Google Analytics 4
GoogleFree market standard for traffic and campaign reporting.
Web & product analytics. Google Analytics 4 vs Piwik PRO vs Amplitude - 2026 comparison.
Google Analytics 4, Piwik PRO and Amplitude Comparison - 2026 Overview
Editorial comparison of web and product analytics platforms: privacy, pricing, data retention, experiments, and tool selection recommendations.
Overview of three analytics platforms
Each tool represents a different ecosystem and way of working - from Google marketing to EU privacy to product analytics. Below is a concise comparison.
Piwik PRO
Piwik PROEuropean web analytics platform with consent and tag-management modules.
Amplitude
AmplitudeRich behavioral analytics for digital products.
Pricing and licensing model
Comparison of license costs and fee structures (verified June 23, 2026).
| Aspect | Google Analytics 4 | Piwik PRO | Amplitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licensing model | Freemium (standard) + GA4 360 (enterprise, annual contract) | Business + Enterprise (by action volume and deployment scope) | Starter (free) + Plus + Growth + Enterprise (custom) |
| Free tier | Full standard functionality at no license cost | No permanent free plan in the current price list; a 30-day Business trial is available | Starter - 10,000 MTUs and up to 2M events |
| Paid plans (entry) | GA4 360: quote through Google or a partner; no public base price | Business: from €35/month; Enterprise: from €366/month billed annually | Plus: $49/month billed annually or $61 monthly; Growth/Enterprise: custom |
| Cost at scale | 360 + BigQuery - costs grow with scale and advanced stack | Scales by actions and domains; private/public cloud and add-ons in Enterprise | Plus scales by MTUs; Growth/Enterprise and selected add-ons are custom-priced |
| Orientation example | $0 standard license fee; BigQuery and implementation can still add cost | Business starts at €35/month for up to 2M actions and 20 domains | Starter is free; Plus covers up to 300K MTUs or 25M events |
Verdict: GA4 has the lowest standard license cost. Piwik PRO currently starts with paid Business, while Amplitude offers free Starter and paid Plus. Total cost also depends on implementation, data processing, and integrations.
Feature matrix
Comparison of key technical and operational capabilities - from privacy and data retention to experiments, AI, and raw data export.
| Feature | GA4 | Piwik PRO | Amplitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| Privacy and GDPR | Requires assessment of transfers, consent configuration, and data settings for the deployment | Strong hosting, consent, and control options; contracts, configuration, and subprocessors still matter | US or EU data center; no built-in CMP, so consent is handled in your own layer |
| Data residency | Global (no full localization guarantee) | Business: EU-operated cloud in Sweden; Enterprise: broader public/private-cloud options | US or AWS Frankfurt; the current plan table lists the EU option across plans |
| Regulatory compliance | Provider privacy controls are available; compliance depends on configuration and legal basis | Features supporting GDPR/CCPA; Enterprise offers HIPAA hosting and a BAA option | GDPR/CCPA support and the ability to enter a BAA for HIPAA-covered customers |
| Data freshness | Realtime reports update within minutes; other reports are processed and can be delayed | Reporting is designed for fast processing; exact freshness depends on volume and plan | Event analysis is designed for near-real-time use |
| Data retention | Max 14 months (standard); up to 50 months on GA4 360 | Business: 25 months; Enterprise: 25 months or more | Depends on data type and plan; Session Replay has separate retention |
| Sampling | Can occur in Explorations after query limits; thresholds differ for Standard and 360 | No sampling by default according to the current plan table | Behavior depends on the feature; one sampling label does not describe the whole platform |
| Built-in Tag Manager + CMP | No - separate GTM + external CMP | Yes - Tag Manager + Consent Manager + CDP in one platform | No - consent handled in your application layer |
| Session Replay | No | No (external integrations) | Yes - built-in |
| A/B tests and feature flags | Very limited | Basic (often via integrations) | Best in class (Feature Experiment, Web Experiment) |
| AI / predictive analytics | Insights and predictive features depend on data eligibility | AI and predictive features depend on module and plan | Ask Amplitude and AI features are offered; scope depends on plan |
| Funnels, cohorts, retention | Good (Explorations) | Very good (retroactive, familiar reports) | Best (user timelines, advanced cohorts) |
| Marketing attribution | Data-driven attribution and Google Ads integration; scope depends on report | Model comparison and attribution reports; scope depends on configuration | Good (behavioral); weaker than GA4 for paid media |
| Raw data export | BigQuery (free export with daily limits) | API, CSV, BigQuery; Tableau on Enterprise | API, connectors (Snowflake, BigQuery, AWS) |
| Ecosystem integrations | Native Google: Ads, GSC, YouTube, Looker, Merchant Center | Looker Studio, BI (Tableau, Power BI), CDP, Google Ads via connectors | Segment, Braze, Iterable, Snowflake, dbt - product stack |
| Support | Community + Google documentation | Enterprise: dedicated manager + SLA | Good (especially Enterprise) |
| Ease of deployment | Medium - steep curve on event model | Easier - similarity to Universal Analytics | Requires solid event plan; intuitive UI for product teams |
Detailed profiles
Strengths, weaknesses, and typical deployment scenarios for each platform.
