Have you ever looked at your marketing reports? You might compare HubSpot Analytics to Google Analytics 4 (GA4). Sometimes, the numbers just don’t match up. You're not alone.
This is one of the most common frustrations for marketers and business owners alike.
It's easy to think one tool is "wrong." However, both HubSpot and GA4 are very powerful. They are made with different ideas and track data in unique ways. Understanding these differences is not about picking a single winner. It is about using each platform for its strengths. This way, you can get a full view of your digital performance.
Let's look at why you see discrepancies and how to make sense of your data.
The main reason for the different numbers is how each platform defines and collects data. This is especially true for what counts as a "session" or a "user." There are also differences in how they implement and process this data.
Missing or Misplaced Snippets: If the GA4 tracking code is not on every page, you will miss some sessions in GA4. This can happen if it fires after HubSpot's code.
Multiple Tracking Codes: Having duplicate GA4 or HubSpot scripts on a page can increase counts in one platform. This can cause obvious differences.
Asynchronous Loading: Both trackers load asynchronously, meaning they don't block other content. The order in which they fire can change. This may cause one tool to record a session while the other does not if a user leaves quickly.
If you’re noticing fluctuations of more than 5% get in touch with elcap and our development team can review your source code data and ensure no duplication.
Differing Session Timeouts: GA4 defaults to a 30-minute inactivity timeout for a session. Users can configure HubSpot's session timeout differently, and it may have slightly varied internal logic.
Unique Visitor Counting: GA4 primarily deduplicates users via client-side cookies. HubSpot uses its own cookies or IP-based logic. This means that metrics like bounce rate and returning visitor counts will differ. Each tool finds unique users using its own method.
Session Restarts: HubSpot sessions restart automatically at midnight in your account's time zone. They also restart if a visitor comes back from a new traffic source during a continuous visit. GA4 sessions do not restart at midnight. They are less likely to create new sessions if the user stays active.
Attribution Models: GA4's default model is "last non-direct click." This model can be changed to be data driven. It often credits conversions differently than HubSpot's default model, which is "first touch." HubSpot also has more advanced multi-touch attribution models. This shifts how "source/medium" and conversion credit are assigned.
Goal vs. Contact Attribution: GA4 goals (conversions) fire when a specific pageview or event occurs. HubSpot, however, marks a form submission as a "contact." If a form is loaded with AJAX or shown in a modal, GA4 may not count a regular pageview goal. However, HubSpot will correctly track the contact submission.
HubSpot Automatic Events: HubSpot automatically tracks specific actions like form submissions, CTA clicks, and email opens. GA4 only tracks these if you've specifically set up Events or configured Enhanced Measurement correctly.
Filtered Views: If you've excluded internal traffic, bots, or specific referral sources in GA4 but not in HubSpot (or vice versa), your total counts will naturally be skewed between the platforms.
Data Sampling: In busy properties, GA4 may sometimes sample data for some reports. This helps it process information faster, especially in the free version. HubSpot reports tend to be unsampled, meaning GA4 may estimate metrics differently than HubSpot's full data.
Unfiltered Bots: While both platforms have bot filtering, they may detect and filter bots differently. If HubSpot doesn't filter certain spiders or scrapers that GA4 does, you might see inflated visit counts in one tool.
Referrer Spam: Spammers sometimes spoof traffic that might slip through one platform's filters but not the other's.
Consent Banners: Visitors who say no to analytics cookies may still count as visits in HubSpot's server logs. This happens if the logs are enabled. However, these visitors will not be tracked by GA4's client-side JavaScript snippet, which needs those cookies.
Ad-blockers and Browser Privacy Settings: Some ad-blockers or browser privacy settings are designed to block GA4's tracking scripts (e.g., analytics.js/gtag.js) but might allow HubSpot's tracking, or vice versa, leading to uneven data collection.
Different Time Zones: If GA4 is set to UTC and HubSpot to your local time, daily totals will differ. This happens around midnight because sessions that cross over into a new day change.
Processing Delays: HubSpot data often seems real-time. However, GA4 can have a 24 to 48-hour delay for final metrics. This means that immediate comparisons may show differences.
Incomplete Cross-Domain Setup: If you're tracking multiple domains (e.g., www.yourcompany.com and blog.yourcompany.com), GA4 requires careful setup of linker parameters to maintain a single session across domains. HubSpot may auto-link some hostnames, which can cause session splits only in GA4 if not configured correctly.
Subdomain Cookie Settings: GA4 cookies may be set for specific subdomains. This can differ from HubSpot's cookies. This difference might break what should be a continuous session in one tool but not the other.
Triggered vs. Automatic: A HubSpot "Page View" may count on every page load. GA4's Enhanced Measurement can track some events automatically. However, for complex Single Page Applications (SPAs), traditional pageview tracking may miss some views. This happens unless it is set up for virtual page views.
