Analytics Tools with Free Plans
This page covers analytics platforms that offer free tiers suitable for startups, side projects, and small teams evaluating product analytics without upfront costs.
Overview
All tools listed here provide free plans with varying limits on monthly tracked users, events, or data retention periods.
Feature Comparison
| Tool | Free Plan Limit | Data Retention | Self-Hosting | Session Replay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Analytics 4 | Unlimited | 14 months | No | No |
| PostHog | 1M events/month | Unlimited | Yes | Yes |
| Matomo | Unlimited (self-hosted) | Unlimited | Yes | No |
| Amplitude | 10M events/month | 1 year | No | No |
| Heap | 10K sessions/month | 6 months | No | Yes |
| Pendo | Limited users | Standard | No | No |
| Mixpanel | 1M events/month | 1 year | No | No |
| Segment | 1K visitors/month | Standard | No | No |
Tool Breakdown
Google Analytics 4
Google Analytics 4 offers completely free website analytics with no monthly limits on traffic or events. It provides standard web analytics features including conversion tracking, audience segmentation, and integration with Google Ads. Data retention is limited to 14 months on the free tier.
PostHog
PostHog provides 1 million events per month on the free plan with unlimited data retention. As an open-source platform, it also offers free self-hosting for complete data ownership. The free tier includes session recordings, feature flags, and A/B testing capabilities.
Matomo
Matomo is fully free when self-hosted with no traffic or feature limits. The open-source version includes heatmaps, goal tracking, and complete data ownership. Cloud hosting starts at $19/month for 50K pageviews.
Amplitude
Amplitude offers up to 10 million events per month on the free Starter plan. It includes behavioral analytics, cohort analysis, and retention tracking with 1 year of data retention. The free tier is suitable for early-stage products with moderate traffic.
Heap
Heap provides automatic event tracking for up to 10,000 sessions per month on the free plan. It includes retroactive analysis, funnel visualization, and 6 months of data storage. The free tier works well for validating product ideas.
Pendo
Pendo offers a limited free plan focused on product analytics and in-app guidance for small teams. It includes basic feature tracking, user segmentation, and NPS surveys with restrictions on monthly active users.
Mixpanel
Mixpanel provides 1 million events per month on the free Community plan with 1 year of data retention. It includes standard funnel analysis, cohort tracking, and user segmentation features suitable for early-stage SaaS products.
Segment
Segment offers free data infrastructure for up to 1,000 visitors per month. The free Connections plan includes basic event routing to one data warehouse and limited sources, suitable for small projects evaluating customer data platforms.
Selection Criteria
When choosing a free analytics tool, evaluate based on:
- Monthly usage limits: Events, sessions, or visitor caps
- Data retention period: How long historical data remains accessible
- Feature restrictions: Which analytics capabilities are included
- Self-hosting option: Ability to deploy on own infrastructure
- Upgrade path: Pricing when exceeding free tier limits
Common Use Cases
Startups Validating Product-Market Fit
PostHog, Amplitude, and Heap provide generous free tiers with advanced product analytics features for tracking early user behavior and retention.
Side Projects and MVPs
Matomo (self-hosted) or Google Analytics 4 work well for low-traffic projects with no monthly costs and basic tracking requirements.
Content Websites
Google Analytics 4 remains standard for content sites needing traffic analysis, conversion tracking, and ad performance measurement at no cost.
Privacy-Focused Teams
Matomo and PostHog offer self-hosted options for complete data ownership and GDPR compliance without relying on external analytics services.