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Product analytics software · head to head

PostHog vs Amplitude

Sebastiaan Smits Editor Sebastiaan Smits · Published November 12, 2026 · Updated November 12, 2026

PostHog meters each product separately, lets you cap spend per product, and publishes its code under an MIT license, so a team can also run it on its own servers. Amplitude gives a larger free event allowance and written support response times, but sells exports and unlimited data access only on quoted plans. Both offer an EU region.

Side by side

PostHogAmplitude
What it isOpen source analytics, replay and flags on one usage meterProduct analytics with replay, experiments and guides on every plan
Best forSmall teams wanting one tool and an exitTeams outgrowing a free tier
HeadquartersUnited StatesUnited States
Pricing modelUsage-basedPer event / month
PricingFree tier with 1M events and 5K recordings a month and no card; beyond it pay-as-you-go on usage with billing limits you can set.Free at 2M events a month; Plus starts at $0 with a card and scales to 70M events; Growth and Enterprise are custom event-based quotes.
Free optionFree planFree plan
List price
as listed on November 12, 2026		Free for the first 1M analytics events a month, then usage-based billing per product with no fixed price shown (pay-as-you-go)Free for the first 2M events a month; Plus starts at $0 with a card and scales to 70M events; Growth and Enterprise are quoted
Place in our product analytics software ranking#1 of 12#5 of 12
Websiteposthog.comamplitude.com

Both are reviewed in full in Best Product Analytics Software in 2026. Vendors can pay for more visibility, and commercial relationships can affect which products we feature and how prominently. Placement disclosure.

Which one to choose

Choose PostHog if

you want to set a spending cap per product, may need to run the software yourself, and are comfortable with email support until your spend passes $2,000 a month.

PostHog, #1 in the ranking · Visit PostHog →

Choose Amplitude if

you want 2M free events a month, a written response time from support on a paid plan, and a sales-led contract with an account manager as the company grows.

Amplitude, #5 in the ranking · Visit Amplitude →

Where they differ

What the free tier covers

Amplitude's free plan includes 2M events and 10K session replays a month with unlimited seats. PostHog's includes 1M analytics events and 5K recordings, one project and unlimited team members. PostHog adds free allowances for feature flag requests, error tracking, surveys and destinations, while Amplitude lists one active experiment. On the core measure, events, Amplitude gives double, so it takes this round.

Edge: Amplitude

Paying beyond the free tier

PostHog bills usage per product, lets you set a billing limit on each product, and states that no minimums or annual commitments are required. Its pricing page shows no per-event rate beyond the free allowance, however. Amplitude's Plus plan starts at $0 with a card and scales to 70M events, while Growth and Enterprise are quoted through sales. PostHog's terms are easier to read before you talk to anyone.

Edge: PostHog

Running it on your own servers

PostHog's repository on GitHub is MIT licensed apart from its ee directory, and its privacy policy covers self-managed installations. That gives a team that cannot send event data to a third party a route that does not depend on the vendor's cloud. Amplitude shows no open source code and no self-hosted option on the pricing page or privacy notice we opened. For control over where data lives, PostHog is the only one of the two that offers it.

Edge: PostHog

Support and response times

Amplitude's Free plan includes no support and Plus has online support, but Growth lists a response within 2 business days and Enterprise within 1 business day, with an assigned account manager. PostHog gives community support on free and email support on pay-as-you-go, or Slack once spend passes $2,000 a month. Its pricing page states no response time for pay-as-you-go. A buyer who needs a written commitment finds one at Amplitude.

Edge: Amplitude

Retention and getting data out

PostHog keeps events 1 year on free and 2 years on pay-as-you-go, with longer periods through platform packages, and recordings 1 month on free and 90 days on pay-as-you-go. Amplitude gives 1 year on Free, 2 on Plus and unlimited on Growth and Enterprise, with replays kept 1 month on every plan. Exports are included only on Growth and Enterprise. PostHog states no export policy on its pricing page, so neither side can be scored.

Edge: even

Tally: PostHog 2, Amplitude 2, even 1.

When neither fits

Neither is the right pick for a buyer who wants fixed, published prices for every tier: PostHog shows no rate beyond its free allowance and Amplitude quotes Growth and Enterprise. Mixpanel suits a buyer who wants event pricing shown on a calculator, and Pendo suits one who wants analytics and in-app guides in one product.

See Mixpanel and Pendo among the 12 products in Best Product Analytics Software in 2026.

Questions and answers

Is PostHog or Amplitude cheaper?

Neither page shows enough to name a cheaper one. PostHog states that analytics is $0 for the first 1M events a month and shows no rate beyond that. Amplitude's Plus plan starts at $0 and covers up to 70M events, but its page gives no fixed dollar figure in text. Growth and Enterprise are quoted by Amplitude, so cost there depends on a sales conversation.

Can PostHog or Amplitude keep data in the EU?

Yes, both can. PostHog lets you choose a US (Virginia) or EU (Frankfurt) cloud region at sign-up. Amplitude lists an EU data center option as included on Free, Plus, Growth and Enterprise. Both legal entities list a San Francisco address in their privacy documents, so choosing an EU region changes where data is hosted, not which company you contract with.

Can I self-host PostHog or Amplitude?

You can self-host PostHog, but we found no such option for Amplitude. PostHog's GitHub repository is MIT licensed except its ee directory, and its privacy policy refers to self-managed installations. Amplitude's pricing page and privacy notice show no open source code and no self-hosted version.

Do PostHog and Amplitude have a free plan?

Both do, with no card and no time limit. PostHog's free plan allows 1M analytics events and 5K session recordings a month with unlimited team members. Amplitude's allows 2M events and 10K session replays a month with unlimited seats. Amplitude calls its free plan not a trial, and PostHog says its free tier does not expire.

Do Amplitude or PostHog offer startup discounts?

Both do. Amplitude gives one free year of Growth to companies with under $10M in funding and fewer than 20 employees. PostHog says discounts are available for startups and non-profits and tells applicants to contact sales. Its page states no funding or headcount limit.

Sources

Prices, plan limits and product facts on this page were checked against the vendors' own pages on November 12, 2026. Vendors change both without notice, so treat the figures as of that date.