Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the latest generation of Google's analytics platform, replacing Universal Analytics. It uses an event-based data model, offers cross-platform tracking (web + app), and integrates deeply with Google Ads, BigQuery, and Looker Studio — making it the baseline analytics layer for virtually every marketing and RevOps team.
Product Overview
GA4's event-based model means every interaction — page views, clicks, form submissions, purchases — is tracked as a flexible event with custom parameters, replacing the older session-based hit types. Its machine learning-powered insights surface anomalies, predict churn probability, and identify high-value audiences automatically. The native BigQuery export (free for all accounts) lets data teams query raw event data directly in SQL, while the Looker Studio connector enables custom reporting at scale.
Key Features
- Event-Based Data Model: Every interaction is an event with custom parameters — flexible enough to track any user action across web and app.
- Predictive Audiences: ML-generated audiences based on predicted purchase probability, churn likelihood, and predicted revenue.
- Cross-Platform Tracking: Unified tracking across websites, iOS apps, and Android apps with stitched user journeys.
- BigQuery Export: Free daily export of raw event data to BigQuery for SQL analysis and custom data modelling.
- Exploration Reports: Ad-hoc analysis workspace with funnel exploration, path analysis, cohort analysis, and segment overlap.
Best For
Any team running a website or app that needs free, powerful analytics with a Google ecosystem connection — from early-stage startups to large enterprises.
Pricing
Free for standard use. Google Analytics 360 (enterprise) starts at $50,000/year and offers higher hit limits, SLAs, and advanced attribution.
Key Integrations
Google Ads, Google Search Console, BigQuery, Looker Studio, Salesforce, HubSpot, Zapier
Pros
- Free and extremely capable
- Best-in-class Google Ads integration
- Raw data export to BigQuery
- Enormous community and documentation
Cons
- Steep learning curve vs. GA3
- Data sampling in standard interface on large datasets
- Privacy concerns and cookie consent complexity
- 30% data loss without server-side tracking
