Heap vs Posthog
Self-hosted for $4/mo on hetzner CAX11, versus $0-$999/user/mo on Heap.
Side-by-side
| Heap | Posthog (self-hosted) | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | $0-$999/user/mo | $4.13/mo flat (any team size) |
| Hosting | Heap's servers | Your VPS (hetzner CAX11) |
| Data ownership | Heap controls the data | Your disk, your encryption |
| Source code | Closed | Open (NOASSERTION) |
| Customization | API + integrations only | Full source access; modify freely |
| Maintenance burden | Zero | Backups + updates (Docker available) |
| Health score (ossreplace) | — | 77 / 100 |
Why teams leave Heap
- Auto-capture pricing scales aggressively
- Limited query depth on free tier
Posthog answers this by: Own your auto-capture data, no session caps.
The cost math
Assumes 5-person team using Heap at the midpoint price ($499.5/user/mo).
| Period | Heap | Posthog on hetzner | You save |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $2497.5 | $4.13 | $2493.37 |
| Yearly | $29970 | $49.56 | $29920.44 |
| 3 years | $89,910 | $149 | $89,761 |
Deploy Posthog now
One-click deploys at the cheapest provider for this workload:
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Common questions
Is Posthog a good alternative to Heap?
Posthog is an open-source, self-hostable alternative to Heap with an ossreplace health score of 77/100 — a composite of project activity, maturity, community, security, and adoption. It runs on your own hetzner VPS from $4.13/mo with full source access under the NOASSERTION license, versus Heap's $0–999/user/mo hosted plans.
How much cheaper is Posthog than Heap?
A 5-person team pays about $2497.5/mo on Heap. Self-hosting Posthog on hetzner CAX11 costs a flat $4.13/mo regardless of team size — roughly $89,761 less over three years (100% lower).
Is Posthog hard to self-host?
Posthog ships a Docker setup, so deployment is usually a single docker-compose command on a $4.13/mo VPS. You own the backups and updates, and there are no per-seat fees.
Do you keep control of your data with Posthog vs Heap?
Yes. Because Posthog runs on your own server, the data lives on your disk under your encryption. With Heap, Heap controls the hosting, storage, and access.