Amplitude vs Firebase Analytics
Firebase Analytics is Google's free app analytics, the Google Analytics that comes with Firebase. Amplitude is a product analytics platform for teams who study what people do and why they stay. Both record events from iOS and Android apps; they're built for different jobs. In short: already on Firebase and happy with free counts, stay on Firebase; want to dig into funnels and cohorts every week, Amplitude.
The short version
Pick Amplitude if
- You want to know why people stay or leave, with funnels, cohorts and journeys you build yourself
- Several people on your team look at behaviour every week
- You want session replay and experiments next to your analytics
Pick Firebase Analytics if
- Your app already uses Firebase for sign-in, push messages or Crashlytics
- You want event counts and audiences for free and can live with Google Analytics' reports
- You run Google Ads app campaigns and want your app's conversions shared with them
Amplitude and Firebase Analytics, side by side
| Topic | Amplitude | Firebase Analytics |
|---|---|---|
| Made for | Product teams studying behaviour on web and mobile | Apps built on Google's Firebase |
| Price | Free plan up to 2M events a month; paid plans priced by events | Free |
| How you read it | Funnels, cohorts, retention and journeys you build | Google Analytics reports and explorations |
| Limits to know | The free plan keeps 1 year of data | 500 distinct event names per app, 25 parameters per event, 25 user properties |
| Session replay | Yes, 10K replays a month on the free plan | No |
| Experiments and flags | Yes, with Amplitude Experiment (1 active experiment on the free plan) | A/B Testing with Remote Config |
| Crash reports | Not its focus | Crashlytics, also free |
| Raw data | Syncs with Snowflake, BigQuery and Databricks | BigQuery export; beyond the sandbox it needs the pay-as-you-go Blaze plan |
| Store downloads and reviews | Not a focus | Not a focus; they stay in App Store Connect and Play Console |
Checked on 26 October 2026 against Amplitude pricing, Google Analytics for Firebase, Firebase Analytics limits, Firebase BigQuery export. Something out of date? Tell us at hello@apparent.fyi and we'll fix it.
Where they overlap
Both record events from iOS and Android apps, count active users and who comes back, and let you split people by properties. Both can be started for free.
Where Amplitude goes further
- Deeper behaviour analysis: funnels, cohorts and journeys with any breakdown.
- Session replay and experiments in the same product.
- Built for a team that analyses together, with shared charts and dashboards.
Where Firebase Analytics goes further
- Free, with no event plan or limit on how many people you count.
- Part of Firebase: Crashlytics, Remote Config, messaging and sign-in share one SDK and one console.
- Linked to Google Ads, so app campaigns learn from your app's conversions.
Where Apparent fits
If you make iOS or Android apps on your own or in a small team and would rather read a sentence than build a report, Apparent may fit better than either: who is in your app right now and what they do, from its own SDK, plus reviews and sales from App Store Connect, Google Play and RevenueCat if you connect them, with all your apps on one page. It has no report builder, replay or experiments; if you need those, pick one of the two.
Questions
Is Firebase Analytics free?
Yes. Google says it's available at no charge, with unlimited reporting for up to 500 distinct events. Exporting raw events to BigQuery beyond the free sandbox needs Firebase's pay-as-you-go Blaze plan.
Is Amplitude free?
Amplitude has a free plan with up to 2 million events a month, 10,000 session replays and one active experiment (October 2026). Paid plans are priced by events.
Can I use Amplitude and Firebase together?
Yes. Many apps keep Firebase for Crashlytics and Remote Config and send product events to Amplitude as well.
Which is better for a small app?
Firebase if you already use Firebase and want free counts; Amplitude if you'll really build funnels and cohorts. If you want neither, Apparent tells you how the app is doing in plain words.
What does Apparent cost?
Plans start at $10 a month, with 14 days free and no card.