Usermaven and Google Analytics are data analytics tools that help businesses track user behavior and analyze data to make data-driven decisions.

Even though the tools may look like they are similar but there are a lot of differences between the two. But which ones? And do those differences even make a difference? (Pun Intended!).

It can be difficult for a user to see the differences between the two tools so we are listing them down here just so you can weigh in the pros and cons before you commit to using either of the tools.

What is Usermaven

Usermaven is your go-to digital data analyst which lets you make data-driven marketing decisions for your websites and products in a privacy-friendly and interactive way. Its user-friendly dashboard, features, reports, and analytics give businesses the ability to gather, analyze and store customer data to create a better understanding of their target audience and tweak their marketing strategies accordingly.

What is Google Analytics?

Think of Google Analytics as the parent tool. And, this parent tool releases its variations through the years. The current variation is universal Analytics which was introduced in 2012. Before UA, Classic Analytics was in use.

And now after 10 years, Google Analytics 4 is replacing Universal Analytics. The main idea behind all the variations is the same; to collect user data to make informed decisions, but there are some modifications to each variation.

What Is Google Analytics 4?

Google Analytics 4 is a new variation of Google Analytics that will replace Universal Analytics by July 2023. GA4 is the same as UA in basic functionality; to collect user data, but there will be some modifications to GA4 that will change things for businesses using GA4.

Usermaven Vs Google Analytics: Major Differences & Key Features

After setting up a website or launching a product, the first thing a business would like to know is: How is their website/product performing and how to make it even better? The answer is in the data.

To gain insights from their web and product data, a lot of businesses make the mistake of installing Google Analytics on their website. You must be wondering that GA is free and famous, so why would it be a mistake to use it to track data? Wonder no more because we are going to be discussing exactly that:

Complex Vs Simple & Meaningful Data Sets

Usermaven offers a streamlined and intuitive approach to website and product analytics that doesn't require any technical or coding knowledge. With a focus on simplicity, Usermaven presents all the key traffic metrics and insights on an interactive and easy-to-read dashboard. This allows marketers, product developers, and businesses to make informed data-driven directions to improve their business strategy.

Book a FREE Demo with us to see how our user-friendly platform can help you get the insights you need to optimize your website and drive growth.

On the other hand, Google Analytics can be overly- complex to navigate. It collects a vast amount of data that requires time and training to effectively extract meaningful insights. And with the new G4 migration, it's going to be even more complex. G4 will require some technical setup, and some of its more advanced features may require additional configuration or the use of other Google marketing tools.

Auto-Track Your Website Events

Usermaven automatically captures all the actions performed (button clicks, inputs, form submissions etc.) by users on your website and app. So, you don't need to get help from developers after the initial 2 min installation process.

Once set up, your events across your website and the app will be automatically tracked for any activity by your visitors

On the other hand, Google Analytics (GA) does not auto-track all events by default. In order to track custom events, the user needs to manually add tracking code to the relevant elements on their website or app. GA4 is said to have this “event-based” functionality but because it is in beta version right now, the data is often incorrect or skewed.

Privacy-Friendly Analytics for Your Saas Business

Because of its popularity, Google Analytics is naturally the first data analytics tool that website owners think of when they launch.

It collects data from websites and sends it back to Google for analysis. Which also happens to be the biggest advertising company. Putting two and two together; Google is creating detailed profiles of website visitors to sell to advertising companies.

Usermaven, on the other hand, is a privacy-focused analytics solution that prioritizes the protection of customers' data. Because of the cookie-less tracking feature, we do not store any sensitive or private information of the website visitors. Our commitment to adhering to industry-standard privacy protocols ensures that your customer's information remains secure at all times.

100% Data Ownership Of Your Web And Product Analytics

Usermaven values your and your visitor’s privacy and provides you with complete control over your collected data.

With Usermaven,  you can retain 100% ownership of your website data and your website analytics are stored on our cloud server. Even then, you can be confident that your site and product data remain under your control, and that you fully own all your data. Your data is not mined or harvested for personal or behavioral trends, nor is it monetized in any way.

On the other hand, Google Analytics, a tool created, hosted, and run by the largest ad tech company in the world, does not offer the same level of privacy as Usermaven.

Google Analytics loves to collect and consume personal data, which can be a concern for website owners who want to protect their visitors' privacy. Unlike Google Analytics, Usermaven does not share your website data with advertising companies or any third parties.

99% Accurate Data By Bypassing Ad Blockers

About 42.7% of internet users use ad blockers to avoid online advertising, banner ads, retargeting and remarketing messages, and behavioral profiling. (Source: backlinko.com

As a result, the accuracy of data tracking and reporting in GA can be compromised due to misconfiguration or implementation errors, which are dependent on the user's own setup and configuration.

In contrast, Usermaven uses white-label tracking pixel which enables first-party tracking and does not get blocked by adblockers. As a result, you get almost 100% accurate stats that are not affected by any adblockers. With this accurate data, you can make informed decisions that are not skewed because of data discrepancies.

Lightweight Tracker That Doesn't Slow Down Your Website

Let’s see: you started a business and got a website made after a long and tiring process. Now, you wanted to see how your website was doing so you installed Google Analytics to track data.

But wait, your website slowed down and you see your bounce rate increase. Why, what’s happening? Well, Google Analytics has a more complex and heavy tracking code that’s slowing down your website.

But when it comes to Usermaven, our JS code (powered by CDN) loads 50% faster than Google Analytics which means that your website won’t slow down and it won’t affect your SEO negatively.

By using Usermaven, you can ensure that your website visitors have a fast and seamless experience while still gaining valuable insights into your website and product data.

Enhance UX By Getting Rid Of Cookie Banters

If you're concerned about maintaining a seamless user experience on your website, then Usermaven is what you’re looking for. Usermaven gives you the option for cookie-less tracking so your site visitors don’t have to keep up with the accepting cookie banters.

Since Usermaven doesn’t track any personal data, you don’t have to display any cookie prompts or have a complex privacy policy.

But using Google Analytics is a whole other game since it uses cookies. Due to the need to comply with privacy regulations, you need to keep displaying cookie banners and consent notices on your website if you’re using GA. That means risking your user experience.

GDPR & CCPA Compliant

Since Usermaven’s data is hosted in EU and we don’t collect personally identifiable information, we are perfectly compliant with GDPR and CCPA . We ensure that all of the website data is covered by the European Union’s strict laws on data privacy. So when you add our white-labeled tracking pixel to our website, you can rest assured that we are only collecting the required users’ data and are not violating any privacy laws.

But that is not the case with Google Analytics. In the recent in-depth study of Google Analytics, it has been found that GA violates the GDPR and CCPA laws So do you really want to side with a tool that is unethical?

Specifically Designed For Saas

As the famous saying goes ‘A friend to all is a friend to none”. That is exactly the case with Google Analytics. Google Analytics can be used for any and all sorts of business: E-commerce, Content, Saas etc.

But because it is not specifically designed for any specific platform, it is suitable for all and at the same, no business.

While making defining decisions about your business, you should be using a tool that is specifically designed for the type of business you are running. Usermaven solves that for you.

All of its functionalities are specifically designed to facilitate Saas providers so every report and event you’ll see in our dashboard will make sense to you and will help you make decisions based on the data that was extracted specifically for your business.

Easy Dashboard Sharing And Embedding

With Usermaven, you can easily share your dashboard with your teammates to ensure that the whole team is on the same page.

With a one-click sharing link, you can invite your data analysts, digital marketers, product developers, and other team members to view and collaborate with you on your website and product analytics.

You can also embed your statistics dashboard on any website through an iFrame to display stats to your viewers or integrate Usermaven into your custom client area.

With GA, you do get the option to share your dashboard with your team but you can not change the settings to “view only”. Anyone who has the link to your dashboard will be able to make changes to it.

If you do want to share a “read-only” file, you will have to export the dashboard to pdf and share it over email to your email. Super inconvenient if you ask us.

Customer Support

Google is famous for avoiding customer support where it can and Google analytics is not an exception. A lot of people who reviewed Google Analytics say that they have trouble getting customer support. Here is one such review : “Support is limited to a help center and user forum unless you hire the support of a certified partner. I can never seem to get it to work, I cannot get support, and I cannot find clear instructions”.

On the other hand, Usermaven offers a trouble-free and easily navigable customer support option to their clients. On the lower right side of your screen, you’ll see an option to send in your queries to our creators directly so you get the help you need without any miscommunications.

In the same chat option, you can see a list of common questions and their answers so you can get your queries answered immediately.

Google Analytics is Free, But At What Cost?

This is by far the biggest argument by every user: Why should I use a paid tool instead of Google Analytics which is completely free?

But there’s no such thing as a free meal (or in this case, a tool). When a tool is collecting your users' information and also happens to be by the biggest ad giant in the world, what makes you think is a trade-off for it being free? If you’re not paying money for it, you’re paying in data.

Also, with the new migration to GA4, a lot of free functionalities will be discontinued and use of third-party apps like Google Tag manager will be more important than ever.

Usermaven’s Pricing

Usermaven charges a minimal monthly fee but rest assured, your data will be in safe hands. If you are still in doubt about whether you should use Usermaven or not, feel free to test out our free forever plan or get in touch with us to talk more bout our plans.

Usermaven offers affordable pricing for independent businesses and enterprises as well. Um also have a free forever plan so you can have a trial run before fully committing to the tool. Here is a detailed pricing plan for you to explore.

Is GA4 Any Better?

Up until now, Google analytics was referred to as Universal Analytics, but in June 2023, UA is migrating to Google Analytics 4 (G4). Which is just an updated version of the google analytics you see today. If you are using Google Analytics, you will HAVE to migrate to GA4.

However, while G4 is free to use, it does require some technical setup, and some of its more advanced features may require additional configuration or the use of other Google marketing tools. Additionally, some third-party integrations or customizations may come at an additional cost.

So the question now is: Do you really want to continue using GA4 which is set to make your analytics complex?