Google Analytics is the most widely used web analytics tool in Switzerland. According to BuiltWith (as of June 2025), it is still used by around 63% of Swiss websites.
But despite its popularity, there are compelling reasons to look for an alternative.
Contents
Why you should consider an alternative to Google Analytics
Privacy concerns
Google Analytics is often criticized for transferring data to the United States. While this is permitted under certain conditions by Swiss and EU data protection laws, the legal and political situation is increasingly uncertain.
The U.S. government is currently openly criticizing European digital regulations—raising questions about the long-term reliability of transatlantic agreements. For something as strategically important as digital analytics, this represents a risk for long-term planning.
Even beyond this, there is growing concern over how Google uses the collected data—particularly in connection with the increasing integration of AI across its platforms. For website owners, it is not transparent how and in what contexts this data is reused or combined.
A look at the U.S. market shows: Even there, only 36% of websites now use Google Analytics (June 2025). The trend is also declining in Europe, with Germany as a frontrunner: Only 51% of German websites use Google Analytics, while the open-source alternative Matomo is already in second place with 11%.
Incomplete data
Another drawback of Google Analytics is that it increasingly provides a distorted picture. Websites using the tool must implement a cookie banner—and many users decline consent.
As a result, those visits are not recorded or only partially captured. On top of that, many modern browsers and adblockers partially or fully block Google Analytics.
By the way: If you’d like to deactivate Google Analytics as well, you can simply install the browser add-on.
GA4 attempts to address these data gaps through so-called Consent Modes (currently version 2). However, these mechanisms are complex to implement, change frequently, and significantly affect your numbers and how they are interpreted.
Google increasingly uses AI-based methods to fill in missing data and generate automated estimates. What models are used and how they function remains largely opaque.
Beyond legal concerns, this kind of data modeling also creates methodological uncertainty—because actual measurements are replaced with probability-based assumptions.
Limited control over your data
Google Analytics offers only limited insight into the raw data behind your traffic reports. Most metrics are preprocessed and displayed in standardized dashboards—and how they are calculated is often unclear.
This limits your ability to conduct custom analyses and makes you dependent on what Google provides. Your ability to export and retain historical data—or migrate it to another tool—is also limited, especially without technical expertise.
In addition, you have no insight into how Google shares or reuses this data across its broader ecosystem—and no influence over it. This structural dependency can be especially problematic for organizations that handle sensitive information.
Complex user interface
Since the launch of Google Analytics 4, the interface has changed significantly—and not necessarily for the better.
Many users find GA4 less intuitive than the previous version, Universal Analytics.
Reports that were previously easy to access now require manual setup. Standard reports have been reduced, and familiar metrics have been replaced with new terminology.
Without taking the time to understand the new data model, users can quickly become overwhelmed. For smaller businesses or less technical teams, this is a real drawback.
Criteria for choosing an alternative
For these reasons, alternatives to Google Analytics are becoming increasingly popular.
Here are the key criteria to help you choose the right analytics tool:
1. Privacy and control
Privacy is usually the most important consideration when switching analytics tools—and rightly so. As a website owner, you are responsible for how visitor data is processed and stored.
That responsibility starts with choosing the right tool.
- Legal compliance: The tool should comply with Swiss privacy laws (nFADP) and the GDPR. The server location also matters: Hosting in Switzerland or the EU is clearly preferable to so-called unsafe third countries like the U.S.
- Cookieless tracking: Tracking without cookies means fewer personal data are processed—and you can do without a cookie banner. This simplifies compliance, improves the user experience, and reduces friction.
- Avoiding AI: The increasingly widespread use of AI-based analyses and modeling means additional processing of personal data – often in a non-transparent manner. Choose a provider that either avoids AI-based evaluation or gives you the option to turn it off.
- Data ownership: You should have full access to your analytics data – including export capabilities and the option to delete data entirely if needed.
- Independence from the provider: With open-source or transparent commercial tools, you remain in control. You can switch providers without losing your data.
A good analytics tool gives you the security of complying with legal requirements – and at the same time the freedom to make your own decisions about your data.
2. Data accuracy
Not all analytics tools are equally accurate. Data quality depends on how the tool collects information – and whether it is blocked by browsers or plugins. The type of data processing also plays a role.
- Cookie-based tracking: As noted earlier, tools like Google Analytics that rely on cookies face increasing data loss due to cookie rejection or blocking. That said, cookies allow for more granular tracking, including user recognition across sessions.
- Cookieless tracking: Modern tools with cookieless tracking avoid this barrier. They often deliver more reliable overall figures because they are less frequently blocked. On the other hand, they cannot perform certain detailed analyses to the same extent.
- Sampling and extrapolation: Especially with free tools, results are often based on samples rather than full data sets – meaning numbers are extrapolated. This reduces reliability and accuracy.
- AI-based modeling: Some tools estimate gaps or user behavior using AI. This may give the illusion of a complete picture – but it’s based on assumptions rather than real data.
All in all, less personal data does not automatically mean less accuracy. If cookieless tracking captures more real visits, the result may even be more meaningful in the end.
3. Features
The tool should offer all the functionality you truly need—without being bloated or overly complex. These core features are especially important:
- Custom events: Track important interactions like clicks, downloads, or form submissions – regardless of the page structure.
- Funnels: Understand where users drop out in your conversion process.
- Real-time analytics: See what’s happening on your site right now and adjust campaigns accordingly.
- A/B testing: Test different content variations systematically.
