Google Analytics vs. VWO

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Google Analytics
Score 8.1 out of 10
N/A
Google Analytics is perhaps the best-known web analytics product and, as a free product, it has massive adoption. Although it lacks some enterprise-level features compared to its competitors in the space, the launch of the paid Google Analytics Premium edition seems likely to close the gap.
$0
per month
VWO
Score 8.3 out of 10
N/A
VWO is an A/B testing and conversion optimization platform that enables growing businesses to conduct qualitative and quantitative visitor research, build an experimentation roadmap and run continuous experiments on their digital properties. With its 5 capabilities Plan, Track, Test, Analyze, and Target, it brings the entire CRO (conversion rate optimization) process at one place. VWO helps online businesses follow the process- and data-driven conversion…
$49
per month
Pricing
Google AnalyticsVWO
Editions & Modules
Google Analytics 360
150,000
per year
Google Analytics
Free
Subscription
$99.00
per month
TESTING
Get a Demo
The classic VWO A/B testing solution
CONVERSION OPTIMIZATION
Get a Demo
The all-in-one platform for all your optimization needs
ENTERPRISE
Get a Demo
Customized solution with advanced AB testing and conversion optimization capabilities
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Google AnalyticsVWO
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Google AnalyticsVWO
Considered Both Products
Google Analytics

No answer on this topic

VWO
Chose VWO
VWO is much better than others at providing an easy way to run tests and gather data, but we do currently supplement it with Hotjar for better heatmap tracking and detailed visitor tracking. We also use Google Analytics for general traffic sourcing and behavior, as well as …
Chose VWO
VWO is much more flexible, more affordable, and is easier to implement. We also appreciate how responsive and helpful VWO customer service is.
Chose VWO
We use VWO not in competition with, but alongside other tools, as we believe a mixture is the best recipe for success. Hotjar is a slightly different offering and has some very strong heatmap/ journey mapping capabilities. We tend to use it for that, with the insight feeding …
Chose VWO
VWO has worse usability and isn't as flexible as the other platforms. Also, the insight that Qubit and Optimizely generates is actually accurate and can be used compared to the reports that VWO provide.
Chose VWO
I was not involved in Optimizely, nor did we implement it outside a free trial I believe, but VWO seemed to do generally the same things with a lower cost, though I could be mistaken.

I have used Qualtrics in the past. It is very good for survey creation and logic. I know some …
Chose VWO
VWO is way more comprehensive and powerful. We selected VWO because of multiple factors including pricing, capabilities, and last but not least, support. It's quite important to be able to liaise with the platform when building tests.
Chose VWO
We enjoy being able to pause and edit tests whenever we want. There are also a lot of additional functionalities on VWO, like recordings.
Chose VWO
VWO is a good compliment to GA and Hotjar but it's expensive. Hotjar has a lot of really good analysis features for a very, very reasonable price. GA is free but comes with a high operational cost and learning curve. GA and its suite of tools is improving but I don't have …
Chose VWO
At the time we made the decision, these tools didn't allow for AB testing or at least a more built out infrastructure for implementing the testing. They allow us to analyze data though.
Chose VWO
I wanted to select Google Optimize. I used Analytics, Ads and Tag Manager, but they are different from VWO. Google Optimize is quite comparable. As you can do A/B-tests as well. You are only limited to a few test at the same time. And it is not possible to make heat maps. That …
Chose VWO
The user experience was quite similar at least on that level we were and are using these kind of products. We decided to stick with VWO because of a more attractive pricing, the ease of use of the WYSIWYG editor and the user segmentation.
Chose VWO
I had not used any other testing tools prior to using VWO, but I was able to learn how to use VWO relatively quickly.
Chose VWO
We chose VWO because it combines all the features that we need in one. All of the other products we have looked at have been missing something.
Chose VWO
VWO is a very simplistic and sleek platform. Even those without previous experience can really set up any test and implement any changes. VWO is definitely the easiest to use.
