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14 Best GA4 Alternatives & Competitors on the Market Today

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Let's face it – Google Analytics 4 hasn't exactly lived up to the hype.

Google Analytics 4 was supposed to be the future of digital analytics, but for many, it’s been more of a headache than actual help.

With its confusing interface, lack of straightforward reporting, and ongoing privacy issues, the platform has left countless website owners and marketers scrambling for alternatives.

The good news? You don't have to stick with GA4 if it doesn’t meet your needs.

There are lots of alternatives out there with unique features and advantages that could be a better fit for your business.

In this guide, we'll explore some of the best Google Analytics 4 alternatives for 2024 that might just make you wonder why you ever bothered with GA4 in the first place.

Why Look for an Alternative to Google Analytics 4?

While Google Analytics 4 did introduce several new features and updated some of the older ones, it also comes with a range of limitations that have prompted many users to search for alternatives.

From attribution model constraints to privacy concerns, here are some of the key reasons why you might consider other tools for your analytics needs:

  • Attribution Model Limitations: Google Analytics 4 has discontinued several traditional attribution models like first-click, linear, time decay, and position-based. It leaves users with fewer options for understanding customer journeys and it can be limiting for businesses that rely on these models in Universal Analytics.
  • Data sampling: GA4 samples data in standard reports when data volumes exceed a certain threshold, which can lead to less accurate data representation – especially when working with large datasets.
  • Integration challenges: While GA4 integrates well within the Google ecosystem, the same doesn’t apply to third-party platforms. Many business owners still struggle to get their data sources into one view.
  • Focus on digital-only attribution: GA4 primarily focuses on digital touchpoints, which can’t fully capture the nuances of omnichannel marketing campaigns. Businesses that need a more holistic view of both online and offline customer interactions can’t rely solely on this functionality.
  • Steep learning curve: The transition from UA to GA4 comes with a steep learning curve due to its new interface and data model. Those who were accustomed to Universal Analytics seem to have a particularly difficult time adapting to the new model.
  • Lack of advanced features: GA4 lacks some advanced features that were available in Universal Analytics, such as native conversion optimization tools, predictive modeling, and account-based marketing attribution.
  • Unintuitive and cluttered interface: The interface in GA4 has also been described as much less intuitive and cluttered compared to Universal Analytics. This change has frustrated many marketers and it's a headache for those who were used to Universal Analytics. It makes daily data tasks even more time-consuming and stressful.
  • Privacy concerns and data ownership: While GA4 aims to be more privacy-centric, there are still concerns about data ownership and compliance.

Top 14 Alternatives to GA4

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1. HockeyStack

HockeyStack is a sophisticated, no-code analytics and attribution software primarily built for B2B SaaS companies that want a better way to track and analyze user behavior across websites and apps without relying on third-party cookies.

It operates as a unified platform that combines marketing, revenue, sales, and product data to provide companies with a holistic view of their customer journeys and marketing performance.

You can use it to better understand user behavior, track feature adoption, accurately measure marketing performances, and maintain compliance with modern privacy standards – all through an easy-to-use interface.

HockeyStack offers significant advantages over traditional analytics tools through its flexible and customizable platform. Unlike tools that rely on standard templates and cookie-based tracking, HockeyStack provides both cookieless (fingerprinting) and cookie-based tracking options.

You can capture user data more comprehensively with this dual approach and increase the accuracy of tracking and reporting by up to 40%.

Key features 

  • Attribution modeling: HockeyStack also excels in attribution modeling by combining traditional attribution methods with incremental lift reports. Businesses can use this feature to see which touchpoints occur most frequently and understand which ones have the biggest impact on conversions and user behavior.
  • Funnel analysis: HockeyStack’s visual funnel analysis helps companies understand where users drop off in the conversion process.
  • User segmentation: The platform offers robust segmentation capabilities that businesses use to categorize users based on behavior, demographics, or other custom criteria. Later on, you can use this data for more targeted marketing and personalized customer experiences.
  • Revenue attribution analytics: This feature links marketing activities to revenue, so you can see which campaigns and channels contribute most to the bottom line.
  • Customer journey mapping: HockeyStack’s customer journey mapping feature allows you to visualize the entire path a user takes from first contact to conversion. You can use it to spot key moments and interactions that influence user decisions. 
  • Robust integrations: The platform has extensive integration options with third-party tools like CRM systems, marketing automation platforms, and social media networks.  

Why do companies choose HockeyStack over GA4?

Companies choose HockeyStack over Google Analytics 4 (GA4) because it offers a simpler, more intuitive interface and a no-code setup, making it easier for you to track and analyze marketing analytics data even if you don’t have any technical expertise.

