Google Analytics alternative: see why people leave, not only how many
Google Analytics is free, and Google describes it as a way to understand how customers interact across your sites and apps.[3] Its features list does not include session replays or heatmaps.[4] Convertlyft adds those for one website, with rage and dead clicks, errors and page speed, and names one fix with the evidence behind it. Many sites will run both.
Start free. No card needed. Plans and limits are on the pricing page.
Google Analytics and Convertlyft, side by side
| Compared on | Google Analytics | Convertlyft |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | FreeGoogle says it gives the tools "free of charge"[3] | Free to startStart free. No card needed. Plans are on the pricing page |
| Sampling | Past a quotaSampling may occur when a report or exploration needs more than 10 million events in a standard property[2] | None in reportsReports count every visit, none skipped |
| How long detail is kept | 2 or 14 monthsThe retention setting for event data in a standard property; it governs explorations and funnel reports, not the standard aggregated reports[1] | 24 monthsEvents are kept 24 months and replays 90 days, on every plan |
| Funnels | Funnel explorationOpen and closed funnels in Explorations[4] | FunnelsUp to 6 steps, counted in order. The step that lost the most people is marked, and each step links to the recorded visits that reached it |
| Replays and heatmaps | Not listedNeither appears on Google's Analytics features list[4] | IncludedReplays of the visits worth watching, and maps for all, rage, dead, error and first clicks, plus a scroll map |
| Ads and exports | DeepGoogle Ads, Display & Video 360 and Search Ads 360 reporting, and export to BigQuery[4] | NarrowerAttribution by channel and campaign, funnel CSV export, and a REST API and MCP server for your own tools |
Google Analytics facts as of 14 October 2026, from Google's own help and product pages; each number in brackets links to the source below.
What Convertlyft does differently
It names the fix
At 06:00 UTC a digest compares yesterday with its own trailing week: what leaked, what lifted, new errors and slow pages. A quiet day says so instead of inventing a finding. Every Monday, What to do ranks findings from the last 7 complete days, each with a suggested fix where the rule has one.
It shows the visit
Replays play back on the page as the visitor saw it, with typed values always hidden and personal details masked. Funnel steps, errors and rage or dead clicks link to the recorded visits behind them.
It catches what broke
JavaScript errors are grouped into issues, each linked to the visits that hit it. For an error in your own code, Draft a fix writes a small change you read first, and opens a draft pull request only if you choose.
Speed from real visits
Core Web Vitals per page, measured on real visits rather than lab tests, for the typical visitor, with the slowest pages listed.
Copy tests built in
Change a headline or other copy for the people you choose, or run it as a test: split visitors between versions, pick a goal, and read the result. A test stops itself if the split goes wrong.
Readable by your AI tools
An MCP server at mcp.convertlyft.com/mcp for Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and other clients. Reads are allowed by default; writes stay off unless you tick them. Every figure the API hands out carries a receipt ID.
When Google Analytics is the better choice
Keep Google Analytics if you buy Google ads: it reports on Google Ads, Display & Video 360 and Search Ads 360 campaigns and compares attribution models across them.[4] Convertlyft has no Google Ads connection.
It is also the better choice if you measure apps as well as sites, or want raw data in BigQuery for your own analysis.[3][4] Convertlyft reads one website per workspace.
You do not have to choose. Convertlyft answers a different question, where people get stuck and what to change, and its line runs beside the GA4 tag.
Adding Convertlyft next to GA4, in four steps
- Start free and give your site's address. We look at its homepage to see what it is built with, such as Shopify, WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, Webflow, Framer, Next.js or a tag manager, and show the steps for it.
- Paste one line before
</head>, or add it through the tag manager that already loads your GA4 tag. Leave GA4 as it is. - Open Live: the people on your site now, refreshed every 5 seconds. That is the check that the line works.
- Set up your main funnel, up to 6 steps. The first digest is computed at 06:00 UTC the next day.
<script src="https://…/tracker.js" … your key, already filled in … defer></script>
Your own key is filled in after sign-up. Prefer not to touch code? Paste a paragraph into the AI tool that built your site, or send it to your developer.
Questions
Can I run Convertlyft and Google Analytics at the same time?
Yes. Convertlyft's line runs beside the GA4 tag and does not change it, so you keep your Google Analytics reports while you read Convertlyft's.
Does Convertlyft sample data?
Reports and funnels count every visit, none skipped. Replays keep the visits worth watching: an error, a rage or dead click, a form someone gave up on, or a key page such as checkout, plus a sample of the rest.
When does Google Analytics sample?
Google's help page says sampling may occur when the events behind a report or exploration exceed the property's quota, 10 million events for a standard property.[2]
How long does Convertlyft keep data?
Events are kept 24 months and replays 90 days, on every plan.
What does Convertlyft cost?
Start free. No card needed. The plans and what each one includes are on the pricing page.
Sources
- Google Analytics Help, "Data retention", support.google.com/analytics/answer/7667196, as of 14 October 2026.
- Google Analytics Help, "About data sampling", support.google.com/analytics/answer/13331292, as of 14 October 2026.
- Google Marketing Platform, Analytics overview, marketingplatform.google.com/about/analytics/, as of 14 October 2026.
- Google Marketing Platform, Analytics features list, marketingplatform.google.com/about/analytics/features/, as of 14 October 2026.
Start free
Every report from one line of code, and the first digest the next day.
Start free. No card needed.