Product & web analytics
Google Analytics 4 alternatives
4 credible replacements for Google Analytics 4, compared on price, capability and the reasons teams actually leave. None are cheaper per seat, so the case for moving has to be capability rather than price.
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The honest case
Why teams replace Google Analytics 4
Google Analytics 4 is the free default, now event-based, with BigQuery export and a steep relearning curve. These are the specific reasons it stops fitting.
- 01
Requires a cookie banner, and consent refusals silently gut your data
- 02
GA4 discarded most of Universal Analytics’ mental model and reporting
- 03
Data thresholding hides rows without telling you which ones
If none of those describe your situation, staying is probably the right answer. Switching costs real weeks, and a tool that merely annoys you is usually cheaper to keep than to replace.
4 alternatives
What to replace Google Analytics 4 with
Ranked here by price. Ranked properly once you tell us about your team.
Privacy-first web analytics with unlimited retention and a fixed, predictable bill.
free · same price than Google Analytics 4
The full-featured open-source alternative to Google Analytics, self-hostable end to end.
free · same price than Google Analytics 4
Lightweight, cookieless web analytics on a single page you can read in ten seconds.
free · same price than Google Analytics 4
Product analytics, session replay, feature flags and experiments in one open-source platform.
free · same price than Google Analytics 4
Prices are unverified estimates — useful for comparing orders of magnitude, not for budgeting. Confirm the current figure with the vendor before you commit to anything.
In detail
What each one is actually good at
And what it costs you in exchange — every tool here trades something away.
Fathom Analytics
freePrivacy-first web analytics with unlimited retention and a fixed, predictable bill.
- Unlimited sites on one subscription, which suits agencies well
- Cookieless and GDPR-compliant without a consent banner
- Data is retained forever rather than expiring after a year
Watch outThe simplest privacy-safe option, with a feature ceiling you will hit if you need behavioural analysis.
Matomo
freeThe full-featured open-source alternative to Google Analytics, self-hostable end to end.
- Self-hosted means you own 100% of the data, with no sampling
- Feature parity with GA including heatmaps, replay and A/B testing
- Can be configured to run without cookies and without consent
Watch outTotal data ownership, paid for with the operational work of running it yourself.
Plausible
freeLightweight, cookieless web analytics on a single page you can read in ten seconds.
- No cookies and no personal data, so no consent banner is required
- Script is under 1 KB, which is a measurable page-speed difference
- Open source and self-hostable if you want the data on your own server
Watch outDeliberately simple: you trade every advanced feature for privacy compliance and a page anyone can read.
PostHog
freeProduct analytics, session replay, feature flags and experiments in one open-source platform.
- Replaces four separate subscriptions — analytics, replay, flags and experiments
- Generous free tier that real products can run on for a long time
- Open source and self-hostable, so data residency is your decision
Watch outConsolidates a whole toolchain, at the cost of a bill with several independently growing lines.
Questions
Google Analytics 4 alternatives, answered
What is the best alternative to Google Analytics 4?
There is no single answer — it depends on your team size, budget and non-negotiables. In product & web analytics the credible alternatives are Fathom Analytics, Matomo, Plausible, PostHog. Fathom Analytics is the most common starting point because privacy-first web analytics with unlimited retention and a fixed, predictable bill. Our three-minute questionnaire ranks all of them against your specific answers rather than guessing.
Is there a free alternative to Google Analytics 4?
Yes. Fathom Analytics, Matomo, Plausible, PostHog all offer a free tier, though the limits differ significantly — usually on history, seats, or exactly the features that pass a security review. Check what the free tier withholds before you plan around it.
Why do teams stop using Google Analytics 4?
The recurring reasons are: Requires a cookie banner, and consent refusals silently gut your data; GA4 discarded most of Universal Analytics’ mental model and reporting; Data thresholding hides rows without telling you which ones. None of these mean Google Analytics 4 is a bad product — they mean it stops fitting certain teams as those teams change shape.
How much does Google Analytics 4 cost?
Free, which works out at roughly $0 a year for a 50-person team. That excludes the add-ons most teams end up buying, and it is our unverified estimate rather than a quote — confirm it with the vendor before budgeting.
How hard is it to migrate off Google Analytics 4?
It depends on history, integrations and headcount far more than on the tool itself. For a team of 50 with a handful of integrations, expect a few weeks of elapsed time and one to two weeks of actual work. Above 200 people, or with compliance in scope, plan a quarter. The questionnaire produces a scoped estimate with line items if you would rather not run it yourself.
Which of these is right for your team?
A price table cannot tell you. Answer about a dozen questions and get these 4 ranked against your team size, budget and requirements — plus what it would cost to move off Google Analytics 4.
Rank them for my team