What’s more, HockeyStack's focus on privacy with cookieless tracking and its comprehensive analytics capabilities provide more flexibility and actionable insights – particularly for B2B companies and those that need advanced attribution models and revenue analytics.

Compared to GA4 — HockeyStack stands out as a better option because of:

  • Deeper focus on B2B SaaS: HockeyStack is purpose-built for B2B SaaS, offering features and metrics that directly address the nuances of this model (e.g. user journey mapping, revenue attribution, etc.). GA4, while versatile, is more generalized and requires additional customization to capture SaaS-specific insights.  
  • Granular attribution and incrementality: Compared to GA4, HockeyStack provides more granular attribution models and incrementality measurement that helps businesses understand the precise impact of each marketing action on conversions.
  • Cookieless tracking and attribution accuracy: HockeyStack's cookieless tracking technology improves privacy compliance and maintains attribution accuracy without relying on cookies.
  • Flexibility and customization: HockeyStack has greater flexibility and customization options compared to GA4’s more standardized approach, so users can easily create tailored, executive-level reports and dashboards to fit specific business needs.
  • Unified data model and holistic view: HockeyStack provides a unified data model that combines marketing, sales, revenue, and product data into a holistic view, giving businesses a clearer understanding of their performance and customer journey compared to the fragmented view offered by GA4.

Examples of what real-world users are saying:

Ways HockeyStack exceeds expectations compared to Google Analytics 4

  • Create or customize reports in the tool: Users can easily create or customize reports directly within the HockeyStack platform. With GA4, you’ll often need additional tools to do this properly.
  • Both cookieless (fingerprinting) and cookie-based tracking: It supports both cookieless tracking through fingerprinting and traditional cookie-based tracking, which gives you more accurate data collection and attribution in a privacy-conscious environment (something GA4 has yet to fully implement).
  • Combine attribution with incremental lift reports: HockeyStack combines attribution models with incremental lift reports to help businesses understand which touchpoints are truly driving conversions, not just which are most frequent.
  • Quick to set up: HockeyStack is quick to set up, with businesses typically getting up and running within two weeks. This allows for faster deployment and insights compared to GA4's more complex and time-consuming setup process.

What real customers are saying about HockeyStack

  • With HockeyStack, Cognism saw a 5x ROAS, 25% increase in their return to ad spend, and 3 days saved every month since the team is not involved in reporting anymore.
  • With HockeyStack, Whatfix saw 2x increase in content-influenced opportunities, 15% increase in opportunities, and 32% increase in won deals.

2. Matomo

Matomo is powerful, open-source product analytics software that provides comprehensive insights into web traffic and user behavior while also prioritizing data privacy and ownership.

Key features

  • Privacy-focused: Matomo prioritizes user privacy with GDPR compliance and full data ownership, ensuring that all user data is securely stored and not shared with third parties.
  • Customizable: The platform has various customization options, including customizable dashboards and reports.
  • Open-source: Matomo is an open-source platform, so users get full transparency and can make adjustments to the software if needed.
  • Self-hosted: You can install Matomo on your own servers and get complete control over your data.
  • Ecommerce tracking: It includes detailed insights into your online store's performance, including sales, conversions, and customer behavior.
  • Media analytics: Matomo provides media analytics to track how visitors interact with video and audio content.
  • Heatmaps and session recordings: Users can visualize customer behavior on their site and improve session experiences based on real interaction data.
  • Multi-channel attribution: Matomo helps you understand which marketing channels contribute most to your conversions across different touchpoints.
  • Form analytics: It offers form analytics to identify and analyze the performance of web forms.

Why do users like Matomo?

What are some limitations of Matomo?

  • Category traffic and conversion reports need custom implementation: Matomo requires manual setup for category-specific traffic and conversion reports, which can be time-consuming and technically challenging for users who need out-of-the-box solutions [See G2 review].
  • Slow loading times when selecting larger data ranges: The platform can experience slow loading times when handling extensive data ranges, which affects data analysis efficiency for users working with large datasets [See G2 review].
  • Setup, maintenance, and navigation can be confusing: Setting up, maintaining, and navigating Matomo can be confusing and complex, particularly for users without advanced experience in web analytics [See G2 review].

Who is Matomo a good fit for?

  • Privacy-conscious businesses: Companies that prioritize data privacy and ownership can benefit from Matomo’s approach.
  • Organizations with extensive technical resources: Matomo is a solid fit for businesses with technical teams that can handle the platform's setup, maintenance, and customization tools.
  • Users that want more flexibility: Companies that require a highly customizable analytics platform to tailor their reporting and data analysis to specific needs can pick Matomo as a suitable solution.

