Google Analytics vs Fathom (2026)
TL;DR: Fathom replaces GA4 for teams that want cookieless aggregates across many sites. GA4 stays when free scale and Ads matter most. Reignat is the privacy-first pick when revenue and journeys matter too.
Agencies often land on Fathom after GA fatigue. Product teams that sell usually want more than aggregates — compare Reignat vs Fathom.
Check the meter before the price
Two tools can both say "$9 a month" and mean different things. Some meter pageviews (one page load). Others meter events (a pageview or anything you tag — signup, purchase, click). If you only look at pages, a pageview meter stretches further; if you tag conversions, compare event meters honestly. Reignat meters events. Read the meter line on every plan before the dollar amount.
Compared
Google Analytics 4
Free at almost any scale — and the reason most teams are shopping for alternatives.
Price: Free.
Strengths: Free at nearly any traffic volume; Deep integrations with Google Ads and Search Console; Huge training and agency ecosystem.
Trade-offs: Cookies and consent banners in most EU setups; Data leaves your control for Google's advertising stack; Reports are hard to read without training.
Fathom
Flat, multi-site pricing for people with many properties or high untagged traffic.
Price: From $15/mo for 100,000 pageviews (50+ sites on entry plans).
Strengths: Generous site counts on every plan; Strong pageview allowance at the entry tier; Imports from Universal Analytics and GA4.
Trade-offs: Aggregate-only by design — no individual visitor trail; Custom events share the pageview meter; Hosted product is closed source.
Reignat
Revenue-first, privacy-friendly analytics with journeys, funnels, realtime, and an AI assistant — every feature on every plan.
Price: From $9/mo for 10,000 events (7-day trial).
Strengths: Revenue attributed back to page, source, and campaign; Visitor journeys, funnels, realtime map, and Core Web Vitals in one dashboard; AI assistant for plain-language questions.
Trade-offs: Hosted product — not a self-host binary; Meters events, so tagged conversions count toward the same allowance; Younger than Plausible, Fathom, or Matomo.
Side by side
A quick comparison. Prices were checked against each product's public pricing on 2026-08-28 and change often — confirm the current plan and meter before you commit.
Google Analytics 4
- From: Free
- Meters: Free (ad-supported)
- Open source: No
- Cookieless default: Depends / no
- Revenue attribution: Yes (complex setup)
Fathom
- From: From $15/mo for 100,000 pageviews (50+ sites on entry plans)
- Meters: Pageviews
- Open source: Lite only (hosted is closed source)
- Cookieless default: Yes
- Revenue attribution: No
Reignat
- From: From $9/mo for 10,000 events (7-day trial)
- Meters: Events
- Open source: No (managed product)
- Cookieless default: Yes
- Revenue attribution: Yes (Stripe, Polar, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy, Dodo, RevenueCat, custom)
Choose
- Google Ads-centric measurement: GA4.
- Many sites, aggregate privacy stats: Fathom.
- Privacy + revenue + journeys: Reignat.
Reignat is the events-metered, revenue-aware option with journeys, funnels, realtime, and an AI assistant on every plan. Start a free 7-day trial — no card required.
Keep reading
Frequently asked questions
Is Fathom better than Google Analytics?
For privacy and multi-site simplicity, often yes. GA4 remains free and better tied to Google Ads. Reignat adds visitor journeys and revenue Fathom skips by design.
Does Fathom import GA history?
Fathom can import from Universal Analytics and GA4. Absolute continuity still differs because counting models differ.
When should I pick Reignat instead of Fathom?
When you need per-visitor journeys, funnels, or payment attribution — see Reignat vs Fathom.