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: Umami Analytics
Google Analytics is complicated, cookies your visitors, and shares data you can't see. Umami 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
Umami on Last Hour vs Google Analytics
Both measure traffic. The differences are privacy, complexity, and who owns the data.
| Umami 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, Umami on our hosting is the honest choice.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a cookie consent banner with Umami?
Umami 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 Umami show me the same metrics as Google Analytics?
Umami 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You can keep your GA account for historical reference and start clean in Umami. We install the Umami script on your site so new data starts flowing immediately.