are not performing well or not bringing in qualified traffic.
  • Using IBM Digital Analytics data to power on-site product recommendations has increased the percentage of total sales from recommendation zones to around 10% compared to around 1% with manually merchandised zones.
  • Using IBM's TruePath Funnels to analyze the checkout process for various clients has allowed us to see where visitors are dropping out of the checkout process and make improvements to increase conversion rate.
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  • Sometimes in meetings our editorial director will point out stories that didn't perform well. To us, that means readers don't really care about the topic, so we'll pivot away from writing about that in the future. That might not be "business objectives" though.
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ScreenShots

Parse.ly Screenshots

Screenshot of Overview in full-screen mode: Many Parse.ly pages, like the Overview, are TV-ready. Keep your entire team up-to-date with live, full-screen dashboards on TVs in your office.Screenshot of Overview screen: See a snapshot of what your audience is paying attention to today so you can make fast decisions about what content to produce or distribute. Customize it to show only what your team cares about by filtering it to a particular author, section, or tag. You can pick what stats and listings are displayed.Screenshot of Real-time posts page: See what’s gathering steam so you can capitalize on attention to every post, campaign, or section.
Real-time data includes the last 24 hours and updates every five seconds. It can be seen, filtered, and sorted on most screens.Screenshot of Historical posts page: Explore historical trends by post, author, section, topic, referrer, or campaign. Compare today’s performance to last week, month, or year.Screenshot of Campaign tracking: Easily tie in your off-site promotion to engagement with your on-site content using UTM parameters.Screenshot of Multi-channel tracking: Track all your content in one place, no matter where it lives.
Compare how your content performances on various distributed channels including your website, AMP, Facebook Instant Articles, and Apple News.