- Heatmaps: Visualize scroll depth and click behavior for insights into user engagement.
- Tag manager: Add and manage tracking events without changing the website’s source code.
Even without cookies, most of these features are still available. Limitations may arise when trying to track users across multiple pages or visits. Funnels and A/B tests may be slightly less accurate without cookies – but still work with certain limitations.
4. Ease of Use
A good analytics tool should support you – not get in your way. Especially for small teams or less technical users, an intuitive interface is essential.
- Familiar layout: Tools similar in structure to Universal Analytics (GA3) ease the transition, especially for users with previous experience.
- Intuitive navigation: A clear interface with understandable terms helps less tech-savvy people to find their way around.
- Custom reports: The ability to create your own dashboards and reports makes it easier to focus on what matters to your business.
- Clear visualization: Good tools present data clearly and visually—so you can grasp key trends at a glance.
When your team is comfortable with the tool, analytics are more likely to be used actively and incorporated into decision-making.
5. Support, training and consulting
An analytics tool only delivers value if it is properly set up and you understand how to evaluate the data obtained. Personal support can make all the difference. This is where local providers really stand out.
- Local support: Swiss providers are usually easy to reach, respond quickly, and offer support in your language.
- Personal consulting: You get direct points of contact who understand your needs and help you get the most out of your tool.
- Training and onboarding: A proper introduction saves time, prevents mistakes, and helps you get started efficiently.
- Legal expertise: Swiss providers are familiar with the nFADP and can advise you optimally on privacy-compliant use.
Compared to international tools, personal support from local providers is a major advantage – especially in the initial phase.
6. Pricing
Google Analytics may be free—but only in terms of money. You pay with your users’ data. Many alternatives use a different model: You pay a monthly fee and retain full control over your data.
- Fair pricing: Privacy-first tools often charge a monthly subscription. This supports ethical operations – without hidden trade-offs.
- Open source: If your team has the technical expertise, you can host open-source tools yourself and use them for free. Managed hosting costs more – but saves time and effort.
A fair price is often the better deal—for you and your website visitors.
7. Hosting options
Finally, it’s worth considering how and where your analytics tool is hosted – because it has an impact on security, convenience and flexibility.
- Cloud or on-premise: For most businesses, cloud hosting is the easiest option – the infrastructure is maintained for you. But for especially sensitive industries like healthcare or finance, on-premise may be worth considering.
- Self-hosted or managed: Open-source tools like Matomo can be self-hosted if you have technical capacity. Alternatively, a managed service saves time and lets you focus on using the data.
Choose a hosting model that fits your internal resources and security requirements – so that you can operate your analytics tool both efficiently and sustainably.
Swiss alternatives to Google Analytics
There are plenty of alternative web analytics tools on the market. However, the majority of them are based abroad, often in the US. You can find a good overview of 17 international alternatives on Swiss web host Cyon’s blog.
If you’re looking for personal support, local hosting and a strong focus on data protection, Swiss providers are in the lead.
This narrows the list – there are only a few analytics providers based in Switzerland.
Here’s a quick overview:
Friendly Analytics is a Swiss solution built on the open-source software Matomo. It comes pre-configured for maximum privacy, runs without cookies, and collects no personal data – so no cookie banner is required. Data is hosted in Switzerland or, upon request, in the EU.
Friendly is used by companies of all sizes – ranging from small teams to large organizations. The company is ISO 27 001 certified and places strong emphasis on information security. Support is provided directly by a Swiss team, offering assistance from initial setup to day-to-day use if needed.
Starting at: CHF 29/month (up to 50 000 hits)
The Swiss providers Ops One, Trustlytics and Walking to Web also offer Swiss hosting for the well-known open source alternative Matomo. They handle infrastructure, updates and support. Hosted Matomo offers extensive functionality (incl. tag manager, e-commerce, funnels) and is well suited for anyone looking for a flexible, privacy-compliant platform without managing the server.
Trustlytics starting at: CHF 7/month (1 website)
Walking to Web starting at: CHF 15/month (1 website)
Ops One starting at: CHF 540/year (up to 50 000 actions)
nilly is a modern Swiss-built solution with a strong focus on privacy and ease of use. It supports cookieless tracking and complies with numerous international standards (DSG, GDPR, CCPA, PECR, ePVO, PIPL). Its clean interface makes it especially suitable for smaller websites or teams looking for a simple, legally compliant solution.
Starting at: USD 6/month (up to 5 000 hits)
digistats is a lean analytics solution from Switzerland that also runs without cookies. It focuses on collecting only essential metrics and is aimed at businesses that deliberately want to reduce tracking complexity. The minimalist interface supports fast evaluation without unnecessary features.
Starting at: free (up to 500 hits)
fusedeck, also based in Switzerland, rounds out the list. It offers cookieless tracking as well – with a steep entry price, however, it is only aimed at larger companies.
Starting at: CHF 475/month (up to 2.5 million database rows)
Conclusion: Why a Swiss solution is a thoughtful choice
Google Analytics remains widely used – but there are good reasons to explore alternatives to the data kraken: privacy concerns, limited data control, a complex interface and opaque AI-driven modeling all raise valid questions.
Alternative tools provide compelling advantages: they often collect more reliable data, are easier to use, and – most importantly – put you back in control of your data.
While there are many international options, Swiss providers stand out with local hosting, personal support, strong legal alignment, and a clear focus on privacy. Whether you’re a small business or a larger organization, Swiss tools offer a practical and trustworthy path forward.
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