508 lines
20 KiB
JSON
508 lines
20 KiB
JSON
{
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"slug": "posthog-alternative",
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"page_type": "alternative",
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"seo": {
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"title": "Best PostHog Alternatives in 2026 — Simpler, Free & Self-Hosted",
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"description": "Looking for a simpler PostHog alternative? OpenPanel is free, open-source, and self-hostable — 2.3 KB SDK, cookie-free tracking, and no complex feature flags or session replay you don't need.",
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"noindex": false
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},
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"hero": {
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"heading": "Best PostHog Alternative",
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"subheading": "Get powerful product analytics without the complexity. OpenPanel delivers essential insights with a lighter footprint, true cookie-free tracking, and transparent pricing - no enterprise sales calls required.",
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"badges": [
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"Open-source",
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"Cookie-free",
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"Lightweight SDK",
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"Simple Pricing"
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]
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},
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"competitor": {
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"name": "PostHog",
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"logo": "/logos/posthog.svg",
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"url": "https://posthog.com",
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"short_description": "All-in-one product analytics platform for developers with features like analytics, feature flags, session replay, and surveys.",
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"founded": 2020,
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"headquarters": "San Francisco, California, USA"
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},
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"overview": {
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"title": "Why consider OpenPanel over PostHog?",
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"paragraphs": [
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"PostHog has built an impressive all-in-one platform with product analytics, feature flags, session replay, surveys, A/B testing, and more \u2014 over 10 products under one roof. It's a popular choice among developer-led teams who want everything in a single tool. But that breadth comes with trade-offs: a 52+ KB SDK, complex multi-product pricing, and a self-hosted setup that requires ClickHouse, Kafka, Redis, and PostgreSQL.",
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"OpenPanel takes a focused approach. Instead of trying to be everything, it delivers excellent analytics \u2014 events, funnels, retention, cohorts, user profiles, session replay, and web analytics \u2014 with a dramatically smaller footprint. The SDK is just 2.3 KB (over 20x lighter than PostHog), which directly translates to faster page loads and better Core Web Vitals for your users.",
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"Cookie-free tracking is another key difference. PostHog uses cookies by default and requires configuration to go cookieless, while OpenPanel is cookie-free out of the box \u2014 no consent banners needed. Self-hosting is also far simpler: OpenPanel runs in a single Docker container compared to PostHog's multi-service architecture.",
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"If you need focused analytics without the feature bloat, want a lighter SDK that doesn't impact performance, and prefer simple event-based pricing over multi-product metering \u2014 OpenPanel gives you exactly what you need without the overhead."
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]
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},
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"summary_comparison": {
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"title": "OpenPanel vs PostHog: Which is right for you?",
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"intro": "Both are open-source analytics platforms. PostHog is an all-in-one platform with many products. OpenPanel focuses on analytics with simplicity.",
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"one_liner": "PostHog is an all-in-one platform with 10+ products; OpenPanel focuses on analytics with a lighter footprint.",
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"best_for_openpanel": [
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"Teams wanting focused analytics without feature flags or surveys",
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"Privacy-conscious products needing cookie-free tracking by default",
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"Performance-conscious applications (2.3KB SDK vs 52KB+)",
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"Teams preferring simple Docker deployment over multi-service architecture"
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],
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"best_for_competitor": [
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"Teams needing all-in-one platform (analytics, feature flags, surveys, A/B experiments)",
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"Developers wanting SQL access (HogQL) for custom queries",
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"Y Combinator companies leveraging PostHog's ecosystem",
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"Teams requiring extensive CDP capabilities with 60+ connectors"
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]
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},
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"highlights": {
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"title": "Key differences at a glance",
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"intro": "Here's how OpenPanel and PostHog compare on key factors.",
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"items": [
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{
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"label": "SDK Size",
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"openpanel": "2.3 KB",
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"competitor": "52+ KB",
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"notes": "OpenPanel's SDK is over 20x smaller than PostHog's core library, resulting in faster page loads and better Core Web Vitals."
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},
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{
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"label": "Cookie-Free",
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"openpanel": "Yes",
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"competitor": "Requires Configuration",
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"notes": "OpenPanel is truly cookie-free out of the box. PostHog requires specific configuration for cookieless tracking with reduced functionality."
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},
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{
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"label": "Pricing Complexity",
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"openpanel": "Simple Event-Based",
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"competitor": "Multi-Product Metering",
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"notes": "OpenPanel has straightforward pricing. PostHog bills separately for events, recordings, feature flags, surveys, and more - each with different tiers."
