Analytics
GA4 vs Plausible
Use GA4 if you run paid ads and need conversion data flowing back to Google, or if you need to segment deeply. Use Plausible if you look at analytics weekly to answer 'what's growing' and want a page everyone on the team can read without training.
- No affiliate links
- Public pricing only
- Updated by hand
GA4 replaced Universal Analytics in July 2023 and the complaints have not gone away: an event-based model that confuses people used to sessions, a reporting interface with too many clicks, and sampling on larger properties.
Plausible went the other way — one page, a handful of numbers, no cookies, and an open-source codebase you can self-host. You give up custom funnels and audience segments in exchange for actually looking at your numbers.
Side by side
Google Analytics 4 and Plausible in short.
Google Analytics 4
Google's free, event-based analytics with deep integration into Ads and BigQuery.
- Free
- Free for standard use; Analytics 360 is enterprise-priced.
- Paid from
- $0
Good at
- Free, and integrated with Google Ads for conversion import and bidding
- Free BigQuery export, so you own the raw event data
- Segments, explorations and attribution modelling you can't get elsewhere for nothing
Weak at
- Steep learning curve and a reporting UI most people avoid
- Requires a cookie banner in the EU and UK, which suppresses data
- Data thresholding and sampling can hide small numbers
Plausible
Lightweight, cookieless, open-source web analytics hosted in the EU.
- Free
- 30-day trial; self-hosting is free under an open-source licence.
- Paid from
- From around $9/month at low traffic
Good at
- One dashboard anyone can read; no training needed
- Cookieless by design, so no consent banner needed in most EU setups
- Script is roughly 1KB, which barely touches page speed
Weak at
- No deep segmentation or user-level journeys
- Paid, and priced by pageviews
The differences
Where they actually diverge.
Pick one
Which one fits you.
Choose Google Analytics 4 if
- You spend money on Google Ads and need conversions imported
- Someone on the team will actually learn explorations
- You want raw event data in BigQuery for nothing
Choose Plausible if
- You want the team to look at numbers weekly without a manual
- Consent banners are hurting your data or your conversion rate
- Page speed and privacy are part of your positioning
When neither is the answer
Plenty of teams run both: Plausible as the daily dashboard, GA4 in the background for ad conversion tracking. The scripts don't conflict.
Questions
Common questions.
Is Plausible GDPR compliant without a banner?
Plausible sets no cookies and does not collect personal data, and publishes a legal assessment supporting consent-free use. It's still worth checking with whoever handles your privacy policy, because national regulators differ.
Why do my Plausible and GA4 numbers differ?
Almost always consent and blocking. GA4 loses visitors who decline the banner or run ad blockers that target Google domains. Plausible typically reports higher pageviews for the same site.
Prices are list prices published by each vendor and change often — check the linked pricing pages before you buy. We take no affiliate commission and nobody pays to appear here.
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