Heap specializes in automatic event capture with no code required, while Mixpanel focuses on advanced behavioral analytics with custom event tracking. Heap is better for quick implementation, while Mixpanel excels at deep product insights and retention analysis.
Heap vs Mixpanel — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Codeless analytics platform that automatically captures all user interactions without instrumentation.
Advanced behavioral analytics platform focused on retention, engagement, and product-led growth metrics.
Event Tracking Method. Setup Time. Retention Analysis Features. Starting Price (Monthly). Mobile SDK Support. Custom Event Flexibility. Enterprise Compliance
Choose Heap if you need fast implementation without engineering resources and want automatic event tracking out-of-the-box. Choose Mixpanel if you're building a data-driven product team that needs sophisticated retention analysis, advanced segmentation, and deeper behavioral insights.
Heap: No - Analytics-only, no replay | Mixpanel: Via third-party integrations
Heap: Yes - Fully automatic without coding | Mixpanel: N/A
Heap: Standard analytics without advanced AI | Mixpanel: N/A
Heap: Limited - Behavioral focus only | Mixpanel: N/A
Heap: Yes - Primary strength | Mixpanel: N/A
Heap: Automatic capture (no code) | Mixpanel: Manual code instrumentation
Heap: No | Mixpanel: Yes (lookalike audiences)
Heap: Yes (native) | Mixpanel: No (requires separate integration)
Session Recordings Per Month (Basic Plan)
Heap: Advanced plan only | Mixpanel: N/A
Heap: Yes (all interactions) | Mixpanel: N/A
Heap: Advanced SQL-like interface | Mixpanel: N/A
Heap: Zero sampling, 100% capture | Mixpanel: N/A
Heap: Zero-code (automatic) | Mixpanel: Manual event tracking (code-required)
Heap: 20 minutes | Mixpanel: 180 minutes
Heap: 5 steps | Mixpanel: Unlimited with branching
Heap: 50+ integrations | Mixpanel: 140+ integrations
Heap: Yes (native) | Mixpanel: Third-party integration only
Heap: Basic cohort view | Mixpanel: Predictive LTV + churn modeling
Heap: 1-2 weeks (auto-tracking) | Mixpanel: N/A
Heap: 8/10 (visual, intuitive) | Mixpanel: N/A
Heap: Basic segmentation only | Mixpanel: N/A
Heap: 0% (fully automatic) | Mixpanel: N/A
Heap: Limited (web-first) | Mixpanel: N/A
Heap: Basic cohorts only | Mixpanel: Advanced with churn prediction
Heap: Not available | Mixpanel: Available with custom models
Heap: iOS, Android, React Native | Mixpanel: iOS, Android, React Native, Flutter, Web
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: No (enterprise only)
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: No (requires add-on)
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: Limited (basic only)
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: Advanced with behavioral triggers and real-time updates
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: iOS, Android, React Native, Flutter, Unity, Segment
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: Native with automatic retention curves, churn prediction, funnel cohorts
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: Limited; no built-in keyword tracking or organic search integration
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: 60 months (5 years)
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: iOS + Android (events only)
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: $1,500 (average enterprise tier)
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: Free tier available (limited)
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: Native SDK included
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: Unlimited on paid plans
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: Manual setup required
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: Advanced multi-step funnels
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: 8/10 (event instrumentation)
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: Advanced behavioral cohorts
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: 0 (requires integration)
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: Unlimited custom properties
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: Requires developer involvement (120+ min)
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: Moderate setup required
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: Advanced (AI-assisted)
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: Yes (Mixpanel Experiments)
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: Churn prediction only
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: General product analytics + engagement
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: 500K tracked users/month
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: < 1 minute (real-time)
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: $999/month (Growth plan)
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: Single-event property-based cohorts
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: iOS, Android, React Native, Flutter, Unity
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: 100M (Standard plan)
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: No (cloud-only, Mixpanel owns infrastructure)
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: Yes (requires configuration)
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: Advanced (churn prediction, LTV forecasting)
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: 200+ advanced behavioral segments
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: Limited (requires integration)
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: 300+ segmentation properties
Setup Complexity for Non-Technical Users
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: $83/month (annual)
Heap: N/A | Mixpanel: Advanced (retention, cohorts, attribution)
Heap vs Mixpanel — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Heap vs Mixpanel. Contains 171 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Heap vs Mixpanel — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Heap vs Mixpanel.
Which is better for a startup with no analytics engineers?
Heap is significantly better for startups without dedicated analytics staff. Its codeless tracking means you can launch analytics in hours without needing developers to instrument events. Mixpanel requires custom event tracking code, which demands engineering resources and takes 2-3 weeks to implement properly.
Can I switch from Heap to Mixpanel later?
Yes, but it requires re-instrumenting your event tracking. Heap's automatic capture means switching away requires developers to manually define and track events in Mixpanel. Plan for 2-3 weeks of engineering effort and potential data gaps during migration. Mixpanel does provide data import tools to help with historical event mapping.
Which platform is better for analyzing user retention?
Mixpanel significantly outperforms Heap in retention analytics. Mixpanel offers predictive churn modeling, retention curves broken down by user cohorts, and advanced segmentation to identify at-risk users. Heap provides basic cohort retention but lacks the sophisticated predictive models that growth teams rely on for retention strategies.
What's the total cost of ownership over 2 years?
Heap typically costs $1,000-$3,000/month depending on event volume (averaging $1,800/month = $43,200/year). Mixpanel ranges $999-$5,000+/month based on tracked events (averaging $2,200/month = $52,800/year). However, Heap may require less data engineering resources, while Mixpanel needs sustained developer attention for event maintenance.
Which integrates better with my data warehouse?
Both platforms offer warehouse connectors (Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift). Mixpanel's integration ecosystem is slightly more mature with 150+ pre-built integrations vs Heap's 100+. For raw data access and custom transformations, both provide similar API capabilities, though Mixpanel's documentation for advanced warehouse workflows is more comprehensive.
Event Tracking Method: Heap has Automatic (codeless), while Mixpanel has Manual (code-based).
Setup Time: Heap has Days, while Mixpanel has Weeks.
Retention Analysis Features: Heap has Basic cohort analysis, while Mixpanel has Advanced retention curves, churn prediction.
Starting Price (Monthly): Heap has $1,000, while Mixpanel has $999.
Mobile SDK Support: Heap has iOS, Android, React Native, while Mixpanel has iOS, Android, React Native, Flutter, Web.
Custom Event Flexibility: Heap has Limited without engineering, while Mixpanel has Highly flexible with code.
Enterprise Compliance: Heap has SOC 2, GDPR, CCPA, while Mixpanel has SOC 2, GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA.