PostHog vs Simple Analytics: Which is Better in 2026?
Choosing between PostHog and Simple Analytics? Both are popular analytics tools. Below we compare them on pricing, free tiers, features, and pros & cons so you can pick the right fit for your stack.
PostHog is for: Product teams who want analytics, session replay, feature flags, experiments and error tracking in one tool with a free monthly allowance.
Simple Analytics is for: Site owners who want a cookie-free traffic dashboard, with a free plan for hobby sites.
Quick verdict
There’s no single winner; pick on your constraint. Choose PostHog if you want product analytics, session replay and feature flags without stitching three tools together. Choose Simple Analytics if you want a free plan for small sites and can show a badge.
PostHog vs Simple Analytics — Side by Side
| PostHog | Simple Analytics | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Analytics | Analytics |
| What it is | Product analytics suite | Privacy-friendly web analytics |
| What it measures | Product events, replays, flags, errors | Website traffic |
| Self-hosting | Hobby deploy (about 100K events a month) | No (hosted) |
| How you pay | Free allowance, then per-product usage | Monthly plan by pageviews, plus per extra user |
| Free access | 1M events and 5K recordings a month | 5 sites, 1 month of data, badge required |
| Pricing | Free · then usage-based | Free · paid from $20/mo |
| Starting price | Free tier available | Free tier available |
| Free tier | ||
| Best for | Analytics — product analytics, session replay, feature flags | Analytics — cookie-free, EU data, free hobby plan |
Pros & Cons
- Free monthly allowance: 1M events and 5,000 recordings
- Analytics, replay, flags and error tracking in one tool
- Billing limit per product
- Usage is billed separately for each product
- Self-hosted hobby deploy suits about 100,000 events a month
- Free plan keeps 1 year of data and 1 project
- One-page dashboard
- No personal data collected
- Free plan for hobby sites
- Limited depth for product analysis
- Free plan keeps 1 month of data
- Extra users cost $20 a month each
Key Features Compared
PostHog
- Free every month: 1M analytics events, 5,000 session recordings, 1M feature flag requests
- Also free monthly: 100,000 error-tracking exceptions and 1,500 survey responses
- Usage above the free allowance is billed per product, with a billing limit per product
- Paid plans keep events 7 years (1 year on free) and allow 6 projects (1 on free)
- Open source under MIT, except the ee directory; self-hosted hobby deployments suit about 100,000 events a month
Simple Analytics
- Free for hobby sites: 5 websites, 1 user, 1 month of data, badge required
- Self-serve from $20 a month for 100,000 pageviews; $20 a month per extra user
- Yearly billing gives 2 months free
- 14-day free trial, no credit card
- AI assistant available; data leaves the EU only if you opt in to such features
- Enterprise: custom pricing with a 30-day proof of concept
Choose PostHog if…
- You want product analytics, session replay and feature flags without stitching three tools together.
- You want a free tier that resets monthly, with or without a card on file.
- You want to cap spend per product with billing limits.
Choose Simple Analytics if…
- You want a free plan for small sites and can show a badge.
- You want analytics data kept in the EU by default.
- You want a trial without entering a card.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is PostHog better than Simple Analytics?⌄
There’s no single winner; pick on your constraint. Choose PostHog if you want product analytics, session replay and feature flags without stitching three tools together. Choose Simple Analytics if you want a free plan for small sites and can show a badge.
What is the difference between PostHog and Simple Analytics?⌄
What it is — PostHog: Product analytics suite. Simple Analytics: Privacy-friendly web analytics. What it measures — PostHog: Product events, replays, flags, errors. Simple Analytics: Website traffic. Self-hosting — PostHog: Hobby deploy (about 100K events a month). Simple Analytics: No (hosted). How you pay — PostHog: Free allowance, then per-product usage. Simple Analytics: Monthly plan by pageviews, plus per extra user. Free access — PostHog: 1M events and 5K recordings a month. Simple Analytics: 5 sites, 1 month of data, badge required.
PostHog vs Simple Analytics: which is cheaper?⌄
PostHog pricing: Free · then usage-based. Simple Analytics pricing: Free · paid from $20/mo. Confirm current pricing on each tool's official site, as plans change.
When should I skip both PostHog and Simple Analytics?⌄
Skip PostHog if you only need simple website traffic stats. Plausible and Fathom are simpler. Skip Simple Analytics if you need more than a month of history for free. Umami Hobby keeps 6 months.
Sources · tool facts checked November 2026
See more options in our guide to the best analytics tools for startups.
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