Best Google Analytics Alternatives for Small Business (2026)

TL;DR: The best Google Analytics alternative depends on whether you want to replace GA4 entirely or keep it running while using something simpler day-to-day. Replacement tools like Plausible ($9/mo), Fathom ($15/mo), and Simple Analytics ($15/mo) require new tracking code and give up Google Ads integration. Companion tools like Groupmail Analytics ($15/mo) connect to your existing GA4 data — no code changes, no lost history, no broken Google Ads. For small businesses running Google Ads, the companion approach is the practical choice. This guide covers both.

Disclosure: One of the tools reviewed below, Groupmail Analytics, is our product. We've included honest assessments of what every tool does and doesn't do — including ours.

Why are small businesses looking for GA4 alternatives?

Google Analytics 4 has over 290 metrics, a reporting interface that even experienced marketers find overwhelming, and a learning curve that assumes a data science background. A survey by Search Engine Roundtable found that over 75% of SEO professionals were unhappy with GA4. MarketingProfs reported that marketers describe it as "horrible," "too complex," and a "tremendous downgrade" from Universal Analytics — more than two years after launch.

For small business owners, the problems are specific.

GA4 is built for enterprise teams, not small businesses. Its event-based data model, custom explorations, and DebugView workflows assume a dedicated analytics person is on staff. Most small businesses don't have one — they just want to know if more people visited this week than last.

The interface buries basic information. Seeing where traffic comes from requires navigating through Reports → Life cycle → Acquisition → Traffic acquisition → choosing "Session default channel group" from the dimension dropdown → then scrolling through a data table with 15+ columns. That's four clicks, a dropdown selection, and a scroll to answer the simplest question about a website.

Conversion tracking requires developer setup. GA4 collects events automatically (page views, scrolls, clicks), but turning those into meaningful conversion tracking typically requires Google Tag Manager configuration, custom event parameters, and developer time. Heatmap.com estimates this costs $3,000–5,000 for a small business. The events need to exist in GA4 before any tool can report on them. The difference is what happens next: GA4 requires building custom reports to make sense of them, while a companion tool like Groupmail Analytics lets you pick from your existing GA4 events in a dropdown — 30 seconds instead of 30 hours in Google Tag Manager.

💡 Tip: Before evaluating any analytics tool, write down what you actually check (or wish you could check) each week. For most small businesses: where visitors come from, which pages get traffic, and whether the numbers are going up or down. If that's your list, you don't need 290 metrics.

Replacement vs. companion: two different approaches

Here's what most "GA4 alternatives" articles don't mention: every tool they recommend requires completely abandoning Google Analytics. A new tracking script gets installed, data collection starts from scratch, and everything GA4 provided disappears from daily view.

For some businesses, that's fine. For many, it's not — and here's why.

Google Ads needs GA4. Businesses running Google Ads rely on GA4 data flowing into their Google Ads account for conversion tracking, audience building, remarketing lists, and Smart Bidding optimization. Switch to Plausible or Fathom, and that connection breaks. You'd need to reconfigure conversion tracking through Google's global site tag directly — extra complexity, not less.

Historical data disappears from daily use. Replacement tools start fresh from the day they're installed. Months or years of GA4 data? Still in Google's system, but now requires logging into GA4 separately to see it. Two dashboards instead of one — the exact problem you were trying to solve.

Someone else set up the GA4. A developer or agency installed Google Analytics on the site, possibly years ago. The business owner doesn't want to touch that code — just wants a better way to read what it's already collecting. Replacement tools require adding new JavaScript to every page, which means either getting a developer involved or risking breaking something.

This is why a second category exists — tools that don't replace GA4, but sit on top of it. They connect to existing GA4 data through Google's official API using read-only access. Tracking code stays untouched. Google Ads keeps working. History is preserved. The business just gets a simpler way to see it all.

Quick comparison: 8 GA4 alternatives at a glance

GA4 companion tools

These tools don't replace GA4 — they connect to existing Google Analytics data and present it more simply. Tracking code, Google Ads integration, and historical data remain completely untouched.

Groupmail Analytics — best for small businesses who can't leave GA4

Groupmail Analytics was built for a specific situation: GA4 is installed, probably needed for Google Ads, but nobody opens it because the interface is overwhelming. Instead of replacing GA4, it connects to existing data through Google's official read-only API and shows 15 key metrics on one page.

What's great: Setup takes 30 seconds — sign in with Google, pick the website, done. No tracking code, no developer. GA4 data appears immediately because it's reading what already exists. A dedicated Email tab shows which email campaigns drive traffic and conversions — no other simple analytics tool offers this. Conversion tracking works by picking from existing GA4 events in a dropdown during setup — no Google Tag Manager needed. AI traffic from ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and other AI search engines is automatically categorized as its own source. Your visitor data is never stored permanently on our servers — it passes through via Google's API and is cached briefly for performance, then replaced on the next request.

Coming soon: Google Search Console integration will combine "what happened" (GA4 traffic data) with "why it happened" (which search queries bring visitors). Uptime monitoring will catch site problems before they show up as traffic drops.

