Helion

Helion is an open-source analytics platform for teams that want to connect product behavior and web traffic in one place. It suits teams choosing between operating their own analytics stack and paying for a hosted service. Its appeal is breadth; the key decision is whether to self-host or fit within Cloud’s 1M-event allowance.

Overview

Helion brings event tracking, user profiles, funnels, cohorts, retention analysis, real-time dashboards, session replay, A/B testing and revenue tracking together. Product teams can use those measures to examine user journeys, repeat activity and revenue without splitting the work across separate analytics tools. ClickHouse stores events and runs analytics queries.

Tracking is cookieless by default and does not require third-party tracking cookies. Helion’s MCP server lets Claude, Cursor and other compatible AI clients query analytics data. Event-triggered notifications can go to Slack, Discord or a custom webhook, with JavaScript payload transforms to shape the payload.

Key features

Behavior analysis and replay

Funnels, cohorts and retention analysis add journey and repeat-use questions to Helion’s event and traffic analytics. Session replay can add behavioral context, but it is opt-in and off by default, so teams must enable it deliberately. Its stated 30-day retention may be too short for teams that need to revisit older sessions.

Deployment and development

Teams can run Helion with Docker Compose on a VPS, Kubernetes cluster or cloud provider. That flexibility is useful for organizations that want control over deployment, but self-hosting also means taking responsibility for operating the service. The software is open source under AGPL-3.0. SDK support includes JavaScript, React, Next.js, Astro and Python, alongside additional platforms.

Security and support

Helion’s privacy policy describes HTTPS/TLS and production-system access controls for protecting data. Usage questions go to Discord, bug reports and feature requests to GitHub issues, and enterprise or partnership inquiries to email. Its independent, bootstrapped operation is maintained by founder Lalit Shrotriya.

Pricing

Helion’s primary pricing metric is events, which makes event volume the central constraint when choosing between the free deployment and hosted service.

Self-hosted is the clearest fit for teams able to manage deployment and wanting no event cap. Cloud avoids self-managed hosting, but its 1M-event allowance makes it a less suitable fit for teams whose usage is likely to exceed that volume. The pricing note also offers a 30-day trial; the stated plan price is $90 a month.

Platforms

Helion supports Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows, web and API use, as well as self-hosted deployment. That range accommodates teams working across mobile, desktop and web products.

Who it's for

Helion is a strong candidate for product teams that need funnels, cohorts, retention and replay alongside event analytics, particularly if they value cookieless-by-default tracking or want AI clients to query analytics. It is less compelling for teams that do not want to operate infrastructure but expect to exceed Cloud’s 1M events, or those that need session replay retained beyond 30 days.

Pros and cons

• Pros: The free self-hosted plan includes all features and unlimited events, making it useful for teams willing to manage deployment.
• Pros: Funnels, cohorts, retention, replay, A/B testing and revenue tracking cover a broad range of product-analysis needs.
• Pros: Cookieless-default tracking avoids dependence on third-party tracking cookies, and the MCP server supports querying through compatible AI clients.
• Cons: Cloud includes 1M events for $90 a month, so teams must account for event volume when assessing fit.
• Cons: Session replay is off by default and its stated retention is 30 days, requiring setup and limiting review of older sessions.

Alternatives

For other options, see Product Analytics Tools.

• Aptabase is another freemium option with a free plan, support across Android, iOS, web, desktop and self-hosted platforms, and an AGPL-3.0 server with MIT-licensed SDKs.
• PostHog is worth considering if an open-source product under MIT is a priority; it has a free plan and no free trial.
• devtodev may suit teams seeking a free plan capped at 25k monthly active users, 30 custom events and five team members, with raw data stored for up to three months.
• GameAnalytics offers a free plan with no MAU limits and includes dashboards, events, funnels, cohorts, retention and real-time reporting.
• Zoho Apptics is an alternative with a free-forever plan covering one project, five applications per project, 5K errors per month and 25K engagements per month.
• Klaritics offers a free self-hosted, single-instance Starter plan with up to 1M events analyzed per month, a 30-day retention window and up to three seats.
• TelemetryDeck may fit teams looking for an event-based free allowance: accounts created from July 1, 2026 receive 50,000 events per month and a maximum of three apps.
• Amplio is a free alternative with MIT licensing, self-hosting and no stated usage limits.

Verdict

Choose Helion if you want broad product analytics, prefer the option to self-host without event limits, or can work within Cloud’s 1M-event allowance. Its combination of funnels, retention, replay and AI-client querying is a persuasive package; look elsewhere if you need longer session replay retention or hosted service without that event constraint.