Software · head to head
Amplitude vs Segment
Amplitude
Software
The digital analytics platform to understand your users
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Amplitude metered on event volume, so instrumenting more of a product raises the bill even if the audience does not grow; Segment pricing is not transparent; requires sales contact for quotes
- They diverge on capability: Amplitude covers Event tracking, Segment covers Data collection.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Amplitude and Segment actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (Unknown), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Amplitude
- Event tracking
- User segmentation
- Funnel analysis
- Retention analysis
- Cohort analysis
- A/B testing
- Revenue analytics
- Predictive analytics
Only in Segment
- Data collection
- Data routing
- Data warehouse
- Identity resolution
- Protocols
- Privacy portal
- Functions
- Replay
Both cover
- Salesforce
- Slack
- Braze
- SOC2
- GDPR
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Amplitude
- User behavior analysisnot Segment
- Feature adoption trackingnot Segment
- Conversion rate optimizationnot Segment
- Customer journey mappingnot Segment
- Retention improvementnot Segment
Segment
- Customer data unificationnot Amplitude
- Marketing attributionnot Amplitude
- Product analyticsnot Amplitude
- Data governancenot Amplitude
- Personalizationnot Amplitude
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Amplitude
- Metered on event volume, so instrumenting more of a product raises the bill even if the audience does not grow
- The free plan covers 2M events a month
- The Plus plan scales to 70M events, above which pricing is custom
- Growth and Enterprise pricing is not published
Segment
- Pricing is not transparent; requires sales contact for quotes
- No lower-tier option for small businesses without contacting sales
- Custom pricing can be expensive for mid-market companies
- Now owned by Twilio, which affects long-term independence and focus
Pricing, plan by plan
Amplitude
Free- StarterFree
- 2 million events per month
- Plus$49/month
- $0.049 per MTU
- Up to 300k MTUs
- Advanced analytics
- GrowthFree
- Causal insights
- Feature experimentation
- Real-time streaming
- EnterpriseFree
- Cross-product analysis
- Advanced permissions
- Dedicated account manager
Segment
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Segment review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Amplitude if
- You need event tracking.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
- You also want user segmentation.
Choose Segment if
- You need data collection.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, API.
- You also want data routing.
Questions people ask
- Is Amplitude or Segment better?
- Neither clearly leads. Amplitude starts at Free and Segment at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Amplitude or Segment?
- Amplitude starts at Free and Segment at Free.
- Does Amplitude or Segment run on more platforms?
- Amplitude runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. Segment runs on Web, API.
- Can I use Amplitude for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Amplitude best used for?
- Amplitude is most often used for user behavior analysis, feature adoption tracking, conversion rate optimization, customer journey mapping. Of those, user behavior analysis and feature adoption tracking are not what Segment is typically brought in for.
- What can Amplitude do that Segment cannot?
- Amplitude covers Event tracking, User segmentation, Funnel analysis, Retention analysis. Segment covers Data collection, Data routing, Data warehouse, Identity resolution. Both handle Salesforce, Slack, Braze, SOC2.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Amplitude: Does Amplitude have a free plan?
Yes, Amplitude offers a free Starter plan with 2 million events per month and access to the entire platform including analytics, session replay, and experimentation features.
SourceSegment: Does Segment have a free plan?
Segment uses a freemium model with 10K users included free. Additional users require paid plans based on monthly active users (MTUs), calculated as monthly active users plus anonymous visitors per month.
SourceAmplitude: What is Amplitude's pricing based on?
Amplitude's pricing is based on the number of monthly tracked users (MTUs), data volume, and advanced features selected. The Plus plan starts at $49 per month with a rate of $0.049 per MTU.
SourceSegment: What is Segment's pricing based on?
Segment pricing is based on monthly active users (MTU), which equals your monthly active users plus anonymous visitors. Pricing is customized; contact sales for specific quotes.
SourceAmplitude: What analytics features does every Amplitude plan include?
Every plan includes access to the full platform: analytics, session replay, feature experimentation, web experimentation, guides and surveys, activation, and AI tools like AI Feedback and AI Assistant.
SourceSegment: What is the difference between Customer Data Pipeline and Customer Data Platform?
Pipeline (Business) focuses on data collection and delivery to 700+ destinations. CDP includes Pipeline plus Unify for unified profiles and Engage for audience orchestration with AI capabilities.
SourceSegment: How many integrations does Segment have?
Segment connects to over 700 destinations, allowing data to be sent to analytics platforms, data warehouses, CRMs, and other business tools.
SourceSegment: Does Segment have SSO and HIPAA compliance?
Yes. Both Pipeline and CDP tiers offer multi-factor authentication, single sign-on (SSO), and HIPAA eligibility for healthcare organizations.
Source