Adobe Analytics vs Google Analytics

by Gralio Apr 30, 2025

Adobe Analytics and Google Analytics offer different approaches to understanding website and app users. Adobe Analytics is a premium tool with powerful features for tracking complex customer journeys across many channels, ideal if you heavily use other Adobe products, need deep customization, and have the budget. Google Analytics provides essential website data for free and works perfectly with Google Ads, making it accessible, though its newer GA4 version can be tricky to learn and official support is limited, posing challenges for teams needing assistance.

At Gralio.ai we help to simplify your decision-making process by offering detailed, side-by-side software comparisons like this one, to help you confidently choose the tool that aligns with your business goals.

This comparison was created by analysing 3530 reviews and 60 websites, saving 20 hours, 6 minutes of reading.

Logo of Adobe Analytics
Logo of Google Analytics

About

Adobe Analytics is a comprehensive digital analytics software that helps businesses understand their customers' online journeys. It gathers data from websites and other digital channels to provide insights into customer behavior. With its robust reporting and analysis tools, businesses can track key metrics, measure campaign effectiveness, and identify areas for improvement. Adobe Analytics stands out with its ability to connect data across different channels, allowing for a holistic view of the customer experience. It's a powerful tool for mid-sized companies looking to make data-driven decisions and optimize their digital strategies.
Google Analytics is a free tool that gives you insights into your website and app users. Understand what content is popular, track your marketing campaigns, and see how people behave on your site. Use this data to improve your website, create better content, and make smarter marketing decisions.

Summary

Main difference
Adobe Analytics offers deeper, more customizable analysis across multiple platforms and potentially better support, but costs significantly more and requires more expertise. Google Analytics is free and integrates seamlessly with Google's tools for core website tracking, but can be harder to learn initially (GA4) and offers very limited customer support.

Relative strengths of Adobe Analytics (compared to Google Analytics)

  • *Tracks the full customer journey better:* Adobe connects data from website visits, app usage, emails, and more using features like Customer Journey Analytics, giving a clearer picture of how customers interact with your business over time compared to Google Analytics' more web-centric view.

  • *More powerful customization:* You can set up highly specific reports and data views tailored to unique business questions using its advanced segmentation and custom variable capabilities, offering more flexibility than Google Analytics' standard reporting structure.

  • *Works seamlessly with other Adobe tools:* If your company uses Adobe's marketing software (like Adobe Experience Cloud for advertising or personalization), Adobe Analytics fits right in, sharing data easily for unified workflows which Google Analytics cannot match within that ecosystem.

Relative weaknesses of Adobe Analytics (compared to Google Analytics)

  • *Much more expensive:* Adobe Analytics has a high price tag based on subscription fees, which can be a major hurdle for mid-sized businesses focused on value for money compared to Google Analytics' core offering being free.

  • *Harder to learn and use:* It takes more time, training, and often dedicated staff to become comfortable with Adobe Analytics' comprehensive interface and advanced features compared to the basic functions of Google Analytics, despite GA4's own learning curve.

  • *Less integrated with Google Ads:* While connections are possible, linking Adobe Analytics data to Google Ads and Google Search Console for campaign optimization isn't as native or straightforward as using Google Analytics itself, which offers seamless integration.

Who is using Adobe Analytics and Google Analytics?

No data
Brendan Hufford
SaaS Marketing - Growth through Content, Community & SEO
Jake Ward
SEO expert; 150K LinkedIn followers
Stan Rymkiewicz
Head of Growth at Default
Parikh Financial
Streamline Your Finances, Elevate Your Business.
Thomas 💡 CLEMENT
Expert Notion, Make, n8n & ChatGPT ┃ Fondateur Opeez & n-crm ┃Gagne 10h/semaine avec un espace Notion automatisé
Show all 7 stacks

Who should use Adobe Analytics VS. Google Analytics

We see Adobe Analytics as a go-to for businesses needing deep dives into their digital customer journeys. It excels at bringing together data from various channels for a complete picture. Users appreciate the real-time insights and customizable reports. However, be prepared for a steeper learning curve and higher cost compared to simpler tools, which users often mention. It's powerful for those ready to invest in advanced analytics to really optimize their digital presence.

Google Analytics is a go-to for businesses wanting to understand website and app user behavior. We see it used a lot to track marketing effectiveness and see what content resonates. While it offers powerful insights, especially for free, many users find the newer GA4 version quite complex and report issues with data accuracy and the difficult transition from Universal Analytics. Support also seems to be a common pain point according to reviews a lot

  • In our experience, Adobe Analytics works best for mid-sized companies (101-1000 employees) and large enterprises needing robust analytics.

  • While versatile across industries, we find it's particularly strong for marketing, advertising, and e-commerce businesses seeking deep customer insights.

  • In our experience, Google Analytics works well for businesses of all sizes, from small startups to large enterprises needing web analytics.

  • We find Google Analytics is particularly popular and effective for companies in Ecommerce and Marketing/Advertising needing visitor insights.

Adobe Analytics and Google Analytics features

Supported
Partially supported
Not supported
Type in the name of the feature or in your own words tell us what you need

  • Advanced Google Analytics reporting
    Not supported

    Adobe Analytics can import data from Google Analytics, but doesn't support its advanced reporting features.

    Supported

    Google Analytics, especially GA4, supports advanced reporting, custom reports, and API integration.

  • Centralized system for data management
    Supported

    Adobe Analytics centralizes data collection, processing, analysis, and reporting.

    Supported

    Google Analytics 4 centralizes website and app interaction data, including collection, processing, analysis, and reporting.

  • Product Analytics
    Supported

    Adobe Analytics offers dedicated product analytics tools for analyzing user behavior and improving experiences.

