Amplitude vs Google Analytics: Which is Better in 2026?
Choosing between Amplitude and Google Analytics? Both are popular analytics tools. Below we compare them on pricing, free tiers, features, and pros & cons so you can pick the right fit for your stack.
Amplitude is for: Product teams who want behavioural analytics with a large free event allowance and a path to experiments and governance.
Google Analytics is for: Sites and apps of any size that want free traffic and conversion reporting tied into Google Ads and BigQuery.
Quick verdict
There’s no single winner; pick on your constraint. Choose Amplitude if you want a free plan with up to 2M events a month. Choose Google Analytics if you want free analytics and are fine with Google processing the data.
Amplitude vs Google Analytics — Side by Side
| Amplitude | Google Analytics | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Analytics | Analytics |
| What it is | Product analytics platform | Hosted web and app analytics |
| What it measures | User behaviour, cohorts, experiments | Traffic, events and conversions |
| Self-hosting | No (hosted) | No (hosted by Google) |
| How you pay | Free tier, then event-based plans | Free; Analytics 360 is paid |
| Free access | 2M events and 10K replays a month | Full standard product |
| Pricing | Free · paid plans by quote | Free |
| Starting price | Free tier available | Free tier available |
| Free tier | ||
| Best for | Analytics — product analytics, large free tier, experiments | Analytics — free, Google Ads, BigQuery export |
Pros & Cons
- Free plan covers 2M events a month
- Plus starts at $0 for the first 2M events
- Experiments and SSO on Growth
- Growth and Enterprise prices are not listed
- Free plan keeps 1 year of data and 10 saved charts
- Standard version is free
- Links to Google Ads and BigQuery
- Free BigQuery export up to 1M events a day
- Event data kept 14 months at most on standard
- Higher limits need Analytics 360 (price not listed)
- Hosted by Google only; no self-hosting
Key Features Compared
Amplitude
- Free: 2M events a month, 10,000 session replays, 1 year of data access, 10 saved charts
- Plus: starts at $0 with the first 2M events free, up to 70M events, heatmaps and 2-year data retention
- Growth: custom, event-based pricing with SSO, A/B testing and 20,000 replays
- Enterprise: custom, with RBAC, data access controls and 50,000 replays
- Free includes AI agents, MCP and agent analytics
Google Analytics
- Standard Google Analytics is free
- Event data kept for 2 or 14 months on standard; up to 50 months on Analytics 360
- 30 key events (conversions) and 50 event-scoped custom dimensions per property
- BigQuery export: up to 1 million events a day, plus unlimited streaming export
- Analytics 360 raises the limits; its price is not listed
Choose Amplitude if…
- You want a free plan with up to 2M events a month.
- You expect to need experiments, SSO and access controls as the team grows.
- You want heatmaps alongside product analytics on a paid plan.
Choose Google Analytics if…
- You want free analytics and are fine with Google processing the data.
- You run Google Ads and want conversions in the same account.
- You want raw event data in BigQuery without paying for an export.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Amplitude better than Google Analytics?⌄
There’s no single winner; pick on your constraint. Choose Amplitude if you want a free plan with up to 2M events a month. Choose Google Analytics if you want free analytics and are fine with Google processing the data.
What is the difference between Amplitude and Google Analytics?⌄
What it is — Amplitude: Product analytics platform. Google Analytics: Hosted web and app analytics. What it measures — Amplitude: User behaviour, cohorts, experiments. Google Analytics: Traffic, events and conversions. Self-hosting — Amplitude: No (hosted). Google Analytics: No (hosted by Google). How you pay — Amplitude: Free tier, then event-based plans. Google Analytics: Free; Analytics 360 is paid. Free access — Amplitude: 2M events and 10K replays a month. Google Analytics: Full standard product.
Amplitude vs Google Analytics: which is cheaper?⌄
Amplitude pricing: Free · paid plans by quote. Google Analytics pricing: Free. Confirm current pricing on each tool's official site, as plans change.
When should I skip both Amplitude and Google Analytics?⌄
Skip Amplitude if you want published per-event prices at every tier. Mixpanel lists Growth prices up to 20M events. Skip Google Analytics if you want to avoid a cookie banner for analytics. Plausible and Fathom sell cookie-free analytics.
Sources · tool facts checked November 2026
See more options in our guide to the best analytics tools for startups.
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