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Side-by-side comparison · SEO & Analytics

Google Analytics vs PostHog vs SE Ranking

Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.

Google Analytics

4.0

Free to start

Best overall

PostHog

4.2

From $0/mo base

SE Ranking

4.1

From $129/mo

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

Best value

Pick it if: Every business with a website that wants to know how many people visit, where they come from and what turns them into customers.

Best overall

Pick it if: Founders and product teams with a web app or SaaS who want analytics, replays and testing in one tool.

Easiest to use

Pick it if: Small businesses, freelancers and agencies who want a full SEO toolkit with AI search tracking for less than the big names.

PostHog scores highest overall, but Google Analytics gives you more for your money. Which one is right comes down to what you value most.

Overview

AttributeGoogle AnalyticsPostHogSE Ranking
In one lineGoogle's free website analytics: who visits, where they came from and what they do.Product analytics, session replays, A/B tests and surveys in one tool, with an AI analyst.A cheaper all-in-one SEO tool that also tracks your brand in AI search answers.
Pricing modelFreeFreemiumPaid
Starting priceFree$0/mo base$129/mo
Free plan Yes Yes No
Works with Claude Code Yes Yes Yes

Rating breakdown

Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.

AttributeGoogle AnalyticsPostHogSE Ranking
Overall rating4.04.2Winner4.1
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
3.0
3.0
4.0
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.5
5.0
4.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
4.0
4.5
3.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
5.0
4.5
4.5
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
3.5
4.0
4.0

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

AttributeGoogle AnalyticsPostHogSE Ranking
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes No
Mobile app Yes No No
Desktop app No Yes No
Browser extension No No Yes
API access Yes Yes Yes
Teams & business
Team workspace Yes Yes Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO Yes Yes Yes
Connects to other apps Yes Yes Yes
Open source or self-hosted No Yes No
AI abilities
Works with your files No No No
Understands images–––
Makes images No No No
Makes video No No No
Writes code No Yes No
Runs agents or automations No Yes No
Learns your brand or style–––
Works in many languages Yes Yes Yes
Capabilities score7/ 1710/ 176/ 17

Pricing

Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.

AttributeGoogle AnalyticsPostHogSE Ranking
Plans

Google AnalyticsOur pick

Free

Almost every business.

Free

Free

Small apps and getting started.

CoreOur pick

$129/mo, or $103.20/mo billed yearly

Small businesses and freelancers.

Analytics 360

Custom

Very large sites with huge traffic.

Pay as you goOur pick

$0/mo base, then per use

Growing apps that outgrow the free limits.

Growth

$279/mo, or $223.20/mo billed yearly

Agencies and teams with many sites.

Boost

$250/mo plus usage

Teams that need SSO enforcement or HIPAA.

Enterprise

Custom

Large teams.

Scale

$750/mo plus usage

Larger organisations.

Enterprise

$2,000/mo plus usage

Big companies.

Which plan to pickUse the free version. Analytics 360 is only for very large companies that hit the free limits. Set data retention to 14 months in the admin settings when you set it up, since the default is shorter.Start free. Add a card to move to pay as you go when you need more projects or longer history, and set billing limits on each product so nothing runs away. The platform packages only matter for compliance or big teams.Start the 14-day free trial. Core covers most small businesses and freelancers, and paying yearly saves 20%. Agencies should look at Growth plus the $69 a month Agency Pack for white-label reports and client seats.

Key features

AttributeGoogle AnalyticsPostHogSE Ranking
Standout features
  • Traffic reports
  • Conversions
  • Google Ads link
  • Analytics Advisor
  • Explorations
  • Official MCP server
  • Product analytics
  • Session replay
  • A/B tests and feature flags
  • Surveys
  • PostHog AI
  • MCP server and wizard
  • Daily rank tracking
  • Keyword and competitor research
  • Website audit
  • AI visibility
  • Content tools
  • API and MCP

Pros and cons

AttributeGoogle AnalyticsPostHogSE Ranking
Pros
  • Free with no visitor limits for almost every business
  • Ties traffic to sales and links straight to Google Ads
  • Gemini-powered Analytics Advisor answers questions
  • Official MCP server for Claude
  • Works with almost every website platform
  • Huge free tier with no seat fees
  • Analytics, replays, testing and surveys in one tool
  • Clear, public per-use pricing
  • Open source core you can self-host
  • Strong AI assistant and Claude Code support
  • Much cheaper than Ahrefs or Semrush for similar features
  • AI visibility tracking on every plan
  • API and MCP access included
  • Strong white-label reports for agencies
  • 14-day trial without a card
Cons
  • GA4's menus and reports are confusing
  • Setting up conversions properly takes work
  • Cookie consent and ad blockers mean it undercounts visitors
  • Google uses the data in its own products, which some businesses dislike
  • So many products and settings that it can overwhelm small teams
  • Overkill if you only want website visitor numbers
  • Usage bills need billing limits to stay predictable
  • Setup works best with a developer or Claude Code
  • Smaller keyword and backlink data than the biggest suites
  • Extra seats, keywords and locations cost more
  • No cheap entry plan any more
  • Deeper AI tracking in SE Visible is a separate subscription

Who each one is for

AttributeGoogle AnalyticsPostHogSE Ranking
Best for
  • Counting website visitors and where they came from
  • Seeing which ads and channels lead to sales
  • Tracking forms, bookings and purchases
  • Free reporting for any size of site
  • Seeing how people use your app
  • Finding where sign-ups and checkouts drop off
  • A/B testing new features and pages
  • Replacing several separate analytics tools
  • Daily rank tracking on a budget
  • Agencies needing white-label client reports
  • Tracking your brand in AI answers alongside Google
  • All-round SEO for small businesses
You'll find it used by
  • Small businesses
  • Marketers
  • Agencies
  • Online stores
  • Large companies
  • Founders
  • Product teams
  • Developers
  • SaaS companies
  • Agencies
  • Freelancers
  • Small businesses
  • In-house marketers

Questions people ask

Which is better, Google Analytics, PostHog or SE Ranking?

PostHog scores highest overall in our ratings (Google Analytics 4.0/5, PostHog 4.2/5 and SE Ranking 4.1/5). Google Analytics is best for counting website visitors and where they came from and seeing which ads and channels lead to sales. PostHog is best for seeing how people use your app and finding where sign-ups and checkouts drop off. SE Ranking is best for daily rank tracking on a budget and agencies needing white-label client reports.

Which is cheaper, Google Analytics, PostHog or SE Ranking?

Google Analytics: It's free to use. PostHog: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $0/mo base. SE Ranking: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $129/mo.

Which is easier to use, Google Analytics, PostHog or SE Ranking?

SE Ranking rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Small businesses, freelancers and agencies who want a full SEO toolkit with AI search tracking for less than the big names.

How we compare

Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.

Swap in another tool

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