Free Universal Analytics (Google Analytics 3) is shutting down on July 1, 2023. Are you ready? Google Analytics has been synonymous with "web analytics" for nearly 20 years, but GA4 is a big departure from previous versions and represents a whole different tracking paradigm. Maybe GA4 is right for your site, but maybe it's not! Google has never been the only game in town, and now is a good time to look around at other options. Nobody has time to demo a dozen different tools, so I've done that work for you, and can point you in the right direction. This two-part guide covers the technical background you'll need in order to make an informed decision as well as 15 different Universal Analytics alternatives (including GA4). About the Book Google Analytics Alternatives is an independent evaluation of 15 of the leading analytics tools that could function as Universal Analytics replacements. The book is a learning guide, providing readers with a framework for better understanding the marketplace and tool methodologies. It's aimed at analysts and implementors, but is informative to any web professional. Part One The state of the industry as well as general background from a technical perspective. Some of the questions - Should I self-host my analytics? What about open source? - What's the difference between product analytics and traditional web analytics? - How do privacy and compliance issues affect my choice of tool? Part Two Individual product evaluations Matomo Cloud, Piwik Pro, Clicky, Cloudflare Web Analytics, Statcounter, Chartbeat, Fathom, Plausible Analytics, Visitor Analytics, Google Analytics 4, Mixpanel, Snowplow, Amplitude Analytics, Heap, and PostHog. About the Author Jason Packer is owner and principal consultant at Quantable Analytics. He has over 20 years of experience in web analytics, and has also been a Unix systems administrator, web programmer, network engineer, and SEO specialist. Advance Praise for Google Analytics Alternatives “This book is a must-read for anyone who ever has ever considered the question, ‘What options do I really have besides Google Analytics?’ Jason Packer provides an in-depth guide to what the key considerations are for answering that question, as well as a detailed explanation of how those considerations apply to 14 different platforms—eschewing the 'feature comparison matrix' for a much, much more valuable assessment and explanation based on hands-on implementation and exploration of each platform.” –Tim Wilson, Senior Director of Analytics, Search Discovery “This guide is thorough, thoughtful (and in some cases, thought-provoking), and a wonderful way to get familiar with the many tools out there. It comes at a great time, as many companies are re-evaluating their analytics tool right now. As a consultant with experience with only a few toolsets, I learned a lot about all the potential tools my clients have thought about (or not known enough to think about).” –Jenn Kunz, Principal Architect, 33 Sticks