Overall score
4.3Best value
4.3Best value
4.2Best value
4.2Best value
3.9Best value
3.9Best value
3.8Best value
3.5Best value
3.5Best value
EU data sovereignty
5.0Best valueEU hosting with a DPA is the core of the product, not a bolt-on.
5.0Best valueSelf-hosted in an EU region with full data ownership; this very site runs on it.
3.8Best valueEU data residency exists, the vendor remains US-based.
4.5Best valueThe EU cloud region with a DPA is the dependable route. Self-hosting still exists via Docker Compose, but unsupported, limited to one project, and not recommended by PostHog for production load.
5.0Best valueSelf-hosted with full data ownership, proven in the public sector.
5.0Best valueEuropean vendor, backed by the CNIL exemption.
2.5Best valueMicrosoft cloud with US data flow; only clean with consent gating.
2.0Best valueUS cloud with no EU hosting option; needs Consent Mode v2 and a clean DPA.
3.5Best valueAn EU hosting option exists, the parent company stays US-based.
Analytical depth
4.0Best valueEnterprise reporting with raw-data access; product analytics is not the focus.
3.0Best valueAggregate trends instead of user-level analysis, by design.
4.8Best valueFunnel, cohort, and retention analysis well ahead of GA4.
4.5Best valueAnalytics, session replay, flags, and experiments in one tool.
3.5Best valueMore features than Plausible, less product analytics than PostHog.
4.5Best valueEnterprise analytics with strengths in publisher and media KPIs.
3.0Best valueHeatmaps and recordings show the why, not numeric analysis.
4.0Best valueEvent model wired into Ads; sampling slows the interface down.
4.0Best valueProduct analytics plus in-app guides and NPS in one.
Value for money
4.0Best valueCosts more than free GA4; pays off once consent requirements drive the case.
4.5Best valueOpen source, the cost is essentially your own server.
4.0Best valueFree entry tier, then the price grows with events.
4.0Best valueThe open-source core is free; cloud plans grow with event volume.
4.0Best valueOpen source without a licence; you pay in hosting and upkeep.
3.0Best valueEnterprise price level, rarely justified for smaller setups.
5.0Best valueFree with no volume cap. Microsoft reserves the right in its terms to use the collected data to improve its own products and services.
4.5Best valueFree, including the BigQuery export.
2.5Best valueEnterprise price; for pure analytics PostHog or Mixpanel are leaner.
Ease of use
4.0Best valueGA-style interface, teams find their way without retraining.
4.5Best valueOne dashboard, no training required.
4.2Best valueProduct teams work without SQL and without an analyst queue.
3.8Best valueA lot of surface at once, the UI takes some learning.
3.0Best valueThe interface works, but visibly shows its age.
3.0Best valueSteep learning curve and a rigid event model.
4.5Best valueEmbedded in minutes, masking assumed.
3.5Best valueDefaults and UI demand configuration before the standard carries.
4.0Best valueRetroactive event tagging takes pressure off the dev team.
Pricing model
Free tier; enterprise subscription by traffic
Open source (CE); self-hosting costs
Free tier; subscription by events
Free tier; usage-based by events
Open source; cloud subscription by traffic
Enterprise subscription
Free
Free; GA360 as enterprise license
Free tier; enterprise subscription by MAUs
Vendor
Piwik PRO · Poland
Plausible · Estonia
Mixpanel · USA
PostHog · USA
InnoCraft · New Zealand
Piano Software · USA
Microsoft · USA
Google · USA
Pendo · USA
Subcategory
Web & Marketing Analytics
Web & Marketing Analytics
Product Analytics
Product Analytics
Web & Marketing Analytics
Web & Marketing Analytics
Qualitative & Behavior
Web & Marketing Analytics
Product Analytics
Operating model
EU-Region
Self-hosted · EU
EU-Region
Self-hosted · EU
EU-Region
EU-Region
US-Cloud
US-Cloud
US-Cloud
Last reviewed
May 2026
May 2026
Jun 2026
May 2026
Jun 2026
Jun 2026
Jul 2026
Jul 2026
Jul 2026
When it fits
When a GA4-like suite with EU hosting and legal certainty is required.
When GDPR compliance without a consent banner matters and aggregate trends are enough. This site runs on it.
When funnel and cohort analysis needs to go deeper than GA4 can, with EU hosting.
When you want product funnels, feature flags and experiments from one self-hostable source.
When full data ownership or public-sector rules demand self-hosting.
When publisher or enterprise requirements demand maximum legal certainty (CNIL exemption).
When qualitative signals (heatmaps, recordings) should come in at zero budget.
When you work in the Google marketing ecosystem, need Ads audiences or maintain an existing setup.
When product analytics and in-app onboarding should come from one tool.
When it does not
When the Google Ads ecosystem is the core of the setup.
When you need user-level funnels, granular custom events or cross-device stitching.
When web marketing reporting is enough or self-hosting is mandatory.
When plain web analytics is enough. Then running PostHog is overhead.
When massive event volumes or a modern UI take priority.
When a flexible event model and a fast start matter more.
When strict privacy requirements rule out US cloud tools.
When consent-free measurement is mandatory or you need raw event data without sampling limits.
When pure analytics is enough; PostHog or Mixpanel deliver that at lower cost.