Pricing

Matomo offers both a cloud-hosted and an on-premise pricing model.

The cloud-hosted option starts at 22 EUR per month for the Business plan, starting at 50,000 hits per month. For enterprises, there is a custom quote.

On the other hand, the on-premise version is free to download and install.

3. Kissmetrics

Kissmetrics is a customer-centric analytics platform that provides in-depth insights into user behavior across their entire journey. It’s particularly useful for eCommerce and SaaS companies that want to improve lifetime value through actionable customer insights and targeted marketing strategies.

Key features

  • Person-based tracking: Ties every action to a specific user (rather than anonymous sessions), so you can build detailed customer profiles and track individual journeys over time.  
  • Funnel analysis: Businesses can visualize and analyze each step a user takes towards conversion, helping you identify drop-off points and optimize the funnel.  
  • Cohort analysis: Groups users based on shared characteristics or experiences (e.g., acquisition date, campaign) to understand their specific behavior patterns. 
  • A/B testing: Test different variations of web pages or campaigns to see which ones perform better.
  • Revenue tracking: Companies can track revenue generated from individual users and campaigns.
  • Email automation: Trigger automated emails based on specific user actions or milestones for a better lead nurturing strategy.
  • Robust integrations: You can easily connect Kissmetrics to other third-party platforms, including CRMs, marketing automation platforms, and ecommerce solutions.

Why do users like Kissmetrics?

What are some limitations of Kissmetrics?

  • The user interface is completely unintuitive: For some users, the Kissmetrics interface can be hard to navigate, so it can be difficult for users to fully leverage everything that the platform has to offer [See G2 review].
  • Takes a lot of time to set up properly: Setting up Kissmetrics requires a significant time investment, particularly for configuring events and tracking tools [See G2 review].
  • Complex to extract data through an API: Extracting data through Kissmetrics' API can be challenging due to its complicated structure, and may require using specialized API integration platforms. [See G2 review].

Who is Kissmetrics a good fit for?

  • Ecommerce and SaaS businesses: Kissmetrics provides deep insights into customer behavior, which is particularly useful for ecommerce and SaaS companies looking to optimize user journeys.
  • Companies that require detailed user tracking: It excels at tracking individual user actions across multiple sessions and devices, making it ideal for businesses that need granular behavior data.
  • Marketing and product teams: Kissmetrics is beneficial for marketing and product teams focused on conversion optimization, user engagement, and retention.

Pricing

The Silver Plan starts at $299 per month and is designed for small teams, supporting up to 2 million events with basic reporting features.

The Gold Plan costs $499 per month and is suitable for medium-sized teams due to features such as cohort reports and higher event limits.

For larger teams, Kissmetrics offers the Platinum Plan – you’ll need to contact the company for a custom quote.

There is also a flexible "Build Your Own Plan" option starting at $125.99 per month.

4. Clicky

Clicky is a real-time web analytics platform that companies can use to receive immediate insights into website traffic and customer behavior. It’s a popular alternative to Google Analytics, especially for those who want a simpler view of their website's performance.

Key features

  • Real-time analytics: Companies can monitor website activity as it happens, with up-to-the-second data on visitors, page views, and more.
  • Heatmaps: You can easily visualize where users click and scroll on your pages to understand their behavior and work on your content placement.
  • Uptime monitoring: Companies receive alerts if the website goes down or any other urgent issues arise.
  • Individual visitor tracking: Companies can track individual visitors across multiple sessions and on different devices.
  • On-site analytics: You can view website statistics directly on your site without leaving the page.
  • Goal tracking: You can set up and track specific goals to see what you need to improve to reach them.
  • Content analytics suite: Companies can analyze how users interact with web content, including videos and downloads.
  • Split testing: Conduct A/B tests to compare different versions of your pages and pinpoint the most effective design or content.

Why do users like Clicky?

What are some limitations of Clicky?

  • Doesn’t have as many advanced features as Google Analytics: Clicky lacks some of the more sophisticated features found in Google Analytics, such as advanced segmentation, custom reporting, and deeper multi-channel attribution [See G2 review].
  • Clicky lacks capabilities for analyzing trends within the platform: The platform doesn’t offer tools for analyzing long-term trends or predictive analytics [See G2 review].
  • Can be a bit pricy for certain businesses: While Clicky provides robust real-time analytics, its pricing can be relatively high for smaller businesses or those with limited budgets, especially when compared to free alternatives [See G2 review].

Who is Clicky a good fit for?

  • Users who prefer simplicity: It’s great for those who want a user-friendly interface and easy access to essential analytics.
  • Bloggers and website owners: Clicky’s user-friendly interface and setup make it perfect for individuals who manage multiple sites or want to monitor site performance effortlessly.
  • Website owners focused on privacy: Clicky is well-suited for users who prioritize privacy, as it offers GDPR-compliant tracking without relying on cookies.

Pricing

Clicky offers the following pricing plans:

  • Free: For tracking a single website.
  • Pro: Starts at $9.99, you can track up to 10 websites.
  • Pro Plus: Starts at $14.99, you can track up to 10 websites.
  • Pro Platinum: Starts at $19.99, you can track up to 30 websites.
  • Custom: You can track up to 1,000 websites, but you need to contact Clicky for a custom quote.

5. Fathom Analytics

Fathom Analytics is a simple, privacy-focused website analytics solution that can companies get essential insights without compromising visitor privacy.

Key features

  • Lightweight and fast: Fathom has minimal impact on website performance, so you don’t have to worry about slower loading times once you set it up.
  • Privacy-focused: Fathom has no tracking of personal data or reliance on cookies, and it complies with GDPR and other privacy laws.
  • Simple and clean interface: Intuitive dashboards and reports make it easy to understand key metrics at a glance.
  • Event tracking: Companies can track specific actions on your website, such as button clicks or form submissions.
  • Custom domains and branding: You can white-label the platform with your own branding and domain for a more professional look.
  • Affordable pricing: Offers a straightforward and affordable pricing structure, which makes it accessible for businesses of all sizes.

Why do users like Fathom Analytics?

What are some limitations of Fathom Analytics?

  • Non-intuitive user interface compared to other analytics tools: Fathom Analytics has a less intuitive user interface than some of its competitors, making it harder for new users to learn the ropes and quickly find the data they need [See G2 review].
  • Requires granular filtering for better accuracy: To get precise data insights, users need to apply granular filtering, which can sometimes be both complex and time-consuming [See G2 review].
  • It has limited features aside from privacy and compliance: While Fathom Analytics excels in privacy and compliance, it lacks many other advanced features found in more comprehensive platforms [See G2 review].

Who is Fathom Analytics a good fit for?

  • Businesses that want robust privacy features: Fathom Analytics is ideal for companies that prioritize data privacy and need a solution that is compliant with all the most important privacy regulations.
  • Small to medium-sized websites: It's well-suited for smaller sites and blogs that want easy-to-understand analytics without the complexity of more advanced tools.
  • Teams that prefer a simple interface: Fathom Analytics offers a clean dashboard that provides essential insights quickly, making it a great choice for users who want an uncomplicated analytics tool.

Pricing

Fathom Analytics offers pricing based on the number of data points (pageviews and events) your website uses each month.

The pricing starts at $15 per month for up to 100,000 data points, with additional tiers available as your data needs grow.

6. Piwik PRO

Piwik PRO is an all-around web analytics and customer data platform (CDP) that mainly focuses on data privacy and compliance features.

Key features

  • Privacy-first analytics: Collects data without relying on third-party cookies and provides consent management tools to comply with privacy laws.
  • On-premises or cloud hosting: Offers flexibility for deployment on both your own servers or in the cloud.
  • Tag manager: Simplifies data collection and management with a built-in tag management system.
  • Customizable reports and dashboards: You can create situation-tailored reports and visualizations to monitor key metrics and KPIs.
  • Customer journey analysis: Companies can easily track and analyze user interactions across multiple touchpoints.
  • Audience segmentation: You can create and target specific user segments based on demographics, behavior, and other criteria.
  • A/B testing: Run experiments to compare different versions of your website or app to optimize for conversions.
  • Consent management: You can manage user consent for data collection and processing, and make sure you’re staying compliant with regulations.

Why do users like Piwik PRO?

What are some limitations of Piwik PRO?

  • It doesn’t let you select attribution models: Unlike some analytics platforms, Piwik PRO doesn’t have the flexibility to choose different attribution models, which can limit the depth of digital marketing performance analysis [See G2 review].
  • The secondary dimension feature still isn’t functioning properly: The secondary dimension feature in Piwik PRO has ongoing issues, and it can cause challenges in analyzing data across multiple dimensions simultaneously [See G2 review].
  • Integrations and goals are not so easy to handle if you have low programming low-how: Piwik PRO requires a certain level of technical expertise to set up integrations and goals effectively [See G2 review].

Who is Piwik PRO a good fit for?

  • Organizations that prefer flexible deployment options: It offers both cloud-based and on-premises solutions, so businesses can choose a deployment model that best suits their infrastructure.
  • Companies with complex data needs: Piwik PRO has robust analytics features, including advanced user journey tracking, custom data layers, and tag management.
  • Marketing teams looking for detailed campaign analysis: It provides extensive tools for tracking and analyzing marketing campaigns, making it great for marketing teams that deal with lots of campaign data.