Chose VWO
VWO is more of an entry level tool, unless you purchase the enterprise solution, which includes a lot of additional features including IP targeting, custom attributes and segmentation (which allows you to filter results by a referrer URL, if a visitor clicked on a specific …
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Google AnalyticsVWO
Web Analytics
Comparison of Web Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Google Analytics
8.3
2 Ratings
3% above category average
VWO
-
Ratings
Lead Conversion Tracking7.52 Ratings00 Ratings
Bounce Rate Measurement8.52 Ratings00 Ratings
Device and Browser Reporting8.52 Ratings00 Ratings
Pageview Tracking8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Event Tracking7.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Reporting in real-time10.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Referral Source Tracking8.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Customizable Dashboards8.52 Ratings00 Ratings
Testing and Experimentation
Comparison of Testing and Experimentation features of Product A and Product B
Google Analytics
-
Ratings
VWO
7.5
11 Ratings
10% below category average
a/b experiment testing00 Ratings8.21 Ratings
Split URL testing00 Ratings9.11 Ratings
Multivariate testing00 Ratings8.011 Ratings
Multi-page/funnel testing00 Ratings6.41 Ratings
Cross-browser testing00 Ratings8.21 Ratings
Test significance00 Ratings7.31 Ratings
Visual / WYSIWYG editor00 Ratings7.31 Ratings
Advanced code editor00 Ratings9.11 Ratings
Visitor recordings00 Ratings6.41 Ratings
Preview mode00 Ratings6.41 Ratings
Test duration calculator00 Ratings6.41 Ratings
Audience Segmentation & Targeting
Comparison of Audience Segmentation & Targeting features of Product A and Product B
Google Analytics
-
Ratings
VWO
8.2
1 Ratings
5% below category average
Standard visitor segmentation00 Ratings9.11 Ratings
Behavioral visitor segmentation00 Ratings7.31 Ratings
Traffic allocation control00 Ratings9.11 Ratings
Website personalization00 Ratings7.31 Ratings
Results and Analysis
Comparison of Results and Analysis features of Product A and Product B
Google Analytics
-
Ratings
VWO
7.0
1 Ratings
19% below category average
Heatmap tool00 Ratings6.41 Ratings
Click analytics00 Ratings6.41 Ratings
Scroll maps00 Ratings6.41 Ratings
Conversion tracking00 Ratings8.21 Ratings
Goal tracking00 Ratings8.21 Ratings
Test reporting00 Ratings7.31 Ratings
Results segmentation00 Ratings5.51 Ratings
Experiments results dashboard00 Ratings8.21 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Google AnalyticsVWO
Small Businesses
StatCounter
StatCounter
Score 9.0 out of 10
Convert Experiences
Convert Experiences
Score 9.7 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Siteimprove
Siteimprove
Score 9.4 out of 10
Dynamic Yield
Dynamic Yield
Score 8.7 out of 10
Enterprises
Optimal Workshop
Optimal Workshop
Score 9.2 out of 10
Dynamic Yield
Dynamic Yield
Score 8.7 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Google AnalyticsVWO
Likelihood to Recommend
8.2
(185 ratings)
7.7
(108 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.0
(51 ratings)
8.7
(20 ratings)
Usability
7.6
(10 ratings)
8.7
(5 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(4 ratings)
9.1
(3 ratings)
Performance
10.0
(2 ratings)
8.2
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
7.0
(42 ratings)
9.1
(4 ratings)
Online Training
10.0
(2 ratings)
6.4
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.0
(7 ratings)
9.1
(3 ratings)
Configurability
6.0
(2 ratings)
8.2
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
10.0
(1 ratings)
3.6
(1 ratings)
Product Scalability
10.0
(2 ratings)
8.2
(1 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
10.0
(1 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.0
(1 ratings)
8.2
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Google AnalyticsVWO
Likelihood to Recommend
Google
Google Analytics is particularly well suited for tracking and analyzing customer behavior on a grocery e-commerce platform. It provides a wealth of information about customer behavior, including what products are most popular, what pages are visited the most, and where customers are coming from. This information can help the platform optimize its website for better customer engagement and conversion rates. However, Google Analytics may not be the best tool for more advanced, granular analysis of customer behavior, such as tracking individual customer journeys or understanding customer motivations. In these cases, it may be more appropriate to use additional tools or solutions that provide deeper insights into customer behavior.
