Google Analytics alternatives, feature by feature

The right alternative for each need

Six reasons people replace Google Analytics, and the tools that answer each one best. Lists with prices are ranked by price; the others follow our comparison order.

WireBoard is made by the team behind Compare Analytics. Prices for your own traffic are in the price calculator.

What each alternative does, next to Google Analytics

The features people use in Google Analytics, tool by tool, from each vendor’s documentation on the hosted version. Self-hosted editions can differ.

Feature

Custom eventsGoalsFunnelsEcommerceUTM campaignsGA importAPIData exportRecordingsHeatmapsEmail reportsShared dashboards

• Google AnalyticsYes
• WireBoardYes
• MatomoYes
• PlausibleYes
• FathomYes
• ClickyPro
• UmamiYes
• UserMavenYes
• Simple AnalyticsSimple
• GoSquaredYes
• TWIPLAYes
• Pirsch AnalyticsYes
• Cloudflare Web AnalyticsNo
• RybbitYes
• SelineYes
• PostHogYes
• GoatCounterYes
• SwetrixYes
• StatcounterNot documented
• Piwik PROYes

Tool	Custom events	Goals	Funnels	Ecommerce	UTM campaigns	GA import	API	Data export	Recordings	Heatmaps	Email reports	Shared dashboards
Google Analytics	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	n/a	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Via Looker Studio
WireBoard	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Not documented	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes
Matomo	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Plausible	Yes	Yes	Business	Business	Yes	Yes	Business	Yes	No	No	Yes	Growth
Fathom	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes
Clicky	Pro	Pro	Pro	Pro	Pro	No	Yes	Pro	No	Pro Plus	Pro	Not documented
Umami	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Not documented	Pro	Yes	Business	Business	Pro	Yes
UserMaven	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes
Simple Analytics	Simple	Simple	Not documented	No	Yes	Yes	Simple	Simple	No	No	Yes	Yes
GoSquared	Yes	Not documented	No	Enterprise	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Not documented
TWIPLA	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Starter	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Pro
Pirsch Analytics	Yes	Yes	Plus	Plus	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes
Cloudflare Web Analytics	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Not documented	No	No	Yes	No
Rybbit	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Pro	No	Yes	Yes
Seline	Yes	Not documented	Yes	Yes	Yes	Not documented	Yes	Yes	No	No	Not documented	Yes
PostHog	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Via data warehouse	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
GoatCounter	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes
Swetrix	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Plus	No	Yes	Yes
Statcounter	Not documented	Premium	Not documented	Not documented	Premium Plus	No	Premium	Premium	Add-on	Premium Plus	Yes	Yes
Piwik PRO	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Enterprise	Yes

• Included in the entry plan
• Plan nameNeeds that paid plan
• Not offered
• Blank: the vendor's documentation does not say

Why people move away from Google Analytics

Google Analytics is free and everywhere. These are the reasons site owners give for replacing it, each checked against Google’s own documentation or an EU regulator.

A cookie banner in the EU

Google Analytics sets cookies and reuses data for Google’s own purposes, so EU regulators such as the French CNIL say it generally needs visitors’ prior consent. Visitors who refuse are missing from your reports unless your site is large enough for Google’s modelling. Source

Data transfers to the US under legal challenge

Regulators in Austria, France, Italy and Sweden found that specific sites’ use of Google Analytics broke EU transfer rules in 2022 and 2023. Transfers now rely on the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which is under appeal at the EU Court of Justice, and the EDPB asked the Commission to reassess it in July 2026. Source

Short history and hidden numbers

Free GA4 keeps event data for explorations 2 or 14 months, samples large queries, and hides small numbers behind thresholds you cannot switch off. Universal Analytics history was deleted in July 2024. Source

Reports that arrive late

Google says GA4 data processing can take 24 to 48 hours, and late events can still arrive up to 7 days later. Its realtime report only covers the last 30 minutes. Source

Switching in four steps

1. 1

   Export what you want to keep

   Download your GA4 reports as CSV or Google Sheets. Explorations only reach back 2 or 14 months, so do it first.

2. 2

   Run the new tool next to GA

   Two to four weeks side by side show how the numbers compare. Expect them to differ.

3. 3

   Rebuild goals and events

   Your UTM links keep working. Recreate the conversions and events you actually use.

4. 4

   Remove Google Analytics everywhere

   Including Google Tag Manager, where it is easy to miss.

Read the full switching guideCheck that Google Analytics is gone from your site

Questions about leaving Google Analytics

Will an alternative show the same numbers as Google Analytics?

No, and that is expected. In the EU, Google Analytics usually counts only the visitors who accept cookies, so a cookieless tool often shows more visitors. Ad blockers stop some tools and not others, and each tool defines visitors and sessions slightly differently. Run both for a few weeks and compare trends, not single days.

Can I run an alternative and Google Analytics at the same time?

Yes. Analytics scripts do not conflict, and running both for a few weeks is the safest way to switch. While Google Analytics is installed, it still needs your visitors’ consent in the EU, even if the new tool does not.

Is Google Analytics legal in the EU?

Using it is not banned, but it needs care. In 2022 and 2023, regulators in Austria, France, Italy and Sweden found that specific sites broke EU rules on data transfers to the US. Transfers now rely on the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which is under appeal at the EU Court of Justice. Google Analytics also needs the visitor’s consent before it loads. This is general information, not legal advice.

Which alternatives have heatmaps or session recordings?

Google Analytics 4 has neither. These alternatives offer one or both:

• Matomo: heatmaps (entry plan), recordings (entry plan)
• Clicky: heatmaps (Pro Plus)
• Umami: heatmaps (Business), recordings (Business)
• TWIPLA: heatmaps (entry plan), recordings (entry plan)
• Rybbit: recordings (Pro)
• PostHog: heatmaps (entry plan), recordings (entry plan)
• Swetrix: recordings (Plus)
• Statcounter: heatmaps (Premium Plus), recordings (Add-on)
• Piwik PRO: heatmaps (entry plan)

Do I still need Google Search Console?

Keep it. Search Console is a separate free tool, and it is the only place that shows which Google searches brought visitors to your site: Google does not pass search keywords to websites, so no analytics tool sees them on its own.