PostHog
PostHog is an open-source, developer-centric product analytics platform that combines event analytics, session replay, feature flags, experiments, and data pipelines in one product. It can be self-hosted or used as a managed PostHog Cloud service. One-sentence value: strong unified feature set and transparent pricing; watch scale and enterprise feature gaps.
Good fit for makers, small product teams, and data leaders who need governed analytics and privacy control. It solves tool sprawl by unifying analytics, replay, flags, and experiments. Self-hosting gives data control and lower early costs; managed cloud reduces operational burden. Not ideal if you expect hyperscale event volumes without infra expertise.
Use Cases
- Track and improve conversions on a personal blog.
- Record sessions to debug layout or onboarding issues.
- Use feature flags to test new UI with small audiences.
- Run small A/B experiments and measure real user impact.
- Sync events to Snowflake for dbt-driven governed analytics.
- Replace disparate analytics and flag tools for small teams.
Strengths
- Unified analytics, session replay, flags, and experiments in one product.
- Developer-centric SDKs and APIs for web, mobile, and server.
- Feature flags enable safer rollouts and targeted releases.
- Built-in A/B testing connects experiments to real user behaviour.
- Session replay helps reproduce UX bugs and speed fixes.
- Warehouse syncs feed events into Snowflake and dbt workflows.
- Transparent pricing and a generous free tier for small teams.
- Self-hosting works well for privacy and governance (Coolify trivial).
Limitations
- Scaling needs can require ClickHouse clusters and infra expertise.
- Query performance can be slow without materializing or tuning columns.
- Self-hosting at scale increases operational overhead and maintenance.
- Advanced security, SSO, and compliance often gated to paid tiers.
- Practical scaling limits reported by independent community analysis.
- Cloud EU residency details unverified (see sources).
Final Thoughts
Try it now if you need an integrated analytics+flags+replay stack and your team can operate infrastructure.
Use PostHog Cloud when you lack ops capacity or require managed SLAs; cloud adds managed hosting, usage billing, and enterprise features like SSO and audit logs.