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Head-to-head · Analytics

Google Analytics vs GoatCounter

Which one to pick in 2026 — comparing 🇺🇸 Google Analytics with the European alternative 🇪🇺 GoatCounter on the things that actually decide who can read your data.

🇺🇸 Google Analyticsvs🇪🇺 GoatCounter

Verdict

  • Who has stronger privacy guarantees by law?

    GoatCounter — GDPR-native and outside the US CLOUD Act / FISA 702 reach.

  • Which one encrypts your data end-to-end by default?

    Neither ships full E2E by default — check the table for nuance.

  • Which one tracks you for ads?

    Google Analytics relies on ad tracking. GoatCounter doesn't.

  • Which one is open source?

    GoatCounter is open source. Google Analytics is proprietary.

Side-by-side

Google Analytics vs GoatCounter — full comparison

Criteria
🇪🇺 GoatCounter
🇺🇸 Google Analytics
Headquarters
Netherlands
Mountain View, CA, USA
Jurisdiction
Netherlands
USA (CLOUD Act, FISA 702)
Data location
EU
Global, US-controlled
GDPR-native
Yes
No
CLOUD Act / FISA exposed
No
Yes
Ad tracking
No
Yes
End-to-end encryption
No
No
Open source
Yes
No
Ownership
Private
Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL)
Founded
2019
2005

Make the switch

Try GoatCounter instead of Google Analytics

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Visit GoatCounter ↗Full GoatCounter profile →

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