Pricing

Piwik PRO has two main pricing plans based on the number of actions tracked and the desired features.

The Core plan is free for up to 500,000 actions per month, with paid options available for up to 5 million actions.

The Enterprise plan starts at €10,995 per year and includes advanced features like additional modules, extended data retention, and custom data hosting options.

7. Plausible

Plausible Analytics is another popular lightweight, open-source web analytics software with a beginner-friendly interface and privacy-friendly capabilities.

Key features

  • Lightweight and fast: Plausible causes minimal impact on your website performance, so you don’t have to sacrifice loading speed to get proper analytics data.
  • Privacy-focused: No collection of personal data or reliance on cookies.
  • Simple and clean interface: Even total beginners can easily navigate Plausible’s interface.
  • Essential website stats: Companies can track page views, website visitors, bounce rate, top pages, referrers, and other essential website metrics.
  • Event tracking: You can track custom events like button clicks or downloads to dig deeper into user interactions.
  • Self-hosted or cloud options: You can choose to host Plausible on your own server for maximum control or opt for the cloud-hosted version for convenience.
  • Affordable pricing: Plausible offers simple and affordable pricing plans.

Why do users like Plausible?

What are some limitations of Plausible?

  • Lacks detailed documentation: Plausible's documentation may not be as comprehensive as some users might prefer, so it can be challenging to fully take advantage all features or even troubleshoot issues [See G2 review].
  • Lacks a unified dashboard that compiles several websites in one place: Plausible doesn’t have a unified dashboard to manage and analyze multiple websites simultaneously [See G2 review].
  • Affordable cost but lacks features that more established free tools have: While Plausible is affordable, it does lack some of the advanced features found in more established, free analytics tools [See G2 review].

Who is Plausible a good fit for?

  • Users looking for ease of use: With its lightweight script and easy setup process, Plausible is perfect for users who want a hassle-free, user-friendly analytics platform.
  • Organizations looking to minimize website load times: Plausible is also a great choice for companies that want a lightweight analytics tool that doesn’t heavily impact the website’s loading speed.
  • Organizations that prioritize privacy tools: It's ideal for those who want better privacy and a web analytics tool that complies with GDPR, CCPA, and other laws without relying on cookies.

Pricing

Plausible has three pricing plans available:

  • Growth: Starts at $9 per month and it supports up to 3 team members and up to 10 websites.
  • Business: Starts at $19 per month and it supports up to 10 team members and up to 50 websites.
  • Enterprise: Contact the company for custom pricing.

8. Simple Analytics

Simple Analytics is another leading privacy-focused analytics tool with ethical data collection features, a user-friendly interface, and AI chat options.

Key features

  • Privacy-first: No tracking of personal data, so you can ensure visitor anonymity and compliance with all the necessary regulations.
  • Simple interface: Simple Analytics has clean and intuitive dashboards with easy-to-understand metrics, perfect for non-technical users.
  • Crucial website metric: You can easily stay on top of metrics like page views, visitors, referrers, top pages, screen sizes, and more.
  • Event tracking: You can use the tool to measure custom events like button clicks, form submissions, or video plays.
  • Real-time data: Companies get real-time data and can see live visitor activity on their website.
  • Affordable: There are budget-friendly pricing options that are perfect for small businesses with tight budgets.

Why do users like Simple Analytics?

What are some limitations of Simple Analytics?

  • Limited integrations with other popular products: Simple Analytics lacks extensive integrations with popular third-party tools and platforms [See G2 review].
  • Doesn’t offer as in-depth insights as some other analytics tools: The platform provides basic analytics features, but it may not be enough for users seeking detailed insights or more advanced capabilities [See G2 review].
  • Slow server and page loading time: Some users have reported that Simple Analytics can have slower server and page loading times [See G2 review].

Who is Simple Analytics a good fit for?

  • Businesses that prioritize ethical data practices: Companies focused on ethical data collection practices will find Simple Analytics a good fit due to its cookieless tracking and because it doesn’t collect personal data.
  • Organizations with multiple small to medium websites: Simple Analytics is ideal for companies that manage multiple websites and need a simple solution to quickly aggregate data across their properties.
  • Nonprofits and advocacy groups: Nonprofits and advocacy groups that want to follow ethical data practices and need simpler tools to measure their online presence.

Pricing

Simple Analytics pricing is based on the number of page views and events per month.

The Simple Plan costs $10 per month and includes 1 user and 10 websites.

The Team plan, which supports up to 5 users, is priced at $40 per month and includes features like goals dashboards and additional user seats.

