Google Analytics is a free, general-purpose web and app analytics platform ideal for traffic tracking and SEO insights, while Amplitude is a premium product analytics platform designed specifically for understanding user behavior and driving product decisions. Amplitude costs $995-$2,495/month but offers 10x deeper behavioral cohorts and funnel analysis, whereas Google Analytics 4 is free with unlimited events but has steeper learning curves for complex analyses.
Amplitude vs Google Analytics — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Choose Google Analytics if you need free web analytics, SEO tracking, and conversion funnel basics for content-driven websites or blogs. Choose Amplitude if you're a SaaS/mobile product company willing to invest in understanding user retention, engagement cohorts, and product-driven growth metrics—it excels at answering 'why do users churn?' and 'which features drive retention?'
Product analytics platform specializing in behavioral cohorts, funnels, and multi-touch attribution modeling.
Free web and app analytics platform with conversion tracking and audience insights
Amplitude vs Google Analytics — Comparison Data
Structured comparison data for Amplitude vs Google Analytics with 155 attributes.
Setup Time (implementation to first insights)
Average Setup Cost (Professional Services)
Amplitude vs Google Analytics — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Amplitude vs Google Analytics.
Should I use Amplitude or Google Analytics for my mobile app?
Amplitude is the better choice for mobile apps if retention and user engagement are core metrics. Amplitude's native iOS/Android SDKs track events with superior granularity, and its retention/churn features are purpose-built for mobile retention analysis. GA4 supports mobile apps but requires more manual event setup and lacks Amplitude's retention depth. However, if your app is simple and you want free analytics, GA4 is viable.
Can I use both Amplitude and Google Analytics together?
Yes, absolutely. Most mature product companies use both: GA4 for traffic, referral, and SEO insights; Amplitude for deep product behavior, retention, and user cohorts. GA4 exports to BigQuery, and Amplitude integrates with Segment, so data can flow between platforms. This dual approach costs ~$1,200-$2,500/month but gives you the breadth of GA4 plus the depth of Amplitude.
Which platform is better for understanding why users churn?
Amplitude is significantly better for churn analysis. It includes built-in churn prediction models, cohort-based retention curves, and behavioral property analysis that shows exactly which actions correlate with retention. GA4 can show retention tables but lacks predictive churn modeling and limited cohort depth. For churn-driven product decisions, Amplitude is purpose-built; GA4 requires manual analysis of raw data.
How much does Amplitude cost compared to Google Analytics 360?
Amplitude starts at $995/month ($11,940/year) with pro plans at $2,495+/month. Google Analytics 360 costs $10,000-$50,000+/year (typically $12,000-$30,000) plus implementation. Both are enterprise-tier. However, GA4 (free version) offers 80% of GA360's features at zero cost, making it vastly cheaper than Amplitude for basic analytics. The real cost comparison: GA4 free (~$0) vs Amplitude Standard (~$12k/year).
Is Google Analytics 4 good enough, or do I need Amplitude?
GA4 is sufficient if you need web traffic insights, conversion funnels, and attribution modeling. It's not sufficient if your business model depends on user retention, engagement cohorts, or predictive churn analysis (SaaS, mobile apps, subscription services). For product-driven growth and retention optimization, Amplitude's $12k/year investment typically pays for itself through better retention insights. For content/commerce, GA4's free tier is excellent.