Heap wants a subscription.
These cost $0.
4 free alternatives to Heap, checked for license, recent activity and real adoption. Each one tells you the catch, so you can switch with your eyes open.
Heap 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 | Heap vs Umami → |
| PostHog | open source | MIT | Local or hosted | ★ 38k | Heap vs PostHog → |
| OpenPanel | open source | AGPL-3.0 | Local or hosted | ★ 6.3k | Heap vs OpenPanel → |
| Mixpanel Free | free | proprietary, free | Hosted | ★ $0 forever | Heap vs Mixpanel Free → |
The picks
3 open source · 1 free to use · ranked by fit
- 01
Umami
open sourceMITLocal or hosted38kaug 2026Small, explicit event analytics with funnels and retention, hosted on infrastructure you control.
The catch vs HeapIt is lightweight explicit-event analytics with no equivalent to Heap's automatic capture and retroactive history.
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 2026Explicit events, funnels and retention without being forced to autocapture the rest of a person's life.
The catch vs HeapIt can autocapture, but its retroactive data engine and schema-governance workflow are less polished than Heap's.
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 2026Event analytics and user timelines without automatic snooping; ClickHouse administration is the trade.
The catch vs HeapIt depends on explicit events and does not provide Heap's automatic capture history for retroactive questions.
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, freeHostedA transparent event stream with funnels and retention, free up to a million monthly events.
The catch vs HeapIt requires deliberate event instrumentation and cannot recreate Heap's retroactive analysis of automatically captured interactions.
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 · Heap open-source replacements
What is the best free alternative to Heap?+
The top free alternative to Heap is Umami (open source, MIT). Small, explicit event analytics with funnels and retention, hosted on infrastructure you control. Other popular Heap replacements include PostHog, OpenPanel, Mixpanel Free.
Can I self-host a free replacement for Heap?+
Yes. Of the 4 free alternatives to Heap, 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 Heap clone from scratch?+
Our build verdict for Heap 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 Heap, instrument explicit first-party events and avoid automatic capture of unrelated user behavior. The hard boundary is automatic capture engine, identity graph, data science, governance, and enterprise operations, plus data pipeline reliability and analytical depth.
What is the catch when switching from Heap to Umami?+
It is lightweight explicit-event analytics with no equivalent to Heap's automatic capture and retroactive history.
