Export GA3 data with Supermetrics and Alternatives

Google Analytics 4 has replaced Universal Analytics (UA) as of July 1, 2023. Universal Analytics properties have stopped processing data, it's the perfect time to export GA3 data for the final time.
‍
There are many ways to export your important data from your Universal Analytics property. However many businesses are turning to user-friendly third-party providers.

When you are searching for a third-party tool to export GA3 data, you are likely to come across Supermetrics. Supermetrics integrates data from over 100 platforms into your existing reporting and analytics tools. This includes ga3 data exports into a range of reporting and analytics tools. 
‍
Another less known, albeit nifty, alternative is GA3-exporter. A purpose-built tool and a less expensive alternative for exporting Universal Analytics data. In this guide, we’ll compare and contrast the two tools.

Supermetrics features

Supermetrics provides a range of features to assist businesses in exporting google analytics data. These include:

• Streamlined integration – users must define the exact metrics and reports they want from Google Analytics. This includes choosing metrics, timeframes and reports. Users can then export GA data to Supermetics, and then to the destination of choice.
• Extensive destinations for your data – users can connect their GA3 data to over 10 destinations. These include a range of visualisation tools, spreadsheets, data warehouses, data lakes and more.
• Automatic refreshes – Supermetics automates your reports with automatic refreshes. This helps to collect data when it changes. However, with Universal Analytics properties not updating, this feature is not needed.
• Free trial – Supermetrics offer a 14-day free trial before users pay a monthly subscription fee for each destination i.e. Google Sheets, BigQuery etc

Alternatives to Supermetrics

While Supermetrics has a range of features, most are unnecessary to export your Universal Analytics data for the final time. GA3-exporter, as the name suggests, is a tool specialising in exporting Google Analytics 3 data. Data is exported to a range of future proof formats quickly and easily. GA3-exporter setup is super simple, and it’s a very user-friendly option; you don’t need to be a developer or have tech know-how to use the product.
‍

GA3-exporter offers:

• Fast and easy setup and export – Export your GA3 data in a few clicks in just a couple of minutes. 
• Predefined data sets and reports – predefined the data needed to cover most marketing use cases and future analyses. Supermetrics and other tools require you to define dimensions and metrics of the individual reports and data. 
• Flexible export formats – users can export their GA3 data to popular formats PDF, Excel and/or BigQuery for more integrated analysis. 
• One-time payment, no subscription – GA3-exporter allows you to download your data and store it without an ongoing cost. Users pay a one time fee, and choose a plan based on the yearly website visitors and formats desired.

What’s the difference between GA3-exporter and Supermetrics?

GA3-exporter differs from Supermetrics in several ways that impact how users save and store Universal Analytics data.

• GA3-exporter specialises in saving your Google Analytics 3 data. The tool launched to help businesses safeguard their Google Analytics data after the shutdown. Supermetrics differs because it is a tool that connects data sources across hundreds of platforms. This includes Google Ads, Google Analytics and many more.
• GA3-exporter users do not need to choose which data sets they would like to save from GA3. The experienced web analytics experts who built GA3-exporter have done the heavy lifting. They have chosen a range of predefined reports and datasets that cover most marketing use cases. This saves users time and means you don't have to be an expert to save your Universal Analytics data.
• GA3-exporter offers an export option for a one-time fee. Data can be downloaded up to 10 times (retries). Supermetrics on the other hand has a monthly subscription for each format you want to save your GA3 data. This can be expensive depending on your businesses' data needs.

Other Considerations: Choosing the export format

With the Universal Analytics impending data deletion on July 1, 2024, it’s important to consider whether your export format is future-proof. This includes whether your business will continue to use the same reporting tools in years to come. GA3-exporter allows you to export GA data to three popular formats giving users a lot of flexibility.
‍

Export GA data to PDF:

• Well established format that will be around for many years in future
• Fast, visual access to your data
• No need to create transforms and charts in Excel or other tools

Export GA data to Excel:

• More freedom to do any analysis on your own
• Can upload analytics data to Google sheets and other data warehouses
• Commonly used format supported by many applications

Export GA data to BigQuery:

• Abilities to integrate the data with your existing data landscape
• Perform more complex analysis and create dashboards
• Enhanced ability to create comparisons between universal analytics properties and ga4 properties

By exporting your Google Analytics data, you can future-proof your marketing and data analytics. Learn more about how to export your data with GA3-exporter