SOLVED
This issue was fixed, it had nothing to do with the plugin but elementor pro.
Fix for anyone curious
I installed the counter manually by adding the shortcode [post-views] to the elementor meta box for a single post template.
The custom option lets you enter anything (i chose the post-views shortcode) it also has an option for an icon, I had left this on default which was an ugly blank square. Switched to none and the problem was solved.
