March 12, 2026
PostHog vs Heap for Indie Developers
A factual comparison of PostHog and Heap for solo developers and small teams building iOS and web apps. Covers free tiers, feature sets, mobile access, and practical trade-offs.
Feature Comparison
| PostHog | Heap | |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | 1M events/month | 10K monthly sessions |
| iOS SDK | Yes | Yes |
| Autocapture | Yes | Yes (free) |
| Session replay | Yes (5K sessions/mo free) | Paid only |
| Feature flags | Yes (1M requests/mo free) | No |
| A/B testing | Yes (free) | No |
| Surveys | Yes (250 responses/mo free) | No |
| Mobile dashboard | Via PocketHog (3rd party) | None |
| Open source | Yes (MIT) | No |
| Pricing model | Per event (usage-based) | Per monthly sessions |
Where PostHog Wins
- 100x larger free tier (1M events vs 10K sessions)
- Session replay, feature flags, A/B tests, surveys all included free
- Open source, self-hostable
- Mobile monitoring via PocketHog
- Also has autocapture plus manual event tracking
Where Heap Wins
- Stronger retroactive analysis — define events after the fact
- Visual event labeling without code
Heap: Strengths
Best for: Teams that want retroactive analytics without upfront event planning
- Autocapture everything — retroactively define events
- No upfront event planning needed
- Strong retroactive funnel analysis
- Visual event labeling
Heap: Weaknesses
- Small free tier (10K sessions)
- Session replay on paid plans only
- No feature flags, A/B testing, or surveys
- No mobile dashboard app
- Closed source (acquired by Contentsquare)
Mobile Monitoring
PostHog does not have an official mobile app. Third-party iOS clients fill this gap:
- PocketHog — native iOS app with home screen widgets showing live metrics per project, conversion tracking, sparkline charts, and delta percentages. Supports multi-project feed, chart annotations, and deep links to PostHog Max AI. Available on the App Store.
- MiniHog — Flutter-based, basic event tracking and graphs.
- HogLite — open source, event and insights viewing.
Verdict
Heap's retroactive analytics are powerful, but the tiny free tier and lack of bundled features make PostHog the better choice for indie developers. PostHog also has autocapture, plus session replay and feature flags included free.
Related
- Best analytics for indie iOS apps in 2026
- Free analytics tools for side projects
- How to put PostHog on your iPhone home screen
PocketHog is an independent third-party client and is not affiliated with PostHog, Inc. or Heap.