Comparison · Enterprise analytics
MetricRaven vs Google Analytics 4: Google Analytics 4 alternative
Google Analytics 4 facts last checked · sources
Google Analytics 4 is the default choice for most websites: it's free, it connects to Google Ads and the rest of Google's marketing tools, and it can model almost any business if you configure it. That power comes with a learning curve, cookie consent requirements and reports many founders find hard to read.
MetricRaven is a paid, focused alternative for one job: showing which channels bring visitors who pay you. It connects to your payment provider directly instead of asking you to design ecommerce events, and puts traffic, funnels and revenue on one page.
Quick comparison
| Feature | MetricRaven | Google Analytics 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Founders who want revenue per channel on one page | Teams running Google Ads who need deep, configurable reporting |
| Price | From $9/month after a 14-day trial | Free; Analytics 360 price not public |
| Revenue | Connect Stripe and other providers | Ecommerce and key events you implement |
| Cookies | None before consent | Uses cookies; consent mode for your banner |
| Bots and AI crawlers | Reported separately | Known bots excluded and hidden |
| Learning curve | One dashboard, minutes to read | Many reports, explorations and settings |
Pricing compared
Google Analytics 4 is free. Google sells Analytics 360 to large enterprises through its sales team, with no public price. For most small and mid-sized sites, cost isn't a reason to leave GA4.
MetricRaven costs $9 a month for 10k events on Starter and $19 for 100k, with a 14-day trial and no card. What you pay for is time saved: revenue attribution, funnels and Search Console keywords work without a tracking plan or custom reports (pricing).
Choose MetricRaven if
- You want to see revenue by channel, referrer and campaign without building an ecommerce tracking plan (attribute Stripe revenue).
- You want analytics that work before cookie consent (consent).
- You want to see which AI crawlers fetch your pages (AI crawlers).
- You want one dashboard your whole team can read without training.
Choose Google Analytics 4 if
- You spend heavily on Google Ads and need conversions flowing back to it.
- You need a free tool, or very high traffic at no cost.
- You rely on Google's wider stack, such as Display & Video 360 or Google Cloud.
- You need custom explorations and dimensions that a simple dashboard doesn't offer.
What Google Analytics 4 does well
- It's free. Google says it provides the tools "free of charge", with Analytics 360 for enterprises.
- Google integrations. Native links with Google Ads, Display & Video 360, Google Cloud and Search Console, which adds organic query and landing page reports.
- Flexibility. Key events, funnel explorations and custom reports can model almost any business, and annotations are supported in the UI and the Admin API.
- Modeling. With consent mode, Google fills gaps from visitors who decline cookies using modeled data.
- An official MCP server for asking AI assistants about your data, read-only.
What MetricRaven does well
- Revenue without a tracking plan. Connect Stripe with a read-only key, pass the visitor ID at checkout, and every payment is credited to the visit that first brought the customer.
- Works before consent. No cookies or stored identifiers until a visitor agrees, then optional first-party IDs.
- Bots are visible, not hidden. GA4 excludes known bots and doesn't show how many. MetricRaven reports AI crawlers and other bots by page from your server, separate from your visitors (AI crawlers).
- Context on the chart: GitHub commits, chart notes, and X and Reddit mentions (GitHub commits).
How to try MetricRaven next to Google Analytics 4
- Start a 14-day trial; no card is needed.
- Add the MetricRaven script next to your GA4 tag, or through Google Tag Manager.
- Connect your payment provider and import your payment history.
- Connect Search Console to see keywords with estimated revenue.
- Run both for two weeks. Keep GA4 if you need it for Google Ads, and use MetricRaven for revenue by channel.
Feature comparison
| Feature | MetricRaven | Google Analytics 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Partly. From $9/month | Yes. Free |
| Payment provider connections | Yes | Needs setup. Ecommerce events you send |
| Revenue by channel | Yes | Needs setup. Once ecommerce tracking is set up |
| Funnels | Yes | Yes. Funnel exploration |
| Google Search Console | Yes. With estimated revenue | Yes |
| No cookies before consent | Yes | No. Consent mode sends cookieless pings |
| AI crawler reports | Yes. Reported from your server | No. Known bots excluded, not reported |
| Chart annotations | Yes | Yes |
| GitHub commits on the chart | Yes | Needs setup. Push annotations via the Admin API |
| Google Ads integration | No | Yes |
| MCP server | Yes | Yes. Official, read-only |
“Needs setup” means it can be done with extra work, such as custom code, a third-party tool or a self-built integration. “Not verified” means we couldn't confirm it from Google Analytics 4's public pages.
Verdict
GA4 is hard to beat on price and on Google Ads integration, and if your growth runs through paid Google campaigns you'll probably keep it.
If you mostly grow through content, social, launches and word of mouth, and you want to see which of those bring paying customers, MetricRaven gets you there in an afternoon instead of a tracking project. You can also run both: GA4 for ads, MetricRaven for revenue by channel.
Frequently asked questions
Is MetricRaven free like Google Analytics?
No. MetricRaven starts at $9 a month for 10k events after a 14-day free trial with no card. Google Analytics 4 is free, and Analytics 360 is a paid enterprise tier with pricing from Google sales.
Can I use MetricRaven and Google Analytics together?
Yes. The scripts don't interfere, and you can install MetricRaven directly or through Google Tag Manager. You can keep GA4 for Google Ads and use MetricRaven for revenue attribution.
Can MetricRaven import my Google Analytics history?
No. There is no GA4 import today. Payment history can be imported from your payment provider, and visits are counted from the day you install the script.
Sources and method
Google Analytics 4 details come from its public website on Nov 2, 2026. Prices and features change, so check Google Analytics 4's site before deciding. MetricRaven details come from our pricing and docs. Spotted something out of date? Email support@metricraven.com.
- Google Analytics overview: marketingplatform.google.com/about/analytics/
- Analytics 360: marketingplatform.google.com/about/analytics-360/
- Set up ecommerce events: support.google.com/analytics/answer/12200568?hl=en
- Key events: support.google.com/analytics/answer/13128484?hl=en
- Search Console integration: support.google.com/analytics/answer/10737381?hl=en
- Funnel exploration: support.google.com/analytics/answer/9327974?hl=en
- Consent mode: support.google.com/analytics/answer/9976101?hl=en
- Known bot-traffic exclusion: support.google.com/analytics/answer/9888366?hl=en
- Annotations: support.google.com/analytics/answer/15884203?hl=en
- Google Analytics MCP server: developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/MCP