A simpler alternative to Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a familiar choice. But familiarity doesn't tell you whether it's the right tool for your website.
If you mostly want to know where visitors come from, which pages they read, and what converts, Fathom gives you a simpler place to start. If your work depends on detailed advertising measurement, your requirements may be different.
What do you need to find out?
GA4 gives you reports, explorations, and connections to Google's advertising tools. That breadth can be useful when you have specific reporting requirements and time to configure them.
Fathom takes a more focused approach. Your traffic, content, referrers, and events are brought together in one dashboard. You can change dates and apply filters without designing a report first.
The useful comparison is what it takes to answer your questions. Open our demo with a task in mind: find a popular page, investigate a traffic source, or compare two periods. You'll quickly get a feel for the difference.
Different approaches to privacy
Fathom doesn't use analytics cookies, build advertising profiles, or track visitors across unrelated websites. We charge for the software and don't sell your analytics data to advertisers.
Google's behavior depends on the features and settings you enable. GA4 does not log or store individual IP addresses, and Google provides controls for sharing analytics data. A fair comparison needs to reflect those details. See Google's data collection explanation and sharing settings.
Our privacy page explains Fathom's approach. For compliance requirements, use the relevant documentation for your configuration and jurisdiction, rather than treating either product name as a legal verdict.
Be precise about data retention
Fathom keeps your historical analytics available while your subscription is active. You can look back across your history and export your data. After a subscription ends, data is queued for deletion; see our cancellation documentation.
GA4's retention settings need a little more explanation than “your data disappears after 14 months.” In the standard product, the user- and event-level retention options are generally 2 or 14 months. Those settings affect explorations and funnel reports, but not standard aggregated reports. Google's retention documentation explains the distinction and exceptions.
Expect differences in the numbers
Two analytics tools won't necessarily report the same totals. Definitions of visits, bot filtering, consent settings, blocked requests, and time zones can all affect what you see.
Fathom shows incoming traffic in real time and filters bot traffic. That doesn't mean every human visit can be recorded, or that a difference from GA4 proves one total is perfect. When you compare tools, compare the definitions as well as the numbers.
Try it before you switch
You can install Fathom alongside Google Analytics while you evaluate it. Look at the tasks you do regularly and whether Fathom gives you the information you need.
If you decide to move, our Google Analytics importer supports GA4. What it can import depends on the data available through Google's API. Check the imported results before removing your previous setup, and avoid overlapping imported dates with data already collected by Fathom.
The importer cannot recover Universal Analytics data that Google has already deleted.
Choose the tool that fits your work
Fathom is a paid, hosted service for people who want useful website analytics with less setup and a deliberate approach to privacy. You can get help from our support team when you need it.
GA4 may be a better fit if your work relies on its advertising integrations or specialist reporting features. You don't need to dislike Google Analytics to prefer something simpler. You just need a tool that helps you do your job.
See if Fathom is right for you
Explore the dashboard with real data, or try Fathom on your own website with a 7-day free trial. See our pricing and plans.