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},
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{
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"label": "Self-Hosting Complexity",
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"openpanel": "Simple Docker Setup",
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"competitor": "ClickHouse + Kafka + Redis + PostgreSQL",
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"notes": "OpenPanel self-hosting requires just Docker. PostHog needs multiple services including ClickHouse, Kafka, Redis, and PostgreSQL."
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},
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{
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"label": "Focus",
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"openpanel": "Analytics-First",
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"competitor": "All-in-One Platform",
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"notes": "OpenPanel focuses on doing analytics exceptionally well. PostHog bundles 10+ products which can create complexity for teams just needing analytics."
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}
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]
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},
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"feature_comparison": {
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"title": "Feature comparison",
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"intro": "PostHog is an all-in-one platform. OpenPanel focuses purely on analytics.",
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"groups": [
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{
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"group": "Web Analytics",
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"features": [
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{
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"name": "Page Views & Visitors",
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"openpanel": true,
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"competitor": true
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},
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{
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"name": "Traffic Sources",
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"openpanel": true,
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"competitor": true
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},
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{
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"name": "Geographic Data",
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"openpanel": true,
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"competitor": true
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},
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{
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"name": "Device & Browser",
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"openpanel": true,
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"competitor": true
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},
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{
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"name": "UTM Campaign Tracking",
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"openpanel": true,
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"competitor": true
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},
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{
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"name": "Real-Time Dashboard",
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"openpanel": true,
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"competitor": true
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}
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]
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},
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{
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"group": "Product Analytics",
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"features": [
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{
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"name": "Custom Event Tracking",
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"openpanel": true,
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"competitor": true
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},
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{
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"name": "Funnel Analysis",
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"openpanel": true,
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"competitor": true
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},
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{
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"name": "Retention Analysis",
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"openpanel": true,
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"competitor": true
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},
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{
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"name": "User Profiles",
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"openpanel": true,
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"competitor": true
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},
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{
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"name": "Cohort Analysis",
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"openpanel": true,
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"competitor": true
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},
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{
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"name": "User Path Analysis",
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"openpanel": true,
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"competitor": true
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}
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]
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},
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{
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"group": "Advanced Features",
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"features": [
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{
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"name": "A/B Testing",
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"openpanel": true,
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"competitor": true
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},
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{
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"name": "Feature Flags",
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"openpanel": false,
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"competitor": true,
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"notes": "PostHog includes feature flags; OpenPanel focuses on analytics"
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},
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{
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"name": "Session Replay",
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"openpanel": true,
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"competitor": true,
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"notes": "Both platforms offer session replay."
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},
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{
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"name": "Surveys",
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"openpanel": false,
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"competitor": true,
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"notes": "PostHog includes in-app surveys; OpenPanel integrates with survey tools"
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},
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{
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"name": "Custom Dashboards",
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"openpanel": true,
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"competitor": true
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},
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{
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"name": "SQL Query Access",
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"openpanel": true,
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"competitor": true,
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"notes": "PostHog offers HogQL, their SQL variant"
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}
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]
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},
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{
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"group": "Privacy & Compliance",
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"features": [
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{
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"name": "Cookie-Free by Default",
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"openpanel": true,
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"competitor": false,
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"notes": "PostHog uses cookies by default, cookieless requires configuration"
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},
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{
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"name": "No Consent Banner Required",
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"openpanel": true,
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"competitor": false,
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"notes": "PostHog's default tracking requires consent banners under GDPR"
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},
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{
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"name": "GDPR Compliant",
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"openpanel": true,
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"competitor": true
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},
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{
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"name": "EU Data Hosting Option",
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"openpanel": true,
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"competitor": true,
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"notes": "PostHog offers EU Cloud hosted in Frankfurt"
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},
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{
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"name": "Self-Hosting Option",
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"openpanel": true,
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"competitor": true
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},
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{
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"name": "IP Anonymization",
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"openpanel": true,
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"competitor": true
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}
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]
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},
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{
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"group": "Integrations & Export",
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"features": [
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{
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"name": "REST API",
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"openpanel": true,
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"competitor": true
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},
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{
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"name": "Data Export",
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"openpanel": true,
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"competitor": true
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},
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{
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"name": "Webhook Support",
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"openpanel": true,
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"competitor": true
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},
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{
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"name": "Data Warehouse Sync",
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"openpanel": true,
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"competitor": true,
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"notes": "PostHog has extensive CDP capabilities with 60+ connectors"
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}
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]
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}
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]
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},
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"technical_comparison": {
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"title": "Technical comparison",
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"intro": "For developers evaluating analytics tools, here's the technical breakdown.",
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"items": [
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{
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"label": "SDK Size",
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"openpanel": "2.3 KB (gzipped)",
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"competitor": "52+ KB core library (gzipped), lazy-loads additional features",
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"notes": null
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},
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{
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"label": "Platforms",
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"openpanel": [
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"JavaScript/TypeScript",
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"React",
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"Next.js",
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"Vue",
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"React Native",
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"iOS",
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"Android",
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"Node.js",
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"Python",
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"PHP",
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"Go",
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"Rust"
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],
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"competitor": [
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"JavaScript/TypeScript",
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"React",
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"Next.js",
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"React Native",
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"iOS",
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"Android",
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"Node.js",
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"Python",
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"PHP",
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"Go",
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"Ruby",
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"Java",
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"Flutter",
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"Rust"
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],
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"notes": null
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},
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{
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"label": "Open Source",
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"openpanel": "Yes - MIT License",
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"competitor": "Yes - MIT License",
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"notes": "Both are open source. PostHog is MIT licensed."
