Google Analytics vs Mixpanel for app funnels

Both log iOS app events through an SDK, but Google Analytics (through Firebase) is free and spans web and app, while Mixpanel reports on events you send it. ActivationPal, which publishes this site, is the optional third choice for a fixed install-to-purchase funnel. Compared on 15 October 2026 from the vendors' own pages.

Google Analytics vs Mixpanel at a glance

ActivationPal for mobile conversion analytics

ActivationPal answers one question: how many installs reach each onboarding step, the paywall and a purchase. It does not capture anything you did not instrument.

SDKs. Native Swift is one file with no dependencies, iOS 15+. Native Android is one Kotlin file for Android 5.0+. Flutter and React Native / Expo have their own SDKs. configure sends first_open and app_open automatically. The quickstart has the steps.

Instrumentation. Onboarding and paywall are one call each, with fixed event names:

ActivationPal.configure(app: "myapp", key: "ap_pk_YOUR_KEY")

ActivationPal.onboardingStep(0, id: "goal")
ActivationPal.onboardingCompleted()
ActivationPal.paywallShown("onboarding")
ActivationPal.paywallPlanSelected("yearly")
ActivationPal.paywallPurchased("yearly")

Funnel. It runs install, each onboarding step, completed, paywall shown, plan selected, purchased. Every stage counts unique devices from the install cohort, so no stage can exceed 100% of installs (events reference).

Revenue. Purchases, trials, renewals and refunds arrive through the RevenueCat webhook as rc_* events (RevenueCat setup). Superwall has its own webhook (Superwall setup), with one revenue source per app.

Cost. The first 10,000 events are free, and apps and members are unlimited on every plan.

Limits. The funnel is fixed. Custom events appear in the Events card but do not enter it. There is no autocapture, no session replay and no web analytics, and it counts devices, not people. Google Analytics also covers web and ad measurement, which ActivationPal does not. To check the arithmetic on your own numbers, use the funnel calculator. The homepage shows the dashboard.

Event definitions and mobile instrumentation

Google Analytics. On iOS, events go through the Firebase SDK. After you configure the FirebaseApp instance, you log events with logEvent(). The SDK defines recommended events for common app types, and you can log up to 500 different event types. There is no limit on total event volume. Event names are case-sensitive, so two names that differ only in case are two events.

A custom parameter only appears in reports after you register it under Analytics > Custom Definitions in the Firebase console. setDefaultEventParameters attaches parameters to every later event. Adding -FIRAnalyticsVerboseLoggingEnabled to the Xcode scheme prints events to the debug console, and the Events dashboard updates periodically through the day (Firebase docs).

Mixpanel. Mixpanel's own SDK pages could not be read for this comparison, so event logging is not described here. RevenueCat's guide shows the Mixpanel SDK being identified with .identify() in Swift, Objective-C and Java, and says the integration needs your Mixpanel project token (RevenueCat).

Funnel reporting

Google Analytics. Funnel exploration shows how many users complete each step of a task. You define up to 10 steps, each with conditions on events or dimension values, and you cannot define a step from a metric. A step can be indirectly followed by the next, which allows other actions in between, or directly followed. A time limit can be set with "Within".

Funnels are open, where users can enter at any step, or closed, where they must start at the first. A user enters a funnel once, and only the first sequence counts. You can add a breakdown dimension, show elapsed time between steps, see the Top 5 next actions, compare up to 4 segments, view standard or trended charts, and save the result as a funnel report (Google Analytics help).

Mixpanel. Its documentation describes a Funnels report that measures conversions through a series of events, with Overview, Quickstart, Advanced Concepts and FAQ pages (Mixpanel docs). Those pages could not be read when this was compared, so its funnel features are not compared here.

Subscription and revenue data

Mixpanel. RevenueCat has a Mixpanel integration. It sends initial purchase, trial started, trial converted, trial cancelled, renewal, cancellation, expiration, billing issue and other subscription events, and records the amount on events that have revenue. You add your Mixpanel project token in the RevenueCat dashboard and choose gross revenue or revenue after store commission and estimated taxes. Calling .identify() with the RevenueCat App User ID joins events from the Mixpanel SDK and from RevenueCat to the same user (RevenueCat).

Google Analytics. A subscription or RevenueCat integration was not confirmed from the pages used.

ActivationPal. The RevenueCat and Superwall webhooks feed rc_* events that sit beside the funnel in the dashboard. See subscription analytics.

Cost

Google Analytics is free of charge, per its product page. Mixpanel's pricing page could not be read when this was written, so its plans and limits are not stated. Check it before you decide.

ActivationPal's first 10,000 events are free, with unlimited apps and members on every plan (pricing).

How to choose

• Google Analytics if you want a free tool that covers web and app in one place and connects to Google Ads and other Google products.
• Mixpanel if you want conversion reports over events you define and you already send RevenueCat subscription events to it.
• ActivationPal if the only question is onboarding and paywall conversion in an iOS or Android app.

For what a mobile funnel should show, read funnel analysis for mobile apps. For Mixpanel against another analytics tool, see Mixpanel vs Amplitude.