Adobe Analytics visit numbers vs Google Analytics ses...

[breb30185739]

What is the typical discrepancy % between Adobe Analytics visit numbers and Google Analytics sessions when both are used on a site?

We recently added Adobe Analytics to a site that was using Google Analytics as its primary analytics. Trying to understand the discrepancy between AA visits and GA sessions. 

Any insight would be appreciated! 

[yuhuisg]

It used to be that +/- 5-10% was tolerable. These days, given the complexity of tracker blocking, who knows? 

If you're able to, look at trends instead. As long as the same top-level metrics from both systems are trending in the same direction, then I think you should be quite safe.

[erinwestlake]

Is the reason that people aren't sure about the discrepancy now related to cookies and what is accepted by each platform as data they are allowed to store/share?

[yuhuisg · Accepted solution]

Yes, there is the issue of what each platform is allowed to store/share, which falls under various privacy laws. In websites, this is determined by whether users accept cookies in consent managers.

But there's also the issue of what each browser allows to be tracked. Apple's Safari had announced several restrictions before, and so have Mozilla's Firefox. Brave is notorious for being the most restrictive. So some issues are even beyond the control of webmasters and/or web analysts.