EU legal note: Using GA4 without a consent banner in the EU is illegal under GDPR and the ePrivacy Directive — Google's own documentation says so. Several data protection authorities (France's CNIL, Austria's DSB, Italy's Garante) have issued formal decisions against GA4 as used by default. Logly requires no consent banner by design.
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Logly | Google Analytics 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ✓ Free up to 10,000 pv/mo | ✓ Free (standard tier) |
| Consent banner required (EU) | ✓ Not required | ✗ Required by law |
| Cookies | ✓ None | ✗ Sets _ga, _gid cookies |
| Script size | ✓ < 1 KB | ✗ ~45 KB (gtag.js) |
| Blocked by ad blockers | ✓ Passes Brave + uBlock | ✗ Blocked by default in Brave, Firefox, uBlock |
| Data location | ✓ EU only | ✗ US (Google servers) |
| GDPR compliant by default | ✓ | ✗ Requires configuration + consent |
| Setup time | ✓ ~2 min (one script tag) | 30–60 min (account, property, events) |
| Dashboard complexity | ✓ One screen, answers in seconds | Steep learning curve, hundreds of reports |
| Data retention | ✓ Up to 5 years (Business plan) | 14 months max (free tier) |
| Google Ads integration | ✗ | ✓ Native |
| Conversion funnels | ✓ Multi-step funnels with drop-off | ✓ Full funnel analysis |
| Who owns your data | ✓ You | ✗ Google (used for ad targeting) |
GA4 pricing and features as published on analytics.google.com — verify with their current documentation. Last checked May 2026.
3 reasons people switch from GA4 to Logly
The consent banner is gone — and so is the friction it creates
A banner asking visitors to accept tracking typically reduces acceptance to 40–60%. The rest opt out, making your GA4 data structurally incomplete. Logly collects no personal data, so no consent is needed — and no one is excluded from your stats.
Brave users, Firefox users, and uBlock users are invisible in GA4
Browser-level tracking protection blocks Google Analytics by default. In some audiences — developers, tech writers, privacy-conscious readers — that's 30–50% of your traffic. Logly routes through a first-party endpoint that isn't on any block list. Those visitors show up.
GA4's complexity is a full-time job to set up correctly
GA4 is event-based: to track what matters you need to configure goals, conversions, audiences, and custom dimensions. It's powerful, but most sites never finish the setup and end up with incomplete, misconfigured data. Logly works out of the box with the metrics most people actually read.
Frequently asked questions
GA4 is completely free — why would I pay for Logly?
GA4 is free because Google uses the data to improve ad targeting across their network. With Logly, you're the customer and your data isn't used for anything other than your analytics. If you're running Google Ads and need that integration, GA4 is the right tool. If you want accurate, GDPR-compliant data about your content without giving it to Google, Logly is worth the $9/mo. And if you're under 10,000 pageviews a month, Logly is also free.
Can I run both Logly and GA4 at the same time?
Yes. Many sites run both during a transition period — GA4 for Google Ads attribution and advanced conversion funnels, Logly for accurate real-traffic counts without consent friction. They don't interfere with each other.
Can GA4 be configured to be GDPR compliant without a banner?
Google offers IP anonymisation and consent mode, but even with these settings, data is transferred to US servers — which several EU data protection authorities have ruled is non-compliant regardless of consent configuration. Logly stores all data in the EU and collects no personal data at all, which avoids the issue entirely.
How does Logly handle goals and conversion tracking?
Logly includes multi-step conversion funnels — you define a sequence of URLs (e.g. /pricing → /signup → /dashboard) and see completion counts and drop-off percentages between each step. Custom events let you track button clicks and key actions. For revenue attribution tied to Google Ads campaigns specifically, GA4 still has the edge because of its native integration with the Google ads stack. For most conversion measurement on a SaaS or content site, Logly's funnels cover what teams actually need.
No consent banner. No cookies. No Google.
Free up to 10,000 pageviews a month. Install in 2 minutes with one script tag — no Google account, no consent setup, no blocked traffic.
Get started free → or try the live demo → No credit card · Free forever on the Free plan · Works with Brave and uBlock