For larger organizations that have more complex needs, the Enterprise plan is available with custom pricing.

9. Heap

Heap is one of the leading digital insights platforms and it can automatically capture every single user interaction on both your web and mobile apps.

Marketing, product, and customer success teams use it to dig deeper into customer journeys and it doesn’t require any additional code or an upfront event tracking setup to get started.

Key features

  • Autocapture: Heap automatically captures every user interaction and you don’t have to deal with any manual event tracking setups.
  • Retroactive analysis: You can analyze historical data to answer questions about user behavior even without defining events beforehand.
  • Funnel analysis: Companies can precisely analyze user flows to find potential leaks and optimize those conversion paths.
  • User segmentation: You can build user segments based on behavior, demographics, and similar attributes.
  • Session replay: Companies can take a look at session recordings to better understand how customers interact with the product.
  • Great integrations options: Heap connects with various third-party tools, including CRMs, marketing automation platforms, and data warehouses.

Why do users like Heap?

What are some limitations of Heap?

  • Difficult to implement filters effectively: Some users say that Heap's filtering system can be challenging to use, especially for complex datasets, which makes it harder to isolate specific user behaviors [See G2 review].
  • Reporting can be unreliable due to integration issues: Users sometimes experience issues with data accuracy and consistency in reports, particularly when integrating Heap with other platforms [See G2 review].
  • No alert system for conversions: Heap lacks an alert system for notifying users about conversion events in real-time [See G2 review].

Who is Heap a good fit for?

  • Product and UX teams that need automatic data capture: Heap is ideal for product managers and UX designers who need a platform that automatically captures all user interactions without manual tagging.
  • Businesses looking to connect customer data across channels: Heap is great if you want to create a seamless omnichannel view of customer interactions and connect data from various sources.
  • Data-driven companies focused on real-time insights: Companies that need real-time analytics to make quick, data-driven decisions will benefit from Heap’s live data feeds and immediate insights.

Pricing

The Free plan includes up to 10,000 sessions per month at no cost, making it accessible for smaller businesses or those just starting out with analytics.

The Growth plan starts at $3,600 per year and supports up to 300,000 sessions annually.

For larger enterprises, Heap provides the Pro and Premier plans, which offer custom pricing based on specific requirements.

10. Mixpanel

Mixpanel is an advanced, event-based analytics tool that provides companies with detailed and real-time behavior insights across different applications.

Key features

  • Event tracking: Mixpanel captures every user action and interaction within your product and tags them as individual events. 
  • Funnels: You can see all the steps users take to complete key actions in your product (e.g., sign up, purchase).
  • Cohorts: Companies can create cohorts based on shared user characteristics or actions to analyze their behavior over time. 
  • Retention: You can easily track user retention to better understand how long they stay engaged with your product and find ways to improve it.
  • A/B testing: Companies can set up experiments with different variations of the product to see which ones drive better results.

Why do users like Mixpanel?

What are some limitations of Mixpanel?

  • Support can take a while to respond: Mixpanel's customer support response times can be slow and it could lead to some major delays in resolving issues [See G2 review].
  • Slow ingestion rate at times of bursty loads: During periods of high data load, Mixpanel can experience slow ingestion rates [See G2 review].
  • The user interface can be confusing: Mixpanel's user interface can be a bit difficult to understand, especially for those who are new to analytics platforms [See G2 review].

Who is Mixpanel a good fit for?

  • SaaS companies and app developers: Mixpanel is particularly well-suited for SaaS companies and app developers who need in-depth customer journey analytics to fine-tune their products.
  • Marketing and product teams: With Mixpanel’s event-based tracking and funnel analysis, the platform can be a powerful addition to any marketing or product team’s toolkit.
  • Enterprises with complex data needs: Mixpanel is also a solid fit for larger enterprises that handle a high volume of user interactions and need a scalable solution to manage large datasets.

Pricing

Mixpanel offers three pricing plans:

  • Free Plan: $0 for up to 20 million monthly events.
  • Growth Plan: Starts at $28 per month for 10K events and the price scales with events.
  • Enterprise: More advanced features and up to 1 trillion events. Price available after contacting the platform.

11. Amplitude Analytics

Amplitude Analytics is another robust product analytics solution that specializes in tracking granular user actions in real-time to help companies fine-tune their products and improve conversions.  

Key features

  • Behavioral cohorts: You can build dynamic user segments based on their behavioral patterns.
  • Event segmentation: Amplitude makes it easier to analyze user actions and interactions within your product based on specific events and properties.
  • Journeys: Companies can visualize the paths users take through your product to find popular flows and areas where users frequently get stuck. 
  • Retention analysis: Amplitude can monitor user retention and churn to help you better understand engagement patterns.
  • Experimentation: You can set up A/B tests to compare different versions of your product and measure the impact on conversion rates.
  • Data exploration: Companies can do a deep dive product data with powerful analysis tools and customizable charts.

