I first used PostHog in 2023. I wanted more accurate analytics than Google Analytics, and I didn’t want to pay a high price. At the time, we also needed feature flags (A/B testing), surveys, and error tracking. We ended up using PostHog + Sentry (PostHog didn’t have error tracking in 2023). Since this initial project with PostHog, I have used PostHog in every project that needed analytics and/or error tracking. On top of this good base, PostHog's Session Replay has helped me identify bugs and UX improvements that I would have likely missed for months. And to add a cherry on top, PostHog is fun and the very opposite of boring to use, and their pricing is incredible.
Analytics
Analytics are always more useful than you expect them to be. Seeing strange patterns, identifying entry pages that are popping off, rabbit holes your users get stuck in, or a 404 page that could be converted into a redirect, analytics can help you see it all.
PostHog Web and Product Analytics were a breath of fresh air coming from Google Analytics. Over time, Google Web Analytics had become inaccurate (by design), confusing, and convoluted. PostHog was straightforward but flexible, allowing me to see what I wanted but also not limiting what I needed to understand.
It’s also fast! I was trying to track a confusing and potentially malicious user-agent and IP in Cloudflare (which makes sense to do in Cloudflare), only to find that I could locate it faster in PostHog with better available filters and much faster data loading. (PostHog’s speed isn’t just limited to Analytics. It’s all really snappy!)
Session Replay
Before I tried PostHog Session Replay, I thought it’d be at most cool and might reveal some strange user patterns. In my first hour, I saw replays of users getting lost, things breaking in front of users, and all sorts of unexpected user behaviours.
Within minutes of seeing all of this, I recognised that nothing beats watching over a user's shoulder. PostHog Session Replay gives you 90% of that.
If you want to reduce user frustration and improve UX, Session Replay is awesome for just that.
Error Tracking
I assumed I’d always need at least four providers for a product: hosting, analytics, error tracking, and GitHub. I didn't expect a product to cover both error tracking and analytics!
It’s very convenient, as the error tracking integrates with the session replay.
It doesn’t have as many features as Sentry or similar, but for me, it has everything I need. (Chances are, as fast as the PostHog team ships, this sentence will no longer be true)
Web Vitals
Oh, before I forget, I used to rely on Sentry for Web Vitals and Errors. PostHog does Web Vitals as well. Knowing how fast your pages are performing out in the wild is incredibly useful for improving the user experience. Sometimes, all it takes is a small caching tweak, but you wouldn't know if you were unaware. PostHog does it for you out of the box.
Fun and Hedgehogs
PostHog is fun. On their website, you will be greeted by Hedgehogs, Hedgehog Godzilla, and Post-it accreditation. Their UI is full of life and exciting. You can spawn an army of Max (their Mascot) and his friends to wander around the page. PostHog is fun to use.
Pricing
PostHog’s products are so good that I want to pay them. Annoyingly, (but really incredibly) their free plans are generous enough that I only end up paying them when things get massive.
Conclusion
I plan on using PostHog in everything: websites, apps, terminal scripts, and even AI. Can’t go wrong with hedgehogs.