Published: Last updated:
Our guides
Google Analytics alternatives – 6 GDPR-friendly analytics tools and when GA4 is still enough
With the current geopolitical situation, the question comes up more and more often: should we carry on with Google Analytics, or is there something better? The answer depends on three things – the law on data transfers, how much the tool slows down the website, and how far you can actually trust the data. In our view, GA4 still has the best functionality, but there are plenty of situations where another tool is a better fit. We go through the serious alternatives below, but first, why the question has come up at all.
Why are companies switching from Google Analytics?
The main driver is legal. When the Court of Justice of the European Union struck down the Privacy Shield in July 2020 in what is known as the Schrems II ruling, it became unclear whether visitor data sent to Google, a US company, was allowed to leave the EU at all. Several European supervisory authorities followed suit: Austria's in January 2022 and France's CNIL in February 2022 ruled that using Google Analytics breached the GDPR.
In Sweden, the decision came on 3 July 2023, when the Swedish Authority for Privacy Protection, IMY, concluded its review of four companies. Tele2 was fined SEK 12 million and CDON SEK 300,000, while Coop and Dagens Industri were ordered to stop using the tool. The reasoning was that the data could be combined with other information held by Google, making it possible to identify individual visitors.
Is Google Analytics illegal in Sweden?
No – not in itself. IMY's decision concerned specific implementations without sufficient safeguards, at a time when there was no valid legal basis for transferring data to the US. In July 2023, the European Commission adopted the EU–US Data Privacy Framework (DPF), and Google LLC is certified under it. With the DPF as the legal basis and a correct set-up – server-side tagging, Google Consent Mode v2 and a CMP – GA4 can be used.
But the DPF's future is uncertain. The framework survived its first legal test at the EU General Court in September 2025, but the ruling has been appealed to the Court of Justice of the European Union, and a new judgment could change the situation again. Sticking with GA4 is therefore a calculated risk – the tool is not illegal, but it is not a guaranteed stable foundation either.
What sets GDPR-compliant analytics tools apart from GA4?
Most alternatives differ from Google Analytics on four points that are worth understanding before you compare them:
- EU hosting – the data is stored on servers within the EU, which removes the whole question of transfers to third countries.
- Open source – the code can be inspected, and several tools can be self-hosted so that you own the data completely.
- Cookie-free measurement – the tool does not identify visitors with cookies, so you can often do without both a cookie banner and consent for analytics.
- Data quality – cookie-free tools are not affected by visitors refusing consent, and are blocked by ad blockers less often than Google Analytics.
6 alternatives to Google Analytics
Here are the most established alternatives for a Swedish company website, with honest pros and cons.
Matomo – The closest thing to a full-blown GA replacement. Open source (GPL v3) that can be self-hosted for free or run as a cloud service with EU hosting. Cookie-free operation is possible but requires configuration. Strongest when you want in-depth functionality and full control of your data; the downside is that self-hosting requires technical upkeep. matomo.org
Plausible – Lightweight, cookie-free and open source (AGPL), hosted in the EU. Perfect when you want a clean, fast overview without a cookie banner. The downside is that it is deliberately simpler than GA4 – fewer advanced features for deep conversion flows. plausible.io
Fathom Analytics – Cookie-free and GDPR-ready with no configuration, with data isolated on EU servers. Simple and stable; the company is Canadian, however, and the service has no free tier. usefathom.com
Simple Analytics – Cookie-free and hosted within the EU (the Netherlands and Germany). Pared-back and privacy-focused; the feature set is deliberately limited. simpleanalytics.com
Piwik PRO – Enterprise-oriented with a strong GDPR profile and EU hosting, popular in the public sector. Note that the free Core plan was discontinued on 31 March 2026 – the tool is now paid only, with the Business plan from around €35 per month. piwik.pro
Umami – Open source (MIT) and cookie-free; it can be self-hosted for free or run in the cloud with an EU region. Light and developer-friendly; the ecosystem is younger and has fewer ready-made integrations. umami.is
Two tools worth mentioning as complements: Cloudflare Web Analytics is free and cookie-free but very limited (essentially just page views and top pages), and Microsoft Clarity provides heatmaps and session recordings but uses cookies and therefore requires consent – best used alongside a cookie-free main tool.
Comparison table: the tools side by side
| Tool | EU hosting | Open source | Cookie-free | Pricing model |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matomo | Possible (requires config) | Free (self-host) / cloud | ||
| Plausible | Paid / self-host | |||
| Fathom Analytics | Paid | |||
| Simple Analytics | Paid | |||
| Piwik PRO | Possible | Paid (Business) | ||
| Umami | Free (self-host) / cloud | |||
| Google Analytics 4reference | Free |
Performance: your analytics tool affects your website's speed
A heavy analytics set-up costs load time. A typical Google Analytics installation often pulls in Google Tag Manager (which may also be needed for other reasons) and a cookie banner on top of the tracking script itself – together, that is a hefty amount of third-party code loaded on every page view. A cookie-free tool such as Plausible says its script is under 1 kB and needs neither Tag Manager nor a banner. The difference shows up in Core Web Vitals – especially LCP and INP – and in the Lighthouse score.
When is GA4 still the right choice?
Google Analytics 4 is still strongest when you have complex e-commerce flows, need close integration with Google Ads, or have a team with established GA4 reports to lean on. In those cases, the way forward is to run GA4 correctly – with Google Consent Mode v2 and a Google-certified CMP – rather than switching tools. The point is that the choice should be a deliberate one: match the tool to how you actually handle data, compliance and performance.
Want help choosing and setting up the right web analytics for your website? Get in touch.
Common questions about Google Analytics alternatives
Is Google Analytics illegal in Sweden?
No, not in itself. In 2023, the Swedish Authority for Privacy Protection (IMY) ruled that four Swedish companies had breached the GDPR by using Google Analytics without sufficient safeguards. With the EU–US Data Privacy Framework (adopted in July 2023) and a correct set-up – server-side tagging, Consent Mode v2 and a CMP – GA4 can be used lawfully. The framework's legal future is uncertain, however, and an ongoing case at the Court of Justice of the European Union could change the situation.
Do I need a cookie banner with Plausible or Umami?
No, provided you do not use other cookie-based scripts. Plausible and Umami do not collect personal data via cookies and therefore do not require active consent under the ePrivacy Directive. If you do use, for example, the Meta Pixel or Google Ads tags, you will still need a CMP for those.
What is the best alternative to Google Analytics?
It depends on your needs. Matomo comes closest to Google Analytics in functionality and is the right fit if you want in-depth analysis and full control of your data. Plausible and Umami are the simplest and lightest if you mainly want a fast, cookie-free overview. Piwik PRO suits larger organisations and the public sector with high compliance requirements.
Can I use Plausible or Matomo if I run Google Ads?
Partly. Basic conversion tracking can be handled via Google Ads' own tag, separately from the analytics tool. But advanced remarketing, enhanced conversions and syncing between GA4 and Google Ads require GA4. For ad-heavy campaigns, GA4 with a correctly configured Consent Mode v2 is often the right choice despite the GDPR complexity.
Does the analytics tool affect my website's speed?
Yes. A light, cookie-free script that requires neither Google Tag Manager nor a cookie banner loads faster than a typical Google Analytics installation with its accompanying consent banner. The difference shows in Core Web Vitals, especially LCP and INP, which in turn affect both user experience and SEO.