Why do users like Amplitude Analytics?

What are some limitations of Amplitude Analytics?

  • Needs more accessible training materials: Amplitude Analytics lacks sufficient training resources and many users reported having trouble getting up to speed with the platform [See G2 review].
  • Complex to navigate for anything more than basic analysis: The platform's interface can be overwhelming for users that want to perform more advanced analyses. [See G2 review].
  • Split tests aren’t easy to set up: Setting up and managing split tests in Amplitude can be complicated and not as straightforward as in some other analytics tools [See G2 review].

Who is Amplitude Analytics a good fit for?

  • Companies that need cross-functional collaboration and custom analytics: Companies can leverage Amplitude's ability to support cross-functional teams, such as sales, marketing, product development, and customer success.
  • Startups looking for basic analytics features: Amplitude Analytics can be a good solution if you’re an early-stage startup that only needs basic analytics.
  • Marketing teams aiming to personalize user experiences: It’s highly suitable for marketing teams that want to create personalized experiences based on user behavior.

Pricing

Amplitude Analytics offers the following pricing plans:

  • Free: Free plan with limited features, mainly designed for early startups.
  • Plus: Starts at $49 per month, comes with additional analytics features, CDP, and session replays.
  • Growth: Custom quote
  • Enterprise: Custom quote

12. Adobe Analytics

Adobe Analytics is well-established analytics software that helps modern organizations measure and analyze customer interactions across websites, mobile apps, and other digital channels.

Key features

  • Web analytics: Adobe Analytics excels at monitoring and analyzing website traffic, visitor behavior, and conversions. 
  • Mobile app analytics: You can use Adobe Analytics to measure and optimize user engagement within mobile apps.
  • Marketing analytics: Companies can keep a close eye and evaluates the performance of marketing campaigns across different channels.
  • Attribution: Adobe makes it easy to attribute conversions and revenue to specific marketing touchpoints.
  • Customizable reports and dashboards: To better understand key metrics and indicators, you can personalize your reports and dashboards with different visuals and widgets.
  • Predictive analytics: Adobe Analytics also includes machine learning algorithms to help your business predict future trends and customer behavior.

Why do users like Adobe Analytics?

What are some limitations of Adobe Analytics?

  • A bit unintuitive compared to Google Analytics: Adobe Analytics has a learning curve and a more complex interface compared to Google Analytics [See G2 review].
  • Customer support can take longer to respond: Users report about often delays in receiving assistance from Adobe Analytics' customer support [See G2 review].
  • Analytics features are slow and clunky: Some of Adobe Analytics' analytics features are reported to be slow and cumbersome [See G2 review].

Who is Adobe Analytics a good fit for?

  • Large enterprises that manage complex data sets: Adobe Analytics is ideal for large organizations that need to handle large amounts of data from multiple sources due to advanced features like predictive analytics, deep segmentation, and custom metrics.
  • Businesses focused on omnichannel marketing: It’s also particularly suited for companies that integrate data from both online and offline sources to get a more comprehensive view of customer interactions in channels.
  • Organizations that need robust integration capabilities: Adobe Analytics is great for businesses that need to integrate analytics with other Adobe Experience Cloud products and third-party tools.

Pricing

The Select package includes basic analytics features and is suitable for companies that only need fundamental analytics.

The Prime package adds more advanced features such as anomaly detection and audience segmentation.

The Ultimate package provides the most extensive analytics capabilities, including AI-powered predictive analytics and detailed customer journey mapping, which are built for enterprises that need more actionable insights.

Pricing is not publicly listed and requires a custom quote, with costs that can start from several thousand dollars per month and potentially exceed $100,000 annually for enterprise-level implementations.

13. Countly

Countly is a popular open-source, product analytics platform that tracks user interactions and offers an all-in-one solution with 70+ features, including real-time analytics, customizable dashboards, and extensive data privacy controls.

Key Features

  • Open-source: Countly has an open-source version, so companies can customize the platform to meet their specific needs without vendor lock-in.
  • Multi-platform tracking: It supports multi-platform tracking, providing analytics for web, mobile, desktop, and IoT applications from a single platform.
  • Event tracking: Countly provides event tracking to monitor user behaviors across products.
  • Funnel analysis: The platform includes funnel analysis tools that help visualize user journeys and spot common drop-offs.
  • User segmentation: Countly includes advanced user segmentation based on behaviors, demographics, or custom criteria.
  • Push notifications: It features push notifications to engage users directly through mobile apps.
  • Crash Reporting: Countly provides crash reporting to monitor app stability and spot issues in real-time as they occur.

