AppsFlyer vs Google Analytics

June 03, 2023 | Author: Michael Stromann
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AppsFlyer
As an official Facebook & Twitter Mobile Measurement Partner, AppsFlyer is a one-stop shop for any mobile advertiser providing unbiased attribution, mobile campaign analytics, in-app user engagement, lifetime value analysis, ROI and retargeting.
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Google Analytics
Google Analytics lets you measure your advertising ROI as well as track your Flash, video, and social networking sites and applications. Google Analytics shows you the full customer picture across ads and videos, websites and social tools, tablets and smartphones. That makes it easier to serve your current customers and win new ones.
AppsFlyer and Google Analytics are both powerful analytics platforms, but they have different areas of focus and features that set them apart.

AppsFlyer is primarily designed for mobile app attribution and marketing analytics. It specializes in tracking and attributing user acquisition and engagement across various marketing channels and campaigns. With its extensive integration options, AppsFlyer enables businesses to measure the effectiveness of their mobile marketing efforts and optimize their user acquisition strategies. It provides comprehensive data on user behavior, in-app events, and campaign performance, helping businesses make informed decisions to improve their app's performance and drive user engagement.

On the other hand, Google Analytics is a broader analytics platform that caters to both web and mobile app analytics. It offers a wide range of features for tracking website traffic, user behavior, conversion funnels, and goal completions. Google Analytics provides detailed insights into user demographics, acquisition sources, and user journey analysis. It also integrates with other Google marketing products, such as Google Ads, allowing businesses to track and optimize their digital advertising campaigns.

See also: Top 10 Mobile App Analytics platforms
AppsFlyer vs Google Analytics in our news:

2020. Google Analytics 4 allows to combine website and mobile app statistics



Google has introduced a major update to its website analytics platform, Google Analytics 4. The key highlight of this update is the inclusion of a new resource type called App + Web. This feature allows users to combine data from both websites and mobile applications, enabling the creation of unified reports for comprehensive analysis. The functionality of analytics tools has been significantly revamped, with improved visualization of user behavior and the adoption of a new model called "Event + Parameter." Notably, the updated platform now offers enhanced capabilities for online stores. Users can create user groups based on the likelihood of placing an order or leaving the website within the next seven days. It is important to note that the option to continue using the previous version, Universal Analytics (UA), is still available. Users have the flexibility to work with both Universal Analytics and Google Analytics 4 simultaneously by creating new resources with dual analytics capabilities (UA + GA4). This dual approach is designed to accommodate users who may find exclusive use of the new tool less convenient in certain scenarios.


2016. Google Analytics adds automated insights



Google Analytics has introduced enhanced functionality on iOS and Android platforms, allowing users to easily identify crucial trends within their data. On the Assistant screen, users will now have access to automatically generated insights. For instance, if there is a sudden surge in new users on your website or app, Google Analytics will prominently highlight this information and provide details regarding the source of these new users. Likewise, for e-commerce companies, it can pinpoint the products experiencing the most significant increase in sales. Although Google Analytics was already tracking this information, it is now presented in a concise and easily digestible card format. This enhancement enables businesses to swiftly access the relevant information without the need to navigate through multiple pages, reducing the chances of overlooking important data changes.


2016. New Google Analytics app improves user experience


The most recent update of the Google Analytics app (version 3.0) introduces several features inspired by chat platforms. Google has streamlined the app's navigation, resulting in a cleaner interface that enhances the visibility of reports. Metrics and dimensions are now displayed within scorecards, which bear a resemblance to the widgets found in Google Analytics dashboards. These scorecards present a concise overview of the top dimensions within a specific report. By utilizing familiar tablet and smartphone user behaviors, such as swiping, users can easily navigate to their desired dimensions. The condensed listing of scorecards also facilitates the effortless discovery and bookmarking of reports.


2015. Google Analytics adds Calculated Metrics



Google has introduced a new feature in Google Analytics called Calculated Metrics. This feature enables users to create custom metrics based on existing metrics within Google Analytics. It eliminates the need to navigate away from the report, streamlining the process of performing calculations. Essentially, Calculated Metrics serves as a convenient tool for adding compound metrics that frequently arise in business intelligence discussions. For instance, an e-commerce retailer could generate a currency conversion metric by multiplying the Revenue metric from Google Analytics reports with the current conversion rate. To access Calculated Metrics, users can find it in the admin panel under the view column.


2015. Mobile ad measurement platform AppsFlyer raises $20 Million



AppsFlyer, a startup that collaborates with major platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google to evaluate the effectiveness of in-app mobile ads, has secured $20 million in a Series B funding round. The company provides a dashboard that enables advertisers and other stakeholders to assess the performance of their ads. This information empowers brands to launch and measure subsequent campaigns using the same dashboard. Additionally, AppsFlyer positions itself as a comprehensive solution by integrating with various analytics services like Mixpanel, Swrve, Game Analytics, and deltaDNA.


2014. Google Analytics is available on iPhone



After more than two years of launching Google Analytics for Android, Google has now introduced a version of Google Analytics specifically designed for the iPhone. This app enables users to conveniently monitor their website analytics, including real-time visitor reports, directly from their smartphones. In addition to providing real-time and time-based reports, the app offers insights into user behaviors, conversions, and more. The user interface (UI) of the app aligns with the aesthetic of other Google apps available for iOS. Moreover, the app leverages the sign-in capabilities of Gmail, Google+, and the standard Google app for iOS. It's important to note that Google Analytics for iPhone is currently not optimized for iPad, but there is hope that future updates will include support for iPads.


2014. Google Analytics gets brand new E-Commerce section



Google is introducing a comprehensive overhaul of its Google Analytics E-commerce, focusing on delivering insights throughout the entire customer journey, going beyond just the purchase stage. The updated version includes new metrics such as product detail views, 'add to cart' actions, clicks on internal campaigns, the effectiveness of internal merchandising tools, the checkout process, and the final purchase. Additionally, users can now create audience segments directly from funnel reports to analyze user actions, including cart and product page abandons. Funnels are accessible at the device category level, as depicted in the screenshot below.

Author: Michael Stromann
Michael is an expert in IT Service Management, IT Security and software development. With his extensive experience as a software developer and active involvement in multiple ERP implementation projects, Michael brings a wealth of practical knowledge to his writings. Having previously worked at SAP, he has honed his expertise and gained a deep understanding of software development and implementation processes. Currently, as a freelance developer, Michael continues to contribute to the IT community by sharing his insights through guest articles published on several IT portals. You can contact Michael by email stromann@liventerprise.com