Read full review
Wingify Pvt Ltd
It works better for either small or big companies because small companies can start with the free plan which is very decent and has everything they need. Also for big companies who get the best paid plans they get a lot of premium functionalities, the insight module, outstanding reports. But for medium size companies who can only afford the basic paid plan, it may not be the best tool as it is very limited. For example, they cannot analize a/b tests for new and ruturning visitors, neither based on the users device category.
Read full review
Pros
Google
  • Multiple reports to see website use and behavior
  • Allows you to customize reports with days, weeks, months, and years
  • You can build out a dashboard to easily view stats from multiple websites in one place
  • You can share analytics reports via the dashboard, automatically emailed PDFs or in other formats
Read full review
Wingify Pvt Ltd
  • VWO is pretty easy to implement on websites and doesn't require a heavy technology lift
  • The VWO interface is pretty intuitive and let's non-technical users make variants for testing
  • The VWO reporting dashboard is excellent for determining statistical significance and understanding whether differences in conversion rates are meaningful or not
Read full review
Cons
Google
  • Data sampling is somewhat inaccurate on the free tier - this is addressed in premium but is expensive.
  • Some of the UI is very similar in naming when presenting different data, some in-situ information might be useful.
  • Gotchas around filtering and data validation.
  • Implementation can be tricky, it can take a lot of time and expertise to get a full, accurate picture of your metrics.
Read full review
Wingify Pvt Ltd
  • The user interface within VWO does take a bit of time to get used to, especially as it pertains to switching back and forth between tests. When running multiple experiments on a site at a time, a clear and succinct dashboard for everything in one place would be helpful (as opposed to needing to switch between A/B, multivariate, etc).
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Google
We will continue to use Google Analytics for several reasons. It is free, which is a huge selling point. It houses all of our ecommerce stores' data, and though it can't account for refunds or fraud orders, gives us and our clients directional, real time information on individual and group store performance.
Read full review
Wingify Pvt Ltd
It's great value and we think we've ironed out all the major teething troubles. However, if we experience any more bugs or problems that significantly slow us down then we're seriously considering switching to Optimizely, which I haven't personally tested but have heard great things about from my CRO peers
Read full review
Usability
Google
Google Analytics provides a wealth of data, down to minute levels. That is it's greatest detriment: find the right information when you need it can be a cumbersome task. You are able to create shortcuts, however, so it can mitigate some of this problem. Google is continually refining Analytics, so I do not doubt there will be improvements
Read full review
Wingify Pvt Ltd
I gave Visual Website Optimizer a rating of 8 because it is overall a great product to use. Setting up and keeping track of various tests is easy and straight forward. The only reason why this product is not rated higher is because the support documents online leave a lot of room for improvement.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
Google
We all know Google is at top when it comes to availability. We have never faced any such instances where I can suggest otherwise. All you need is a Google account, a device and internet connection to use this super powerful tool for reporting and visualising your site data, traffic, events, etc. that too in real time.
Read full review
Wingify Pvt Ltd
I have not experienced an application error or unplanned outage with VWO.
Read full review
Performance
Google
This has been a catalyst for improving our site's traffic handling capabilities. We were able to identify exit% from our sites through it and we used recommendations to handle and implement the same in our sites. We have been increasing the usage of Google Analytics in our sites and never had any performance related issues if we used Analytics
Read full review
Wingify Pvt Ltd
VWO doesn't appear to slow down our website at all, though some customers with adblockers like UBlock Origin have been known to not see entire pages if VWO is making changes to the page at a macro level (background, font, etc). This is rare though.
Read full review
Support Rating
Google
The Google reps respond very quickly. However, sometimes they can overly call you to set up an apportionment. I'm very proficient and sometimes when I talk to reps, they give beginner tutorials and insights that are a waste of time. I wish Google would understand my level of expertise and assign me to a rep (long-term) that doesn't have to walk me through the basics.
