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Technology · head to head

Mixpanel vs Umami

Mixpanel logo

Mixpanel

Technology

Product analytics that helps you convert, engage, and retain more users

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Umami logo

Umami

Marketing

Open source, cookie-free web analytics you can self-host for the cost of a database

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Mixpanel pricing can scale significantly at high volumes with expensive per-user rates; Umami there is no cohort analysis, retention curve, session replay or multi-touch attribution, so a marketing team that needs to justify channel spend will still buy a second tool and Umami becomes a supplementary dashboard.
  • They diverge on capability: Mixpanel covers Event analytics, Umami covers Cookie-free tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Mixpanel and Umami actually diverge.

Attributes where Mixpanel and Umami differ
AttributeMixpanelUmami
Pricing modelUnknownPer month by event count
PlatformsWeb, Mobile, APIsWeb, Linux
CategoryTechnologyMarketing
Founded2009Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Mixpanel

  • Event analytics
  • User segmentation
  • Funnel analysis
  • Retention analysis
  • A/B testing
  • Predictive analytics
  • Custom dashboards
  • Real-time data

Only in Umami

  • Cookie-free tracking
  • Self-hosting
  • Small tracking script
  • Custom events
  • Funnels and goals
  • Multi-site and teams
  • Public dashboards
  • API access

What people use each for

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

Mixpanel

  • User behavior analysisnot Umami
  • Product optimizationnot Umami
  • Conversion trackingnot Umami
  • Retention improvementnot Umami
  • Feature adoptionnot Umami

Umami

  • A developer who wants traffic numbers on a personal or client site without adding a consent bannernot Mixpanel
  • An organisation whose legal or procurement team has ruled out sending visitor data to a US advertising companynot Mixpanel
  • A high-traffic site where hosted analytics priced by pageview band has become expensive and self-hosting removes the ceiling entirelynot Mixpanel
  • A team that wants analytics data in a database they already control so they can query and join it themselvesnot Mixpanel

Where each one falls short

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

Mixpanel

  • Pricing can scale significantly at high volumes with expensive per-user rates
  • Limited built-in data visualization options compared to some competitors
  • Requires implementation expertise to properly instrument event tracking

Umami

  • There is no cohort analysis, retention curve, session replay or multi-touch attribution, so a marketing team that needs to justify channel spend will still buy a second tool and Umami becomes a supplementary dashboard.
  • Self-hosting is only free in licence terms; you own the database, the upgrades, the backups and the query performance at scale, and a busy site's events table grows quickly enough to need real attention.
  • Because it stores no persistent identifier, it cannot follow a user across devices or sessions in any meaningful way, which makes returning-visitor and lifetime-value questions unanswerable by design rather than by omission.
  • Cloud overage is billed per event beyond the plan allowance, so a traffic spike or a badly instrumented custom event can produce a bill materially above the $20 or $200 headline before anyone notices.
  • It is maintained by a small team, so the pace of new capability is modest and enterprise expectations such as SSO, granular role permissions and formal support agreements are limited compared with commercial analytics vendors.

Pricing, plan by plan

Mixpanel

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Mixpanel review.

Umami

Free
  • Self-hostedFree
    • MIT licensed, no licence fee
    • No event limit imposed by the software
    • Unlimited websites and users
  • Cloud HobbyFree
    • Up to 100,000 events per month
    • 3 websites
    • 6 months data retention
  • Cloud Pro$20/month
    • Up to 1,000,000 events per month
    • Unlimited websites
    • Unlimited team members
  • Cloud Business$200/month
    • Up to 10,000,000 events per month
    • All Pro features
    • Higher volume overage rate

Which should you pick?

Choose Mixpanel if

  • You need event analytics.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile, APIs.
  • You also want user segmentation.
Mixpanel review

Choose Umami if

  • You need cookie-free tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Linux.
  • You also want self-hosting.
Umami review

Questions people ask

Is Mixpanel or Umami better?
Neither clearly leads. Mixpanel starts at Free and Umami at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Mixpanel or Umami?
Mixpanel starts at Free and Umami at Free.
Does Mixpanel or Umami run on more platforms?
Mixpanel runs on Web, Mobile, APIs. Umami runs on Web, Linux.
Can I use Mixpanel for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Mixpanel best used for?
Mixpanel is most often used for user behavior analysis, product optimization, conversion tracking, retention improvement. Of those, user behavior analysis and product optimization are not what Umami is typically brought in for.
What can Mixpanel do that Umami cannot?
Mixpanel covers Event analytics, User segmentation, Funnel analysis, Retention analysis. Umami covers Cookie-free tracking, Self-hosting, Small tracking script, Custom events.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Mixpanel: Is Mixpanel free?

Yes, Mixpanel offers a generous free plan with up to 20 million events per month, unlimited team members, core analytics reports, 10K session replays, and 12 months data retention. No credit card required.

Source
Umami: Is Umami really free?

Self-hosted, yes; it is MIT licensed with no event cap. You pay for the server and database. Umami Cloud has a free tier at 100,000 events a month and paid tiers from $20.

Mixpanel: How does Mixpanel pricing work?

Mixpanel pricing is based on Monthly Tracked Users (MTUs). The free tier includes core analytics. Growth tier starts at $20/month for up to 10,000 MTUs. Enterprise pricing is custom based on volume, retention, and contract terms.

Source
Umami: Do I need a cookie consent banner?

For Umami analytics specifically, generally no, because it sets no cookies and stores no personal data. Other tags on your site may still require one.

Mixpanel: What are Mixpanel's core analytics features?

Mixpanel provides Insights for user behavior analysis, Funnels for conversion tracking, Flows for user journey visualization, and Retention analysis. All available on the free tier.

Source
Umami: Can it replace Google Analytics?

For traffic, referrers and event counts, yes. For attribution modelling, audiences and advertising integration, no.

Mixpanel: Does Mixpanel track page views or events?

Mixpanel tracks user actions and events rather than page views, providing a more granular understanding of user behavior. It offers a simple SDK compatible with major platforms including mobile.

Source
Umami: What does it need to run?

A container and a PostgreSQL or MySQL database. Most people deploy it on infrastructure they already pay for.

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