Happy Valley

Google Analytics vs PostHog

Google Analytics and PostHog are both analytics tools. Google Analytics is aimed at small businesses and enterprise, while PostHog is aimed at developers and small businesses. Both have a free plan.

Google Analytics

Google's free web and app analytics

PostHog

Open-source product analytics, replays and flags

PricingFreeFreemium
Starting priceNot publishedNot published
Free planYesYes
Free trial——
Built forSmall businesses, Enterprise, AgenciesDevelopers, Small businesses
Platformswebweb
CountryUS · 2005US · 2020
Rating——

Choose Google Analytics if

Businesses running paid acquisition on Google or needing warehouse-level event data for free.

  • Free with enormous capability
  • Unmatched integration with Google Ads and Search Console
  • BigQuery export enables custom analysis

Look elsewhere if: Small content or SaaS sites wanting simple, compliant traffic numbers.

Choose PostHog if

Engineering-led startups and scale-ups that want analytics, replay, flags and experiments without three vendors.

  • Several products in one with shared data
  • Generous free allowances; usage-based beyond
  • Open source and engineer-friendly

Look elsewhere if: Marketing-only web analytics (Plausible) or large enterprises standardized on Amplitude.

Google Analytics vs PostHog pricing

Google Analytics

  • Google Analytics 4$0Standard property with data limits
  • Google Analytics 360CustomEnterprise tier sold via Google sales; no public price

PostHog

  • Free$01M events, 5K recordings, 1M flag requests, 1,500 survey responses/mo
  • Pay-as-you-gofrom $0.00005/per eventPer product after free tier, as low as $0.000009/event; billing limits
  • Boost$250/moPlatform package: unlimited projects, SSO enforcement, HIPAA BAA
  • Scale$750/moPriority support, SAML; includes Boost
  • EnterpriseCustomRBAC, dedicated support, training

Google Analytics · Key features

  • Event-based model across web and apps
  • Explorations: funnels, paths, segment overlap, cohorts
  • Google Ads integration and data-driven attribution
  • Free BigQuery export of raw events
  • Predictive audiences and anomaly detection
  • Consent Mode and server-side tagging via Tag Manager

Cons

  • Complex interface and steep learning curve
  • Sampling and thresholds obscure data
  • Consent requirements shrink EU data

PostHog · Key features

  • Product analytics: funnels, retention, paths, trends, lifecycle
  • Session replay with console and network logs
  • Feature flags and multivariate experiments
  • Surveys and in-app feedback
  • Data warehouse, HogQL SQL and CDP destinations
  • Error tracking and LLM observability

Cons

  • UI can feel dense; analytics UX trails Amplitude
  • Costs need monitoring across many products
  • Self-hosting only recommended for small scale

Google Analytics vs PostHog: FAQ

Do Google Analytics and PostHog have a free plan?

Yes, both Google Analytics and PostHog have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.

Not sure yet?