PostHog is a product analytics tool that is slowly gaining popularity among developers because of its generous free tier and its open-source. It’s also a tool that focuses a lot on data privacy.
This article will cover PostHog’s features, strengths, and weaknesses. We'll introduce you to an exciting alternative. This innovative solution offers a fresh perspective, empowering you to make informed decisions.
- Posthog
- Posthog Reviews
- Simple Analytics: A simpler alternative with better support
- Features comparison between Simple Analytics and Posthog
- Conclusion
- FAQs: A Better Alternative to Posthog
Posthog
PostHog is an open-source tool that is more than a product analytics tool. It’s a tool to help you with product analytics, session replay, heatmaps, feature flags, etc.
Using it as a product analytics tool, you can establish personal events to track explicit actions on their website or app, like button clicks or page views. PostHog also integrates with well-known tools like Slack, Segment, and Zapier.
Pros of Posthog
- Simple installation procedure
- Custom dashboards
- Generous free tier
- Affordable paid plans
Cons of Posthog
- Free and general paid plans come with community support, which isn’t great
- Overwhelming if you need a simple product analytics tool
- Dedicated support requires a minimum spend of $2,000/month
Posthog Reviews
What do you like best about PostHog?
PostHog is an Open-source platform that is very convenient for anyone who wants to track and visualise their data. Creating dashboards to visualise the data and app usage patterns is very easy. It is straightforward to track the actions performed on the app and which feature is most widely used. It saves a lot of time and effort.
What do you dislike about PostHog?
I didn't find any major issues with Posthog as such, but one thing is the loading issue. It takes a long time to load the Live events sometimes. Other than that, there are no major dislike's about the PostHog
What problems is PostHog solving and how is that benefiting you?
I am able to view the events logged by the mobile applications easily. Helps me analyse the usage pattern and the features that are more frequently used to help me focus more on those screens. Also it is very easy to create dashboards and record the events and visualise the data in a much better way. In insights, we check the Click Actions performed on a particular event. We have created a bunch of dashboards of critical events that we monitor regularly.
*Swathi P. Mid-Market*
Source: G2
"PostHog has a lot of options that an organisation can use for analytics"
What do you like best about PostHog?
Creating dashboards, Funnels and Live events. These are the ones which we use for tracking app analytics on a daily basis. We no need to depend on any other data for ex. Firbase. Easy to use tool. The session recording and export data helps us keep a record of all the testing we do. Easy to track quality metrics on daily basis.
What do you dislike about PostHog?
PostHog is still slow. Whenever I try to apply filter for app versions or release versions it keeps loading. It is also a bit difficult to understand for a first time user to create funnels and stuff.
What problems is PostHog solving and how is that benefiting you?
We are able to track a lot of errors that customer have been facing. For ex we have bad request errors logged to post hog which helps us to monitor on a daily basis and know how many customer get bad request. We track each and every metric so that if any issue on the field we will be able to track it using metrics.
*Abhishek H. Enterprise*
Source: G2
Simple Analytics: A simpler alternative with better support
Simple Analytics is an easy-to-use analytics tool that gives you the insights you need while being 100% GDPR-compliant.
It was founded by Adriaan van Rossum shortly after the GDPR regulation was approved. Since its inception, Simple Analytics has had customers of all sizes, notable ones being: Michelin, Havas Media, Nomadlist, and the UK Government.
Though Simple Analytics might sound like a simple minimal analytics tool, it does pack some powerful features that many marketers love, such as automated event collection, goal tracking, e-commerce analytics, bypassing ad blockers (as it’s privacy-friendly), and much more.
Let's explore a few reasons why it's become a preferred choice for businesses seeking reliable and affordable analytics tools.
Pros of using Simple Analytics
- Simple UI: Most product analytics tools like PostHog come with a complex UI which takes time to understand if you’re not a regular user. Simple Analytics, on the other hand, focuses on a clean and easy-to-understand UI that even non-marketers can easily understand.
- Affordable: Tracking website and product metrics is pretty affordable with Simple Analytics. For just $9/month, you can track 100,000 data points (pageviews + events). Additionally, you get features that you would find in much more expensive tools.
