Amplitude alternatives: 4 free & open-source picks
Compare recorded free and open-source options, their capabilities and operating requirements. Source dates are shown below; licenses, hosted limits and project activity can change.
Funnels, cohorts and retention without turning the analytics stack into a second product.
licenseMIT
runsyour machine or their cloud
installCreate an Umami Cloud account or deploy the Node application with Docker Compose and PostgreSQL
dataA self-hosted deployment stores analytics and account data in PostgreSQL; Umami Cloud stores it in Umami's managed service
the catch vs AmplitudeIt is far shallower for cohorts, retention, experimentation, taxonomy governance and behavioral analysis than Amplitude.
setupNone for hosted signup; self-hosting requires Docker or Node hosting and a PostgreSQL database
facts verified 2026-08-10
Funnels, cohorts and retention on a free million-event allowance; the kitchen sink comes along.
licenseMIT
runsyour machine or their cloud
installCreate a PostHog Cloud project or use the hobby self-host script on a Linux server
dataThe self-hosted stack splits analytics, transactions, queues and recordings across ClickHouse, PostgreSQL, Kafka, Redis and object storage; cloud data lives in PostHog's managed regions
the catch vs AmplitudeIts kitchen-sink product is heavier, while Amplitude's core product-analytics workflows and governance are more refined.
setupNone for hosted signup; self-hosting is an unsupported, resource-heavy multi-service stack requiring serious operations work
facts verified 2026-08-10
Mixpanel's useful bits, plus a ClickHouse stack you now get to know personally.
licenseAGPL-3.0
runsyour machine or their cloud
installCreate a hosted account or run the self-host installer and Docker stack
dataA self-hosted deployment uses PostgreSQL for account data, ClickHouse for event data and Redis for cache and queues; hosted data lives in OpenPanel's service
the catch vs AmplitudeIts behavioral analysis, experimentation, taxonomy management and data governance are less deep and mature than Amplitude's.
setupNone for the hosted free tier; self-hosting requires Docker, DNS or a reverse proxy and several persistent services
facts verified 2026-08-10
The same class of explorer for free, capped at a million events and five saved reports per seat.
licenseproprietary, free
runstheir cloud
installCreate a hosted project and add a Mixpanel SDK or tracking snippet
dataStructured events and user profiles are stored in Mixpanel's managed cloud
the catch vs AmplitudeThe free plan's event, saved-report and advanced-feature limits constrain sustained team use, and its experimentation and governance are less deep than Amplitude's.
setupThe software installs cleanly, but meaningful use starts with designing an event taxonomy and instrumenting the product
facts verified 2026-08-10
latest recorded source check 2026-08-10 · check current terms at the source
| tool | license | running it | platforms | stars | active |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Umami | MIT | docker to self-host | web, self-hosted | 38,073 | 2026-08 |
| PostHog | MIT | they host it | web, ios, android | 37,500 | 2026-08 |
| OpenPanel | AGPL-3.0 | self-host, real ops | web, ios, android, self-hosted | 6,280 | 2026-07 |
| Mixpanel Free | proprietary, free | they host it | web, ios, android | — | — |
People still pay for Amplitude because teams pay because analytics must keep collecting and remain trustworthy while the product changes underneath it. The recurring cost buys event schemas, bot filtering, identity, late data, retention, query cost, privacy, backups, and always-on ingestion, not just the visible interface.
Questions about these alternatives
Is there a free alternative to Amplitude?
Yes: Umami, PostHog, OpenPanel and 1 more. These are recorded free or open-source options. Compare their feature limits, licenses, hosting costs and current availability before choosing.
Should I just build my own Amplitude?
Our verdict is NOT REALLY. A consolation build is possible, but the paid product's decisive value sits outside a solo rebuild. For Amplitude, build a bounded event explorer for funnels, cohorts, and retention on one product. The hard boundary is behavioral data platform, experimentation, identity, governance, and scale, plus data pipeline reliability and analytical depth. Review the scope, implementation prompt and trade-offs in the Amplitude build guide.
