Cookies and consent banners
GA4 sets cookies and, in most EU cases, needs visitor consent. Every visitor who clicks "decline" disappears from your data.
Noralytic vs Google Analytics 4
A privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative
Google Analytics 4 is powerful, but it needs cookies, consent banners and a lot of setup. Noralytic gives you the numbers that matter in one simple dashboard, without cookies, IP storage or a consent banner.
Why website owners look for a Google Analytics alternative
Most people do not leave Google Analytics because it is bad. They leave because it has become heavy, complicated and legally tricky.
Too complex
GA4 replaced a familiar interface with explorations, data streams and event parameters. Many site owners just want to see traffic and top pages.
Data protection concerns
Analytics data is processed on Google infrastructure, including in the US. Several European data protection authorities have questioned this, so many organisations prefer EU-hosted tools.
Page speed
The Google tag is tens of kilobytes. Noralytic's tracking script is under 1 KB and has no noticeable effect on your Core Web Vitals.
Limited history
GA4 limits how long detailed user-level data is kept, which makes long-term comparisons harder. Noralytic keeps your aggregated history without a time limit.
Constant change
Google redesigns reports and renames metrics regularly. A small, stable tool saves you relearning your analytics every year.
Noralytic vs Google Analytics 4 at a glance
| Noralytic | Google Analytics 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cookies | None | Yes (for example _ga) |
| Consent banner needed | Usually not | Usually yes in the EU |
| IP addresses | Never stored | Processed by Google |
| Data location | EU-hosted | Google infrastructure, including the US |
| Tracking script | Under 1 KB | Tens of KB |
| Setup | One line of code, about 2 minutes | Account, property, data stream, consent setup |
| Dashboard | One simple page | Dozens of reports and explorations |
| Real-time stats | Yes | Yes |
| Custom events | Yes | Yes |
| UTM campaign tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Public or password-protected stats pages | Yes | No |
| Email reports | Yes (paid plans) | Limited, via scheduled exports |
| API | Yes (Pro and Business) | Yes |
| Advertising integrations and audiences | No | Yes |
| Price | Free plan, paid plans from €8.99/month | Free, with paid enterprise tier |
Based on public information as of October 2026.
What you gain and what you give up
Noralytic is deliberately simple. That is a strength for most websites, but it is not a copy of GA4.
What you gain with Noralytic
- Accurate traffic numbers without consent-banner data loss.
- No cookies, no stored IP addresses, nothing to put in a cookie banner.
- A dashboard you can understand in seconds.
- A faster website thanks to a tiny script.
- EU hosting and a clear data protection story.
- Predictable pricing with a free plan.
What you give up compared with GA4
- Advertising integrations, remarketing audiences and Google Ads attribution.
- Cross-device and user-level journeys, by design.
- Deep e-commerce reporting and BigQuery export.
- Importing historical GA4 data. Noralytic starts fresh, so export your GA4 history first.
Noralytic counts visitors without identifying them. A visitor is a page load that comes directly or through an external referrer, which gives you a reliable, privacy-friendly measure of traffic. It does not recognise returning people across days, because doing so would require tracking.
Is Noralytic the right Google Analytics alternative for you?
Choose Noralytic if you
- want to remove cookie banners caused by analytics.
- run blogs, business sites, agencies' client sites or SaaS marketing pages.
- care about speed, privacy and simple reporting.
- prefer EU-hosted tools and straightforward pricing.
Stay with GA4 if you
- depend on Google Ads audiences and conversion import.
- need user-level funnels or BigQuery analysis.
- have a data team that uses the advanced GA4 explorations every day.
How to switch from Google Analytics to Noralytic
Most websites can switch in about ten minutes.
- Export what you need from GA4
Download reports or your key numbers for the past years, because Noralytic does not import GA4 history. - Create a free Noralytic account
Add your domain and copy the one-line tracking code. - Add the tracking code
Paste it into the head of your website, or into your tag manager or CMS settings. - Run both for a few days
Compare the numbers. Expect Noralytic to show more visitors, because it is not affected by declined cookie consent. - Remove Google Analytics
Delete the Google tag and, if analytics was the only reason for it, your cookie banner. - Update your privacy policy
Replace the Google Analytics section with a short note about Noralytic. Our cookie and privacy pages include sample text.
Pricing: the real cost of free analytics
Google Analytics is free to use, but "free" comes with costs: consent management, lost data from visitors who decline cookies, extra legal work and time spent learning the interface.
Noralytic has a free plan with 10,000 pageviews per month for one website. Paid plans start at €8.99 per month for 100,000 pageviews and three websites, with Pro and Business plans adding data export and API access. See all plans on the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Google Analytics?
It depends on what you need. If you want simple, cookieless, EU-hosted analytics with a free plan and no consent banner, Noralytic is a strong choice. If you need advertising integrations, GA4 or a self-hosted Matomo may fit better.
Can Noralytic replace Google Analytics completely?
For most websites, yes: traffic, top pages, referrers, countries, devices, campaigns and events are all covered. It does not offer advertising audiences, user-level journeys or BigQuery export.
Can I run Noralytic and Google Analytics at the same time?
Yes. Many sites run both for a few days to compare numbers before removing the Google tag.
Does Noralytic import data from Google Analytics?
No. Noralytic starts with a clean history, so export your important GA4 reports before you switch.
Why does Noralytic show more visitors than Google Analytics?
Because it does not depend on cookie consent. With GA4, visitors who decline cookies are missing from your data. Noralytic counts every page load, so numbers are usually higher and more complete.
Is Noralytic GDPR compliant?
Noralytic is built to meet GDPR, CCPA and PECR requirements: no cookies, no stored IP addresses and no user profiles. Every website is different, so check your own legal requirements.
Does Noralytic work with Google Search Console?
There is no direct integration. You can use both side by side: Search Console for search performance and Noralytic for on-site traffic.
Keep reading
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