#Introduction
We've tried just about every web analytics tool out there. The majority of them claim that they offer real time reports.
Spoiler alert: IT'S A LIE
So why do they advertise it this way? Well, maybe because the definition of real-time is vague enough to market it that way. What they really offer is: data updated frequently enough to make it appear as real time.
#Data Polling
Almost all of these web analytics services use data polling, which is simple to understand if you don't know what it is. Essentially, it's the equivalent of reloading the page every 5 seconds. A script is fetching the same data again and again to see if there is a change or not. So you end up with a frequency update at:
Not great, but good enough for web analytics — until it isn't.
#Why another Google Analytics (GA4) alternative?
When you're managing a large number of websites — say 10 or more — checking in on traffic becomes part of the daily routine. It's important to quickly see which sites are gaining traction and which ones might need attention. Being able to track trends at a glance can save a huge amount of time. Real-time data, like the number of live visitors, can be especially useful — sometimes even more than total visitor counts.
Manually tracking performance across multiple websites is a tedious and inefficient process. Most tools don't offer the flexibility to display only the data that matters, and few provide the level of responsiveness needed for real-time decision-making.
WireBoard.io solves these challenges with a fully customizable dashboard and true real-time analytics — not delayed polling, but continuous updates with a maximum time resolution of 250ms (4Hz). It's the first solution to offer this level of speed and precision in web analytics.