Mixpanel vs Amplitude: which should you choose?
Quick answer: Mixpanel is built for product-teams, while Amplitude suits product-teams. For most users Mixpanel is the stronger default, but Amplitude can be the better fit depending on your budget and use case.
Both Mixpanel and Amplitude get recommended a lot, but they solve the job differently. Below we compare them on pricing, strengths and the use cases each one fits, then give a clear verdict.
Side-by-side
| Mixpanel | Amplitude | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Product Analytics | Product Analytics |
| What it's known for | Event-based product analytics for funnels, retention and user behavior, helping product teams understand engagement and improve conversion. | Enterprise-grade digital analytics platform for product, behavioral and growth analytics with strong cohort, retention and experimentation features. |
| Pricing | Free up to ~1M events/mo; Growth from ~$24/mo (annual) by event volume; Enterprise custom | Free Starter (up to ~50k MTUs); Plus from ~$49/mo; Growth/Enterprise custom |
| Best audience | Product and growth teams at SaaS and app companies analysing user behaviour. | Product, growth and data teams running experimentation and behavioural analysis. |
| Best for | product-teams, saas | product-teams, growth |
| Entry price | Free | Free |
| Biggest strength | Generous free tier (1M events/mo) with unlimited seats and data history. | Enterprise-grade behavioural and growth analytics. |
| Main caveat | Growth plan event-based pricing can scale fast (~$2,520/mo at 10M events). | MTU-based pricing gets expensive at scale. |
Features compared
Where they really diverge is in the day-to-day feature set:
Mixpanel key features
- Event-based product analytics
- Funnels, retention and flows
- Cohort and user analysis
- Session replay (included allowance)
Amplitude key features
- Behavioural and product analytics
- Cohorts, retention and funnels
- Feature and web experimentation (A/B testing)
- Session replay (included allowance)
Pricing tiers side by side
Mixpanel plans
| Plan | Price | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 1M events/mo, unlimited seats and history |
| Growth | from ~$24/mo | ~$0.28 per 1,000 events after 1M, 20k free session replays |
| Enterprise | Custom (~$25k+/yr) | advanced governance, security, support |
Amplitude plans
| Plan | Price | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Starter (free) | $0 | up to 10k MTUs / 2M events, 1k session replays/mo |
| Plus | ~$49/mo annual | up to 300k MTUs or 25M events/mo, unlimited seats |
| Growth | Custom | unlimited MTUs, full experimentation, governance |
| Enterprise | Custom | SSO, dedicated support, custom SLAs |
Tiers compiled from the vendors' published plans and independent reviews; prices are approximate and change often, so confirm current figures (and your region's taxes) on each vendor's site.
Strengths compared
Where Mixpanel wins
Self-serve product analytics with a genuinely generous free tier (1M events/mo).
- Generous free tier (1M events/mo) with unlimited seats and data history.
- Strong funnel, retention and self-serve analysis.
That makes it the stronger pick for product and growth teams at SaaS and app companies analysing user behaviour.
Where Amplitude wins
Enterprise-grade product analytics with built-in experimentation and cohorting.
- Enterprise-grade behavioural and growth analytics.
- Strong experimentation and cohort tooling.
That makes it the stronger pick for product, growth and data teams running experimentation and behavioural analysis.
Verdict: choose by fit
Pick by fit rather than by an overall score.
- Choose Mixpanel if you fit its core audience — product and growth teams at SaaS and app companies analysing user behaviour.
- Choose Amplitude if you fit its core audience — product, growth and data teams running experimentation and behavioural analysis.
FAQ
Is Mixpanel better than Amplitude?
Mixpanel is the stronger default for most users, but Amplitude can be the better fit depending on your budget and use case.
What is the main difference between Mixpanel and Amplitude?
Mixpanel is self-serve product analytics with a genuinely generous free tier (1M events/mo). Amplitude is enterprise-grade product analytics with built-in experimentation and cohorting.
Which is cheaper, Mixpanel or Amplitude?
Both Mixpanel and Amplitude offer a free tier, so the real comparison is the paid plans above — pick based on the storage, features and limits you actually need.
Sources
Facts above are drawn from these independent reviews and the vendors' own pages for Mixpanel and Amplitude: