It is hard to use.
In a 2023 poll of about 1,700 SEOs, 76% were unhappy with GA4. Everyday numbers hide behind reports, explorations, and settings.
Why people switch
Why people leave Google Analytics.
GA4 is hard to read, its numbers are estimates, and it brings a cookie banner and a heavy tag.
The numbers are estimates.
Visitors who decline cookies are missing or modeled. Explorations switch to samples above 10 million events.
Every EU visit starts with a banner.
GA4 stores cookies for two years, so sites in the EU must ask for consent first.
The tag is heavy.
The Google tag is about 150 KB compressed. The DataDad script is under 2 KB and loads with defer.
Measured on 7 October 2026
Side by side
DataDad and Google Analytics 4, compared.
Everything you use in GA4 today, without the parts people complain about.
| Feature | DataDad | Google Analytics 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Everything you use today | ||
| Real-time visitors | Yes | Yes |
| Pages, referrers, and UTM campaigns | Yes | Yes |
| Countries, cities, and devices | Yes | Yes |
| Goals and funnels | Yes | Yes |
| Filters on every report | Yes | Yes |
| Single-page apps | Yes | Yes |
| Returning users, with consent | Yes | Yes |
| Where DataDad is different | ||
| Everyday numbers | On one screen | Spread across reports and explorations |
| Visitors who decline cookies | Counted | Missing, or modeled |
| Detail for long date ranges | Up to 3 years in every report | 2 or 14 months in explorations |
| Script size, compressed | Under 2 KB | About 150 KB |
| Uptime monitoring | Included, free | Not included |
Script sizes measured on 7 October 2026. Retention from Google's data retention page.
What you get
Everything you used Google Analytics for.
The numbers you check every morning, without the setup.
Live visitors
See who is on your site right now, where they are, and what sent them.
Pages and sources
Top pages, referrers, and campaigns, with your UTM tags and ad click IDs.
Countries and devices
Country, region, and city, plus browser, operating system, and device.
Goals and funnels
Count sign-ups and purchases, and find the step where people leave.
Revenue by source
Connect Stripe, and every payment joins the visit that led to it.
Single-page apps
Route changes count as page views in React, Vue, Next.js, and more.
Privacy-first analytics
Cookieless by default. No consent banner.
In its default mode, DataDad stores no cookies and no IP addresses. A visitor ID changes every day and is different for each site, so nobody can follow a visitor across days or across sites.
Consent mode
Need returning users? Ask first.
Turn on consent mode to see returning users and journeys across days. DataDad sets its cookies only after a visitor accepts your cookie banner.
FAQ
Switching, answered.
Can I use DataDad without a cookie banner?
Yes. DataDad is cookieless by default, so there is no consent banner for analytics. If you turn on consent mode to see returning users, show your cookie banner first.
Can I run DataDad next to Google Analytics?
Yes. Both scripts can run on the same pages. Compare the numbers for a few weeks, then remove the Google tag when you are ready.
Why are my DataDad numbers higher than in Google Analytics?
In the EU, Google Analytics can only set its cookies after a visitor accepts them. Visitors who decline are missing from its reports or estimated. DataDad counts every visit in cookieless mode, and it counts each visitor once per day.
Does Google Analytics need a cookie banner?
In the EU, yes. Google Analytics 4 sets the _ga and _ga_<container-id> cookies for two years, and the ePrivacy Directive asks for consent before a site stores them. Our guide Google Analytics and GDPR explains the details.
Does DataDad work with single-page apps?
Yes. The script follows route changes, so React, Vue, Next.js, and other single-page apps count every page view.
How big is the DataDad script?
Under 2 KB compressed. It loads with defer, so it never blocks your page. The Google tag for Google Analytics is about 150 KB compressed.
Also in DataDad