Google Analytics 4
Pros
- Completely free standard - powerful to start
- Native integration with Google Ads, Search Console, YouTube, and BigQuery
- Strong for acquisition, marketing paths, and ad conversions
- Huge community, documentation, and tutorial base
Cons
- Requires careful consent, transfer, and data-setting configuration in Europe
- User and event data retention for Explorations is 2 or 14 months on Standard
- Sampling and modeled data can appear in selected reports
- No built-in CMP or Tag Manager - separate configuration required
Best for: Organizations deeply embedded in Google that can manage consent and data controls correctly, with technical capacity for BigQuery or server-side GTM.
Piwik PRO
Pros
- Strong options for European and regulated companies (finance, healthcare, public sector)
- More control over hosting, retention, and data configuration
- Built-in Tag Manager, Consent Manager, and CDP in one platform
- 25-month Business retention and no sampling by default
Cons
- Less advanced product analytics than Amplitude (no native Session Replay)
- Smaller community and fewer training materials than GA4
- Costs grow at very high action volumes
Best for: Organizations prioritizing GDPR, data ownership, and EU hosting - or seeking a familiar interface after Universal Analytics migration.
Amplitude
Pros
- Rich user behavior analytics for product teams
- Funnels, cohorts, retention, path analysis, and user timelines
- Session Replay and experiments (feature flags, web experiments)
- Near-real-time analysis, AI features, and an EU data-center option
Cons
- Higher cost at large MTU/event volumes
- Weaker in classic marketing campaign attribution than GA4
- No built-in CMP - consent and data classification remain the customer's responsibility
Best for: Product teams, SaaS, mobile apps, and PLG - when retention, LTV, and feature optimization matter more than ad traffic alone.
Recommendations by scenario
There is no single “best” analytics tool - the choice depends on your marketing ecosystem, privacy requirements, and whether you optimize campaigns or digital product.
Small or mid-size company, $0 budget, Google ecosystem (Ads, GSC)
Recommendation Google Analytics 4
Lowest entry cost and native connection to Google campaigns.
European company, regulated industry, GDPR and data control priority
Recommendation Piwik PRO
EU-operated hosting, built-in CMP, and no sampling by default.
Startup / product team, SaaS, retention and feature optimization
Recommendation Amplitude
Rich behavior analytics, experiments, and product intelligence.
Marketing + digital product (hybrid stack)
Recommendation GA4 + Amplitude or Piwik PRO + Amplitude
Marketing/acquisition in GA4 or Piwik + product analytics in Amplitude.
Large company with budget and compliance needs (HIPAA, public sector)
Recommendation Piwik PRO Enterprise
Private-cloud options, SLA, HIPAA hosting, and the ability to sign a BAA.
Reports without sampling by default and longer event retention
Recommendation Piwik PRO
Piwik states no sampling by default and 25-month retention on Business.
E-commerce store with intensive Google Ads campaigns
Recommendation GA4 (optionally Piwik PRO in parallel for EU)
GA4 has native Google Ads integration; a second system may serve a separate control or reporting role.
Summary
Google Analytics 4
A popular marketing standard with no standard license fee and the strongest native connection to Google's advertising ecosystem.
Piwik PRO
A strong candidate for organizations needing web analytics, built-in consent management, and more control over hosting and retention.
Amplitude
A specialist product-analytics platform - when the business runs on digital product and retention, cohorts, and experiments matter, not just traffic source.
Need analytics implementation support?
I help you choose a platform, design a measurement plan, and implement GA4, Piwik PRO, or a hybrid stack (marketing + product analytics) - with Consent Mode, GTM, and BigQuery.