Google Analytics 4
Free web and app analytics platform with event-based tracking, cross-platform measurement, and BigQuery integration. The default analytics tool for most web properties.
Overview
| Category | Analytics |
| Ecosystem | gcp |
| Compliance | GDPR |
| Self-Hostable | No |
| On-Prem | No |
| Best For | hobby, startup, growth |
| Last Verified | 2026-02-18 |
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths:- cost
- reliability
- Complex migration from Universal Analytics
- Data sampling on free tier at high volumes
- Privacy concerns — data used for Google ad targeting
- Limited real-time capabilities
When to Use
Best when:- Basic web analytics on a budget
- Already in Google ecosystem (Ads, BigQuery)
- Need cross-platform web + app measurement
- Need privacy-first analytics
- GDPR-strict environment without consent management
- Need raw event-level data without sampling