What Google Analytics does well
- Extremely deep reporting and attribution
- Free for most sites
- Ties into Google Ads and Search Console
- Familiar to marketers and agencies
Google Analytics Alternative: Web Analytics
Google Analytics is complicated, cookies your visitors, and shares data you can't see. Web Analytics is privacy-first, cookie-less, and self-hosted, giving you the numbers that matter for $29/mo.
No contract · 30-day refund · Cookie-less
Side by side
Web Analytics on Last Hour vs Google Analytics
Both measure traffic. The differences are privacy, complexity, and who owns the data.
| Web Analytics on Last Hour | Google Analytics | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | $29/mo flat | Free tier, paid tiers for scale |
| Cookies | ✓ None | Uses cookies and identifiers |
| Personal data collected | None | Extensive |
| Data ownership | Your server, your database | Google's cloud |
| Consent banner needed | Usually not | Usually yes |
| Ease of use | Simple, single dashboard | Complex, GA4 learning curve |
| Custom events | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Free migration / setup | ✓ We install the script | Self-serve tag setup |
Straight talk
Where each one wins
Where Google Analytics may still be the better fit
- You need advanced attribution and audience modeling
- Your marketing team lives in GA4 reports
- You run paid campaigns tied into Google Ads
- You don't mind cookies and a consent banner
Our honest take: if you need deep marketing attribution, GA4 is built for that. If you just want clean traffic numbers, no cookie banner, and data you own, web analytics on our hosting is the honest choice.
Making the move
How to switch from Google Analytics
Moving from Google Analytics to Managed web analytics on Last Hour Hosting is a guided process. Here is what it looks like, step by step.
Step 1
Export your historical reports from Google Analytics if you need to keep them for records.
Step 2
We deploy web analytics on your server and hand you the tracking script for your site.
Step 3
Replace the Google Analytics tag with the web analytics script across your pages.
Step 4
Watch data start flowing into your own dashboard and confirm events track correctly.
The upside
Why Managed Web Analytics is a strong Google Analytics alternative
- Web Analytics is open source and self-hosted, so visitor data sits on your server instead of feeding Google's advertising systems.
- It is lightweight and cookie-free by default, which keeps pages fast and simplifies privacy compliance for your visitors.
- You get a clean, readable dashboard without the complexity and sampling that frustrate people in Google Analytics.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a cookie consent banner with web analytics?
Web Analytics is cookie-less and does not collect personal data or track users across sites, which is why many sites run it without a consent banner. Check with your own counsel for your jurisdiction.
Can web analytics show me the same metrics as Google Analytics?
Web Analytics shows pageviews, visitors, referrers, top pages, devices, countries, and custom events. It is simpler than GA4 by design, covering what most small sites actually use.
Can I import my Google Analytics history?
You can keep your GA account for historical reference and start clean in web analytics. We install the web analytics script on your site so new data starts flowing immediately.
Will I lose my historical Google Analytics data?
Web Analytics starts collecting from install day, so past data stays in Google Analytics. If you need the history, export the reports before you switch, or keep a read-only Google Analytics property alongside web analytics during the transition.
Does web analytics track the e-commerce and conversion events I need?
Yes. Web Analytics supports custom events and goal tracking, so you can capture signups, purchases, and button clicks. We help you set up the events that matter for your site during setup.