Google Analytics 4 vs Shopify Analytics: Which is better for small stores?

You're staring at two different revenue numbers, and they don't match.

Shopify Analytics says you made 42,500 kr yesterday. Google Analytics 4 says 39,800 kr. That's a 2,700 kr difference. Which one is right?

You dig deeper. Shopify shows 87 orders. GA4 shows 84 orders. Sessions are different too. Conversion rates don't align. Now you're spending 20 minutes trying to reconcile numbers instead of making decisions.

This happens every single day. You check Shopify first—it's simpler, shows e-commerce metrics clearly. But you've heard you "need GA4" for serious analytics. So you check that too. Different numbers. Different insights. You end up confused about which to trust and spending double the time.

Here's the uncomfortable truth: both tools are showing correct data, just measuring differently. And for small stores, this creates a bigger problem—you're managing two analytics platforms when you barely have time for one.

Most small stores don't need both. Some need Shopify only. A few need GA4 only. Very few actually benefit from running both simultaneously. This guide shows you exactly which one fits your situation, why the numbers differ, and when (if ever) you need both.

Why This Problem Exists

The number discrepancies exist because Shopify Analytics and GA4 measure different things with different methodologies.

Shopify Analytics tracks:

• Actual orders placed through your Shopify checkout

• Revenue processed by Shopify Payments (or your payment gateway)

• Perfect accuracy for what happened in your store

• Order-level data (products, customers, inventory)

Google Analytics 4 tracks:

• Website behavior (visits, clicks, page views)

• Estimated e-commerce events (based on tracking code)

• Multi-touch attribution across channels

• Traffic sources and user journeys

Neither is "wrong." They're built for different purposes. Shopify optimizes for store operators who need accurate sales data. GA4 optimizes for marketers who need cross-channel attribution and traffic analysis.

For small stores, this creates decision paralysis: which number do I trust? Which tool should I check daily? Do I really need both?

What Doesn't Work

Trying to reconcile the numbers perfectly:

You'll spend hours investigating minor discrepancies that don't matter. A 2-3% variance between platforms is normal and acceptable.

Checking both tools daily:

Double work, double confusion. If you're checking Shopify AND GA4 every morning, you're wasting 10-15 minutes daily on duplicate efforts.

Using GA4 because "everyone says you should":

Most small stores don't use 80% of GA4's features. You're managing a complex tool for features you don't actually need.

Ignoring one platform after spending time setting both up:

You configured GA4, connected tracking, then realized Shopify gives you what you need. Now GA4 collects data you never look at.

Real Solutions

Here's how to decide which analytics platform fits your store—or when you actually need both.

Scenario 1: Shopify Analytics Only (60% of small stores)

Best for:

• Stores under $500k annual revenue

• Single sales channel (just Shopify, no external traffic goals)

• Founders who need straightforward metrics

• Teams without dedicated marketing analytics resources

What Shopify Analytics gives you:

• Sales & revenue: Exact numbers from your payment gateway

• Orders & customers: Complete order history, customer data

• Products: Top sellers, inventory impacts, product performance

• Traffic overview: Basic sessions, top pages, devices

• Conversion rate: Store-wide and by traffic source

• Easy to understand: E-commerce focused, no complex configuration

Time investment:

• Daily check: 2-3 minutes

• No setup required (built into Shopify)

• No maintenance needed

When Shopify is enough:

• You run one store on Shopify

• You don't run complex multi-channel campaigns

• You don't need deep traffic source analysis

• You want accurate sales/order data (most important)

• You value simplicity over advanced features

Limitations:

• Basic traffic analysis (can't deep-dive into user behavior)

• Limited customer journey insights

• No cross-device tracking

• Can't track off-Shopify activities (blog on separate domain, etc.)

Scenario 2: GA4 Only (Rare for Shopify stores)

Best for:

• Stores with significant traffic from content/blog

• Multi-platform businesses (Shopify + blog + other properties)

• Technical founders comfortable with GA4 complexity

• Businesses prioritizing traffic analysis over sales metrics

What GA4 gives you:

• Deep traffic analysis: Exactly where visitors come from, how they navigate

• User behavior: Page flows, engagement time, bounce rates

• Cross-property tracking: Track users across multiple domains

• Custom events: Track any interaction (video plays, PDF downloads, etc.)

