Amplitude wants a subscription.
These cost $0.
4 free alternatives to Amplitude, checked for license, recent activity and real adoption. Each one tells you the catch, so you can switch with your eyes open.
Amplitude vs Free Alternatives Matrix
Quick side-by-side comparison · $0/mo vs paid
| Alternative | Type | License | Where It Runs | Stars | Head-to-Head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Umami | open source | MIT | Local or hosted | ★ 38k | Amplitude vs Umami → |
| PostHog | open source | MIT | Local or hosted | ★ 38k | Amplitude vs PostHog → |
| OpenPanel | open source | AGPL-3.0 | Local or hosted | ★ 6.3k | Amplitude vs OpenPanel → |
| Mixpanel Free | free | proprietary, free | Hosted | ★ $0 forever | Amplitude vs Mixpanel Free → |
The picks
3 open source · 1 free to use · ranked by fit
- 01
Umami
open sourceMITLocal or hosted38kaug 2026Funnels, cohorts and retention without turning the analytics stack into a second product.
The catch vs AmplitudeIt is far shallower for cohorts, retention, experimentation, taxonomy governance and behavioral analysis than Amplitude.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- webself-hosteddocker to self-host
- install
- Create an Umami Cloud account or deploy the Node application with Docker Compose and PostgreSQL
- setup
- None for hosted signup; self-hosting requires Docker or Node hosting and a PostgreSQL database
- your data
- A self-hosted deployment stores analytics and account data in PostgreSQL; Umami Cloud stores it in Umami's managed service
- checked
- 2026-08-10
- 02
PostHog
open sourceMITLocal or hosted38kaug 2026Funnels, cohorts and retention on a free million-event allowance; the kitchen sink comes along.
The catch vs AmplitudeIts kitchen-sink product is heavier, while Amplitude's core product-analytics workflows and governance are more refined.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- mobilewebthey host it
- install
- Create a PostHog Cloud project or use the hobby self-host script on a Linux server
- setup
- None for hosted signup; self-hosting is an unsupported, resource-heavy multi-service stack requiring serious operations work
- your data
- The self-hosted stack splits analytics, transactions, queues and recordings across ClickHouse, PostgreSQL, Kafka, Redis and object storage; cloud data lives in PostHog's managed regions
- checked
- 2026-08-10
- 03
OpenPanel
open sourceAGPL-3.0Local or hosted6.3kjul 2026Mixpanel's useful bits, plus a ClickHouse stack you now get to know personally.
The catch vs AmplitudeIts behavioral analysis, experimentation, taxonomy management and data governance are less deep and mature than Amplitude's.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- mobilewebself-hostedself-host, real ops
- install
- Create a hosted account or run the self-host installer and Docker stack
- setup
- None for the hosted free tier; self-hosting requires Docker, DNS or a reverse proxy and several persistent services
- your data
- A self-hosted deployment uses PostgreSQL for account data, ClickHouse for event data and Redis for cache and queues; hosted data lives in OpenPanel's service
- checked
- 2026-08-10
- 04
Mixpanel Free
freeproprietary, freeHostedThe same class of explorer for free, capped at a million events and five saved reports per seat.
The catch vs AmplitudeThe free plan's event, saved-report and advanced-feature limits constrain sustained team use, and its experimentation and governance are less deep than Amplitude's.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- mobilewebthey host it
- install
- Create a hosted project and add a Mixpanel SDK or tracking snippet
- setup
- The software installs cleanly, but meaningful use starts with designing an event taxonomy and instrumenting the product
- your data
- Structured events and user profiles are stored in Mixpanel's managed cloud
- checked
- 2026-08-10
Frequently Asked Questions
Direct answers · Amplitude open-source replacements
What is the best free alternative to Amplitude?+
The top free alternative to Amplitude is Umami (open source, MIT). Funnels, cohorts and retention without turning the analytics stack into a second product. Other popular Amplitude replacements include PostHog, OpenPanel, Mixpanel Free.
Can I self-host a free replacement for Amplitude?+
Yes. Of the 4 free alternatives to Amplitude, 3 can be self-hosted on your own server or local machine: Umami (MIT), PostHog (MIT), OpenPanel (AGPL-3.0).
Should I vibe-code or build my own Amplitude clone from scratch?+
Our build verdict for Amplitude is NOT REALLY (use a free alternative, save the tokens). A consolation build is possible, but the paid product's decisive value sits outside a solo rebuild. For Amplitude, build a bounded event explorer for funnels, cohorts, and retention on one product. The hard boundary is behavioral data platform, experimentation, identity, governance, and scale, plus data pipeline reliability and analytical depth.
What is the catch when switching from Amplitude to Umami?+
It is far shallower for cohorts, retention, experimentation, taxonomy governance and behavioral analysis than Amplitude.
