Product & Web Analytics
Best Google Analytics Alternatives & Open-Source Competitors in 1970
Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is priced as free standard / $50k+ year (ga360), starting at Free (Ad-supported / Data-harvested). Here are 5 alternatives, with their pricing, self-hosting effort and trade-offs.
Why teams move away from Google Analytics
- Horrible, unintuitive GA4 UI compared to legacy Universal Analytics
- Aggressive cookie banner requirements and EU GDPR privacy scrutiny
- Heavy script payload slows down Core Web Vitals
Google Analytics alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Licence | Starting price | Self-hosting | Stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Analytics 4 (GA4) | Proprietary | Free (Ad-supported / Data-harvested) | Not available | N/A |
| PostHog | Open SourceSelf-Hostable | $0 (1M events/mo free) then usage-based | Medium (Docker hobby deploy; production needs Kubernetes) | 40.7k |
| Umami | Open SourceSelf-Hostable | $0 (self-hosted) or ~$9/mo (Cloud Pro) | Low (Docker with Postgres or MySQL) | 40.1k |
| Plausible Analytics | Open SourceSelf-Hostable | $9/mo or Free Self-Hosted | Low (Docker Compose) | 19.5k |
| Mixpanel | Proprietary | $28/mo (Growth) | Not available | N/A |
| Amplitude | Proprietary | $61/mo (Plus) | Not available | N/A |
The alternatives in detail
PostHog
Free tier then usage-based per product
- Starting price
- $0 (1M events/mo free) then usage-based
- Free tier
- Free 1M events and 5,000 session replays/mo
- Self-hosting
- Medium (Docker hobby deploy; production needs Kubernetes)
Pros
- Product analytics, session replay, feature flags and experiments in one stack
- Autocapture means events start flowing without a tracking plan
- Open-source core with a self-hosted deployment option
Cons
- Usage pricing spread across several products is hard to forecast
- A full production self-host is infrastructure-heavy
- Each module is shallower than the single-purpose specialist it replaces
Umami
Open source (MIT) / Cloud subscription
- Starting price
- $0 (self-hosted) or ~$9/mo (Cloud Pro)
- Free tier
- Free self-hosted; Cloud free tier with limited events
- Self-hosting
- Low (Docker with Postgres or MySQL)
Pros
- Cookie-free, privacy-friendly analytics in a single Node application
- Runs on a small VPS with Postgres or MySQL
- Readable dashboard for traffic sources, pages and referrers
Cons
- Web analytics only: no funnels, cohorts or product event analysis
- Thinner feature set than Plausible on paid hosting
- Limited reporting for multi-domain or agency setups
Plausible Analytics
Pageview-based Cloud / Free Self-Hosted
- Starting price
- $9/mo or Free Self-Hosted
- Free tier
- Free 30-day cloud trial; 100% Free Self-Hosted forever
- Self-hosting
- Low (Docker Compose)
Pros
- Ultra-lightweight tracking script (< 1 KB, 45x lighter than GA4)
- No cookies, 100% GDPR, CCPA, and PECR compliant without cookie consent banners
- Clean, single-page intuitive dashboard that non-technical team members love
Cons
- No advanced complex multi-touch attribution or deep custom funnels
- Cloud version has no perpetual free tier (paid after 30-day trial)
- User-level funnels and cohort views are limited compared with product analytics tools
Mixpanel
Per-event volume with feature tiers
- Starting price
- $28/mo (Growth)
- Free tier
- Free 1M events/mo with limited features
- Self-hosting
- Not available
Pros
- Deep funnel, retention and cohort analysis without writing SQL
- Fast queries on very large event volumes
- Mature experimentation and messaging add-ons
Cons
- Feature gates push teams to expensive tiers quickly
- No self-hosting, so event data stays with the vendor
- Session replay and feature flags are separate paid products
Amplitude
Per monthly tracked user (MTU) + event volume
- Starting price
- $61/mo (Plus)
- Free tier
- Free 50,000 MTUs/mo with limited features
- Self-hosting
- Not available
Pros
- Strong behavioural cohort and retention analysis at scale
- Experimentation and audience sync built into the platform
- Guided taxonomy and templates help new teams structure events
Cons
- The useful analysis features sit in the expensive tiers
- Event volume is billed on top of MTU pricing
- No open-source or self-hosted option
Google Analytics alternatives: FAQ
Why do teams look for Google Analytics alternatives?
The most common reasons are: horrible, unintuitive GA4 UI compared to legacy Universal Analytics; aggressive cookie banner requirements and EU GDPR privacy scrutiny; heavy script payload slows down Core Web Vitals.
What is the best open-source alternative to Google Analytics?
PostHog is the most-starred open-source option in this directory (40.7k GitHub stars). Product analytics, session replay, feature flags and experiments in one stack.
Can I self-host a Google Analytics alternative?
PostHog: Medium (Docker hobby deploy; production needs Kubernetes). Umami: Low (Docker with Postgres or MySQL). Plausible Analytics: Low (Docker Compose).
Is there a free alternative to Google Analytics?
PostHog: Free 1M events and 5,000 session replays/mo. Umami: Free self-hosted; Cloud free tier with limited events. Plausible Analytics: Free 30-day cloud trial; 100% Free Self-Hosted forever. Mixpanel: Free 1M events/mo with limited features. Amplitude: Free 50,000 MTUs/mo with limited features.