Google Analytics has been the default for over a decade. But in 2026, it comes with baggage that
most developers don't need.
I built Web Analyzer App as a replacement. Here's the honest
breakdown of why — and what I learned.
## The problem with GA4
I'm not here to trash Google. GA4 is powerful. But for most websites, it's overkill with real
costs:
- 45 KB script — that's heavier than most hero images after optimization. It blocks rendering and hurts your Core Web Vitals.
- Cookies everywhere — GA4 sets cookies, which means you legally need a consent banner in the EU, UK, Brazil, and increasingly in US states.
- Your data feeds Google's ad machine — read the fine print. Google uses Analytics data to improve its advertising products.
- The interface is... a lot — GA4's learning curve is steep. Most people just want to know: how many visitors, where from, what pages.
## What I built instead
Web Analyzer App is a privacy-first analytics tool. Here's what makes it different:
| | GA4 | Web Analyzer App |
|---|---|---|
| Script size | 45 KB | 2 KB |
| Cookies | Yes | None |
| Consent banner | Required | Not needed |
| Data shared with | Google | Nobody |
| Setup time | Hours | 2 minutes |
| GDPR compliant | With config | By default |
## The setup is one line
html
<script async src="https://webanalyzerapp.com/tracker.js"
data-key="YOUR_KEY"></script>
That's it. No npm packages, no build steps, no Google Tag Manager containers, no consent mode
configuration.
What you get
The dashboard gives you everything most sites actually need:
- Real-time visitors — who's on your site right now
- Pages, sources, countries — where traffic comes from
- Session replays — visitor journey timelines (not screen recordings — just the page flow)
- Goals & funnels — track conversions without writing code
- Uptime monitoring — get alerted when your site goes down
- SEO audits — find and fix issues automatically
- Custom events — track button clicks, form submissions, signups
// Track a custom event — it's this simple
window.wa('signup_completed', { plan: 'pro' });
How privacy works without cookies
Instead of cookies, we use a hash of the visitor's IP + User-Agent + a daily rotating salt. This
gives us unique visitor counts without ever storing personal data. The hash can't be reversed, and
it resets every 24 hours.
No cookies = no consent banner needed. You're GDPR, CCPA, and PECR compliant out of the box.
Performance comparison
I tested both scripts on a clean page using WebPageTest:
- GA4: 45 KB transferred, 3 network requests, 12ms main thread blocking
- Web Analyzer App: 2 KB transferred, 1 request, <1ms blocking
For sites optimizing Core Web Vitals, this matters. Google literally penalizes you in search
rankings for the performance cost of... Google's own script.
It's free
The free plan includes:
- 1 website
- 1M events/month
- Full analytics dashboard
- Uptime monitoring
- SEO audits
No credit card, no trial that expires. If you need more (up to 10 sites, AI insights, API access,
team collaboration), Pro is $14.99/month with the first month free.
Try it
👉 https://webanalyzerapp.com
Add the script, wait 30 seconds, and check your dashboard. If you don't see data within a minute,
something's wrong — https://webanalyzerapp.com/contact and I'll help you debug it.
---
If you have questions about privacy-first analytics, GDPR compliance, or migrating from GA4, drop a
comment. Happy to help.
---
Top comments (0)