Analytics

PostHog, Mixpanel, GA4, which analytics to start with

You don't need all three. A quick map of what each one is actually good at, so you can instrument once and move on.

Updated June 16, 2026

Analytics paralysis is real: people install three tools, trust none of them, and ship blind anyway. Here is the honest split.

Just need traffic numbers: GA4

Google Analytics 4 is free and everywhere. If the question is "how many people visited and where from," it answers that without a second thought. It is weaker once you want to follow a specific user through a funnel.

Want product behavior: Mixpanel or Amplitude

Mixpanel and Amplitude are event-first. You track actions, then build funnels and watch cohorts retain over time. Reach for these when the question shifts from "how many" to "what did they do, and did they come back."

Want one tool that does most of it: PostHog

PostHog bundles product analytics, session replay, and feature flags in one suite. For a technical solo builder, one SDK instead of three integrations is often the deciding factor.

Pick one and instrument once

The worst outcome is half-instrumenting all of them. Choose based on your real question today, traffic vs behavior, wire it up properly, and only add a second tool when you have a question the first genuinely cannot answer.

Sources

Tools in this guide