What's missing: The product shows GA4 data through a simpler lens, so it's limited to what GA4 collects. If GA4 has data quality issues (sampling, bot traffic), those carry through. The focus is 15 core metrics — businesses needing GA4's full 290+ for deep analysis would still use GA4 for that. Currently only the Starter plan is available, with Pro and Agency coming later.

What it doesn't do: It doesn't collect its own data. It doesn't replace GA4. It doesn't provide heatmaps or session recordings. It's a dashboard that makes existing GA4 data readable.

Pricing: $15/mo for up to 100K pageviews (Starter). Founding members get 50% off the first year.

Key Takeaway: Groupmail Analytics fills a gap no replacement tool can: making GA4 data readable without touching the GA4 setup that Google Ads depends on.

DashThis — best for agencies building client reports

DashThis is a reporting tool that pulls data from GA4 (and dozens of other sources) into customizable dashboards. It's not a simplified analytics dashboard for daily use — it's a report builder designed for agencies presenting data to clients.

What's great: Connects to 34+ data sources including GA4, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and Search Console. White-label reports with custom branding. Automated email delivery. 30% nonprofit discount.

What's missing: A reporting tool, not a daily dashboard. Starting at $49/mo for just 3 dashboards, it's priced for agencies, not individual small business owners. The interface is about building reports, not getting quick daily insights.

Pricing: From $49/mo (Individual, 3 dashboards) to $739/mo (Enterprise). 15-day free trial.

GA4 replacement tools

These tools replace Google Analytics entirely. They install their own tracking script, collect data independently, and GA4 becomes optional.

What you give up by replacing GA4

Before looking at individual tools, every replacement requires accepting these trade-offs:

You lose your historical data for daily use. Years of GA4 data don't disappear — it stays in Google's system. But accessing it means logging into GA4's complex interface, which is the thing you were trying to avoid. Running two dashboards long-term defeats the purpose.

Google Ads integration breaks. GA4 feeds conversion data, audience lists, and remarketing signals to Google Ads. Remove GA4, and you need to reconfigure conversion tracking through Google's global site tag — which requires developer help and careful testing to avoid disrupting active campaigns.

You need a developer for setup. Every replacement tool requires adding a new JavaScript tracking snippet to your website. WordPress has plugins for most. Custom sites, Shopify, or Squarespace need someone to edit the template. This is the exact kind of task that made GA4 frustrating.

With those trade-offs understood, here are the best options:

Plausible — best for privacy-first websites

Plausible is a lightweight, open-source analytics tool built in the EU. Its tracking script is under 1KB (compared to GA4's ~45KB), which means faster page loads. Cookieless by default and fully GDPR compliant without consent banners. Used by over 16,000 paying subscribers including organizations like the Harvard University and the Rails Foundation.

What's great: A single-page dashboard shows visitors, sources, top pages, and countries at a glance. Google Search Console integration shows search keywords alongside traffic data. AI traffic detection identifies visits from ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude. Scroll depth tracking is built in. Goals and funnels provide basic conversion tracking. Open source, so you can self-host if you prefer.

What's missing: No email campaign breakdown beyond basic UTM tracking. No Google Ads integration — running paid campaigns means managing conversion tracking separately. Pricing is based on pageviews: the $9/mo Starter plan covers only 10,000 pageviews and is limited to 50 sites and basic features. The Growth plan at $19/mo adds more capacity but costs still rise quickly for content sites. A new Business plan adds funnels and ecommerce revenue tracking at higher pricing.

Pricing: Starter from $9/mo (10K pageviews). Growth from $19/mo. Business plan at higher tiers. 30-day free trial.

Fathom — best for managing multiple sites

Fathom focuses on speed and simplicity. Its dashboard loads near-instantly, and switching between up to 50 sites is seamless — making it particularly good for business owners managing several properties.

What's great: Clean interface, fast loading, strong privacy stance. All plans include unlimited data retention and up to 50 sites. EU-isolated data processing available. No free plan — but no discounts or sales either, which means predictable pricing.

What's missing: No email tracking beyond UTMs. No Google Ads integration. No way to keep existing GA4 history accessible. The dashboard is deliberately minimal, which means power users may feel constrained. No free tier — the $15/mo entry price includes 100K pageviews but the 7-day trial is shorter than competitors.

Pricing: From $15/mo (100K pageviews, up to 50 sites). 7-day free trial.

Simple Analytics — best for absolute beginners

Simple Analytics lives up to its name. Of all the privacy-focused tools, it has the most approachable interface — plain language, clean charts, minimal jargon. It collects no personal data whatsoever (not even anonymized IPs), making it arguably the most privacy-friendly analytics tool available.

What's great: Human-readable dashboard. 100% cookieless and GDPR compliant. No consent banners required. Free plan available (limited to 30 days of data history). AI traffic detection is supported.

What's missing: The extreme simplicity means fewer features. No Google Ads integration, no dedicated email tracking. The free plan's 30-day data retention limit means you lose historical context quickly. Paid plans start higher than they used to.

Pricing: Free plan (30-day history, 5 sites). Simple plan from $15/mo (10 sites, 3 years retention). Team plan from $40/mo. 14-day trial on all paid plans.

