Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Fiddler VS PostHog

Compare Fiddler VS PostHog and see what are their differences

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Fiddler logo Fiddler

Fiddler is a debugging program for websites.

PostHog logo PostHog

An open source suite of product and data tools including product analytics, feature flags, session replay, A/B testing, surveys, and more.
  • Fiddler Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-19
  • PostHog Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-07-05

For developers just starting out, PostHog is a free way to understand how your product is being used, without having to send any data to 3rd parties.

For enterprise customers, one data security becomes a key concern, or B2C businesses where using a SaaS solution is unaffordable, it's typical to see teams hosting an event capture platform, a data lake, and sophisticated analytics tools. The end result is that data scientists are needed and most developers don't have easy access to product intel. PostHog solves that gap - it lets everyone understand how your product is being used, without having to send data to 3rd parties, even once you have scaled to millions of visitors.

It has a JS snippet that can autocapture events, and pre-built libraries to push backend data to. Build up full user histories, visualize product trends, funnels, and run experiments with new features.

Fiddler

Pricing URL
-
$ Details
-
Release Date
-

PostHog

$ Details
freemium
Release Date
2020 January
Startup details
Country
United States
State
California
Founder(s)
James Hawkins, Tim Glaser
Employees
20 - 49

Fiddler features and specs

  • Comprehensive Debugging
    Fiddler allows for detailed HTTP/HTTPS traffic inspection and debugging, making it invaluable for diagnosing and troubleshooting web applications.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux, providing flexibility to developers working in different environments.
  • Custom Scripting
    Supports custom scripts using FiddlerScript, enabling advanced functionalities and automation of repetitive tasks.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    Provides an intuitive and easy-to-use interface that helps users navigate and utilize its features effectively.
  • Web Debugging Proxy
    Acts as a proxy server that captures traffic between your computer and the internet, which is essential for debugging web applications.

Possible disadvantages of Fiddler

  • Learning Curve
    May require a period of learning and adaptation for users new to the tool or those who are not familiar with HTTP/HTTPS concepts.
  • Resource Intensive
    Can be resource-heavy, especially when capturing and storing large amounts of traffic data, which may slow down your computer.
  • Limited Mobile Support
    Although it can work with mobile devices, setup can be cumbersome and less straightforward compared to desktop debugging.
  • Documentation and Community
    While there is good documentation available, it may not cover all niche use cases, and community support can be hit or miss.
  • SSL Decryption
    Decrypting HTTPS traffic requires additional setup and can introduce security risks if not handled properly.

PostHog features and specs

  • Self-Hosting Option
    PostHog can be self-hosted, allowing you to maintain control over your data and ensuring compliance with strict data privacy regulations.
  • Complete Analytics Suite
    Provides a complete suite of product analytics tools including feature flags, session recordings, and heatmaps, enabling comprehensive user behavior analysis.
  • Open-Source
    Being open-source, PostHog allows for high customizability and the potential to contribute to the codebase, fostering a community-driven development approach.
  • Privacy-Focused
    Designed with privacy in mind, PostHog globally complies with GDPR, CCPA, and other privacy laws, reducing the risk of legal complications.
  • Event-Driven Architecture
    Its event-driven architecture provides high flexibility in tracking custom events, allowing for more detailed and tailored analytics.
  • Integrations
    PostHog integrates with a variety of tools and services such as Slack, GitHub, and Zapier, streamlining workflows and enhancing productivity.

Possible disadvantages of PostHog

  • Resource Intensive for Self-Hosting
    Self-hosting PostHog can be resource-intensive, requiring significant server capacity and management effort.
  • Complex Setup
    The initial setup, especially for self-hosting, can be complex and may require a good understanding of Docker and Kubernetes.
  • Learning Curve
    Due to its extensive features and capabilities, there can be a steep learning curve for new users or teams to fully leverage PostHog's capabilities.
  • Limited Pre-Made Integrations
    While it supports custom integrations, the number of pre-made integrations is limited compared to some commercial analytics platforms.
  • Cost for Additional Features
    Advanced features and enterprise-level support come at a premium, which might be costly for smaller companies or startups.
  • Less Mature Community and Documentation
    Compared to established analytics platforms, PostHog's community and documentation are still growing, which might limit available resources and support.

Analysis of Fiddler

Overall verdict

  • Fiddler is considered a good tool, particularly for developers and QA engineers who require a comprehensive and reliable solution for HTTP and HTTPS debugging. Its user-friendly interface and extensive documentation make it accessible, even for those who may not have extensive experience with web development tools.

Why this product is good

  • Fiddler by Telerik is a well-regarded web debugging tool that allows users to monitor, manipulate, and reuse HTTP requests. It's especially popular among developers and testers for its ease of use, robust feature set, and detailed analysis capabilities. It supports various platforms and is versatile enough for debugging tasks such as performance testing, security testing, and web session manipulation. Additionally, Fiddler offers extensive customization through its scripting capabilities, which lets users tailor it to their specific needs.

Recommended for

  • Web Developers
  • QA Engineers
  • Software Testers
  • Network Administrators
  • Anyone needing to debug and analyze HTTP/HTTPS traffic

Analysis of PostHog

Overall verdict

  • Yes, PostHog is a robust and versatile analytics tool. Its open-source nature, coupled with a rich feature set comparable to major analytics platforms, makes it an excellent choice for teams looking for an in-depth and customizable analytics solution.