Data privacy: The platform comes with robust controls and compliance tools.

Why do users like Countly?

What are some limitations of Countly?

  • Too many graphics components that can slow things down: The platform's extensive use of graphics components can sometimes lead to slower performance [See G2 review].
  • Potential performance issues on private servers: Running Countly on private servers may lead to performance challenges, particularly if the server infrastructure is not properly optimized [See G2 review].
  • Limited multi-filter capabilities: Countly's filtering options are somewhat restricted and can make it difficult to apply multiple filters simultaneously for more granular data analysis [See G2 review].

Who is Countly a good fit for?

  • Businesses focused on data privacy and compliance: Countly is ideal for companies that need to maintain strict data privacy standards and full ownership of their data.
  • Businesses that need a highly customizable analytics platform: It’s well-suited for businesses that need an analytics solution that can be tailored to specific needs through custom plugins and extensive configuration options.
  • Enterprises looking for on-premise analytics solutions: Countly is perfect for large enterprises that prefer on-premise hosting for their analytics tools to maintain greater control over data storage, security, and compliance.

Pricing

Countly offers three main pricing plans:

  • Countly Lite: Free plan designed for smaller teams or those just starting out with analytics. It supports up to 1,000 Monthly Active Users (MAU) and provides access to over 20 analytics features.
  • Countly Flex: A customizable plan that scales based on the number of MAUs and features selected. Pricing for the Flex plan starts at $80 per month for 2,000 MAUs and can go up to $4,300 per month for 160,000 MAUs.
  • Countly Enterprise: Fully customizable analytics solutions for large enterprises, with pricing based on data points rather than MAUs.

14. Snowplow

Snowplow is an open-source behavioral data platform that businesses can use to collect, model, and analyze rich, granular event data from different sources.

Key Features

  • Open-source and customizable: Businesses can customize the analytics tools to meet specific needs without being restricted by predefined settings.
  • Rich event tracking: You can capture detailed behavioral data across web, mobile, and servers.
  • Data modeling: Users can create custom data models to translate basic data into more detailed insights.
  • Data warehousing: The platform supports integration with various data warehouses such as Snowflake, BigQuery, and Redshift.
  • Real-time processing: Businesses get immediate insights from live data streams.
  • Data privacy: The platform prioritizes data privacy with built-in features for pseudonymization and anonymization.

Why do users like Snowplow?

What are some limitations of Snowplow?

  • Documentation is mostly extensive but not for all topics and materials: Snowplow's documentation covers many aspects in detail, but some advanced topics lack the same comprehensive guides [See G2 review].
  • May be hard to understand if you don’t have much technical expertise: The platform requires a certain level of technical know-how [See G2 review].
  • Not very budget-friendly: Snowplow's infrastructure and setup costs can be high, particularly for smaller businesses [See G2 review].

Who is Snowplow a good fit for?

  • Data-driven enterprises with technical expertise: Snowplow is ideal for businesses that have dedicated data engineering teams that can set up granular control over their analytics.
  • Companies looking for scalable analytics solutions: Snowplow is suitable for organizations that expect to scale their data operations significantly.
  • Marketing teams that want advanced attribution models: Snowplow is also great for marketing teams that want more than just basic attribution models. With customizable data collection and data warehouse integration, marketers can build sophisticated, multi-touch attribution models.

Pricing

Snowplow has two main pricing models:

  • Community Edition: This is a free, open-source version that requires users to self-host and manage their own infrastructure, including scaling, upgrades, and maintenance.
  • Snowplow Behavioral Data Platform (BDP): This managed solution starts at $1,500 per month and includes hosting, advanced security, customer success management, 24/7 support, and SLAs for latency and uptime.

HockeyStack — The #1 Google Analytics 4 Alternative

While Google Analytics 4 might be the default choice for many, it's clear that one size doesn't fit all in the world of web analytics.

The alternatives we've analyzed offer some unique advantages compared to GA4 and can completely change how you understand and interact with your data.

But while all these tools have their strengths, HockeyStack stands out as the best alternative to GA4.

Unlike most GA4 alternatives, HockeyStack is fully customizable, quick to set up, doesn’t rely on cookies, has executive-level reporting, and combines attribution models and lift reports to validate attribution.

It works as a complete solution that combines all of this in one sleek package.

So, why settle for less when you can have more? Give HockeyStack a try and see the difference for yourself. Your data (and your sanity) will thank you.

WRITTEN BY
Emir Atlı
CRO at HockeyStack
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