Metabase vs PostHog
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted web analytics options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Metabase
Open-source business intelligence and dashboards
VS
PostHog
Open-source product analytics platform
| Feature | Metabase | PostHog |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Clojure | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 4,096 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, binary | docker, kubernetes |
| GitHub stars | ★ 48,597 | ★ 37,548 |
| First released | 2015 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Tableau, Looker | Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude |
Why pick each one
Choose Metabase if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 48.6k GitHub stars
- Written in Clojure
Frequently asked questions
Is Metabase or PostHog better?
Metabase is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider PostHog if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Metabase and PostHog free and open-source?
Yes. Metabase is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and PostHog under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Metabase and PostHog with Docker?
Metabase: yes. PostHog: yes.