google-analytics-4 vs plausible
Google Analytics 4 vs Plausible — features, pricing, and which to choose for your SEO workflow in 2026.
Quick Verdict
Google Analytics 4 and Plausible represent two fundamentally different approaches to web analytics. GA4 offers Google's comprehensive, AI-powered tracking ecosystem that integrates smoothly with other Google tools, while Plausible focuses on privacy-first analytics with a clean, cookie-free approach that complies with GDPR by default.
The choice between them isn't just about features—it's about your stance on data privacy, complexity tolerance, and whether you need Google's extensive tracking capabilities or prefer Plausible's streamlined approach to essential metrics.
Feature Comparison
Google Analytics 4 delivers enterprise-grade analytics with event-based tracking, custom dimensions, audience segmentation, conversion funnels, and predictive AI insights. You get detailed user journey mapping, cross-platform attribution, and integration with Google Ads, Search Console, and BigQuery. GA4's machine learning automatically identifies trends and anomalies in your traffic data. Plausible strips analytics down to what actually matters for most websites: page views, unique visitors, top pages, referrers, and goal conversions. It loads in under 1KB, doesn't slow down your site, and provides a single dashboard that shows everything at a glance. While it lacks GA4's advanced segmentation and custom reporting, it includes all the core SEO metrics you need—organic search traffic, bounce rates, and conversion tracking—without the complexity. The privacy difference is stark: GA4 collects extensive user data and requires cookie banners in most regions, while Plausible doesn't use cookies, doesn't track individual users, and doesn't require consent banners under GDPR.
Pricing Comparison
Google Analytics 4 is free for most websites, with paid Analytics 360 starting at $50,000+ annually for enterprise features like unsampled reports and data freshness guarantees. For small to medium businesses, GA4's free tier provides more features than most teams will ever use. Plausible starts at $9/month for up to 10,000 monthly page views, scaling to $19/month for 100,000 page views and $39/month for 200,000 page views. While you're paying for something GA4 gives away free, you're buying simplicity, privacy compliance, and a tool that won't overwhelm your team with unnecessary complexity.
Best For
Google Analytics 4 is the better choice when you need comprehensive user behavior analysis, advanced segmentation, integration with Google's advertising ecosystem, or detailed conversion attribution across multiple channels. If you're running paid campaigns, have complex funnels, or need to prove ROI with detailed user journey data, GA4's depth is unmatched. Plausible works better for content sites, small businesses, or anyone who wants clean analytics without privacy concerns. If you just need to know which pages perform well, where traffic comes from, and basic conversion tracking—all while maintaining visitor privacy—Plausible delivers exactly what you need without the learning curve.
The Verdict
Choose Google Analytics 4 if you need comprehensive data and can handle the complexity. Despite privacy concerns and its steep learning curve, GA4 remains the most powerful free analytics tool available, especially for businesses running paid advertising or requiring detailed user behavior insights. Choose Plausible if you value simplicity, privacy, and want analytics that actually get used by your team rather than ignored due to overwhelming complexity.