Both are strong product analytics tools with free plans and unlimited seats, so the choice is about fit rather than features. Amplitude's free plan allows 2 million events a month and includes its whole platform, from session replay to experiments and in-app guides. Mixpanel's free plan allows 1 million events a month and adds heatmaps and feature flags, with a focus on fast funnels and retention. If your app is busy, Amplitude's larger free allowance goes further; if you want quick answers with flags built in, Mixpanel is lovely to use.
If you run a SaaS product, an app or a busy web platform, Google Analytics only takes you so far. Product analytics tools track what people do inside your product, step by step. I read Amplitude's home and plans pages and Mixpanel's home and plans pages.
Amplitude and Mixpanel at a glance
| Amplitude | Mixpanel | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes, 2M events a month | Yes, up to 1M events a month |
| Seats | Unlimited on every plan | Unlimited on the free plan |
| Session replay | Included, 10K monthly replays on free | Included, 10K replays a month on free |
| Experiments | Experimentation on every plan | Experiments, up to 1k MEU a month free |
| Extras | Guides and Surveys, Activation | Heatmaps, Feature Flags, Metric Trees |
| Assistants | Agent Analytics, Global Chat, AI-powered Replays | Mixpanel AI |
Event allowances are the number to check
Both tools count events, and that's what decides when you outgrow the free plan. Amplitude's plans page offers 2 million events a month on its free plan, forever, with no card needed, and says every plan includes the full platform and unlimited seats. Mixpanel's free plan covers up to 1 million events a month with unlimited seats, 10,000 session replays a month, up to 10 active feature flags, and funnels and retention analysis. Its Growth plan raises the allowance to 20 million events.
Before choosing, count roughly how many tracked actions your users create in a month. A small app with a few hundred active users rarely gets near either limit, but a busy product can pass 1 million quickly.
What Amplitude bundles in
Amplitude's pitch is one platform: analytics, session replay, experimentation, in-app guides and surveys, and activation, all on every plan. It's added AI throughout, including Agent Analytics for measuring AI features in your own product and AI-powered replays. For a team that wants to watch behaviour, test changes and nudge users from one place, that bundle saves stitching tools together.
What Mixpanel does especially well
Mixpanel says more than 29,000 companies use it, and its free plan is generous on the things product people use daily: funnels, retention, session replay, heatmaps and feature flags. Having flags and experiments next to the reports means you can ship a change to some users and see the effect in the same tool. Many teams find its reports fast to build without help from an analyst.
Questions for your product team
- How many events will you send each month, today and in a year's time?
- Do you want in-app guides and surveys from the same tool?
- Will you release features behind flags?
- Who will build reports: analysts, product managers or founders?
If you're new to this, my guide to using product analytics covers the basics, and it's worth reading what counts as an event because the same idea drives both tools' limits.
A word on tracking plans: decide your event names before you install either tool, and write them down. Both vendors count events, so a tidy plan keeps you inside the free limits for longer and stops your reports filling with duplicates such as 'signup' and 'sign_up'.
My advice on Amplitude or Mixpanel
Set up both free plans on a staging copy of your product and track the same five key actions for a week. Then ask your team which reports they opened without being asked. That's usually your answer, and with free plans this generous, there's no reason to guess.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Amplitude free?
Amplitude's free plan includes 2 million events a month forever, with no card required, and every plan includes the full platform and unlimited seats.
Is Mixpanel free?
Yes. Mixpanel's free plan includes unlimited seats, up to 1 million events a month and 10,000 session replays a month.
Does Mixpanel have feature flags?
Yes. Mixpanel's free plan includes up to 10 active feature flags.
Do both tools have session replay?
Yes. Both list session replay on their free plans.
Can I move from one tool to the other later?
Yes, but you'll rebuild reports and may lose some history, so it's worth testing both on real tracking before you commit. A clear tracking plan makes any later move much easier.
What is an event in product analytics?
It's a tracked action, such as a sign-up, a button click or a completed order step. Both tools count events to set plan limits.
