Heap vs Google Analytics

Automatic analytics that captures everything, so you can stop guessing what users actually do meets the free data black hole that marketers love and developers dread. Here's our take.

Heap

Automatic analytics that captures everything, so you can stop guessing what users actually do.

Pros

• Auto-captures all user events without manual instrumentation
• Retroactive analysis lets you query past data without pre-defining events
• Intuitive visual interface for non-technical team members
• Session replay and heatmaps integrated with analytics

Cons

• Can become expensive quickly as data volume grows
• Data sampling on free and lower-tier plans limits accuracy
• Requires careful data governance to avoid noise from irrelevant events

Google Analytics

Nice Pick

The free data black hole that marketers love and developers dread.

Pros

• Free tier covers most small to medium sites
• Integrates seamlessly with Google Ads and other Google services
• Real-time reporting for quick insights
• Massive community and extensive documentation

Cons

• Privacy concerns and GDPR compliance headaches
• Steep learning curve for advanced features
• Data sampling can skew results on large datasets

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. Heap is a hosting & deployment while Google Analytics is a devtools. We picked Google Analytics based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.

The Bottom Line

Google Analytics wins

Based on overall popularity. Google Analytics is more widely used, but Heap excels in its own space.