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How to Make a Comparison Chart in Google Analytics

Cody Schneider•

Creating a comparison chart in Google Analytics is the fastest way to turn raw traffic data into actionable insights. Instead of just looking at isolated metrics, comparisons let you see the story behind the numbers - what’s working, what's not, and where you should focus next. This guide will walk you through creating these powerful visuals, step-by-step, in Google Analytics 4 with practical examples you can use today.

Why Should You Use Comparison Charts?

In data analysis, context is everything. A comparison chart provides that context by letting you view two or more data sets side-by-side. It removes the guesswork and helps you draw meaningful conclusions. Here’s why they’re so valuable:

  • Spot Trends and Patterns: Are you trying to figure out if your recent SEO efforts are paying off? Comparing organic search traffic this month to last month will give you a clear answer. Comparisons highlight upward or downward trends that might be missed when looking at a single data set.

  • Understand Audience Behavior: How do mobile users behave differently from desktop users? A comparison chart can show you engagement levels, conversion rates, and the most popular pages for each segment, helping you optimize the user experience for everyone.

  • Identify Anomalies: Did your traffic suddenly spike or drop? Comparing the unusual period to a "normal" one can help you pinpoint the cause. Maybe a particular campaign went viral, or a technical issue is hurting your site’s performance on a specific browser.

  • Measure Campaign Impact: You can directly measure the performance of a marketing campaign by comparing traffic and conversions during the campaign period to the period right before it. It’s a straightforward method for proving ROI.

How to Make a Comparison Chart in Google Analytics 4

GA4 replaced the old Universal Analytics, and while its interface is different, creating comparisons is more flexible and powerful than ever. The core feature you'll use is called "Comparisons," which lets you segment your report data on the fly.

Let's walk through an example. Imagine we want to compare the performance of our traffic from mobile devices versus desktop devices.

Step 1: Open a Report

First, log in to your GA4 property and navigate to a report that you want to analyze. A good starting point is the Traffic acquisition report.

You can find it here: Reports > Acquisition > Traffic acquisition.

By default, this report shows you data for all your users, grouped by channel. You'll see a line chart at the top and a detailed table below it.

Step 2: Add Your First Comparison

At the top of the report, you'll see a button that says Add comparison +. Click on it. This will open a "Build comparison" panel on the right side of your screen.

This is where you'll define the different segments you want to compare. Each comparison acts as a filter. By default, it's set to "Include," but you can also exclude certain data.

Step 3: Build Your Segments

Every comparison segment is built using at least one condition. A condition consists of a dimension, a match type, and a value.

Let's create our "Mobile Traffic" segment first.

  • In the "Build comparison" panel, search for the Dimension "Device category".

  • Choose a Match Type. For this, we'll use "exactly matches".

  • For the Value, select "mobile".

Once you’ve set these, click Apply. GA4 will refresh the report, returning to the Traffic acquisition report. But now, it's filtered to show data only from mobile users.

Look at the top of the report. You’ll now see your "Device category exactly matches mobile" filter applied, alongside the default "All Users." Here's what has changed:

  • The line chart at the top now displays two lines: one for All Users (usually blue) and one for your Mobile Traffic segment (usually orange).

  • The table below also splits the data, showing numbers for both segments side-by-side, making direct comparison easy.

Step 4: Add the Second Segment for Comparison

Now, let's add our second segment: Desktop Traffic. You can compare up to four segments in GA4 at once.

  • Click the Add comparison + button again.

  • Repeat the process, but this time, set the Value to "desktop".

  • Dimension: Device category

  • Match Type: exactly matches

  • Value: desktop

  • Click Apply.

The report will refresh again. Now, you likely have three segments active: "All Users," "Mobile Traffic," and "Desktop Traffic." You can remove the "All Users" segment by clicking the "x" on its filter tag at the top of the report. This will clean up your view so you're only comparing mobile vs. desktop.

You’ve now successfully created a comparison chart and table! You can clearly see differences in sessions, engaged sessions, conversions, and more between the two device types.

