Top Free Engagement Tracking Tools for SaaS Companies

Understanding user engagement is essential for SaaS success, but premium analytics tools can quickly get expensive. Thankfully, there are free versions of some popular engagement tracking tools that can still provide valuable insights into user behavior. Here, we’ll look at top tools you can use for free, explaining exactly what their free versions offer and any limitations to keep in mind.

1. Google Analytics

What “Free” Means
Google Analytics is free to use for all users, without any time limits. Its free plan offers a robust set of features for tracking website and mobile app interactions, making it ideal for startups and smaller SaaS teams.

What You Can Do with the Free Version

• User Tracking: Track visits, session durations, and returning users.
  
  

• Event Tracking: Set up custom events (like button clicks) to monitor in-app actions.
  
  

• Funnel and Goal Tracking: Define user paths and measure conversions, helping you track how users engage with different features.

Limitations
The free version is geared toward general website analytics and may lack some of the granular insights needed specifically for SaaS. Customizing it for in-app events can require technical knowledge and may need additional setup.

2. Mixpanel (Free Version)

What “Free” Means
Mixpanel’s free version is available without a time limit but restricts usage based on the number of data points tracked and users analyzed.

What You Can Do with the Free Version

• Event Tracking: Track up to 1,000 monthly tracked users, focusing on key actions like clicks, page views, and form submissions.
  
  

• Funnel Analysis: Visualize how users move through your app by setting up funnels for key processes.
  
  

• Cohort Analysis: Segment users by behavior, so you can focus on retention by understanding which user groups are most engaged.

Limitations
The free plan is capped at 1,000 tracked users per month and lacks certain advanced features like unlimited cohorts or advanced retention reporting.

3. Hotjar (Free Version)

What “Free” Means
Hotjar’s free plan is designed for smaller teams and projects, providing limited access to core features with daily caps on data collection.

What You Can Do with the Free Version

• Heatmaps: Capture up to 1,000 pageviews per heatmap, showing where users are clicking and engaging on your website.
  
  

• Session Recordings: Record and replay up to 100 user sessions per day to observe user interactions and identify any usability issues.
  
  

• Feedback Polls and Surveys: Collect limited user feedback directly within your product to understand user preferences and pain points.

Limitations
The free plan has daily limits on recordings and pageviews, so it’s best suited for small-scale analysis rather than comprehensive, continuous tracking. Hotjar’s features are more focused on websites than full in-app analytics.

4. PostHog (Open-Source, Free Self-Hosting)

What “Free” Means
PostHog is an open-source tool, meaning it’s free to use if you’re able to self-host it on your own servers. This can be a great option for teams with technical capabilities who want full control over their data.

What You Can Do with the Free Version

• Event Tracking: Track any user actions by setting up custom events, ideal for in-app behavior monitoring.
  
  

• Heatmaps and Session Recordings: Get insights into where users are clicking and how they navigate through your app.
  
  

• Feature Flags: Run A/B tests by enabling or disabling features for specific user groups to test different engagement tactics.

Limitations
Since it’s open-source, setup and maintenance require technical resources. There’s also no customer support unless you pay for PostHog Cloud, their hosted version.

5. Amplitude (Free Plan)

What “Free” Means
Amplitude offers a free plan aimed at startups, with no time limit. This plan has a cap on the number of events it can process and lacks some advanced capabilities of the paid version.

What You Can Do with the Free Version

• Event Tracking: Track up to 10 million events per month, which is generally enough for smaller SaaS teams.
  
  

• Behavioral Cohorts: Create cohorts based on user behavior to analyze engagement and retention.
  
  

• Path Analysis and User Flows: Visualize common user journeys and see where users tend to drop off.

Limitations
Data history is retained for only a limited time, and some premium features like cross-project dashboards are restricted to paid plans.

6. Pendo (Free for Startups Program)

What “Free” Means
Pendo offers a special free plan for qualifying startups, providing free access for one year. This plan is designed for early-stage companies to set up engagement tracking at no cost during their growth phase.

What You Can Do with the Free Version

• In-App Messaging: Create guides, tutorials, and tooltips to assist users within your app.
  
  

• User Feedback: Collect feedback directly from users, helping you understand needs and satisfaction.
  
  

• Usage Analytics: Track how users interact with different parts of your app and spot popular or underused features.

Limitations
The free plan is available only to startups that meet specific eligibility criteria. After the first year, companies must switch to a paid plan if they wish to continue using Pendo.

7. Heap (Free Plan)

What “Free” Means
Heap’s free plan provides automatic event tracking (autocapture), ideal for teams that want to start tracking without much setup. This plan has limitations on data retention and access to certain advanced features.

What You Can Do with the Free Version

• Autocapture: Automatically captures every user interaction (clicks, taps, etc.) without needing event tagging beforehand.
  
  

• Funnel and Retention Analysis: Set up funnels to monitor key stages in user journeys and analyze retention metrics.
  
  

• Event Visualizer: Use a simple, visual interface to analyze and manage tracked events.

Limitations
The free plan restricts the volume of events you can track and has limited data retention, which may be an issue for teams needing long-term trend data.

Summary Table

Conclusion

Each of these tools offers a "free" option, but what that means varies. Google Analytics, for instance, is fully free, while others like Heap and Amplitude offer limited free access based on volume. Open-source options like PostHog are free but require technical setup. For startups, Pendo’s program offers significant value if they qualify. By exploring these options, you can leverage robust engagement tracking without the cost of premium plans—at least until you’re ready to scale.