PostHog vs Countly
Both are alternatives to Amplitude. Here's how they stack up — verified facts, no spin.
Also searched as Countly vs PostHog — same comparison, one verdict.
PostHog is open source (MIT core, with an `ee/` enterprise directory carve-out) and Countly is not (Countly Lite License (custom, source-available — not OSI open source)) — so the real question is whether you want to own the product analytics stack or rent it.
PostHog
TOP PICKProduct analytics, session replay, flags and experiments in one self-hostable product.
PostHog is the most complete answer here because it collapses several line items into one: product analytics, session replay, feature flags, A/B testing, surveys and a data warehouse, all in a product you can run on your own infrastructure. For teams currently paying Amplitude for analytics and LaunchDarkly for flags, that consolidation is often the real saving rather than any single rate. Around 37.4k stars and pushed to daily. The licence needs stating precisely: the core is MIT, but the `ee/` directory is licensed separately as enterprise — so it is MIT-with-a-carve-out rather than plain MIT, which is how it is usually described.
Countly
Mobile-first analytics you can run on-premise — but check the licence.
Countly is built around mobile and IoT rather than the web, with crash reporting, push notifications and user profiles alongside analytics, and a long history of on-premise deployment in regulated and government settings. Around 5.9k stars. One correction to how it is usually listed: Countly is very often described as open source, but the community edition ships under a custom "Countly Lite License" rather than an OSI-approved licence — it is source-available, with restrictions, and the terms are worth reading before you build a product on it. Included here because the mobile and on-premise combination is genuinely rare, and because the licence deserves to be stated accurately.
Side by side
10 points of comparison, every one read from a verified field. Green marks the side that wins a row outright. A dash means we do not hold that fact — never that it is zero.
| PostHog | Countly | |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereignty ScoreOur transparent 0–100 composite for data ownership and exit cost. | 85 | 66 |
| Open source | Yes | No |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| Local-first data | Yes | Yes |
| License | MIT core, with an `ee/` enterprise directory carve-out | Countly Lite License (custom, source-available — not OSI open source) |
| Pricing | Generous free tier on cloud; self-hostable at no licence cost for the MIT core. | Community edition free to self-host under its own licence terms; enterprise is commercial. |
| RAM to run it wellThe figure that actually matters, not the vendor's minimum. | 16 GB, and that number is not padded. ClickHouse, Kafka, Zookeeper, PostgreSQL, Redis/Valkey, Temporal with Elasticsearch, a headless Chromium and a few dozen PostHog services all share it (about 38 services in the hobby compose file). | — |
| Realistic running costWhat the box costs each month if you run it yourself. | $19–25/mo for a 16 GB Hetzner cloud server in the EU (the CX43 is $18.49 before VAT and IPv4, at June 2026 prices), or about $96/mo for 16 GB at DigitalOcean. ClickHouse, Kafka, Zookeeper, Postgres, Redis and object storage all run on that one box, so there is no separate bill, but they are why it needs 16 GB. | — |
| Setup timeHonest first-install estimate, not the marketing quickstart. | 30 minutes for the script, then 5–10 minutes for migrations and TLS. Give it a week before you trust it. | — |
| Ongoing maintenanceThe part nobody budgets for. | Run `upgrade-hobby` often, because PostHog ships continuously from master with no tagged releases. Take a full backup before every upgrade, as the docs instruct. PostHog offers no customer support for self-hosted instances. | — |
PostHog is Macrostack's recommended Amplitude alternative, so it's our pick here.
Weighing both against staying on Amplitude? Is Amplitude free? What it actually costs →
PostHog
Strengths
- +Replaces analytics, session replay, flags and experiments with one tool
- +Self-hostable, so behavioural data never leaves your infrastructure
- +Autocapture means useful data before anyone writes a tracking plan
- +Very generous free tier if you would rather use the hosted version
Trade-offs
- −Self-hosting at volume means operating ClickHouse — a real commitment
- −The `ee/` directory is not MIT despite the project's reputation
- −Heavier and more complex than a focused analytics tool
- −Analysis depth still trails Amplitude for sophisticated cohort work
Countly
Strengths
- +Mobile and IoT first, where most of this category is web first
- +Crash reporting and push notifications alongside analytics
- +Long track record of on-premise deployment in regulated environments
- +Rich user-profile and cohort features in the enterprise tier
Trade-offs
- −Not open source despite being widely listed as such — read the Lite License
- −Much of the useful functionality sits in the paid enterprise edition
- −Smaller community than every other option here
- −Heavier to deploy than Umami or OpenPanel
Which one fits you
The trade-offs above, turned into a decision. Find the line that describes your team.
Choose PostHog
if you want the source and the option to fork it, and replaces analytics, session replay, flags and experiments with one tool.
Choose Countly
if mobile and IoT first, where most of this category is web first.
Neither, yet
if both carry a real cost you should weigh first — self-hosting at volume means operating ClickHouse — a real commitment, and not open source despite being widely listed as such — read the Lite License. If either of those is a dealbreaker for your team, the shortlist is wrong rather than the choice.
What it takes to run these yourself
Real requirements and honest running costs, not the vendor quickstart.
PostHog vs Countly — common questions
Is PostHog a better fit than Countly for product analytics?
It depends on what you are optimising for, and the honest split is this: PostHog scores 85 to Countly's 66 on data ownership and exit cost, so it is the safer choice if you care about being able to leave. Countly earns its place on a different axis — mobile and IoT first, where most of this category is web first. Neither is a wrong answer for every team; the table above is the actual comparison.
What happens if we want to switch later?
PostHog keeps its data local or in open formats, so leaving is an export rather than a negotiation. Countly is still self-hostable, so the files stay on your server either way — but it is not local-first by design, so check what its export produces before you rely on it.
Can I self-host PostHog or Countly?
Both can be self-hosted. The difference is what it costs you in time rather than whether it is possible — see the setup and maintenance rows above.
Are PostHog and Countly both alternatives to Amplitude?
Yes — both appear in our Amplitude comparison, which is why they are worth putting side by side. People usually arrive here already having decided to move off Amplitude and now choosing between the two replacements, which is a narrower and much easier question.
Related alternative guides
Facts verified 2026-07-31. Licenses and pricing change — spotted something out of date? That's a correction we want.