So, you run a website. Maybe it’s a blog, maybe an online store, or even a portfolio. Whatever it is, you want to know how people are using it. Are they visiting your homepage? Clicking your buttons? Reading your content? That’s where analytics come in.
Two of the biggest names you’ll hear in the analytics world today are Google Analytics 4 (GA4) and Plausible Analytics. Both help you track what visitors do on your site. But they’re very different in how they collect data, protect privacy, and cost you money (or don’t).
Let’s break it down in a way that’s simple, fun, and easy to get. Buckle up!
💫 The Basics
GA4 is the latest version of Google Analytics. It’s powerful, super customizable, and lets you dig deep into user behavior. But it’s also kind of confusing. And maybe a little bit… creepy?
Plausible Analytics, on the other hand, is a lightweight, privacy-first tool. It’s open source and built in Europe, with privacy laws like GDPR in mind. It focuses on the essentials.
Here’s a quick comparison:
- GA4: Free, complex, tracks a LOT
- Plausible: Paid, simple, tracks just enough
🕵️♀️ Privacy: The Big One
This is where things get spicy. Privacy is a huge deal now. People don’t want to be followed all over the internet anymore.
GA4 and Privacy
GA4 is from Google. And Google makes billions by knowing as much as they can about everyone. GA4 uses cookies and collects detailed user data. Even though Google made some changes to make GA4 more privacy-aware, it still raises eyebrows. If you’re in the EU, you may need cookie banners and a GDPR compliance strategy—just to use GA4.
Plausible and Privacy
Plausible was built for privacy. It doesn’t use cookies at all. It doesn’t collect personal data. And it’s fully GDPR, CCPA, and PECR compliant out of the box. That means you can often skip the cookie banner, which is a big win for user experience.
Want to respect your visitors’ privacy? Plausible is the obvious choice.
🎯 Accuracy: What Do You Really Know?
Here’s a surprise: more data doesn’t always mean better data.
How GA4 Handles Accuracy
GA4 gives you a ton of data. Where people came from. What they clicked. How long they stayed. You can set up complex tracking events and funnels.
But here’s the thing. Because more users are blocking cookies or scripts, a lot of the GA4 data can be… off. Google often has to use modeling — meaning they estimate what users did.
So your numbers might look accurate, but they’re not 100% real. They’re part real, part guesswork.
Plausible and Simplicity
Plausible goes for simplicity. It only tracks the most important metrics—page views, bounce rate, referral sources, goal completions. No fluff.
Because it doesn’t use cookies or hard-to-track scripts, it often gives a clearer picture of what’s really happening on your site. As long as you’re okay with fewer fancy charts, it’s more than enough.
💸 Cost: What Does It Cost You?
Money, as always, matters. Both tools come with a price, but not in the same way.
GA4 Cost
GA4 is free. That sounds awesome, right?
But here’s the twist: you pay with your data. Not just your visitors’ data—your business data too.
Google uses that information to learn more about behavior, ad effectiveness, and trends. It helps improve their ads platform. So while you’re not paying in dollars, you are giving something up.
Plausible Cost
Plausible is a subscription service. That means you pay a monthly or yearly fee. Their pricing starts around $9/month for smaller sites.
That’s real money. But you get something valuable in return: no tracking, no ads, no privacy headaches. And you own your data.
⚙️ Features: What Can You Actually Do?
With GA4, You Can:
- Track user paths and funnels
- Set up custom conversion goals
- Connect to Google Ads and Search Console
- Build custom dashboards and reports
- Get really nerdy with event tracking
With Plausible, You Can:
- View real-time traffic
- Track simple conversion goals
- See where users come from
- Integrate with popular platforms like WordPress, Ghost, and Shopify
- Send weekly or monthly reports to your inbox
If you’re a data analyst or need deep insights for a big company, GA4 is powerful. But if you’re a blogger, indie developer, small business, or startup? Plausible is more than enough.
🧠 Ease of Use: Learning Curve Time
GA4
Let’s be real. GA4 is hard to learn. The interface is full of buttons, menus, and technical terms. Setting up goals and tracking takes time—and some Googling (maybe a lot).
Plausible
On the flip side, Plausible is super user-friendly. You install a short script on your site, and that’s it. The dashboard is clean and easy to read. You can understand everything in minutes.
No courses, no degrees in analytics, no caffeine-fueled nights needed.
🔄 Open Source vs Black Box
One fun twist? Plausible is open source. That means the code is public. Anyone can inspect it, contribute, or even host their own self-managed version.
GA4 isn’t open source. You use whatever Google gives you. You depend on them for updates, features, and policy changes.
If transparency matters to you, that’s another point for Plausible.
⏳ Future-Proofing
Cookies are dying. It’s official. Browser companies, regulators, and users are pushing back. Google even announced plans to phase out third-party cookies (eventually).
That’s good news for privacy, but it makes some analytics tools less reliable.
Plausible is one step ahead. Since it never used cookies to begin with, it’s already future-proof in a cookie-less world.
GA4 is moving in that direction too, but it’s still tied into ad systems and data modeling. There’s more risk that things will break or require fresh permissions down the line.
🎉 Final Verdict: Which One Is Right For You?
So, GA4 or Plausible? Let’s wrap it up:
- GA4 is best if you need deep data, you’re okay with a steep learning curve, and you’re using it for ad tracking and funnel optimization.
- Plausible is best if you want simplicity, privacy, and quick insights—and you’re willing to pay a small monthly fee for it.
Think of GA4 as the turbo-charged spaceship with lots of buttons. And Plausible is the sleek electric bike. Both get you where you want to go—just in different ways.
In the end, it’s about what matters most to you. Do you want power and complexity? Or simplicity and privacy?
That’s your call. But now, you’re ready to make it like a pro 🤓