Comparison
GA4 is free — but you pay with your visitors' data, a 45 KB page-load penalty, and hours of GDPR compliance work every year. Here's how we compare feature by feature.
| Feature |
|
Google Analytics |
|---|---|---|
| Tracker script size | ✓ 2 KB (async) | ~45 KB (render-blocking) |
| Cookie consent required | ✓ No — cookie-free | Yes (GDPR requires it) |
| Data shared with Google | ✓ Never | Yes — ad network & ML models |
| IP address stored | ✓ No — geo derived only | Yes (anonymised opt-in) |
| Data sampling | ✓ Never — 100% of hits | Yes on high-traffic free plan |
| Session-level page paths | Yes — full history | Yes |
| Real-time dashboard | Yes | Yes |
| Custom events | Yes | Yes |
| Conversion goals & funnels | Yes (Pro) | Yes |
| Visitor journey timeline | ✓ Yes | Not at session level |
| Uptime monitoring | ✓ Yes (Pro) | No |
| Google Ads integration | ✗ No | Yes (native) |
| BigQuery export | ✗ No | Yes (GA360 / free) |
| GDPR-compliant by default | ✓ Yes | Requires configuration |
| Pricing | Free + $14.99/mo Pro | Free (with data trade-offs) |
Our verdict
GA4 is the right choice if you need deep attribution modelling, ad-audience integration, or BigQuery exports. Web Analyzer App is the right choice if you value visitor privacy, a simple dashboard, and analytics that work without a cookie banner.
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