PostHog vs Mixpanel: two product analytics heavyweights
Both help product teams understand what users do, with funnels, session replay, experiments and feature flags. PostHog bundles more tools and is open source; Mixpanel centres on event analysis, retention and multi-touch attribution. Here's how they compare, as of Oct 2026.
Both sides checked against official pages Last checked Oct 2026
Who each one suits best
Both are solid choices for different needs. Here's where each one wins, as of Oct 2026.
- You want product and web analytics, replay, flags and experiments in one tool
- You want open source you can self-host (MIT)
- You want SQL access, a data warehouse and an MCP server
- You want ad spend from Google, Meta, LinkedIn and more in your marketing analytics
- You want multi-touch attribution models such as linear and U-shape
- You need retention analysis and saved cohorts on every plan
- You want 10K session replays a month on the free plan
- You want a free plan with 1M events a month and unlimited seats
PostHog vs Mixpanel, feature by feature
What each tool does today, checked against each company's own pages as of Oct 2026.
PostHog and Mixpanel details last checked on October 7, 2026 against the official pages below. Features and prices change; check their sites for the latest. PostHog and Mixpanel are trademarks of their respective owners. This page is published by Trakily, which isn't affiliated with or endorsed by either company.
What each one costs
Prices as published on each company's site, Oct 2026.
Each PostHog product has its own free monthly allowance; you pay only for usage above it.
Mixpanel's Free plan includes 1M events and 10K session replays a month. Growth starts at $0 and bills usage above that.
Questions that settle it
Answer these and the right pick between PostHog and Mixpanel is usually clear.
How many tools do you want in one place?
PostHog bundles product and web analytics, replay, flags, experiments and surveys. Mixpanel covers analytics, replay, experiments and flags, centred on event analysis.
Do you need multi-touch attribution?
Mixpanel offers named attribution models, from first and last touch to linear and U-shape, on Growth and Enterprise.
Do you need to self-host?
PostHog has an MIT-licensed self-hosted deploy, without official support. Mixpanel doesn't list one.
Will engineers query the data directly?
PostHog has a SQL editor, an API and an MCP server built in, which suits teams that like to write their own queries.
PostHog vs Mixpanel, answered
Common questions, answered from each company's own pages.
It depends on the team. PostHog suits teams that want many product tools in one place and the option to self-host. Mixpanel suits teams that want deep event analysis, retention and multi-touch attribution models.
See which channels actually pay you
Trakily is web analytics built around money. It works differently from both PostHog and Mixpanel:
- Revenue straight from your payment providerPaste an API key from Stripe, Polar, Lemon Squeezy, Paddle, Dodo Payments or Razorpay. Payments, refunds and renewals are matched to the visit that brought the buyer, with no purchase events to write.
- Visitors and revenue on one chartChannels, pages and campaigns ranked by the money they bring, from day one. No event plan, explorations or SQL first.
- Mentions next to your trafficPosts about you on X, Reddit, Hacker News and Bluesky sit beside the visits they send.