PostHog vs RudderStack
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?
PostHog
Open-source product analytics platform
VS
RudderStack
Open-source customer data pipeline platform
| Feature | PostHog | RudderStack |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes | docker, kubernetes |
| GitHub stars | ★ 37,548 | ★ 4,465 |
| First released | 2020 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude | Segment |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is PostHog or RudderStack better?
Neither is universally better. PostHog has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are PostHog and RudderStack free and open-source?
Yes. PostHog is licensed under MIT and RudderStack under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run PostHog and RudderStack with Docker?
PostHog: yes. RudderStack: yes.