--- title: "Amplitude vs Google Analytics: Which is Better in 2026? | App Stack Builder" description: "Amplitude vs Google Analytics compared for 2026: pricing, free tiers, features, pros & cons. See which analytics tool is the better fit for your startup." source: https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/amplitude-vs-google-analytics retrieved: 2026-11-06 --- ![](https://appstackbuilder.com/amplitude.svg) vs ![](https://appstackbuilder.com/google-analytics.svg) # Amplitude vs Google Analytics: Which is Better in 2026? Analytics Choosing between [Amplitude](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/amplitude) and [Google Analytics](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/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 ![](https://appstackbuilder.com/amplitude.svg) [Amplitude](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/amplitude) * ✓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 ![](https://appstackbuilder.com/google-analytics.svg) [Google Analytics](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/google-analytics) * ✓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. [Amplitude review & pricing ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/amplitude) ### 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. [Google Analytics review & pricing ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/google-analytics) ## 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 1. 1.[Amplitude pricingamplitude.com ](https://amplitude.com/pricing) 2. 2.[Analytics 360 vs standard limits (Google Analytics Help)support.google.com ](https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/11202874) See more options in our guide to the [best analytics tools for startups](https://appstackbuilder.com/categories/analytics). ## Still not sure which to pick? Get a free, AI-powered tech stack, including the best analytics pick for your budget and team, in 60 seconds. [Build my stack free ](https://appstackbuilder.com/build-stack)