What Each Does
GA4: general web analytics.
Mixpanel: product analytics.
PostHog: open-source product analytics + features.
Different tools, different jobs.
Google Analytics 4
Free.
Web + app tracking.
Event-based (new model).
Best for: marketing funnels, page analytics.
Weakness: not designed for product insights.
Mixpanel
Product analytics leader.
Great for: user cohorts, funnels, retention.
Free up to 20M events/month.
Paid: $28+/month.
Weakness: not as good for marketing.
PostHog
Open source (self-hosted or cloud).
Product analytics + feature flags + session replay.
Free tier: 1M events/month.
Growing fast.
Cost effective at scale.
Amplitude
Enterprise product analytics.
Sophisticated: user paths, retention, cohorts.
Free up to 10M events.
Higher price at scale.
Strong for large product teams.
Segment / CDP
Data pipeline, not analytics tool.
Send data to many tools at once.
Twilio Segment: reliable, expensive.
RudderStack: open source alternative.
What Marketing Wants
Traffic sources: where users come from.
Landing pages: which convert.
Attribution: what drove signups.
Ad ROI: which channels work.
GA4 sufficient usually.
What Product Wants
User behavior: what they do in product.
Funnel: where users drop off.
Retention: are users coming back.
Cohorts: how usage varies by user type.
Mixpanel/Amplitude/PostHog better.
Event Design
Consistent naming convention.
Track: user actions, not clicks.
Rich properties: context matters.
Not tracking everything – important events only.
User Identification
Distinct ID persistent across sessions.
Anonymous → identified when signup.
Alias handling in tools.
Cross-device tracking.
Privacy Considerations
GDPR: consent required.
Cookie banners.
Anonymize IPs.
Data retention limits.
Right to deletion.
Session Replay
Watch actual user sessions.
Debug UX issues.
Understand user paths.
PostHog, LogRocket, FullStory.
Privacy: mask sensitive fields.
Common Setup
GA4 for marketing.
Mixpanel or PostHog for product.
Both fed from same event pipeline.
Segment or similar as CDP.
Cost at Scale
Free tiers deceptive – hit limits fast.
Mixpanel/Amplitude expensive over 20M events.
PostHog self-hosted: cheaper.
Consider volume growth.
Implementation Effort
1-2 days to basic tracking.
1-2 weeks to comprehensive.
Ongoing: adding events for new features.
Don’t underestimate.
Our Recommendation
MVP: GA4 + Mixpanel free.
Growth: PostHog for cost + features.
Enterprise: Amplitude for depth.
Combine: GA4 (marketing) + product analytics.
Based on Real Projects
This guide is based on our work with:
Further Reading
If this guide helped you, you might also want to read our comprehensive guide on Custom SaaS Development.
רוצים לדבר על הפרויקט שלכם?
שיחת ייעוץ חינם, ללא התחייבות - הרעיון שלכם + הניסיון שלנו
רוצים לדבר על הפרויקט שלכם?
אנחנו מתמחים בפיתוח SaaS, פתרונות AI, עיצוב UX/UI ובניית אתרים. ספרו לנו מה אתם צריכים.
דברו איתנו ←