Software · head to head
PostHog vs Amplitude
PostHog
Software
The single platform to analyze, test, observe, and deploy new features
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Amplitude
Software
The digital analytics platform to understand your users
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: PostHog the free tier covers 1M events, 5K web session recordings and 2.5K mobile recordings per month before usage-based billing starts; 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: PostHog covers Product analytics, Amplitude covers Event tracking.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which PostHog and Amplitude actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, Ios, Android, Api), 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 PostHog
- Product analytics
- Session recording
- Feature flags
- Heatmaps
- SQL access
- Data warehouse
- Apps platform
- Microsoft Teams
Only in Amplitude
- Event tracking
- User segmentation
- Funnel analysis
- Retention analysis
- Cohort analysis
- Revenue analytics
- Predictive analytics
- Snowflake
Both cover
- A/B testing
- Slack
- Segment
- SOC2
- GDPR
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
PostHog
- Product analyticsnot Amplitude
- Feature experimentationnot Amplitude
- User behavior trackingnot Amplitude
- A/B testingnot Amplitude
- Debug production issuesnot Amplitude
Amplitude
- User behavior analysisnot PostHog
- Feature adoption trackingnot PostHog
- Conversion rate optimizationnot PostHog
- Customer journey mappingnot PostHog
- Retention improvementnot PostHog
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
PostHog
- The free tier covers 1M events, 5K web session recordings and 2.5K mobile recordings per month before usage-based billing starts
- Accounts without a card on file are limited to 1 project; adding one raises it to 6
- Data retention is 1 year until a card is added, which extends it to 7 years
- Support is community-only until the account is on a paid plan
- Error tracking is capped at 100K exceptions and surveys at 1500 responses per month on the free tier
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
PostHog
Free- FreeFree
- 1M events/month
- 5K sessions/month
- Unlimited users
- Paid$undefined/month
- $0.00031/event
- $0.005/session
- Advanced permissions
- Enterprise$undefined/month
- SAML SSO
- Advanced security
- Dedicated support
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 PostHog if
- You need product analytics.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
- You also want session recording.
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.
Questions people ask
- Is PostHog or Amplitude better?
- Neither clearly leads. PostHog 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, PostHog or Amplitude?
- PostHog starts at Free and Amplitude at Free.
- Does PostHog or Amplitude run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, Ios, Android, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use PostHog for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is PostHog best used for?
- PostHog is most often used for product analytics, feature experimentation, user behavior tracking, a/b testing. Of those, product analytics and feature experimentation are not what Amplitude is typically brought in for.
- What can PostHog do that Amplitude cannot?
- PostHog covers Product analytics, Session recording, Feature flags, Heatmaps. Amplitude covers Event tracking, User segmentation, Funnel analysis, Retention analysis. Both handle A/B testing, Slack, Segment, 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.
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.
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.
Source