PostEaseStart with what platforms already give you for free
Every major platform ships its own native analytics. Those are real numbers, not estimates, since the platform itself is the source. Before paying for a third-party analytics tool, confirm what the native dashboards already cover. A lot of accounts pay for data they could already see for free, spread across several apps instead of one dashboard.
What a paid tool is paying for
The real value of most paid analytics tools is consolidation: seeing every platform's numbers in one place instead of five separate apps. Add historical tracking a native dashboard might not retain as far back, and reporting that takes less work for a team or a client. It is rarely access to a number the platform wasn't already willing to show you.
Be skeptical of a tool estimating numbers a platform doesn’t expose
Some tools estimate reach, engagement, or audience data a platform doesn't share through its own API. Those numbers are calculated guesses, not real figures, however precise they look. Prefer a tool that labels which numbers come straight from the platform and which are its own estimate.