
Starting From
- Cloud Free: $0 — 1M events, 5k replays, 250 surveys, 100k errors
- Cloud Usage-Based: $0.00005/event, $0.005/replay, $0.0001/flag call
- Self-Hosted: $0 — open source (requires infra & ops)
PROS
- Full analytics, session replay, flags, surveys, and experiments in one platform
- Very generous free tier
- Open-source with complete data ownership
CONS
- Self-hosting is complex and not ideal for scale
- Billing can be unpredictable on high usage
- Premium support only at $2k+/mo tier
PostHog Review
Heads up: This review contains affiliate links. If you click and buy, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools I genuinely believe in.
PostHog is an all-in-one product analytics suite that combines heatmaps, session recording, funnels, feature flags, A/B testing, surveys, error tracking, and more—available as either a cloud service with generous usage-based pricing or a fully open-source self-hosted stack. It’s built for developers, trusted by startups, and battle-tested by growth teams who want full control over their data pipeline.
Table of Contents
Quick Answers
- What is PostHog? A full-stack, developer-first analytics and experimentation platform with everything from heatmaps to feature flags and surveys.
- Who’s it for? Technical teams, engineers, and product-led startups wanting full-stack observability and control.
- Key features? Funnels, pathing, heatmaps, replay, feature flags, A/B testing, error tracking, surveys, data exports, SQL access.
- Compared to alternatives? Combines features of Mixpanel, FullStory, and LaunchDarkly into one stack—cheaper and open-source.
- Easy to set up? Very—especially cloud. Self-hosting requires Docker, infra, and some devops knowledge.
- Integrations? API, Segment, Slack, Zapier, warehouse syncs, SSO, and SDKs for web, mobile, and backend.
- How much? Generous free tier; usage-based cloud beyond; self-hosting free (hardware required).
- Pros & cons? ✅ Covers everything in one tool; ❌ Self-hosting needs effort, costs scale with usage.
- Worth it? Yes—for growth teams who want power, visibility, and no vendor lock-in.
- Where to get it?
Start with PostHog →
1. Features & Capabilities
PostHog brings together the best of product analytics and experimentation into one cohesive platform. You can track events, analyze funnels, view user paths, and segment behavior with both click and code-based setups. Session recording and heatmaps add visual context to quantitative insights.
But PostHog doesn’t stop there—it includes feature flagging, A/B testing (client and server-side), user surveys, and even error tracking, making it a full-fledged toolkit for teams looking to optimize product experiences end to end.
All modules are deeply integrated. Want to roll out a new feature behind a flag, then measure impact with experiments and feedback surveys? You can do it all in one place.
2. Pricing & Value
PostHog’s pricing model is refreshingly fair. Cloud users get a free tier that includes 1M events, 5,000 session replays, 250 surveys, 100k errors, and more. Beyond that, usage-based rates apply—for example, $0.00005 per event or $0.005 per replay. These rates taper off with scale.
Self-hosting is 100% free under the MIT license but does require server infrastructure (4+ vCPUs and 16+ GB RAM). For high-volume teams, cloud tends to be more scalable and less maintenance-intensive.
Cloud Free
$0
- 1M events
- 5k replays
- 250 surveys
- 100k errors
Cloud Usage-Based
Varies
- $0.00005/event
- $0.005/replay
- $0.0001/flag call
Self-Hosted
$0
- Docker/Kubernetes
- Open source MIT
- Infra required
3. Ease of Use & Onboarding
If you’re technical, setup is fast—especially for cloud. A single snippet gets you basic tracking, and SDKs are available for React, Next.js, Node, Python, and mobile. You can be collecting data in under 10 minutes.
Self-hosting adds complexity: you’ll need Docker, server knowledge, and time for updates and monitoring. Cloud sidesteps this but trades in predictability for usage billing, so expect to keep tabs on monthly consumption.
4. Case Studies & Reputation
PostHog is used by over 10,000 teams globally—including product-led startups and open-source developers. It consistently ranks high on G2 and Hacker News for “developer freedom,” “open data,” and “best stack consolidation.”
Users report launching successful A/B tests and consolidating multiple SaaS costs into one platform. It’s especially praised for its robust pathing, feature flag targeting, and SQL support.
5. Customer Support & Reliability
Cloud support includes email and community help. Enterprise support with SLAs only kicks in at the $2,000/month level. Self-hosters rely on GitHub issues and the PostHog forums, which are active but not SLA-backed.
Cloud uptime and security are solid—GDPR/CCPA compliant, with data region control. But if you’re self-hosted, you’re also self-responsible for availability and scaling.
6. Summary & Final Rating
Pros
Cons
Final Rating: ★★★★ (4.2/5)
PostHog is a power tool for modern growth teams. It replaces multiple tools, gives full data control, and scales affordably. If you’re ready to handle the ops or usage tracking, it’s one of the smartest platforms out there.