I just signed noticed that Google Analytics was updated with some of my stats and even though it doesn’t have a lot of data it still gives me the overview of how it will run and feel compared to my current stat tracker, Mint.
The first difference you notice is the UI. Although mint has a tight one page design it doesn’t bode well when you have a lot of plugins to view. Scrolling up and down the page works but only to a certain point, it’s very hard to compare more then one “pepper” unless they’re side by side. Navigation within GA is very easy but could be cumbersome for users who don’t really care about bounce rates or CPC. But what GA has that mint lacks are graphs, almost all stats are represented graphically as well as the hard stats. Charts and graphs, IMHO, are the only way to view statistics; it’s faster, you see things you normally don’t, and graphs are much easier to compare then stat lists.
Customization is absent from Google analytics and rampant in Mint. Mint not only allows you to change the order of your UI for stats but most importantly it lets you add more “pepper” to your mint. Peppers are plugins for mint that allow you to view more stats then what is just get in the default install. Mint has a large community and there are a lot of peppers out there. What about the stats you cannot find? You can make it yourself and track whatever you want however you want to view it, it’s up to you. With GA you do not have this option what-so-ever, you are stuck with what they give you. This might sound bad but the stats that Google collects is practically every you ever needed and more, theres no need for extra installs or customized peppers it’s all included whether you like it or not.
Price: Currently Google analytics is free for as many sites you want; mint is $30 per site. Is Mint worth the $30? Last week it was a “hell yeah”, this week it’s a somber “no” just because Google’s free new service. BUT, there are exceptions and I would definitely suggest Mint to a certain few.
Where Mint wins and GA can’t:
The community aspect that pepper brings is terrific. Getting to know the author of Mint through the forums and contributing to the development of peppers is a great feeling. It gives you ownership. GA will never have this respect, unless you own stock. 
The beautiful design and color scheme of mint creates a pleasant atmosphere for reviewing boring stats. GA is too much of a tie and suite application although it’s navigation is a tad better.
The most important factor between Mint and GA is the issue of control. Google controls your stats and without reading the TOS yet, might own them to do what they want. It is a lot of information that information will lend to a huge benefit for Google. Mint, since it runs on your own server, you have control over every piece of information that is collected. So it’s a matter of do you trust that Google slogan.
Conclusion: It’s a hard choice. I don’t even know what I will use in the near future. What I do know is Google analytics has a lot of functionality for FREE that I miss from Mint but this might not persuade me from the community of Mint, it’s character, and the fact I control all those little bits of info so vital to Corporate internet. Mint: really is a fresh look.