Excel/CSV Exports: When comparing data, ensure you're looking at comparable sets. Pulling raw "all sessions" from HubSpot is different from using a "filtered view" or sampled data from GA4. This can lead to comparing apples (HubSpot's complete, filtered export) to oranges (GA4's possibly filtered or sampled data).
Instead of fighting the discrepancies, embrace the unique strengths of each platform.
Marketing & Sales Performance: HubSpot is great for understanding the entire customer journey. This includes everything from the first website visit to closed deals. It ties website activity directly to known contacts in your CRM.
Lead Generation & Conversion Funnel: Watch how leads move through your sales funnel. Find conversion points and measure how well your lead magnets, forms, and CTAs work. It's the source of truth for actual form submissions and contact creation.
Marketing Campaign: Get clear information on your marketing efforts. This includes email marketing, social media campaigns, and content strategies. These efforts help you generate leads and build your pipeline.
Content Performance (Linked to CRM): Find out which blog posts, landing pages, and website content lead to conversions. See how they affect your contacts' journeys.
Personalised Reporting: You can easily make custom reports that connect to your CRM data. This allows for detailed analysis of contacts and companies.
Granular Website User Behaviour: Looking into how users interact with your website. GA4's event-based model lets you track almost every click, scroll, video play, and download. This gives you insight into how users engage.
Cross-Platform Analysis: If you have a website and a mobile app, GA4 helps combine data from both. This gives you a complete view of user behaviour across all points of contact.
Real-time Insights: See what's happening on your site right now – how many users are active, which pages they're viewing, and where they're coming from.
Audience Segmentation & Building: Create audience segments based on behaviour for retargeting campaigns and personalised experiences. GA4's predictive metrics can even identify users likely to convert or churn.
Technical Website Performance: Gain insights into device usage, browser types, and geographical data to optimise your website's performance and user experience globally.
Ad Campaign Optimisation (Google Ads): GA4 works well with Google Ads. It gives better data on attributions and conversions for your paid campaigns.
It's not about choosing one over the other; it's about making them work together. HubSpot and GA4 are complementary tools.
Native Integration: HubSpot offers a straightforward native integration with GA4 (check your HubSpot settings under Website > Pages > Integrations). This sends basic HubSpot pageview data to GA4.
- Use API integration or Google Tag Manager (GTM) for better data flow.
- This can help you get more tailored insights. This can help you send HubSpot-specific events, like form submissions or MQL status changes, into GA4 as custom events.
This bridges the gap between anonymous web behaviour and known contact actions.
Check Your Tracking Code: Use tools like Google Tag Assistant and browser developer tools. Make sure both HubSpot and GA4 snippets are present. They should be placed correctly, ideally in the <head> for GA4. Also, ensure they are firing as expected on every page you want to track. Ensure no duplicate scripts are present.
Check Time Zones and Session Settings: Go to your GA4 Admin settings and HubSpot Account Settings. Make sure both platforms use the same time zone. While session timeouts may vary slightly, understand their defaults.
Use the Same Filters: Make sure you use the same filters on both platforms. This includes excluding internal IP addresses, specific bots, and known spam referrers. This will help you remove irrelevant traffic.
Standardise Attribution Models: When you compare "which source generated the lead," know the default models of each platform. For example, GA4 uses "last non-direct click," while HubSpot uses "first touch." If you can, align these models or interpret the data with these differences in mind.
Reconcile Event Definitions: If you're comparing specific conversion actions like "form submissions," ensure that each tool's event or goal fires identically and under the same conditions. Test thoroughly.
Accept that the numbers won't match exactly because of the inherent differences in tracking. Instead, focus on trends. If both tools show a similar trend in traffic or conversions, you gain useful insights.
For certain metrics, designate one platform as your primary source:
For form submissions and lead lifecycle progression: Use HubSpot's data to track the actual submission regardless of tracking script issues, linking directly to your CRM.
For overall website traffic patterns, user engagement, and technical performance: Use GA4. Its strength lies in its comprehensive, event-based tracking of anonymous web users.
Use consistent UTM tagging across all your marketing campaigns. This helps both HubSpot and GA4 attribute traffic sources accurately and consistently, reducing discrepancies in channel reporting.
Ensure your cookie consent banner is configured to load tracking scripts from both platforms only after user consent. This helps minimise data loss for both analytics tools.
The "discrepancy" between HubSpot Analytics and Google Analytics 4 isn't a flaw; it's a reflection of their different purposes. HubSpot gives you a valuable view of your marketing and sales efforts. It helps you understand lead generation and customer journeys. GA4 offers depth into anonymous website user behaviour and technical performance.
By knowing what each tool does best and using smart integration strategies, you can overcome frustrating number differences. This will help you understand your digital presence better and drive more effective growth.
If you require support with HubSpot or Google Analytics reporting please contact a member of the team today.