PostHog vs Mixpanel

Open-source analytics that doesn't spy on your users, but might make you question your own product decisions meets the go-to for product analytics, if you can stomach the price tag and the occasional data swamp. Here's our take.

PostHog

Open-source analytics that doesn't spy on your users, but might make you question your own product decisions.

Pros

• Feature-rich
• Self-hostable
• Session replay
• Feature flags
• Self-hosted option keeps data in-house and avoids third-party cookie drama
• Feature flags and A/B testing built-in, so you can iterate without deploying new code
• Session recordings let you watch users struggle in real-time, which is both terrifying and enlightening

Cons

• Complex
• Resource-heavy
• Overkill for simple sites
• Self-hosting can turn into a DevOps nightmare if you're not prepared for the infrastructure
• The UI can feel cluttered when you're drowning in event data, making simple insights harder to find

Mixpanel

Nice Pick

The go-to for product analytics, if you can stomach the price tag and the occasional data swamp.

Pros

• Powerful event-based tracking for granular user behavior insights
• Intuitive funnels and retention reports that make sense to non-technical teams
• Real-time data updates so you're not waiting hours for insights
• Strong segmentation capabilities for targeting specific user cohorts

Cons

• Pricing can skyrocket quickly as your event volume grows
• Implementation can get messy without strict governance, leading to data bloat

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. PostHog is a hosting & deployment while Mixpanel is a devtools. We picked Mixpanel based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.

The Bottom Line

Mixpanel wins

Based on overall popularity. Mixpanel is more widely used, but PostHog excels in its own space.