Ackee vs PostHog
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted web analytics options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Ackee | PostHog |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 89 · Excellent | 99 · Excellent |
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 4,096 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, kubernetes |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,709 | ★ 39,909 |
| First released | 2018 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Google Analytics | Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude |
What are Ackee and PostHog?
Ackee
Ackee is a self-hosted, Node-based analytics tool that tracks website visitors while respecting privacy and avoiding cookies. It targets developers wanting minimal, ethical analytics. It is deployed via Docker.
- Privacy-focused tracking
- GraphQL API
- Clean minimal dashboard
- No cookies used
PostHog
PostHog is an open-source product analytics platform with event tracking, session replay, feature flags, and A/B testing. It targets product teams wanting an all-in-one analytics suite. It is deployed via Docker or Kubernetes.
- Product analytics and funnels
- Session replay
- Feature flags and experiments
- Self-hostable all-in-one
Ackee vs PostHog: key differences
Ackee is written in JavaScript, while PostHog is built with Python. Ackee is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 4,096 MB for PostHog. Ackee is the more established project (first released 2018), while PostHog arrived in 2020. PostHog has the considerably larger community, at 39,909 GitHub stars versus 4,709.
Why pick each one
Choose Ackee if…
- Lightweight and private
- Easy to deploy
- Nice minimal UI
Watch out for
- Limited reporting depth
- Needs MongoDB
Choose PostHog if…
- Comprehensive product suite
- Session replay included
- Open-core model
Watch out for
- Heavy to self-host
- Self-host edition is scaled down
Frequently asked questions
Is Ackee or PostHog better?
Neither is universally better. PostHog has the larger community, while Ackee is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Ackee and PostHog free and open-source?
Yes. Ackee is licensed under MIT and PostHog under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ackee and PostHog with Docker?
Ackee: yes. PostHog: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Ackee or PostHog?
Ackee has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 4,096 MB for PostHog. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.