⚖️ Comparison Guide

Complex Stack vs
Simple Open-Source Analytics

PostHog is an all-in-one product platform with configurable privacy settings. Respectlytics is privacy-first by architecture with only 5 stored fields.

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Quick Comparison

See the key differences at a glance

Feature	🦔 PostHog	Respectlytics
Hosting Model	🏠 Self-hosted or Cloud You manage infrastructure	☁️ Managed SaaS or Self-Hosted Free Community Edition available
User Identifiers	📝 Auto-generated ID $distinct_id persists across sessions	✅ Never stored By design
Custom Properties	⚠️ Unlimited PII leak risk	🛡️ Not allowed Minimized PII risk
User Identification	📝 $distinct_id + properties Persistent tracking	✅ Session-based only 2-hour rotation
IP Address Storage	⚠️ Stored by default Can be disabled	✅ Never stored Transient geo only
Mobile SDK Focus	📱 Multi-platform iOS, Android, Flutter, RN	📱 Mobile-first Swift, Flutter, RN, Kotlin
Conversion Intelligence	🔧 Manual funnels Define yourself	🤖 Automatic Auto-discovered
Setup Complexity	⚙️ Complex (self-host) ClickHouse, Kafka, etc.	⚡ Simple 5-minute SDK setup
Session Replay	✅ Built-in Web + Mobile	➖ Not included Use dedicated tools
Feature Flags	✅ Built-in A/B testing included	➖ Not included Use dedicated tools

Self-Hosting Shouldn't Require a Platform Team

PostHog needs ClickHouse, Kafka, and Redis. Respectlytics needs PostgreSQL. Compare the real cost of self-hosting each.

🦔

PostHog Self-Hosted

Run your own analytics infrastructure

Infrastructure Requirements:

⚙️
ClickHouse
Column database for analytics
⚙️
Kafka
Event streaming
⚙️
PostgreSQL
Metadata storage
⚙️
Redis
Caching layer

Reality Check: Self-hosting requires dedicated DevOps, monitoring, backups, and security patches. The "free" option has significant hidden costs.

Respectlytics

Managed SaaS or self-hosted Community Edition

Two Deployment Options:

✅
Managed SaaS
Zero DevOps. EU-hosted. Automated intelligence.
✅
Self-Hosted (AGPL-3.0)
Free forever. Docker + PostgreSQL. Full source on GitHub.
✅
Minimal infrastructure
Just Django + PostgreSQL. No ClickHouse, no Kafka, no Redis.
⚡
5-minute setup (either option)
Install SDK, start tracking

Open Source Advantage: Unlike PostHog's ClickHouse + Kafka stack, Respectlytics self-hosting requires only PostgreSQL. Same strict 5-field privacy architecture whether managed or self-hosted. Learn more about self-hosting →

Data Collection Differences

What each platform collects by default

🦔

PostHog

Default data collection

What PostHog Collects:

📝
$distinct_id
Auto-generated, persists across sessions
⚠️
IP Address
Stored by default ("Discard IP" option available)
📝
Device Properties
Browser, device, location from IP
⚠️
Custom Properties
Unlimited—PII risk if not careful

Privacy Note: PostHog offers privacy controls including IP discarding, cookieless mode, and data masking. However, configuring these requires deliberate setup—the defaults collect more data than Respectlytics.

Respectlytics

Strict 5-field schema

Only 5 Fields Stored:

✅
event_name, timestamp
Core event data
✅
platform
ios, android, web
✅
country
Country-level only (IP discarded)
⚡
session_id
2-hour rotating, RAM-only in SDKs

Transparent & Defensible: The API rejects any request with extra fields. This makes it technically difficult to accidentally collect data you don't need.

🛡️ How Respectlytics Enforces Privacy

analytics/privacy_guards.py

# Strict allowlist - only these 5 data fields are stored (plus app_key for auth)
STORED_FIELDS = frozenset({
    'event_name',    # Required
    'timestamp',     # Optional timing
    'platform',      # ios, android, web
    'country',       # 2-letter ISO code
    'session_id',    # 2-hour rotating, RAM-only
})

# API rejects any request with extra fields
if unexpected_fields := request_fields - ALLOWED_FIELDS:
    raise PrivacyValidationError(
        code="DISALLOWED_FIELDS",
        reason=f"Custom fields not allowed: {unexpected_fields}"
    )

Unlike PostHog's flexible schema, Respectlytics rejects any attempt to send extra data. This makes your analytics transparent and defensible by design.

When to Choose Each

Both platforms have their place. Here's our honest assessment.

🦔 Choose PostHog If:

• You want an all-in-one platform (analytics, feature flags, A/B tests, session replay)
• You have DevOps resources for self-hosted deployment (if data residency requires it)
• You need session recordings and heatmaps alongside analytics
• You're comfortable configuring privacy settings (IP discarding, cookieless mode)
• You need to track individual user journeys across sessions and devices

Choose Respectlytics If:

• Privacy is a core value—you want to minimize data collection
• You're building mobile-first (Swift, Flutter, React Native, Kotlin)
• You want automated conversion insights without manual funnel setup
• You want managed SaaS without DevOps — or free self-hosted Community Edition
• You value transparent, defensible data practices over flexibility

Migrating from PostHog?

Switching is simpler than you think. Here's what changes.

🦔 PostHog Event

posthog-event.js

posthog.capture(
  'purchase_completed',
  {
    $distinct_id: 'user_123',
    $set: { email: 'user@...' },
    price: 29.99,
    product_id: 'SKU-456',
    ...
  }
);

✓ Respectlytics Event

respectlytics-event.swift

// Just the event name
// No user ID, no custom props
Respectlytics.track("purchase_completed")

// Privacy by design:
// - session_id rotates every 2 hours
// - No persistent user tracking
// - API rejects extra data

Migration Note: The shift from "track everything" to "track what matters" is intentional. You'll lose the ability to track individual users across sessions—but you'll gain defensible analytics with a minimal data surface. Consult your legal team for your specific requirements.

Ready to Simplify Your Analytics?

Skip the DevOps headaches. Get privacy-first insights in 5 minutes.

Get Started with SDKs → View Pricing

SDK Documentation • Contact Sales • Privacy Policy

Complex Stack vs Simple Open-Source Analytics

Quick Comparison

Self-Hosting Shouldn't Require a Platform Team

PostHog Self-Hosted

Infrastructure Requirements:

Respectlytics

Two Deployment Options:

Data Collection Differences

PostHog

What PostHog Collects:

Respectlytics

Only 5 Fields Stored:

🛡️ How Respectlytics Enforces Privacy

When to Choose Each

🦔 Choose PostHog If:

Choose Respectlytics If:

Migrating from PostHog?

🦔 PostHog Event

✓ Respectlytics Event

Ready to Simplify Your Analytics?

Complex Stack vs
Simple Open-Source Analytics