Quick verdict
At a glance
Best for marketing sites
Plausible
Best for SaaS products
PostHog
Simplest to read
Plausible
Most powerful
PostHog
Feature comparison
PostHog vs Plausible, side by side
| Feature | PostHog | Plausible |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | Powerful, takes time to learn | One-page dashboard, zero learning curve |
| Pricing | Generous free tier; usage-based after | $9/mo for 10k pageviews, simple tiers |
| Key features | Events, funnels, replay, flags, A/B, surveys | Pageviews, sources, goals, simple dashboard |
| Best for | SaaS product analytics | Marketing site analytics, content sites |
| Learning curve | Moderate — feature-rich | Minutes |
| Integrations | Deep — Segment, warehouses, dbt | Lightweight — Slack, Search Console, etc. |
| Limitations | Can feel heavy for simple sites | Not enough depth for product analytics |
Pricing
What each plan actually costs
| Plan | PostHog | Plausible |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 1M events/mo + replays + flags | 30-day trial |
| Starter | Usage-based — pay per event | $9/mo — 10k pageviews |
| Growth | Volume discounts | $19/mo — 100k pageviews |
| Enterprise | Self-host or paid cloud | Custom for high traffic |
PostHog screenshot
Plausible screenshot
Ease of use
How each tool feels in practice
Install
Plausible is one script tag with no setup.
Reading the dashboard
Plausible's single page is famously readable.
Building a funnel
PostHog is built for this; Plausible doesn't really do funnels.
Session replay
Plausible has no session replay.
Feature flags & experiments
Plausible doesn't ship product tooling.
Pros & cons
Where each tool wins and loses
PostHog
Pros
- All-in-one product analytics
- Generous free tier
- Session replay + flags + A/B + surveys
- Open source and self-hostable
Cons
- Overkill for simple marketing sites
- Steeper learning curve
- Usage-based pricing can climb
Plausible
Pros
- Beautifully simple dashboard
- Privacy-friendly, no cookies
- Cheap and predictable pricing
- Perfect for marketing sites
Cons
- No real product analytics
- No session replay or feature flags
- Limited segmentation
Founder perspective
A real founder workflow
A founder running a marketing site or blog should pick Plausible: install a script, read a clean dashboard, done. A SaaS founder trying to understand activation, funnels, retention, and feature usage should pick PostHog — and even use the free tier for everything until volume kicks in. Many founders run both: Plausible on the marketing site, PostHog inside the app.
Best use cases
When to pick each tool
Pick PostHog for
- SaaS product analytics
- Funnels and activation analysis
- Session replay for UX research
- Feature flag rollouts and A/B testing
Pick Plausible for
- Marketing site analytics
- Blog and content site traffic
- Privacy-conscious analytics replacement
- Founders who want one simple dashboard
Final word
Our recommendation
Choose Plausible if you want a simple, privacy-friendly dashboard for a marketing site. Choose PostHog if you're building a SaaS and need real product analytics. Running both is a perfectly normal setup.
Affiliate disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you sign up we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend tools we'd use ourselves.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is PostHog overkill for a marketing site?
Usually, yes. For a site without user accounts, Plausible (or Fathom) is simpler and cheaper.
Can Plausible replace Google Analytics?
For most marketing sites, yes — it's the most popular GA alternative. You lose deep audience features but gain privacy and simplicity.
Is PostHog actually free?
Generously, yes — the free tier covers 1M events/mo, plus session replay and feature flags. Costs kick in past free limits.
Can I self-host?
PostHog is open source and self-hostable. Plausible is also open source with a self-host option.