Tradly MemoryGoogle Analytics alternatives
GA4 is free. The cost is in the catch.
Google Analytics measures a lot and shares even more — consent banners, data sharing, and complexity now outweigh its convenience for many teams. Here are the alternatives, honestly compared.
The shortlist
The main free Google Analytics alternatives
Each is a real GA4 alternative. The right one depends on what you need: counts, recordings, or intent.
| Alternative | Model | Best for | The gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plausible / Fathom | Cookieless SaaS | Simple, private counts | No per-visitor intent |
| Umami / Matomo | Self-hosted | Full data ownership | You run the infrastructure |
| Simple Analytics | Cookieless SaaS | Minimal privacy purists | Deliberately shallow |
| Microsoft Clarity | Free SaaS | Session replay & heatmaps | Diagnosis only, no recovery |
| PostHog | Self-host / cloud | Product analytics & flags | Operations + event taxonomy |
| Tradly Memory (free to start) | Privacy-first SaaS | Intent, memory, recommendations | Ramp as behavior accumulates |
The decision
What you're actually choosing
Every GA4 alternative trades something. The trade you shouldn't make is depth for simplicity: a tool that only counts visits can't tell you who's about to buy, what to recommend, or what your agents should know.
Counts are table stakes
Page views, sources, and devices are available everywhere for free. The differentiator is what happens after the count.
Intent is the unlock
Funnels, forms, clicks, and return-visit memory turn analytics from a report into a revenue motion — and it's the layer most GA4 alternatives don't have.
Migration
Switching without losing the numbers
Move in parallel: install the new pixel alongside GA4, run both for a few weeks, and reconcile the funnels you care about. Bot and AI-crawler filtering means your new numbers are likely cleaner than GA4's — expect a difference, not an error.
Leave GA4. Keep the signal — and add intent.
A free-to-start alternative with funnels, memory, and recommendations. No consent banners, no data sharing.
Install the pixel