Firebase Analytics for SaaS: The Complete Setup Guide

Firebase Analytics (now part of Google Analytics for Firebase) is a powerful, free tool for tracking user behavior in your SaaS application. But out of the box, it's designed for consumer apps. Here's how to configure it for SaaS-specific metrics.

Why Firebase Analytics for SaaS?

Advantages:

• Free with generous limits
• Real-time data available
• Cross-platform (web, iOS, Android)
• Integrates with BigQuery for advanced analysis
• User-level data (unlike GA4's sampling)

What You Can Track:

• Daily/Monthly Active Users (DAU/MAU)
• Feature adoption
• User journeys
• Retention cohorts
• Session duration
• Crash-free users

Setting Up Firebase Analytics

Step 1: Create a Firebase Project

1. Go to Firebase Console 2. Click "Create a project" 3. Name it (e.g., "MyApp Production") 4. Enable Google Analytics when prompted

Step 2: Add Firebase to Your App

For Web (Next.js/React):

javascript
// lib/firebase.ts
import { initializeApp } from 'firebase/app';
import { getAnalytics, logEvent } from 'firebase/analytics';
const firebaseConfig = {
  apiKey: process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_API_KEY,
  authDomain: process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_AUTH_DOMAIN,
  projectId: process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_PROJECT_ID,
  storageBucket: process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_STORAGE_BUCKET,
  messagingSenderId: process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_MESSAGING_SENDER_ID,
  appId: process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_APP_ID,
  measurementId: process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_MEASUREMENT_ID,
};
const app = initializeApp(firebaseConfig);
export const analytics = typeof window !== 'undefined' ? getAnalytics(app) : null;

Step 3: Configure User Properties

Set user properties to segment your analytics:

javascript
import { setUserProperties } from 'firebase/analytics';
// After user signs in
function setUserContext(user) {
  if (!analytics) return;
  setUserProperties(analytics, {
    plan_type: user.plan, // 'free', 'pro', 'enterprise'
    account_age_days: calculateAccountAge(user.createdAt),
    team_size: user.teamSize,
    industry: user.industry,
  });
}

Essential SaaS Events to Track

Authentication Events

javascript
// Sign up
logEvent(analytics, 'sign_up', {
  method: 'email', // or 'google', 'github'
  referral_source: getReferralSource(),
});
// Sign in
logEvent(analytics, 'login', {
  method: 'email',
});

Onboarding Events

javascript
// Track onboarding progress
logEvent(analytics, 'onboarding_step_completed', {
  step_number: 1,
  step_name: 'create_organization',
  time_to_complete_seconds: 45,
});
// Track onboarding completion
logEvent(analytics, 'onboarding_completed', {
  steps_completed: 4,
  total_time_seconds: 180,
  skipped_steps: ['invite_team'],
});

Feature Usage Events

javascript
// Track feature usage
logEvent(analytics, 'feature_used', {
  feature_name: 'dashboard_export',
  feature_category: 'reporting',
  trigger: 'button_click', // or 'keyboard_shortcut', 'api'
});
// Track feature discovery
logEvent(analytics, 'feature_discovered', {
  feature_name: 'alerts',
  discovery_source: 'tooltip', // or 'search', 'menu'
});

Subscription Events

javascript
// Plan upgrade
logEvent(analytics, 'upgrade_started', {
  from_plan: 'free',
  to_plan: 'pro',
  trigger: 'limit_reached', // or 'feature_gated', 'pricing_page'
});
logEvent(analytics, 'purchase', {
  currency: 'USD',
  value: 49.00,
  items: [{
    item_name: 'Pro Plan',
    item_category: 'subscription',
    price: 49.00,
    quantity: 1,
  }],
});
// Cancellation
logEvent(analytics, 'cancel_subscription', {
  plan: 'pro',
  reason: 'too_expensive', // from exit survey
  tenure_months: 6,
});

Engagement Events

javascript
// Page views with context
logEvent(analytics, 'page_view', {
  page_title: 'Dashboard',
  page_location: window.location.href,
  engagement_time_msec: getTimeOnPage(),
});
// Search usage
logEvent(analytics, 'search', {
  search_term: query,
  results_count: results.length,
});

Calculating DAU and MAU

Firebase automatically tracks active users, but here's how to ensure accuracy:

What Counts as "Active"?

By default, Firebase counts any app open as "active." For SaaS, you might want stricter criteria.

Option 1: Custom "meaningful engagement" event

javascript
// Only count users who do something meaningful
function trackMeaningfulEngagement() {
  logEvent(analytics, 'user_engagement', {
    engagement_type: 'meaningful',
  });
}
// Call this on key actions, not just page loads

Option 2: Use BigQuery for custom DAU

Export to BigQuery and calculate DAU based on specific events.

Retention Cohort Analysis

Firebase provides built-in cohort retention charts:

1. Go to Firebase Console → Analytics → Retention 2. View Day 1, Day 7, Day 30 retention 3. Filter by user property (plan type, signup source)

What to look for:

• Steep drop-off on Day 1 = onboarding problem
• Decline between Day 7-30 = value realization problem
• Stable after Day 30 = healthy product-market fit

Connecting Firebase to KPIStack

KPIStack integrates with Firebase to pull:

• DAU/MAU metrics
• Retention rates
• Session data
• Crash-free user percentage

Setup steps: 1. Generate a Firebase service account key 2. Note your GA4 property ID 3. Connect in KPIStack dashboard

This gives you Firebase engagement metrics alongside Stripe revenue data—all in one place.

Best Practices

1. Name Events Consistently

Use a naming convention:

• feature_used not FeatureUsed or feature-used
• Include category in event params, not event name

2. Don't Over-Track

Focus on events that inform decisions:

• ✅ Track: Feature adoption, upgrade triggers, churn signals
• ❌ Don't track: Every button click, mouse movements

3. Set User Properties Early

Set properties immediately after sign-in so all events are properly attributed.

4. Test Before Shipping

Use Firebase DebugView to verify events are firing correctly before deploying.

5. Document Your Events

Maintain a tracking plan:

Event Name

Description

Parameters

sign_up	User creates account	method, referral_source
feature_used	User uses a feature	feature_name, category
upgrade_started	User begins upgrade	from_plan, to_plan

Getting Started

1. Set up Firebase Analytics in your app 2. Implement the core SaaS events above 3. Connect Firebase to KPIStack 4. See engagement + revenue metrics together

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