Matomo — best for data ownership and self-hosting

Matomo (formerly Piwik) is the most feature-rich GA4 alternative. Open source, self-hostable for complete data ownership, and offers heatmaps, session recordings, and A/B testing that other simple tools don't.

What's great: The closest feature-for-feature replacement for GA4. Self-hosting means data never leaves your own servers. Used by the European Commission and the United Nations. Includes search keyword tracking from Bing, Yahoo, and Google. GDPR compliant with a built-in GDPR Manager.

What's missing: The complexity that comes with comprehensiveness. Self-hosting requires server management — either developer time or paying for cloud hosting. The cloud version starts at €23/mo for 50,000 hits, but premium features like heatmaps cost extra (€19–499/year). Not the "simple alternative" most small businesses are looking for — it's closer to replacing GA4's complexity with different complexity.

Pricing: Free (self-hosted, requires server). Cloud from €23/mo (~$25/mo) for 50K hits. Nonprofit discount available on request.

Clicky — best for real-time monitoring

Clicky has been around since 2007 and focuses on real-time analytics. It includes heatmaps on paid plans — a feature most simple analytics tools don't offer.

What's great: True real-time data with individual visitor tracking. Heatmaps on Pro plans. Established track record (18+ years). Straightforward interface.

What's missing: The interface feels dated compared to Plausible or Fathom. No Google Ads integration. Pricing based on daily pageview averages, which can be confusing.

Pricing: Free (one site, 3K daily views). Pro from $10/mo for 30K daily views.

Statcounter — basic traffic stats

Statcounter is one of the oldest web analytics tools still operating (since 1999). It provides basic visitor stats, traffic sources, and recent visitor activity. Notably, it includes some Google Ads integration through its own conversion tracking system.

What's great: Long track record, simple setup. Free plan available. Partial Google Ads support.

What's missing: Limited features compared to modern alternatives. The interface hasn't kept pace. No AI traffic detection. No dedicated email tracking.

Pricing: Free (basic). Premium from €16/mo (~$17/mo).

Which approach is right for you?

The decision comes down to one question: can you stop using GA4 entirely?

Choose a replacement tool (Plausible, Fathom, Simple Analytics) if:

• You don't run Google Ads
• You don't need GA4 historical data for daily decisions
• Privacy compliance (GDPR, CCPA) is your primary concern
• You have a developer who can install new tracking code
• You want a complete break from Google's ecosystem

Choose a companion tool (Groupmail Analytics) if:

• You run Google Ads and need GA4 feeding conversion data
• A developer set up GA4 and you don't want to touch the code
• You want historical data accessible without logging into GA4
• The main problem is the GA4 interface, not GA4 itself
• You want email campaign results in one simple view
• You want visitor data to stay in your GA4 account

Choose a full reporting tool (DashThis) if:

• You're an agency managing multiple client accounts
• You need to combine GA4 with Google Ads, social media, and SEO data
• You need white-label, client-facing reports

For most small businesses running Google Ads, the companion approach is the practical choice — a dashboard that gets opened every morning, Google Ads that keep working, and zero code to touch. For businesses with no ties to Google's advertising ecosystem, Plausible or Fathom are excellent standalone tools.

⚠️ Watch out: Some "GA4 alternative" articles only list replacement tools. If you run Google Ads, check whether any tool they recommend keeps your GA4 conversion data flowing — most don't.

FAQ

Can I use a simpler analytics tool and still keep Google Ads running?

Yes — but only if the tool connects to existing GA4 data rather than replacing it. Replacement tools like Plausible and Fathom collect their own data independently, which means Google Ads loses its GA4 connection for conversion tracking and audience building. Companion tools like Groupmail Analytics read existing GA4 data without changing anything, so Google Ads continues working normally.

Do I need a developer to switch from GA4?

For replacement tools: typically yes. A new JavaScript tracking snippet needs to be added to your website. Most have WordPress plugins that simplify this. For a companion tool like Groupmail Analytics: no developer needed — sign in with a Google account and the connection happens automatically in about 30 seconds.

Will I lose my historical data if I switch?

With replacement tools, yes — for daily use. They start collecting from installation day. Old GA4 data stays in Google's system but requires logging into the complex interface you were trying to leave. With a companion tool: no — because it reads existing GA4 data, the full history is available immediately.

Is $15/month worth it when GA4 is free?

GA4 itself is free, but the real cost is time. Spending 15 minutes confused in GA4 on every visit — or avoiding it altogether because the interface is overwhelming — adds up. A $15/month tool that shows everything on one page in 30 seconds pays for itself in the first week. The question isn't whether GA4 is free — it's whether anyone actually uses it.

Does Groupmail Analytics store my website visitor data?

No. Groupmail Analytics connects to your GA4 account through Google's official read-only API. Visitor data passes through to your dashboard and is cached briefly for performance (aggregated metrics only — never individual visitor records), then replaced on the next request. We never store visitor information permanently. Your data stays in your Google Analytics account.

Groupmail Analytics connects to existing GA4 data in 30 seconds. No code changes. No lost history. No broken Google Ads. Start your free trial →