Lecture Notes: PostHog vs Mixpanel Comparison

Introduction

• Focus of the presentation: Differences between PostHog and Mixpanel.
• Discussion includes: pricing, features, and ease of use.

Overview of PostHog

• Founded: 2020
• Target Audience: Developers
• Open Source Component: Available on GitHub
  • Can install for free.
  • Cloud and open source versions available.
  • Scalability: Open source suitable for up to 100,000 events per month.
  • Documentation: Strong and developer-friendly.

Key Products and Features

• Product analytics, web analytics, session replay, feature flags, experiments, surveys, data pipelines, data warehouse, AI engineering.
• Unique Aspects: Correlation analysis, HogQL (SQL abstraction).

Overview of Mixpanel

• Founded: 2009
• Target Audience: Growth and marketing teams.
• Mature Product: 15 years in development.
• Reports: Instead of products, focus on segmentation, insights, funnels, retention, cohort analysis.

Key Features

• Session replay, CDP (customer data platform), data pipelines.
• Focus: Best in class for product analytics.
• Ease of Use: Designed for less technical users with SQL-like interface.

Comparative Analysis

• Product and Web Analytics:

  • Both platforms support similar analytics features with slight variations.
  • PostHog: Correlation analysis, HogQL.
  • Mixpanel: JQL (JavaScript abstraction).
  • Libraries: PostHog may offer more variety in libraries.

• Session Replay:

  • Standard feature, similar in both tools.

• Feature Flags:

  • PostHog: Built-in feature flags.
  • Mixpanel: No built-in; requires external integration.

• A/B Testing (Experiments):

  • PostHog: Supports A/B testing and building experiments.
  • Mixpanel: Only reports A/B testing data; does not run experiments.

• Surveys:

  • PostHog: Ability to launch surveys.
  • Mixpanel: Needs integration with third-party tools.

• Data Pipelines (CDP):

  • Both offer light CDP features, focusing on integrations as sources and destinations.

• Data Warehouse:

  • PostHog: Custom data warehouse to run SQL.
  • Mixpanel: No equivalent.

Pricing Comparison

• PostHog: Approximately $870/month for a specific setup.
• Mixpanel: Approximately $1,255.81/month for a similar setup.
• Pricing flexibility with PostHog based on event types (anonymous vs identified).

Decision-Making Considerations

• Stage of Company:

  • Early-stage might benefit from PostHog's open source.
  • Mid-size companies might prefer Mixpanel for wider integrations.

• Integration and Long-term Vision:

  • Consider existing and future tool stack (CDP, A/B testing, etc.)
  • Importance of integrations for long-term scalability.

• Special Requirements for Enterprises:

  • SSO, privacy, legal requirements, and developer capabilities.

Conclusion

• PostHog: Better for smaller companies.
• Mixpanel: Suitable for mid-size to larger organizations.
• Future Needs: Consider specific features like A/B testing, surveys, feature flags.

Final Thoughts

• Importance of a flexible tracking plan and controlling raw data in a data warehouse.
• Develop strong data skills for adaptability across tools.

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• Presenter: Ruben Ugarte
• Upcoming Content: Mixpanel tutorial available; PostHog tutorial in development.