• Free: No cost regardless of traffic volume

Time investment:

• Setup: 3-5 hours (e-commerce tracking configuration)

• Learning curve: 10-20 hours to become proficient

• Daily check: 5-10 minutes (complex interface)

• Maintenance: Ongoing (tracking breaks occasionally)

When GA4 is sufficient:

• You don't need detailed product-level sales analytics

• Traffic analysis is more important than sales metrics

• You're technical and comfortable with complexity

• You run content sites alongside your store

• You want cross-domain tracking (blog.example.com + store.example.com)

Limitations:

• Complex e-commerce setup (not turnkey like Shopify)

• Less accurate revenue data (tracking-dependent)

• Steep learning curve for non-technical users

• No built-in product/inventory insights

• Requires ongoing maintenance

Scenario 3: Both Platforms (20% of small stores)

Best for:

• Stores $500k-2M+ revenue with dedicated marketing

• Multi-channel campaigns requiring attribution analysis

• Businesses with both e-commerce and content strategies

• Teams with technical resources or analytics hire

How to use both effectively:

Shopify Analytics = Source of truth for sales

• Daily monitoring of revenue, orders, products

• Accurate order-level data

• Customer purchase history

• Primary dashboard for store performance

GA4 = Traffic analysis and attribution

• Campaign performance (which ads/content drive traffic)

• Customer journey analysis (how visitors navigate)

• Traffic source deep-dives

• Cross-device behavior

• Use for monthly/weekly analysis, not daily checks

Time investment:

• Daily: 3-5 minutes (Shopify only)

• Weekly: 20-30 minutes (GA4 deep-dive)

• Setup: 4-6 hours (proper GA4 e-commerce configuration)

• Maintenance: 1-2 hours monthly

When you need both:

• You spend $5k+ monthly on paid ads and need attribution

• You run a content blog driving significant traffic

• You have multiple traffic sources to optimize

• You have technical resources to maintain GA4

• Marketing decisions require deep traffic analysis

Decision Framework

Use Shopify Analytics only if:

• ✅ Revenue under $500k annually

• ✅ You want simple, fast daily checks

• ✅ Accurate sales data is top priority

• ✅ You don't run complex multi-channel campaigns

• ✅ Your time is limited

Use GA4 only if:

• ✅ Traffic analysis matters more than sales metrics

• ✅ You're technical and enjoy analytics tools

• ✅ You run multi-platform properties

• ✅ Content/SEO is your primary growth driver

• ✅ You don't need deep product-level insights

Use both if:

• ✅ Revenue $500k-2M+ with growth goals

• ✅ You run multi-channel paid campaigns

• ✅ Attribution analysis drives marketing decisions

• ✅ You have technical resources or analytics hire

• ✅ You need both sales accuracy AND traffic insights

For 60% of small Shopify stores: Shopify Analytics is enough. Add GA4 only when you have specific needs it solves.

FAQ

Q: Why do Shopify and GA4 show different revenue numbers?

Different tracking methodologies. Shopify records actual completed orders at payment processor. GA4 estimates based on JavaScript tracking (can miss orders if tracking fails, customers have ad blockers, or checkout happens across sessions).

For revenue decisions, trust Shopify (actual payment data). For traffic analysis, use GA4 (better tracking of visitor sources).

Q: Can I use a third-party analytics tool instead of both?

Yes. Email-based analytics tools (like Peasy) consolidate data from Shopify and GA4, delivering daily reports with key metrics. Setup is 2 minutes vs 4-6 hours for GA4. Best for stores that want insights without complexity.

Peasy connects to Shopify, WooCommerce, and Google Analytics 4—delivering daily email reports with sales, orders, conversion rate, average order value, sessions, top products, top pages, and top channels—with comparisons showing today vs yesterday, this week vs last week, this month vs last month, and same periods last year. Try free for 14 days.

Q: How much time should I spend on analytics daily?

Small stores ($0-500k): 2-5 minutes daily monitoring, 30-60 minutes monthly for deep analysis.

Growing stores ($500k-2M): 5-10 minutes daily, 1-2 hours weekly for optimization.

If you're spending 20+ minutes daily in analytics, you're over-analyzing. Most decisions need only top-level metrics.

Q: Is GA4 worth the learning curve for small stores?

Rarely. If you're under $500k revenue and don't have technical help, the 10-20 hour learning investment doesn't pay off. Shopify Analytics gives you what you need with zero learning curve.

Add GA4 when you have specific needs (content strategy, complex attribution, multi-property tracking) that justify the time investment.

Q: What if I'm already using GA4—should I stop?

If it's working and you use it regularly: keep it. If you set it up but only check Shopify: stop maintaining GA4, simplify your stack.

Ask: "Do I make decisions based on GA4 data at least monthly?" If no, you don't need it.

Q: Can I start with Shopify only and add GA4 later?

Absolutely. This is the smart approach. Start simple (Shopify Analytics), learn what you actually need, add GA4 only when you hit limitations. Most stores never need to add it.