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Software · head to head

Heap vs Amplitude

Heap logo

Heap

Software

Product analytics for the modern product team

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Amplitude logo

Amplitude

Software

The digital analytics platform to understand your users

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Heap no built-in A/B testing or feature flags; requires integration with separate tools for experimentation; Amplitude metered on event volume, so instrumenting more of a product raises the bill even if the audience does not grow
  • They diverge on capability: Heap covers Autocapture, Amplitude covers Event tracking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Heap and Amplitude actually diverge.

Attributes where Heap and Amplitude differ
AttributeHeapAmplitude
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Ios, Android, Api
Founded20132012

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 Heap

  • Autocapture
  • Retroactive analytics
  • Session replay
  • Path analysis
  • Data science
  • Virtual events
  • Marketo
  • HubSpot

Only in Amplitude

  • Event tracking
  • Retention analysis
  • Cohort analysis
  • A/B testing
  • Revenue analytics
  • Predictive analytics
  • Snowflake
  • BigQuery

Both cover

  • Funnel analysis
  • User segmentation
  • Salesforce
  • Segment
  • SOC2
  • GDPR
  • CCPA

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Heap

  • User behavior analysis
  • Conversion optimizationnot Amplitude
  • Product adoptionnot Amplitude
  • Customer journey mapping
  • A/B testing analysisnot Amplitude

Amplitude

  • User behavior analysis
  • Feature adoption trackingnot Heap
  • Conversion rate optimizationnot Heap
  • Customer journey mapping
  • Retention improvementnot Heap

Both are used for user behavior analysis, customer journey mapping, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Heap

  • No built-in A/B testing or feature flags; requires integration with separate tools for experimentation
  • Group analytics and advanced features require a sales conversation, not self-serve
  • Cloud-only deployment; no self-hosted option for data security or compliance requirements
  • Session replay lacks developer debugging tools compared to PostHog
  • Pricing for Growth and Pro plans requires direct sales contact; no transparency on how pricing scales

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

Pricing, plan by plan

Heap

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 10,000 monthly sessions
    • Basic charts
    • 6 months data history
  • Growth$null/custom
    • Custom session pricing
    • Sense AI assistant
    • 12 months data history
  • Pro$null/custom
    • Custom session pricing
    • Account analytics
    • Engagement matrix
  • Premier$null/custom
    • Custom session pricing
    • Data warehouse integration
    • Unlimited projects

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Heap if

  • You need autocapture.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want retroactive analytics.
Heap review

Choose Amplitude if

  • You need event tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want retention analysis.
Amplitude review

Questions people ask

Is Heap or Amplitude better?
Neither clearly leads. Heap starts at Free and Amplitude at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Heap or Amplitude?
Heap starts at Free and Amplitude at Free.
Does Heap or Amplitude run on more platforms?
Heap runs on Web, iOS, Android. Amplitude runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
Can I use Heap for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Heap best used for?
Heap is most often used for user behavior analysis, conversion optimization, product adoption, customer journey mapping. Of those, conversion optimization and product adoption are not what Amplitude is typically brought in for.
What can Heap do that Amplitude cannot?
Heap covers Autocapture, Retroactive analytics, Session replay, Path analysis. Amplitude covers Event tracking, Retention analysis, Cohort analysis, A/B testing. Both handle Funnel analysis, User segmentation, Salesforce, Segment.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Heap: What does Heap's autocapture feature do?

Heap's autocapture is a single code snippet that automatically captures every click, swipe, tap, pageview, and form fill on your website and apps without requiring manual event setup. Once installed, Heap captures the entire digital experience of every user on every platform with no ongoing engineering maintenance needed.

Source
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.

Source
Heap: What are Heap's pricing plans and how much do they cost?

Heap offers a Free plan for up to 10,000 monthly sessions. Growth, Pro, and Premier plans use custom session-based pricing that requires contacting sales for a quote. Free includes basic charts and 6 months data history. Growth adds the Sense AI assistant. Pro adds account analytics. Premier adds data warehouse integration and dedicated customer success management.

Source
Amplitude: 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.

Source
Heap: Does Heap include session replay and A/B testing?

Heap includes integrated session replay showing exactly what users did on your site. However, Heap does not include built-in A/B testing or feature flags. Teams requiring these capabilities must use separate tools or integrate with third-party platforms.

Source
Amplitude: 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.

Source
Heap: What integrations does Heap support?

Heap supports over 100 integrations connecting to business tools including marketing platforms, CRMs, and data warehouses. This allows insights to reach relevant teams and ensures data flows to other business systems automatically.

Source
Heap: Does Heap offer self-hosting or is it cloud-only?

Heap is cloud-only and does not offer self-hosted options. Organizations requiring on-premises deployment should consider alternatives like PostHog which supports self-hosting alongside its cloud product.

Source
Heap: What is Sense and how does it help with analytics?

Sense Chat is Heap's AI assistant that enables users to access analytics without extensive technical knowledge. It allows teams to ask questions about user behavior and get answers directly without lengthy onboarding or technical expertise, making insights more accessible to non-technical stakeholders.

Source
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