Why this product is good

  • PostHog is a full-featured analytics platform that provides powerful tools for product teams to understand user behavior without sending data to third parties. It offers features such as event tracking, session recording, feature flags, and heatmaps, making it a comprehensive solution for product analytics. The platform is open-source, allowing for customization and self-hosting, which is a significant advantage for teams with specific needs or concerns about data privacy.

Recommended for

    PostHog is particularly well-suited for product teams, developers, and startups that require deep insights into user interactions and need the flexibility of a self-hosted solution. It is also a good fit for organizations that prioritize data privacy and want to maintain full control over their data.

Fiddler videos

Fiddler On The Roof, Faith on Film review

More videos:

  • Review - FIDDLER ON THE ROOF WEST END REVIEW | Georgie Ashford
  • Review - Fiddler on the Roof Review

PostHog videos

PostHog Walk Through

More videos:

  • Review - Open Source Product Analytics With PostHog

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Fiddler and PostHog)
Monitoring Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Analytics
0 0%
100% 100
Developer Tools
50 50%
50% 50
Web Analytics
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Fiddler and PostHog. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Fiddler and PostHog

Fiddler Reviews

Top 10 HTTP Client and Web Debugging Proxy Tools (2023)
Next right up is Fiddler. It is one of the most powerful and popular web debugging proxy tools. it can debug and troubleshoot endlessly. What you would come to like is that Fiddler is free and has lots of plug-ins you can use. Knowing it captures, analyze and record HTTP traffic between your device and the server, handling any embedded issues becomes easy.
12 HTTP Client and Web Debugging Proxy Tools
Fiddler is a cross-platform web debugging proxy. It can help manipulate web sessions, inspect HTTPS traffic, and monitor traffic between your computer and the Internet.
Source: geekflare.com
Comparing Charles Proxy, Fiddler, Wireshark, and Requestly
Fiddler is another popular web debugging proxy that runs on Windows. It provides developers with a range of features, such as HTTP/HTTPS traffic capturing, request modification, and performance testing. In addition to these features, Fiddler has a scripting engine called FiddlerScript, which allows for customizing the tool’s behavior. This scripting engine enables developers...
Source: dev.to
73 Best SEO tools 2021 – The Most Epic List You Shouldn’t Miss
The answer is simple – if you are looking for an SEO site tool that won’t freeze your browser (a common problem with most plugins), then Fiddler is your ultimate debugging tool.

PostHog Reviews

The best Hotjar alternatives & competitors, compared
According to BuiltWith, as of February 2024, PostHog is used on 5,169 (0.52%) of the top 1 million websites. Hotjar is used by 72,048 of the top 1 million websites. Typical PostHog users are engineers and product managers at startups and mid-size companies, such as Webshare, AssemblyAI, and Purplewave.
Source: posthog.com
The 8 best free and open-source feature flag services
BlogBackSign inBlogThe 8 best free and open-source feature flag servicesPosted byThe best open-source feature flag tools1. PostHogWhat is PostHog?Supported librariesHow much does it cost?2. UnleashWhat is Unleash?Supported SDKsHow much does it cost?3. GrowthBookWhat is GrowthBook?Supported SDKsHow much does it cost?4. FlagsmithWhat is Flagsmith?Supported SDKsHow much does it...
Source: posthog.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, PostHog seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 73 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Fiddler mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Fiddler yet. Tracking of Fiddler recommendations started around Mar 2021.

PostHog mentions (73)

  • I built an AI IDE that shows you exactly what it sends to the model
    What it deliberately does not have: accounts, cloud sync, a marketplace, Or any paywall. Telemetry is opt-in, off by default, anonymous, and collects Zero content — the endpoint is configurable if you'd rather self-host PostHog. It's free software, and it will stay that way. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Opus vs GPT on Real Ops, Part 2: One Drove, One Was Driven
    Opus, zero nudges. Realised on its own that an abandoned signup never fires identify, triangulated the anonymous session from time, platform and registration events, decoded the PostHog replay blobs, confirmed the duplicate account in Supabase, proved the reset email never sent, and pulled the root cause out of an unmasked DOM field. One prompt in; root cause out. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Why We Open-Sourced Our Audit Logging Instead of Using Splunk
    This is the same model that PostHog, Supabase, and dozens of other developer tools use. Open core, with a managed offering on top. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • What Is Web3 User Analytics? A Complete Guide to Driving Growth
    Offchain: Website traffic, in-app behaviour, marketing channels, growth campaigns (Google Analytics or PostHog). - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • Validating Your Startup Idea with a Landing Page, Waitlist, and Stripe Test Mode in One Weekend
    --- Title: "Validate Your Startup Idea in One Weekend: Next.js + PostHog + Stripe Test Mode" Published: true Description: "A step-by-step workshop for wiring up a landing page with analytics, a waitlist, and Stripe test-mode checkout to measure real willingness-to-pay before writing product code." Tags: typescript, api, architecture, cloud Canonical_url:... - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Fiddler and PostHog, you can also consider the following products

Charles Proxy - HTTP proxy / HTTP monitor / Reverse Proxy

Mixpanel - Mixpanel is the most advanced analytics platform in the world for mobile & web.

Postman - The Collaboration Platform for API Development

Amplitude - Chart Your Path to Growth with Digital Analytics

Proxyman.io - Proxyman is a high-performance macOS app, which enables developers to view HTTP/HTTPS requests from apps and domains.

Plausible.io - Plausible Analytics is a simple, open-source, lightweight (< 1 KB) and privacy-friendly web analytics alternative to Google Analytics. Made and hosted in the EU, powered by European-owned cloud infrastructure 🇪🇺