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Software · head to head

Google Analytics vs Plausible

Google Analytics logo

Google Analytics

Software

Get to know your customers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Plausible logo

Plausible

Software

Simple, privacy-friendly analytics

From
$9/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Google Analytics has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Google Analytics data retention limited to maximum 26 months on standard properties, with automatic deletion after retention period expires; Plausible there is no free tier, only a 30 day trial
  • They diverge on capability: Google Analytics covers Audience insights, Plausible covers Page view tracking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Google Analytics and Plausible actually diverge.

Attributes where Google Analytics and Plausible differ
AttributeGoogle AnalyticsPlausible
Starting priceFree$9/month
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
Founded19982018

Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Google Analytics

  • Audience insights
  • Acquisition tracking
  • Behavior flow
  • Conversion tracking
  • Custom reports
  • Mobile analytics
  • E-commerce tracking
  • Google Ads

Only in Plausible

  • Page view tracking
  • Goal tracking
  • Outbound link click tracking
  • Privacy-focused
  • No cookies
  • Cloud deployment
  • Web support
  • 20+ languages language support

Both cover

  • Real-time analytics

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Google Analytics

  • Website and web application analyticsnot Plausible
  • Event tracking and user behaviour analysisnot Plausible
  • Traffic source and conversion trackingnot Plausible

Plausible

  • Privacy-focused web analytics without cookies or personal datanot Google Analytics
  • A Google Analytics replacement that needs no consent bannernot Google Analytics
  • Self-hosted analytics on your own infrastructurenot Google Analytics
  • EU-hosted measurement for data residency requirementsnot Google Analytics

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Google Analytics

  • Data retention limited to maximum 26 months on standard properties, with automatic deletion after retention period expires
  • Large and XL properties capped at 2-month data retention only
  • Age, gender, and interest data always expire after 2 months regardless of retention settings
  • Free tier does not include GA360 advanced features

Plausible

  • There is no free tier, only a 30 day trial
  • Paid plans are metered on monthly pageviews, so a traffic spike moves you up a plan
  • Self-hosting is possible but means running and updating the service yourself
  • Deliberately simple, so there are no user-level profiles or funnel-by-individual reports the way a cookie-based analytics tool provides

Pricing, plan by plan

Google Analytics

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Google Analytics review.

Plausible

$9/month
  • Starter$9/month
    • Up to 10k monthly page views
    • 30 days retention
    • Basic analytics

Which should you pick?

Choose Google Analytics if

  • You need audience insights.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want acquisition tracking.
Google Analytics review

Choose Plausible if

  • You need page view tracking.
  • You also want goal tracking.
Plausible review

Questions people ask

Is Google Analytics or Plausible better?
Neither clearly leads. Google Analytics starts at Free and Plausible at $9/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Google Analytics or Plausible?
Google Analytics has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Google Analytics and $9/month for Plausible.
Does Google Analytics or Plausible run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Google Analytics for free?
Yes. Google Analytics has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Plausible starts at $9/month.
What is Google Analytics best used for?
Google Analytics is most often used for website and web application analytics, event tracking and user behaviour analysis, traffic source and conversion tracking. Of those, website and web application analytics and event tracking and user behaviour analysis are not what Plausible is typically brought in for.
What can Google Analytics do that Plausible cannot?
Google Analytics covers Audience insights, Acquisition tracking, Behavior flow, Conversion tracking. Plausible covers Page view tracking, Goal tracking, Outbound link click tracking, Privacy-focused. Both handle Real-time analytics.
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Related pages

More on Google Analytics

More on Plausible

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