Google Analytics 4 vs Universal Analytics: What’s The Difference?

Matt Janaway
6 min readSep 21, 2022
Can’t choose between Universal Analytics vs Google Analytics 4? Understand the key differences between UA and GA4 in this comparison post.

Can’t choose between Universal Analytics vs Google Analytics 4? Understand the key differences between UA and GA4 in this comparison post.

Google Analytics 4 vs Universal Analytics: Which is better? That’s the question trending in the digital marketing world at the moment.

Google announced they’d be retiring Universal Analytics in 2023. Taking its place is Google Analytics 4 — positioned to be the next-generation measurement solution with a whole host of new features.

Despite these promises, a lot of website owners are still on the fence about using GA4.

There are concerns about how it provides data, the user experience and even what it calls some sections.

If you belong to that group, here’s everything you need to know to make the best decision.

What is Universal Analytics?

Universal Analytics is the old version of Google Analytics introduced in 2012. It revolutionised the way web analytics is done — combining traffic data from first-party and third-party cookies.

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Matt Janaway

Matt Janaway is a successful Digital Marketer and Entrepreneur. In the ’00s, he built & purchased 10+ successful eCommerce stores.