Read full review
Wingify Pvt Ltd
While their online document support is lacking a simple email to their support team will almost always get responded to the next day. It has however taken more than one email to explain the problem to the support team till they understood the problem. The solution I was given also only half fixed the problem the rest I figured out on my own.
Read full review
Online Training
Google
love the product and training they provide for businesses of all sizes. The following list of links will help you get started with Google Analytics from setup to understanding what data is being presented by Google Analytics.
  1. How to Use Google Analytics for Beginners – Mahalo’s how-to guide for beginners.
  2. A beginner’s guide to Google Analytics – A free eBook walking you through Google Analytics from setup to understanding what data is being presented.
  3. Getting to Know Your Google Analytics Dashboard – The title says it all! This is a brief post with one goal: to introduce you to the Google Analytics dashboard.
  4. Google Analytics for Beginners: How to Make the Most of Your Traffic Reports– This guide doesn’t cover setup, but it does a great job of helping you to better understand the data being presented.
  5. Google Analytics Video Tutorial 1: Setup – A video presentation that walks you through Google Analytics setup.
  6. Google Analytics Video Tutorial 2: Essential Stats – A video presentation that introduces you to some of the most important data being presented in Google Analytics.
Read full review
Wingify Pvt Ltd
Training was good, just limited to the onboarding process. They walked through all of the steps it takes to get started in VWO and each of the modules, along with giving us ideas for starting our first test. I feel like it could be better if there was a guided process within the VWO program to continue to educate you along the way, and a way to turn that off for experienced users.
Read full review
Implementation Rating
Google
I think my biggest take away from the Google Analytics implementation was that there needs to be a clear understanding of what you want to achieve and how you want to achieve it before you start. Originally the analytics were added to track visitors, but as we became more savvy with the product, we began adding more and more functionality, and defining guidelines as we went along. While not detrimental to our success, this lack of an overarching goal resulted in some minor setbacks in implementation and the collection of some messy data that is unusable.
Read full review
Wingify Pvt Ltd
Overall, the implementation of VWO is straightforward. If you've got a straightforward way of deploying code to all of your test pages, either a good CMS or a TMS, then implementation should be a breeze. There is no tweaking to be done to the code itself, and once deployed it has the flexibility to cope with different VWO modules (tracking, conversion analysis, session analysis) without modification.
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
Google
I have not used Adobe Analytics as much, but I know they offer something called customer journey analytics, which we are evaluating now. I have used Semrush, and I find them much better than Google Analytics. I feel a fairly nontechnical person could learn Semrush in about a month. They also offer features like competitive analysis (on content, keywords, traffic, etc.), which is very useful. If you have to choose one among Semrush and Google Analytics, I would say go for Semrush.
Read full review
Wingify Pvt Ltd
There are significant differences in each platform when it comes to Optimizely and vwo. From a functionality and performance perspective they each have their pros and cons. It is important to go through the feature sets of each and ensure the solution you select will work specifically with your business objectives and conversion rate optimization goals
Read full review
Scalability
Google
Google Analytics is currently handling the reporting and tracking of near about 80 sites in our project. And I am not talking about the sites from different projects. They may have way more accounts than that. Never ever felt a performance issue from Google's end while generating or customising reports or tracking custom events or creating custom dimensions
Read full review
Wingify Pvt Ltd
The product seems infinitely scalable for our needs (small business) and we've never had any issue with loading VWO-edited elements. I will say, though, that online customers with ad blockers have been known to not see certain VWO elements as their third-party scripts are disabled.
Read full review
Return on Investment
Google
  • It has helped us gain understanding of what is going on on our website.
  • It has helped us determine areas that need fixing (i.e. pages with extremely high bounce rates may need to be redone).
  • It has helped us understand our biggest avenues for bringing traffic to the website and business in general.
  • It has helped guide our website redesign.
Read full review
Wingify Pvt Ltd
  • The ability to offer a CRO service is greatly enhanced by VWO, as it allows us to run tests for clients
  • The editor means to some extent we don't need much developer resource to run the tests, lowering costs of doing so
Read full review
ScreenShots

VWO Screenshots

Screenshot of Screenshot of