PostHog vs Shaper
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?
| Feature | PostHog | Shaper |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | MIT | MPL-2.0 |
| Language | Python | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 37,548 | ★ 1,165 |
| First released | 2020 | 2026 |
| Replaces | Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude | — |
Why pick each one
Choose Shaper if…
- Released under the MPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is PostHog or Shaper better?
Neither is universally better. PostHog has the larger community, while Shaper is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are PostHog and Shaper free and open-source?
Yes. PostHog is licensed under MIT and Shaper under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run PostHog and Shaper with Docker?
PostHog: yes. Shaper: yes.