Mixpanel vs GA4: Why Are Mixpanel Sessions Lower?
Hi team, why Mixpanel is showing less sessions than GA4 for a website? I have selected Session start in both Mixpanel and GA4 and getting less number in Mixpanel than GA4 for the same period.
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There could be several reasons why Mixpanel is showing fewer sessions than GA4 for the same period. Here are some possible explanations:1. Different Data Models: Mixpanel's data model is based on events and properties, rather than sessions. While Mixpanel automatically constructs sessions from events, the way it defines and counts sessions might be different from GA4. This could result in discrepancies in the session counts between the two platforms. source2. Different Triggers to Track Data: Are both systems using the same triggers to track events? For example, the First App Open event in Mixpanel will trigger when the SDK has loaded, other systems might trigger a comparable event earlier. source3. Client-Side vs. Server-Side Tracking: Client-side integrations are more vulnerable to data tracking issues due to ad blockers and DNT settings. If GA4 is using server-side tracking and Mixpanel is using client-side tracking, this could result in fewer sessions being recorded in Mixpanel. source4. Delayed Ingestion: Mixpanel accepts data that has been triggered a while ago, either via mobile SDKs or event import. If there's a delay in data ingestion in Mixpanel, it might show fewer sessions for a certain period compared to GA4. source5. Different Queries: Are both systems looking at the same event and the same timeframe? Are any filters applied to the query? Does the discrepancy persist if you remove them? sourceTo debug, you should ensure that you're comparing data in both systems that is triggered at the same point of the user journey, at the same timeframe and timezone, with the same filtering for the query of the data, and at the same unit (unique user count, total event count or session count). sourceIf the discrepancy persists, it might be helpful to implement your own server-side tracking of the data as a 'last resort'. This will be more reliable as it's less prone to issues and is independent of Mixpanel and other systems. source
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