Countly vs PostHog
Self-host pick — both replace Mixpanel (Product analytics).
Both Countly and PostHog self-host as a replacement for Mixpanel (Product analytics). Pick Countly if you want a AGPL-licensed codebase (AGPL-3.0); pick PostHog for MIT (MIT (core) / Functional Source (cloud-only modules)). Both run in roughly the same cost bracket — $10 vps — mongo-backed, plan for 4gb ram vs $20-40 vps — clickhouse is the heavy process, wants 4gb+ ram.
| Countlyopen-source | PostHogopen-source | |
|---|---|---|
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT (core) / Functional Source (cloud-only modules) |
| Setup time | 30min (their installer or docker-compose) | 30min docker-compose (single-node) |
| Monthly cost | $10 VPS — Mongo-backed, plan for 4GB RAM. | $20-40 VPS — ClickHouse is the heavy process, wants 4GB+ RAM. |
| GitHub | Countly/countly-server | PostHog/posthog |
| Replaces | Mixpanel | Mixpanel + 2 other |
Good fit for
Countly
Mobile-first product teams (their SDKs are strong on iOS/Android).
Weak at:Many of the polished features (push, A/B, funnels) live in their Enterprise edition.
PostHog
Product teams who want analytics, session replay, and flags in one tool.
Weak at:Single-node ClickHouse setup is finicky to scale beyond a few million events/day.
In a terminal? npx -y github:SolvoHQ/os-alt-cli mixpanel prints Mixpanel's self-host options including both —
how the CLI works →
FAQ
Which is easier to self-host, Countly or PostHog?
Countly: 30min (their installer or docker-compose). PostHog: 30min docker-compose (single-node).
What does each cost to run?
Countly: $10 VPS — Mongo-backed, plan for 4GB RAM.. PostHog: $20-40 VPS — ClickHouse is the heavy process, wants 4GB+ RAM.. Both projects are free and open source.
Do Countly and PostHog replace the same SaaS?
Yes — both are open-source alternatives to Mixpanel.