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},
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{
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"label": "Self Hosting",
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"openpanel": "Docker (simple single-container setup)",
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"competitor": "Docker with multiple services (ClickHouse, Kafka, Redis, PostgreSQL) or Kubernetes",
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"notes": null
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},
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{
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"label": "Database",
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"openpanel": "ClickHouse",
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"competitor": "ClickHouse",
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"notes": null
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},
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{
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"label": "Data Retention",
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"openpanel": "Unlimited (self-hosted), configurable (cloud)",
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"competitor": "7 years (paid plans), 1 year (free plan), 3 months for recordings",
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"notes": null
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}
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]
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},
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"pricing": {
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"title": "Pricing comparison",
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"intro": "PostHog has generous free tiers but complex multi-product pricing. OpenPanel offers simpler event-based pricing.",
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"openpanel": {
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"model": "Event-based, transparent",
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"description": "Simple pricing with 10,000 free events per month. All features included at every tier."
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},
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"competitor": {
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"model": "Multi-product usage-based",
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"description": "1 million events/month (product analytics), 5,000 recordings/month, 1 million feature flag requests/month, 1,500 survey responses/month free. $0.00005/event (anonymous), $0.000248/event (identified), $0.005/recording, $0.0001/flag request. Add-ons like HIPAA ($250/mo) available. 90%+ of customers use free tier.",
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"free_tier": "1M events/month (analytics), 5K recordings/month",
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"pricing_url": "https://posthog.com/pricing"
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}
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},
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"migration": {
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"title": "Migrating from PostHog to OpenPanel",
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"intro": "Both use event-based tracking, making migration straightforward for analytics.",
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"difficulty": "easy",
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"estimated_time": "1-4 hours for basic setup, longer if migrating feature flags or session replay workflows",
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"steps": [
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{
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"title": "Install OpenPanel SDK",
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"description": "Add the lightweight OpenPanel SDK to your application. At 2.3KB, it's significantly smaller than PostHog's library."
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},
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{
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"title": "Map Your Events",
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"description": "Both platforms use event-based tracking. Map your PostHog event names to OpenPanel - most can remain the same."
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},
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{
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"title": "Configure User Identification",
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"description": "Replace PostHog's identify() calls with OpenPanel's identification methods. The API is similar."
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},
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{
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"title": "Set Up Dashboards",
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"description": "Recreate your key dashboards in OpenPanel. Import historical data if needed using our migration tools."
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},
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{
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"title": "Verify & Go Live",
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"description": "Run both platforms in parallel briefly to verify data accuracy, then disable PostHog tracking."
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}
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],
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"sdk_compatibility": {
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"similar_api": true,
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"notes": "Both use event-based tracking with similar APIs."
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},
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"historical_data": {
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"can_import": false,
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"notes": "Most teams start fresh with OpenPanel and run both tools in parallel briefly."
