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Technology · head to head

PostHog vs Tableau

PostHog logo

PostHog

Technology

The single platform to analyze, test, observe, and deploy new features

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Tableau logo

Tableau

Spreadsheets

Visual analytics platform for business intelligence

From
$70/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only PostHog has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • 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; Tableau pricing not displayed on product homepage; vendors require visit to pricing calculator or sales contact
  • They diverge on capability: PostHog covers Product analytics, Tableau covers Interactive Dashboards.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which PostHog and Tableau actually diverge.

Attributes where PostHog and Tableau differ
AttributePostHogTableau
Starting priceFree$70/month
Pricing modelusage-basedsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Ios, Android, ApiWeb, Desktop, Mobile
CategoryTechnologySpreadsheets
Founded20201999

Identical on both: 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 PostHog

  • Product analytics
  • Session recording
  • Feature flags
  • A/B testing
  • Heatmaps
  • SQL access
  • Data warehouse
  • Apps platform

Only in Tableau

  • Interactive Dashboards
  • Data Blending
  • Real-time Analytics
  • Advanced Visualizations
  • Mobile Support
  • Salesforce
  • SAP
  • Oracle

What people use each for

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

PostHog

  • Product analyticsnot Tableau
  • Feature experimentationnot Tableau
  • User behavior trackingnot Tableau
  • A/B testingnot Tableau
  • Debug production issuesnot Tableau

Tableau

  • Business analytics dashboards for sales, finance, and HR departmentsnot PostHog
  • Real-time operational KPI monitoring for manufacturing and retailnot PostHog
  • Interactive data visualization for market analysis and competitive intelligencenot PostHog
  • Self-service analytics for business users without SQL knowledgenot PostHog
  • Enterprise data governance and governed analytics deploymentnot 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

Tableau

  • Pricing not displayed on product homepage; vendors require visit to pricing calculator or sales contact

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

Tableau

$70/month
  • Creator$70/month
    • Full authoring capabilities
    • Prep Builder
    • Data Management
  • Explorer$42/month
    • Web editing
    • Self-service analytics
  • Viewer$15/month
    • View and interact with dashboards

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.
PostHog review

Choose Tableau if

  • You need interactive dashboards.
  • You work on Web, Desktop, Mobile.
  • You also want data blending.
Tableau review

Questions people ask

Is PostHog or Tableau better?
Neither clearly leads. PostHog starts at Free and Tableau at $70/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, PostHog or Tableau?
PostHog has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for PostHog and $70/month for Tableau.
Does PostHog or Tableau run on more platforms?
PostHog runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. Tableau runs on Web, Desktop, Mobile.
Can I use PostHog for free?
Yes. PostHog has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Tableau starts at $70/month.
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 Tableau is typically brought in for.
What can PostHog do that Tableau cannot?
PostHog covers Product analytics, Session recording, Feature flags, A/B testing. Tableau covers Interactive Dashboards, Data Blending, Real-time Analytics, Advanced Visualizations.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

PostHog: What does PostHog's free tier include per month?

PostHog free tier includes: 1M analytics events, 5K session replays, 1M feature flag requests, 100K error tracking exceptions, 1,500 survey responses, 1M data warehouse rows, 10K data pipeline events, 100K AI observability events, 500 PostHog AI credits, 10K workflow messages, and 10GB log ingestion. Source: https://posthog.com/pricing

Source
Tableau: How much does Tableau Cloud cost?

Tableau does not list Cloud pricing on its homepage. Customers can use the Tableau pricing calculator or contact sales for rate information.

Source
PostHog: How much data retention does PostHog provide on paid plans?

PostHog free tier provides 1-year data retention. Pay-as-you-go plans offer 7-year data retention across all projects, enabling longer historical analysis. Source: https://posthog.com/pricing

Source
Tableau: What is the cost of Tableau Server on-premise?

Tableau Server pricing is not published on the product website. Licensing costs are available through the Tableau sales team or pricing calculator.

Source
PostHog: What percentage of PostHog users stay on the free tier?

PostHog states that 97% of companies use PostHog for free, indicating extensive free tier adoption. However, specific per-unit pricing rates for overages on paid plans are not published. Source: https://posthog.com/pricing

Source
Tableau: Does Tableau offer a free or trial version?

Tableau Desktop is available for free download. Tableau Cloud and Server require licensing purchases; pricing is accessed via the calculator or sales contact.

Source
PostHog: When does PostHog provide priority support on paid plans?

PostHog provides email or Slack support for accounts exceeding $2,000/month on pay-as-you-go plans. Specific response times and support SLAs are not detailed on their pricing page. Source: https://posthog.com/pricing

Source
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