Compare · Growth and marketing tools
PostHog vs Plausible
They measure different things. PostHog is a product analytics suite: at the time of writing (September 2026) its free tier renews monthly with 1M analytics events, 5K session recordings, 1M feature-flag requests, 100K exceptions and 1,500 survey responses, then usage-based pricing; it says 97% of companies use it for free. Plausible is simple web analytics: traffic, sources, goals, from $9/mo, EU-hosted and cookie-free.
Many startups use both: Plausible (or similar) for marketing-site traffic, PostHog inside the product.
PostHog vs Plausible side by side
From each product’s own site or our research, at the time of writing (September 2026). Prices and terms change, so check before you decide.
| Feature | PostHog | Plausible |
|---|---|---|
| What it measures | Product usage: events, funnels, replays, flags, experiments | Website traffic: visitors, sources, pages, goals |
| Price | Free tier monthly; pay-as-you-go above it | From $9/mo; 30-day trial |
| Free tier | 1M events, 5K recordings, 1M flag requests and more | Trial only (self-hosted CE is free) |
| Data retention (free) | 1 year (7 years on paid) | 3 years (Starter) |
| Hosting | US (Virginia) or EU (Frankfurt) cloud; open-source version (MIT) | Built and hosted in the EU; self-hosted CE (AGPL) |
| Complexity | Many products in one | One page |
Which should you pick?
Pick PostHog if…
- You need to know what users do inside your product.
- You want session replay, feature flags or experiments.
- You want to stay free as long as possible.
Pick Plausible if…
- You only need marketing-site traffic.
- You want a dashboard anyone can read.
- EU hosting and no cookies are requirements.
Where LaunchRanked fits
Disclosure: LaunchRanked is our product. Where we list it, we say so, and we place it under the use case it fits rather than at the top by default. Everything else here is from the vendors’ own sites or our research, and we say where they’re better.
This one is outside what we do: LaunchRanked doesn't make analytics software. We compared them because founders ask us, and we'd rather give a straight answer than a sales pitch.
Neither tells you which queries you rank for; Google Search Console does, and it's what our Autopilot uses to choose topics and rewrite titles.
Frequently asked questions
Is PostHog free?
Its free tier renews every month and covers 1M analytics events, 5K session recordings and more. Usage stops at the limits unless you add a card.
Can PostHog replace Plausible?
It can track web traffic too, but it's heavier. If you only need traffic stats, Plausible is simpler.
Which is better for GDPR?
Plausible is cookie-free and EU-hosted by default. PostHog lets you choose an EU (Frankfurt) cloud; how compliant your setup is depends on what you track and how you configure it.
Sources we checked
Checked on their own sites on 23 September 2026. Prices and terms change, so check before you buy. Domain ratings are approximate third-party estimates.