- Privacy First: The world is moving in a direction where privacy is becoming increasingly important. Google Analytics has been declared illegal in multiple EU countries. You would rather avoid getting caught up in this mess. Take privacy or compliance with regulations into account.
- Mini Websites: Have you ever seen “t.co” as a referrer in your web analytics? If you have, you must have broken your head trying to find the source. Simple Analytics helps you find the exact tweet that referred/mentioned to your website.
- Lightweight: Your website is your storefront on the internet. Providing the best possible experience matters. Installing an analytics script has an impact on page speed. Choose an analytics tool that won’t slow your website down. Even Google recommends having a website that loads quickly.
- Integration: Installing and integrating Simple Analytics is also super easy. It has 20+ integrations to select from, so you can get it added quickly.
Cons of using Simple Analytics
Due to privacy laws, Simple Analytics doesn’t store IPs and user identifiers, which makes it lack a couple of metrics, such as bounce rate, but it does have time on page to give you an idea of user stickiness.
Pricing of Simple Analytics
Simple Analytics offers one of the most affordable pricing structures in its segment. The plans start at just $9/month, which lets you track 100,000 data points.
If you need more features, such as team access, the pricing goes up to $49/month, increasing the data points limit from 100,000 to 1,000,000.
Features comparison between Simple Analytics and Posthog
| Feature | Simple Analytics | PostHog |
|---|---|---|
| Account Management | ||
| Trackable Items | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| User Seats | 1 to Unlimited users | Unlimited |
| User Roles | Available | Member Administrator Owner |
| Account Security | Passwordless Login | Single Sign-on Multi-Factor Authentication |
| Data Processing | ||
| Data Retention | Unlimited | Unlimited but session recordings are deleted in 3 weeks |
| Data Center Locations | European Economic Area (EEA) | European Economic Area (EEA) United States |
| Data Import | GA importer included | Historical data ingestion |
| Data Ownership | You | You |
| Software Hosting | Public Cloud | Public Cloud Private Cloud On-Premise |
| Compliance | GDPR, PECR, CCPA | GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, PECR |
| Data Freshness | Realtime | Realtime |
| Data Export | As CSV or via API | APIs |
| Cookieless | Simple Analytics is cookieless | PostHog has the option to be used without cookies |
| Reporting | ||
| Funnel Reporting | Available | Available |
| Device Reporting | Available (based on OS and screen sizes) | Available |
| Segmentation | Available | Available |
| Trend Reporting | Available | Available |
| Alerts & Automation | ||
| Integrations | 20+ Available and can send a request to the Simple Analytics team for more | 10+ Available |
| Email Reports | Weekly, monthly | Subscribe to an Insight or dashboard |
| Customizability | ||
| Annotations | Available | Available |
| Custom Events | Available | Available |
Conclusion
There’s no doubt in PostHog is a great tool for engineering and product teams. However, it might be overwhelming to use if you just want the basics. Also, not having access to dedicated customer support makes the situation worse.
Though PostHog might have a better pricing or feature list compared to Simple Analytics but for the extra money, you get access to dedicated customer support whom you can contact anytime. Plus, Simple Analytics is easier to use, and interpreting the dashboard is super easy.
If this resonates with you, feel free to give it a try!
FAQs: A Better Alternative to Posthog
What exactly is PostHog?
PostHog is a modern enterprise-focused product analytics suite. It differs because it is open source and takes a broader view of the tools required for product development. It includes product analytics, session recording, feature administration, and more. It is an all-inclusive platform designed for engineers and product teams.
How is PostHog different from Heap?
There are two crucial aspects to note when comparing PostHog with Heap. First, Heap is a product analytics tool intended for non-technical users. PostHog, on the other hand, is an all-in-one platform that extends beyond analytics. It includes capabilities such as session recording, feature management, and others to meet the demands of engineers and product teams.
Is PostHog HIPAA compliant?
Yes, PostHog complies with HIPAA regulations. In addition, unlike services like Mixpanel or Amplitude, you may deploy PostHog on your own server. This implies that confidential information does not need to be transferred to third parties, guaranteeing HIPAA compliance.