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}
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},
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"use_cases": {
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"title": "Where OpenPanel is a better fit than PostHog",
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"intro": "Choose OpenPanel when you want analytics without the complexity of an all-in-one platform.",
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"items": [
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{
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"title": "Teams Who Want Analytics Without Feature Bloat",
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"description": "If you need product analytics and session replay but don't need PostHog's feature flags, surveys, or experiments, OpenPanel gives you exactly what you need without the overhead.",
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"icon": "target"
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},
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{
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"title": "Privacy-First Products",
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"description": "OpenPanel is cookie-free by default with no configuration needed. PostHog requires explicit setup for cookieless tracking and loses some functionality in that mode.",
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"icon": "shield"
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},
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{
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"title": "Performance-Conscious Applications",
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"description": "OpenPanel's 2.3KB SDK vs PostHog's 52KB+ library means faster page loads and better Core Web Vitals - critical for SEO and user experience.",
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"icon": "zap"
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},
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{
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"title": "Simple Self-Hosting Needs",
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"description": "OpenPanel runs in a single Docker container. PostHog requires ClickHouse, Kafka, Redis, and PostgreSQL - significantly more infrastructure to manage.",
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"icon": "server"
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},
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{
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"title": "Predictable Budgeting",
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"description": "OpenPanel's simple event-based pricing is easy to predict. PostHog's multi-product metering across events, recordings, flags, and surveys can lead to unexpected costs.",
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"icon": "dollar-sign"
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}
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]
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},
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"faqs": {
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"title": "Frequently asked questions",
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"intro": "Common questions about switching from PostHog to OpenPanel.",
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"items": [
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{
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"question": "Is OpenPanel really free?",
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"answer": "Yes! OpenPanel offers a generous free tier with 10,000 events per month. Self-hosting is completely free with no limits. PostHog also has generous free tiers (1M events, 5K recordings) but costs can scale quickly with usage."
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},
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{
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"question": "Why switch from PostHog to OpenPanel?",
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"answer": "Teams switch for several reasons: simpler pricing without multi-product metering, smaller SDK size (2.3KB vs 52KB+), true cookie-free tracking by default, easier self-hosting, and a focused analytics experience without feature bloat."
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},
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{
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"question": "What features will I lose switching from PostHog?",
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"answer": "PostHog includes feature flags, surveys, and A/B experiments in their platform. If you actively use these, you'd need separate tools. OpenPanel now includes session replay, so you won't lose that. If you primarily use PostHog for analytics, OpenPanel provides everything you need with less complexity."
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},
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{
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"question": "How does OpenPanel compare on privacy?",
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"answer": "OpenPanel is cookie-free by default - no configuration needed. PostHog uses cookies by default and requires specific setup for cookieless mode, which disables some features like cross-session user identification."
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},
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{
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"question": "Can I self-host OpenPanel?",
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"answer": "Yes! OpenPanel runs in a simple Docker container with ClickHouse. PostHog self-hosting requires multiple services (ClickHouse, Kafka, Redis, PostgreSQL) and has official limitations of around 100k events/month for single-server hobby deployments."
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},
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{
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"question": "Is PostHog more feature-rich than OpenPanel?",
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"answer": "PostHog offers more products (10+ including feature flags, surveys, A/B testing, data warehouse). However, this comes with added complexity. OpenPanel now includes session replay alongside its core analytics, while staying focused on simplicity and performance."
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},
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{
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"question": "How do SDK sizes compare?",
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"answer": "OpenPanel's SDK is 2.3KB gzipped. PostHog's core library is 52KB+ gzipped, though they lazy-load additional features like session replay. The difference impacts page load times and Core Web Vitals."
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},
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{
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"question": "Which is better for startups?",
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"answer": "Both offer generous free tiers. PostHog provides more features out of the box (feature flags, etc.) but with more complexity. OpenPanel is simpler to set up and understand, making it ideal for teams that want focused analytics without the overhead of an all-in-one platform."
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}
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]
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},
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"related_links": {
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"guides": [
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{
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"title": "Track custom events",
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"url": "/guides/track-custom-events"
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},
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{
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"title": "Next.js analytics setup",
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"url": "/guides/nextjs-analytics"
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},
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{
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"title": "React analytics setup",
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"url": "/guides/react-analytics"
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}
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],
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"articles": [
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{
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"title": "9 best open source web analytics tools",
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"url": "/articles/open-source-web-analytics"
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},
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{
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"title": "Self-hosted web analytics",
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"url": "/articles/self-hosted-web-analytics"
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}
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],
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"alternatives": [
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{
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"name": "Plausible",
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"url": "/compare/plausible-alternative"
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},
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{
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"name": "Matomo",
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"url": "/compare/matomo-alternative"
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},
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{
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"name": "Umami",
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"url": "/compare/umami-alternative"
|
|
}
|
|
]
|
|
},
|
|
"ctas": {
|
|
"primary": {
|
|
"label": "Start with OpenPanel",
|
|
"href": "https://dashboard.openpanel.dev/onboarding"
|
|
},
|
|
"secondary": {
|
|
"label": "View on GitHub",
|
|
"href": "https://github.com/Openpanel-dev/openpanel"
|
|
}
|
|
}
|
|
}
|