We are all aware that two different Google Analytics programs are available for internet-based businesses. And understandably, they’re both in use on approximately 55.5% of all websites.
While there is undoubtedly a significant difference between the two, it ultimately comes down to which best suits your company's needs. Nevertheless, we'll go over a feature-by-feature analysis between Google Analytics and Google Analytics 360 (a premium service).
Does The Free Version Suit Your Needs?
Generally speaking, yes.
Both private entities and small and medium-sized businesses may use Google Analytics for free. It offers the most relevant statistics that support the decisions you need to make concerning your digital marketing plan. Most of the information you require on your clients will be available to you.
But when will you have to upgrade to the premium version?
The fact is that you probably won't ever need to upgrade unless you're a gigantic company employing a variety of technologies to monitor website performance.
Free Vs. Paid Version: The Major Differences
The main distinctions between Google Analytics' premium and free versions are listed below:
Hit Limit
Any activity on a website that provides data to Google for analysis is referred to as a hit. Your data may become erroneous when the hit limit is met. The first tier of GA360 has a restriction of 1 billion monthly hits as opposed to the free version's 10 million. Your assessments will be more reliable the more data you can gather.
Sampling Capability
Google Analytics may choose to randomly sample a subset of your traffic information instead because it must manage and analyze a huge volume of data quite speedily. The real nature of your data may not, unfortunately, be accurately represented by this sample. The sampling for the free version begins after 500,000 sessions. However, up to 100 million sessions are permitted per Google Analytics 360 account, ensuring the validity of the data.
Data Freshness
Data freshness refers to how current the data in a report is. It will take less than 4 hours for updates to your website to appear in the GA360 report. The free version does not guarantee data freshness, therefore, reflection may take up to 24 hours.
Dimensions
Compared to just 20 in GA, GA360 offers up to 200 unique dimensions and metrics. These are user-defined parameters that Google Analytics does not automatically generate. Therefore, GA360 will provide greater adaptability and imagination.
Customer Support and Information
Apart from online discussion boards and a self-service help center, GA does not provide technical support. However, a complete customer support service is included with GA360.
Cost
Google Analytics has a hybrid business model, which means it provides both a freemium and a paid service. Thankfully, the proprietors of small businesses may employ this service without spending any money or a monthly fee. However, there are certain associated fees that you will have to pay if you want more sophisticated services.
The premium version is significantly more expensive than the free version. You'll have to pay $150 000 for Google Analytics 360 per year. Due to the importance of certain features, there is a significant price difference.
But the good news is that it's free for small and medium-sized enterprises. Moreover, it provides several features that may be sufficient for any small or medium-sized firm to efficiently manage its marketing efforts. In any case, if large businesses want more analysis tools and functionalities, they may opt for the premium edition and rationalize its high cost.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, Google Analytics comprises two different versions, both quite capable. It is no surprise that this service is used by so many websites all over the world. If you have a small-scale business, the free version should be more than enough. But when it comes to large businesses that need lots of monitoring, Google Analytics 360 might be a wise investment.