Technology · head to head
PostHog vs Excalidraw
PostHog
Technology
The single platform to analyze, test, observe, and deploy new features
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Excalidraw
Technology
Virtual whiteboard for sketching hand-drawn like diagrams
- 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; Excalidraw advanced features (unlimited private scenes/folders, cloud storage, access management, presentations, extended AI, team management) are gated behind Excalidraw+
- They diverge on capability: PostHog covers Product analytics, Excalidraw covers Hand-drawn style diagrams.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which PostHog and Excalidraw actually diverge.
| Attribute | PostHog | Excalidraw |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | usage-based | Unknown |
| Platforms | Web, Ios, Android, Api | Web |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Technology), founded (2020).
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
- A/B testing
- Heatmaps
- SQL access
- Data warehouse
- Apps platform
Only in Excalidraw
- Hand-drawn style diagrams
- Real-time collaboration
- Infinite canvas
- Shape libraries
- Text support
- Image import
- Export options
- Keyboard shortcuts
Both cover
- GitHub
- Cloud deployment
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
PostHog
- Product analyticsnot Excalidraw
- Feature experimentationnot Excalidraw
- User behavior trackingnot Excalidraw
- A/B testingnot Excalidraw
- Debug production issuesnot Excalidraw
Excalidraw
- Wireframing and diagrammingnot PostHog
- Real-time collaborative whiteboardingnot PostHog
- Hand-drawn-style illustrations for docs and decksnot PostHog
- Embedding a whiteboard into third-party apps via the npm packagenot PostHog
- Visual planning and note-takingnot 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
Excalidraw
- Advanced features (unlimited private scenes/folders, cloud storage, access management, presentations, extended AI, team management) are gated behind Excalidraw+
- Free hosted version persists via scene links/local storage rather than a managed multi-scene workspace
- Self-hosting the full collaborative stack requires standing up a websocket server and storage beyond the npm editor package
- No official native desktop or app-store mobile apps - web/PWA only
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
Excalidraw
Free- Excalidraw+$6/month
- Unlimited private scenes and folders
- Cloud storage
- Access management
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 Excalidraw if
- You need hand-drawn style diagrams.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want real-time collaboration.
Questions people ask
- Is PostHog or Excalidraw better?
- Neither clearly leads. PostHog starts at Free and Excalidraw at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, PostHog or Excalidraw?
- PostHog starts at Free and Excalidraw at Free.
- Does PostHog or Excalidraw run on more platforms?
- PostHog runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. Excalidraw runs on Web.
- 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 Excalidraw is typically brought in for.
- What can PostHog do that Excalidraw cannot?
- PostHog covers Product analytics, Session recording, Feature flags, A/B testing. Excalidraw covers Hand-drawn style diagrams, Real-time collaboration, Infinite canvas, Shape libraries. Both handle GitHub, Cloud deployment.