Is Google Analytics 4 Free?

Chances are you're asking about GA4 because you used to be comfortable with an older version of Google Analytics and now feel a little lost. You're not alone. This article will explain exactly what GA4 is, how it's different from what you're used to, and why this shift happened. We'll cover everything from its new data model to a realistic look at its learning curve.

What is GA4? A Quick Overview

Google Analytics 4 is the latest and current version of Google Analytics. It's not just an update, it's a complete redesign from the ground up, built to measure how users interact with websites and apps in a fundamentally different way than its predecessor, Universal Analytics (UA).

If Universal Analytics was a tool for measuring independent website sessions, GA4 is a tool for understanding the entire user journey. It shifts the focus from siloed data points like pageviews and sessions to a more holistic view of how individual users engage with your business across multiple platforms over time.

The core change is the move from a session-based data model to an event-based data model. In UA, the framework was built around "sessions" - groups of interactions that a user takes on your website within a specific timeframe. In GA4, everything is an event. A page view is an event, a scroll is an event, a button click is an event, and a purchase is an event. This seemingly simple change makes tracking more flexible and user-centric.

Is GA4 Replacing Universal Analytics?

Yes, GA4 has already replaced Universal Analytics. Google officially stopped processing new data in standard Universal Analytics properties on July 1, 2023. While you might still be able to see your historical UA data for a while, all new website and app analytics are being collected and analyzed through GA4.

This wasn't an optional upgrade. Universal Analytics was built for a different era of the internet - one dominated by desktop website traffic and dependent on third-party cookies. GA4 is Google's answer to the modern digital landscape, which is multi-platform, increasingly privacy-conscious, and less reliant on traditional tracking methods. This transition is permanent, making GA4 the new standard for anyone using Google's free analytics suite.

How is GA4 Different From What Came Before?

Because GA4 is a complete reimagining of analytics, several core differences are important to understand. Grasping these concepts will make your transition from UA much smoother.

1. The Event-Based Data Model

As mentioned, this is the biggest change. Let's break it down with an example:

• In Universal Analytics: Tracking was based on different "hit types." There was a specific hit type for 'pageview,' another for 'event' (which had category, action, and label), and another for 'transaction.' You had to configure each one differently.
• In GA4: Everything is simply an 'event.' A page becomes the page_view event. A file download becomes the file_download event. A purchase is still a purchase event. Instead of different hit types, you now have a single, flexible event system where context is added through "parameters." For example, a page_view event might have parameters like page_title and page_location to provide the details.

This approach gives you a much simpler, more unified framework for tracking a wider variety of user interactions without the rigid structure of UA.

2. Cross-Device and Cross-Platform Tracking

GA4 was built to measure a user's journey across both your website and your mobile app within a single property. It uses multiple identity methods (like first-party data and Google Signals) to de-duplicate users who might interact with you on their phone in the morning and their laptop in the afternoon. This provides a truer picture of the complete customer journey instead of treating a single user on two devices as two different people.

3. Privacy-First Features and Cookieless Measurement

With increasing privacy regulations like GDPR and the slow phasing out of third-party cookies, tracking data is changing. GA4 was designed with this reality in mind.

• Cookieless Measurement: GA4 uses machine learning to create modeled data that fills in the gaps left by users who opt out of tracking. It can predict user behavior and conversions that aren’t directly observable, giving you a fuller picture while respecting user privacy.
• Enhanced Privacy Controls: GA4 offers more granular data retention controls and does not store IP addresses, helping businesses comply with privacy regulations more easily.

4. New Metrics and Reporting Interface

This is where most people feel the learning curve. Many familiar metrics and reports from UA are gone or have been replaced.

• Engagement Rate vs. Bounce Rate: Bounce Rate is gone. GA4 replaces it with "Engagement Rate," a much more useful metric. An "engaged session" is one that lasts longer than 10 seconds, has a conversion event, or has at least 2 pageviews. This helps you understand how many visitors meaningfully interacted with your site, not just how many left after viewing one page.
• Explorations, Not Standard Reports: Universal Analytics came with hundreds of pre-built reports. GA4 provides a handful of overview reports but puts its power in a tool called "Explorations." Here, you can build custom reports, funnels, and path analyses using a drag-and-drop interface. It’s more powerful and flexible but requires you to actively build the specific reports you need rather than just finding them in a menu.

Is GA4 Harder to Use?

The honest answer is: yes, at first. If you were an experienced Universal Analytics user, the GA4 interface can feel unfamiliar and even empty. Finding an equivalent to a simple, standard UA report might require several clicks and some setup in Explorations.

The difficulty doesn't come from the tool being less capable, but from it being more of a blank canvas. It's more like a workshop with powerful tools than a showroom with finished products. It gives you the power to build exactly what you need, but you have to learn how to use the tools first.

Here are a few tips to flatten the learning curve:

• Start with the Standard Reports: Get familiar with the overview reports like the "Reports snapshot" and "Realtime" view. Then, check out the reports under the "Acquisition," "Engagement," and "Monetization" sections of the main left-hand menu.
• Learn to Use "Explorations": This is the key to unlocking GA4's power. Start with the "Free-form" exploration template. Put "Session source / medium" in the rows, "Event name" in the columns, and a metric like "Event count" or "Total users" as the value. This will begin to replicate the kind of flexible data tables you’re used to seeing.
• Find Your Most-Used UA Reports: Create an exploration that replicates your key report. For example, to create a landing page report, you would use "Page path" as a dimension and metrics like "Sessions," "Total users," and "Engagement rate."
• Focus on a Few Key Metrics: Don’t try to understand everything at once. Focus on tracking key performance indicators for your business, such as Total Users, Engaged sessions, Conversions, and Revenue.

So, Is GA4 a Good Analytics Tool?

GA4 is an incredibly powerful and forward-thinking analytics tool. Its value comes from its adaptability to a privacy-focused internet, its strength in analyzing full user journeys, and its highly flexible data model. When set up correctly, it provides deeper and more meaningful insights than Universal Analytics ever could.

However, that power comes at the cost of out-of-the-box simplicity. The learning curve is real, and it requires marketing and analytics professionals to change how they think about data. Instead of passively consuming pre-built reports, you must proactively ask questions of your data and use tools like Explorations to find the answers. For businesses with the time and resources to learn it, GA4 is excellent. For smaller teams or those strapped for time, its initial complexity can be a significant hurdle.

Is GA4 Free?

Yes, the standard version of Google Analytics 4 is completely free to use. It operates on the same model as Universal Analytics - it’s a powerful, enterprise-grade tool available at no cost. There are usage limits on data collection and reporting, but they are very generous and more than sufficient for the vast majority of small and medium-sized businesses.

For very large enterprises with massive amounts of traffic and more advanced needs, there is a paid version called Google Analytics 360, which offers higher data limits, unsampled reporting, advanced features, and a service level agreement (SLA).

Final Thoughts

In short, GA4 is the new reality of Google Analytics. It's a fundamental shift from the pageview and session-centric world of Universal Analytics to a flexible, event-based model designed for cross-platform user journeys and a privacy-first web. While its initial complexity and learning curve are notable, mastering it unlocks a deeper understanding of how users truly interact with your business.

Building those custom reports in Explorations can be empowering, but it also takes time away from acting on insights. That's why we built Graphed . We connect directly to your GA4 data so you can get the exact dashboard you need by describing it in simple English. Instead of spending an hour building a funnel exploration, you can just ask, "Show me a funnel of new users from page view to purchase for last month," and get a live, interactive visualization in seconds.