Product analytics
PostHog vs Amplitude: which should you use in 2026?
Updated
Key takeaways: PostHog vs Amplitude
Pick PostHog if…
- Engineers are the primary users and like SQL, HogQL and code-level control.
- You want to self-host, or at least use an MIT-licensed codebase you can inspect.
- You want product analytics, session replay, flags, experiments, surveys and error tracking under one usage-based bill.
- Cost at volume matters: about $324/mo at 10M anonymous events at PostHog's published rates.
Pick Amplitude if…
- Product managers, marketers and analysts need to self-serve without SQL.
- You want a larger free allowance — 2M events a month.
- You need governance features (taxonomy, data planning) and an enterprise vendor with SOC 2 and a public-company track record.
- You'll use Amplitude's behavioral cohorts to drive audiences into ad and messaging tools.
PostHog vs Amplitude at a glance
Facts from each vendor's public pages, checked October 2026.
| Feature | PostHog | Amplitude |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | PostHogOpen-source product platform for engineers | AmplitudeEnterprise digital analytics platform (analytics, experimentation, guides & surveys, CDP) |
| Free tier (monthly) | PostHog1M events, 5K recordings, 1M flag requests, 1,500 survey responses | Amplitude2M events, 10K session replays, 1 active experiment, 1 guide/survey |
| Paid pricing | PostHogUsage-based per product; events $0.00005 (1–2M) then $0.0000343 (2–15M) | AmplitudePlus: ≈ $94/mo at 3M, $281 at 5M, $720 at 10M events (monthly); Growth/Enterprise custom |
| Hosting / data location | PostHogUS Cloud or EU Cloud (Frankfurt) | AmplitudeUS or EU data center, all plans |
| Self-hosting / open source | PostHogYes, MIT; self-host officially unsupported, paid features Cloud-only | AmplitudeNo |
| Cookies / consent | PostHogCookie + localStorage default; cookieless_mode option | AmplitudeCookie default; localStorage, sessionStorage or none storage options |
| Session replay | PostHogYes (web and mobile); 3-month retention on paid | AmplitudeYes; 1-month retention by default, longer as an add-on |
| Experiments & flags | PostHogYes, both | AmplitudeYes — feature and web experimentation, unlimited flags |
| Data warehouse / SQL | PostHogBuilt-in warehouse with SQL | AmplitudeWarehouse-native options; SQL not the primary workflow |
| Data retention | PostHog1 year Free, 7 years paid | Amplitude1 year of data access on Free; unlimited on Growth |
| Learning curve | PostHogModerate to steep — very broad surface | AmplitudeSteep for advanced features, guided for core reports |
PostHog vs Amplitude for privacy and GDPR
Both are identity-based analytics: they're built to tie events to a user over time, both set an identifier cookie by default, and in the EU you'll usually ask for consent before loading them. Both sign DPAs and offer deletion tools for GDPR requests, and both offer EU hosting.
PostHog's cookieless_mode counts visitors using a server-side privacy-preserving hash, which can run always or only for visitors who reject cookies (on_reject). New projects on its EU Cloud don't capture IP addresses by default, and the open-source code means you can self-host and never send data to a third party. Amplitude's Browser SDK lets you store identity in a cookie, localStorage, sessionStorage or nowhere (none), and to drop IP, language and platform capture through trackingOptions.
PostHog vs Amplitude pricing at three traffic levels
Amplitude gives away more free events; PostHog's per-event rates are lower once you pay. Monthly product-analytics event costs at list price, as of October 2026:
| Monthly traffic | 1M events/mo | 5M events/mo | 10M events/mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| PostHog | 1M events/mo: $0 (free tier) | 5M events/mo: ≈ $103 (anonymous events) | 10M events/mo: ≈ $324 (anonymous events) |
| Amplitude | 1M events/mo: $0 (free tier) | 5M events/mo: ≈ $281 (Plus, monthly) | 10M events/mo: ≈ $720 (Plus, monthly) |
PostHog figures are computed from its graduated public rates and exclude the identified-events add-on (≈ $1,080/mo total at 10M identified events) and session replay. Amplitude figures are from its pricing-page calculator; annual billing lowers them ($6,912/yr at 10M). Amplitude also offers MTU-based pricing.
Setting up PostHog vs Amplitude
Both install with a browser snippet or SDK plus mobile and server libraries, and both autocapture interactions so dashboards fill in immediately. PostHog's setup wizard turns on replay, flags and surveys from the same snippet; Amplitude's autocapture covers page views, sessions, form interactions and file downloads by default.
Amplitude pays off when someone owns the event taxonomy — its data-planning and governance tools are built for that. PostHog pays off when engineers instrument events as they ship features and answer edge-case questions with SQL.
Who each one is for
PostHog fits seed-to-Series-C software companies where engineers own the product stack and want to avoid buying four or five separate tools. Amplitude fits larger product and growth organizations — and companies where analytics drives marketing audiences — that value guided analysis, governance and enterprise support.
Migrating from Amplitude to PostHog
PostHog's managed migrations connect directly to Amplitude with API credentials, or import exports from S3, R2, MinIO or GCS. Imports are free on paid PostHog plans; a direct job covers up to one year of data. Amplitude accepts historical data through its Batch Event Upload API. Dashboards, cohorts and experiments have to be rebuilt in both directions.
PostHog vs Amplitude: frequently asked questions
Is PostHog a good Amplitude alternative?
Yes, for engineering-led teams. PostHog covers event analytics, funnels, retention and cohorts like Amplitude, and adds session replay, feature flags, surveys and a SQL warehouse in one open-source product. Amplitude remains stronger on governance and non-technical self-serve analysis.
Which has the bigger free plan, PostHog or Amplitude?
Amplitude, for events: 2M a month versus PostHog's 1M. PostHog's free tier also includes 5K session recordings, 1M feature-flag requests and 1,500 survey responses; Amplitude's includes 10K replays and one experiment.
Can you self-host Amplitude?
No, Amplitude is SaaS only. PostHog can be self-hosted under its MIT license, though PostHog doesn't officially support self-hosted deployments.
Is PostHog cheaper than Amplitude at 10 million events?
At list prices, yes: about $324/mo for 10M anonymous events on PostHog versus about $720/mo on Amplitude Plus with monthly billing. If you need person profiles on every event, PostHog's cost rises to roughly $1,080/mo.
Do PostHog and Amplitude support EU data residency?
Both do. PostHog's EU Cloud is in Frankfurt, and Amplitude's EU data center is available on all plans.
Can I import Amplitude data into PostHog?
Yes. PostHog's managed migration pulls directly from Amplitude using your API credentials, free on paid PostHog plans, for up to a year of data per job.
Sources and methodology
Prices and features were checked on each vendor's public pages in October 2026. Vendors change plans often — confirm on the official pricing page before you buy. VisitTrack publishes this comparison and competes with some of these tools; we have no affiliate relationship with either vendor.
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