Analytics

Replacing GA4: What you lose and what you gain

A deep dive into the pros and cons of moving from Google Analytics 4 to alternative analytics solutions.

Published on January 14, 2026 by TrackFox Team

Replacing GA4: What You Lose and What You Gain

Google Analytics provides a lot of noise and not enough clarity about your products, we get it.

It is hard to understand the value that GA4 provides, it is free but you do pay for it with your headaches, time, and data privacy concerns.

In this article, we will explore what you lose and what you gain by replacing GA4 with a product-focused analytics platform.

What You Lose by Replacing GA4

Familiarity: GA4 has been around for a while, and many teams are accustomed to its interface and reporting style. Switching to a new platform means a learning curve.
Free Tier: GA4 offers a free tier that is sufficient for many small to medium-sized websites. Some alternatives may have costs associated with them.

That is pretty much it.

What You Gain by Replacing GA4

Metrics that will actually help you grow: Alternatives like TrackFox focus on actionable metrics such as revenue attribution, conversion funnels, and user journeys that directly impact your business growth.
Revenue Tracking by Source: Understand which marketing channels are driving actual revenue, not just traffic. This allows for better budget allocation and ROI analysis.
Understand your user journeys better: See how users interact with your site from entry to conversion, helping you identify drop-off points and optimize the user experience.

How to Make the Switch

Experiment with a Free Trial: Many analytics platforms offer free trials. Use this opportunity to explore features and see if they meet your needs.
Migrate Key Metrics: Identify the key metrics you track in GA4 and ensure your new platform can capture them.
Find a solution that lets you easily import historical data: This will help you maintain continuity in your analytics and make comparisons over time.

Why TrackFox is a Great GA4 Alternative

TrackFox is a SaaS-focused web analytics platform designed to provide clear, actionable insights into your website traffic and user behavior. Here are some of its standout features:

Easy GA4 Data Import: Seamlessly import your historical GA4 data to maintain continuity in your analytics.
Revenue Tracking by Source: See which channels drive the most revenue, not just traffic.
Conversion Funnels: Build multi-step funnels to analyze user drop-off and optimize conversion paths.
User Journeys: Visualize complete visitor paths to understand user behavior better.
Custom Event Tracking: Track specific user actions that matter to your business.

How to Set Up Your First Website in TrackFox and Import GA4 Data

1. Add Your First Website in TrackFox

Log in to your TrackFox account.
From the dashboard, click + Add Website.
Enter your website domain and a display name.
Click Create Website.
TrackFox will generate a tracking script for the site.
Copy the script and place it inside the <head> tag of your website.

Example:

<script
  defer
  src="https://trackfox.app/script.js"
  data-website-id="YOUR_WEBSITE_ID"
  data-domain="YOUR_WEBSITE_DOMAIN"
></script>

Once installed, TrackFox will begin collecting new analytics data immediately.

2. Navigate to Site Settings and Import

From the TrackFox dashboard, click on the website you just created.
Open Site Settings.
Navigate to Import.
Select GA4 (Google Analytics).

3. Connect Google Analytics Using OAuth

Click Connect Google Analytics.
You will be redirected to Google’s OAuth consent screen.
Sign in with the Google account that has access to your GA4 property.
Grant TrackFox permission to read analytics data.
After authorization, you will be redirected back to TrackFox.

This connection is read-only and uses Google’s official GA4 APIs.

4. Select the GA4 Property to Import

After connecting your Google account, choose the GA4 property you want to import.
Select the historical date range:
- By default, TrackFox imports the most recent 90 days.
- You can extend the range back to the GA4 property’s creation date.
Click Import Data to start the import process.

Import duration depends on the size of the GA4 property and the selected date range.

5. What GA4 Data Gets Imported

TrackFox imports aggregated GA4 data and converts it into TrackFox-compatible events so it can be analyzed alongside native data.

Imported data includes:

Pageviews and page paths
Traffic sources (direct, organic, referral, social)
Geographic data (country and city)
Device, browser, and operating system data
Daily usage and traffic patterns distributed realistically over time

This preserves historical context while transitioning away from GA4.

6. Viewing and Managing Imported GA4 Data

Imported GA4 data appears alongside native TrackFox data in dashboards.
You can filter, chart, and analyze imported data the same way as new events.
To remove imported GA4 data:
1. Go to Site Settings → Import → Google Analytics.
2. Scroll to Manage Imported Data.
3. Click Remove GA Data and confirm.
4. Re-import if necessary with a different date range.

7. Notes and Limitations

Your Google account must have at least Viewer access to the GA4 property.
GA4 data often lags by 24–48 hours. Very recent days may not be available for import.
Imported GA4 data is aggregated. Raw GA4 event-level data is not available through Google’s API.

Ready to see which analytics that will help you grow your business?

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Last updated: January 2026

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