Practical Comparison Examples to Try in GA4

Comparing Organic vs. Paid Search Traffic

Want to see if your paid campaigns are bringing in more engaged users than your SEO efforts? Create a comparison with these conditions:

  • First Segment: Dimension: Session default channel group, Match Type: exactly matches, Value: Organic Search

  • Second Segment: Dimension: Session default channel group, Match Type: exactly matches, Value: Paid Search

Insight Unlocked: This helps you analyze which channel drives more engaged sessions or has a higher conversion rate for specific goals.

Comparing New vs. Returning Users

Are your strategies for retaining users working? You can build segments to see how returning visitors behave differently.

  • First Segment: Dimension: New / established, Match Type: exactly matches, Value: New user

  • (Note: This dimension was previously called New/Returning)

  • Second Segment: Dimension: New / established, Match Type: exactly matches, Value: Returning user

Insight Unlocked: See which group of users has a higher average engagement time or which tends to view more pages per session.

Comparing Two Different Geographic Regions

Planning for global expansion? Compare user behavior between your current key market and a potential new one.

  • First Segment: Dimension: Country, Match Type: exactly matches, Value: United States

  • Second Segment: Dimension: Country, Match Type: exactly matches, Value: Canada

Insight Unlocked: Discover whether users from different countries are more interested in particular products or content, paving the way for targeted marketing.

Advanced Comparison Tips

Dig Deeper with Secondary Dimensions

After you’ve set up your comparison, you can still use all the standard reporting features, including adding a secondary dimension. Let's go back to our mobile vs. desktop example. In the table, click the small blue + icon next to the primary dimension header (which is likely "Session default channel group"). From here, you can add "Landing page + query string" as a secondary dimension.

Now, your table shows you not only the channel but also the specific landing page, all broken down by mobile and desktop users. This is incredibly useful for finding pages that perform great on one device but poorly on another.

Use AND/OR Conditions for Granular Segments

The "Build comparison" panel allows you to add multiple conditions using "AND" logic. For example, you could create a highly specific segment for:

Mobile users AND from Organic Search AND from the United States.

Just click the "Add new condition" button within the same segment builder. Use this to isolate very specific audience groups and analyze their unique behavior.

Comparing Audiences

If you've built "Audiences" in GA4 (e.g., "abandoned carts," "high-value visitors"), you can use them in your comparisons. Instead of building conditions from scratch, you can choose the Audience name dimension and select the Audience you want to analyze.

This is great because Audiences are more permanent and can be used across GA4, including in Google Ads. This lets you compare standard traffic against a custom behavioral group you've already defined as being important to your business.

A Quick Look Back: Comparisons in Universal Analytics (UA)

For those who still need to pull historical data from Universal Analytics, the process for comparison was a bit different and primarily centered on date ranges. In any standard report, you'd find the date range picker in the top right corner.

To create a comparison, you would check the "Compare to:" box and select:

  • Previous period: Compare the selected date range to the equal number of days immediately preceding it.

  • Previous year: Compare this year's period (like May 1-31, 2021) to the same period from the previous year (May 1-31, 2020).

  • Custom: Choose a specific comparison date range.

When you applied this, Universal Analytics would automatically add an orange line to your chart representing the comparison period and add percentage change metrics to the data table below. While useful, it was less flexible for behavioral segmentation than the new GA4 system.

Final Thoughts

Mastering comparisons in Google Analytics is the key to going from simply collecting data to actually using it to make smarter business decisions. By comparing segments like device types, traffic channels, or user behaviors, you uncover valuable context and truly understand your performance drivers.

Pulling your data from various sources to manually build these comparisons can be time-consuming. We built Graphed to simplify this entire process. Instead of navigating complex interfaces and building conditions click-by-click, you can connect platforms like Google Analytics, Ads, Shopify, and Salesforce in seconds. Then, you can ask for the data you need in plain English - like "compare revenue from organic search vs. paid search last quarter" - and instantly get a real-time dashboard showing exactly that. We’ve designed it to eliminate the busy work so you can get right to the insights.