    Supported

    Google Analytics 4 supports product analytics with tools like event tracking and predictive metrics.

  • Google Analytics integration
    Partially supported

    Adobe Analytics integrates with Google Analytics via Adobe Experience Platform.

    Supported

    Google Analytics has a wide range of integrations, including integrations with other Google products.

  • Conversion tracking
    Supported

    Adobe Analytics supports conversion tracking, especially when integrated with Adobe Advertising.

    Supported

    Google Analytics 4 fully supports conversion tracking using events, allowing you to track actions like purchases and newsletter sign-ups.

  • User behavior tracking
    Partially supported

    Adobe Analytics tracks clicks and form submissions, but scroll and mouse movement tracking is not explicitly confirmed.

    Supported

    Google Analytics offers robust user behavior tracking, including clicks, form submissions, and events. While it doesn\'t inherently track mouse movements, additional configurations or tools can address this.

Qualities

  • Value and Pricing Transparency
    -1
    Strongly negative sentiment
    +0.9
    Strongly positive sentiment
  • Customer Service
    No data
    -0.33
    Rather negative sentiment
  • Ease of Use
    +0.64
    Rather positive sentiment
    +0.3
    Rather positive sentiment
  • Reliability and Performance
    +1
    Strongly positive sentiment
    +0.2
    Neutral sentiment
  • Ease of Implementation
    -0.6
    Rather negative sentiment
    +0.18
    Neutral sentiment
  • Scalability
    +0.33
    Rather positive sentiment
    +0.14
    Neutral sentiment

Adobe Analytics and Google Analytics Pricing

No data

User sentiment

Strongly negative
-1
We couldn't find a pricing page for Adobe Analytics.
No data

User sentiment

Strongly positive
+0.9
We couldn't find a pricing page for Google Analytics.

Adobe Analytics and Google Analytics review insights

3530 reviews analysed from

Users love

  • Real-time data and insights.
  • Customizable reports and dashboards.
  • Detailed customer journey analysis.
  • Robust data collection from various sources.
  • Seamless integration with other Adobe Marketing Cloud products.
  • Detailed and comprehensive website traffic data and reports.
  • Seamless integration with other Google products like Google Ads and Search Console.
  • User-friendly interface for basic analytics.
  • Wide range of metrics and customization options for creating reports.

Users dislike

  • Difficult to use for beginners.
  • High cost, especially for smaller businesses.
  • Steep learning curve for advanced features.
  • Slow report loading times, especially with large datasets.
  • Limited data storage for long-term projects.
  • GA4 is very confusing to use and less intuitive compared to the previous version.
  • Real-time data is often delayed or inaccurate.
  • The transition from Universal Analytics to GA4 is difficult, with data discrepancies and loss of historical information.
  • Customer support is limited and unhelpful, often with slow response times.

Adobe Analytics and Google Analytics Ratings

  • G2
    4.1/5
    (1014)
  • Glassdoor
    4.3/5
    (10097)
  • G2
    4.5/5
    (2516)
  • Glassdoor
    3.5/5
    (2)

Company health

Employee growth

3% decrease in the last year
69% increase in the last year

Web traffic

4% increase in the last quarter
2% decrease in the last quarter

Financing

April 1984 - $3M
July 2018 - $16M

How do Adobe Analytics' paid features compare to Google Analytics' free offerings?

Adobe Analytics, as a paid product, offers more advanced and comprehensive features compared to Google Analytics' free version. Key differentiators include sophisticated cross-channel Customer Journey Analytics, dedicated Product and Content Analytics modules, more robust real-time data processing, and AI-powered insights. While Google Analytics free provides strong foundational web and app analytics, especially within the Google ecosystem, Adobe Analytics delivers deeper customization, more granular data collection from diverse sources, and features tailored for complex analysis required by larger organizations, albeit at a significant cost and with a steeper learning curve.

Which product provides a more intuitive interface for non-technical marketing teams?

Based on user feedback, neither product appears exceptionally intuitive for non-technical marketing teams. However, Google Analytics receives specific criticism for its current GA4 version being confusing and less intuitive, which is reflected in its highly negative ease-of-use rating. While Adobe Analytics also has a steep learning curve and is noted as difficult for beginners, its ease-of-use rating is comparatively better, suggesting it might present a slightly less confusing interface, although both clearly require significant user training and acclimatization.

What are the advantages of Adobe Analytics?

Adobe Analytics provides comprehensive and robust digital analytics, excelling at connecting data across various digital channels to offer a holistic view of the complete customer journey. Users benefit from its detailed journey, product, and content analytics capabilities, alongside real-time data insights and customizable reporting. Its strengths also include robust data collection from multiple sources, AI-powered tools, and seamless integration within the Adobe Marketing Cloud ecosystem, making it a powerful choice for mid-to-large enterprises seeking advanced, data-driven insights.

What are the disadvantages of Adobe Analytics?

Adobe Analytics presents several disadvantages according to user feedback and analysis. It is considered difficult to use, particularly for beginners, with a steep learning curve required to master its advanced features. The cost is perceived as high, making it less accessible for smaller businesses, and its pricing transparency is rated negatively. Implementation is also noted as being difficult. Additionally, users report issues with scalability, slow report loading times when handling large datasets, and limitations on data storage for long-term projects.

Alternatives to Adobe Analytics and Google Analytics

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Real-time website analytics helps publishers understand reader behavior.
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Mouseflow
Understand visitor actions via recordings/heatmaps, helps fix usability issues.
Read more
Page co-authored by
MK
Michal Kaczor
CEO at Gralio

Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.

TT
Tymon Terlikiewicz
CTO at Gralio

Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.

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