We've had a few clients ask us about this recently — mostly about some differences they see between Google Analytics and HubSpot. These clients are seeing that some visitor numbers are not lining up exactly. Also, some bounce rates vary a hair.
A majority of our clients use HubSpot, so we've come to rely on Google Analytics much less than we used to. But the truth is, Google Analytics offers deeper, more meaningful website stats.
HubSpot reports are a little more general, but they're easier to read and they can be combined with other online statistics from within your HubSpot portal, such as email stats, social reports, CRM data, etc. I still prefer the simplicity of HubSpot reporting and I believe that's mostly what my clients need to be reviewing. But as their marketing team, we need to be drilling into Google Analytics more often and finding conversion paths that we can improve.
The best of both worlds, though, is actually combining HubSpot reports with Google Analytics and possibly others (like Google Ads) in a tool like Databox.
The talented inbound marketers at SmartBug Media must get asked this question a lot because, as I searched around looking for the best way to explain the differences to my clients, I ran into two blogs from them. Check them out here for a more thorough discussion of the reporting differences:
Pros and Cons of HubSpot Reporting vs. Google Analytics
What’s the Difference? HubSpot Web Analytics vs. Google Analytics