Mixpanel vs Amplitude for Nonprofits
Both Mixpanel and Amplitude help organizations understand how users engage with digital products, but they take different approaches. Mixpanel offers one of the strongest nonprofit discount programs in analytics (80% off), while Amplitude provides a more accessible interface and a generous free tier covering up to 50,000 monthly users. Your decision comes down to whether your priority is deep funnel analysis at reduced cost or an approachable platform your whole team can use from day one.
Quick Verdict
Choose based on your nonprofit's priorities:
Choose Mixpanel if:
- •You qualify for the 80% nonprofit discount and have $3,000+ in annual savings potential
- •You need deep funnel analysis, cohort tracking, and advanced segmentation
- •Your team includes a developer or data analyst to maintain tracking plans
- •You want granular control over user behavioral queries and custom reports
- •Session replay and A/B testing are important for optimizing donor flows
Choose Amplitude if:
- •Your organization has up to 50,000 monthly users and wants to start free
- •Non-technical program staff need to access and interpret analytics independently
- •AI-powered anomaly detection and predictive insights are a priority
- •You need strong session replay and heatmaps without integrating additional tools
- •You run both web and mobile apps and need seamless cross-platform analytics
At-a-Glance Comparison
| Feature | Mixpanel | Amplitude | Winner / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | Free (1M events/month) | Free (50K users/month) | 🤝 Both have free tiers |
| Nonprofit Discount | 80% off Growth plan | No formal program | 🏆 Mixpanel wins |
| Free Tier Limits | 1M events + 10K nonprofit MTUs | 50K monthly tracked users | 🏆 Amplitude (user-based) |
| Ease of Use | 3/5 (steeper learning curve) | 4/5 (more intuitive) | 🏆 Amplitude wins |
| Funnel Analysis | Advanced with deep filtering | Strong with visual builder | 🏆 Mixpanel (more granular) |
| AI Features | Spark AI (Growth+) | Amplitude AI (all plans) | 🏆 Amplitude wins |
| Session Replay | Available (paid add-on) | Available (Starter+) | 🏆 Amplitude (included) |
| Integrations | 50+ (Segment, Salesforce, HubSpot) | 50+ (Segment, Salesforce, warehouses) | 🤝 Tie (both strong) |
| Cohort Analysis | Excellent (industry-leading) | Strong (Behavioral Cohorts) | 🏆 Mixpanel wins |
| Data Warehouse Export | Available (Growth+) | Strong (Plus+, reverse ETL) | 🏆 Amplitude (better warehouse support) |
| Mobile Analytics | Strong web + mobile SDK | Excellent cross-platform | 🏆 Amplitude wins |
| Best For | Nonprofits needing deep event analytics with discount | Nonprofits wanting accessible AI-powered behavioral insights | Context-dependent |
Last updated: February 28, 2026. Pricing and features subject to change; verify with vendors before purchasing.
Why Nonprofits Need Product Analytics
When a potential donor visits your online giving page and leaves without completing their gift, where did you lose them? Was it the form length, the lack of recurring giving options, or a confusing navigation path? Without product analytics, you are guessing. With the right platform, you have clear visual evidence of exactly where users drop off, which features drive engagement, and what changes would improve outcomes.
Nonprofits with digital platforms, including online donation portals, volunteer registration systems, membership apps, and program participant portals, generate behavioral data with every click and scroll. Product analytics tools like Mixpanel and Amplitude transform that raw data into actionable insights. They show you conversion funnels, retention patterns, user cohorts, and behavioral flows that traditional website analytics tools like Google Analytics miss entirely.
Mixpanel and Amplitude are the two leading platforms in this space, and while they solve similar problems, they take meaningfully different approaches. Mixpanel is known for its depth of query capability and granular funnel analysis, and it has built one of the most generous nonprofit discount programs in the SaaS world. Amplitude has focused on accessibility and AI integration, making it easier for non-technical staff to extract insights without writing complex queries, and its free tier supports organizations with up to 50,000 monthly tracked users.
This comparison examines both platforms from a nonprofit perspective, covering pricing (including discount programs), feature depth, ease of use, integration ecosystems, data privacy, and real-world use cases. Whether you are evaluating your first analytics platform or considering switching from one to the other, this guide will help you make the right decision for your organization's mission and technical capacity.
What Is Mixpanel?
Mixpanel is an event-based product analytics platform founded in 2009 and headquartered in San Francisco. It tracks user interactions as discrete events (button clicks, form submissions, page views, video plays) and allows organizations to analyze those events through funnels, retention curves, cohort comparisons, and behavioral flow charts. Mixpanel's core strength is the depth and flexibility of its query engine, which lets analysts segment users by virtually any combination of properties and behaviors.
For nonprofits, Mixpanel is particularly valuable for optimizing digital donation flows, understanding volunteer registration drop-off, and measuring how program participants engage with online resources over time. The platform recently added Spark AI, a natural language query tool that lets users ask questions in plain English and receive chart-based answers without writing queries manually. Session replay, A/B testing, and feature flagging round out a platform that has expanded well beyond its analytics origins.
Mixpanel's nonprofit program stands out in the industry. Qualifying organizations receive 10,000 free monthly tracked users plus an 80% discount on the Growth plan, which can translate to $3,000 to $10,000 or more in annual savings for mid-size nonprofit organizations. The application process requires documentation of nonprofit status but is straightforward for most registered 501(c)(3) organizations.
Mixpanel Strengths
- •80% nonprofit discount, one of the best in analytics SaaS
- •Industry-leading cohort analysis and behavioral segmentation
- •Advanced funnel analysis with multi-step filtering
- •Spark AI for natural language data queries
- •Flexible free tier based on events, not user count
- •Strong A/B testing and feature flag management
Mixpanel Limitations
- •Steeper learning curve than Amplitude for non-technical staff
- •Spark AI and advanced features require Growth plan or higher
- •Session replay available but as a paid add-on
- •Data warehouse connectivity less mature than Amplitude
- •Requires developer time for proper event instrumentation
- •Complex tracking plans can become difficult to maintain over time
What Is Amplitude?
Amplitude is a digital analytics platform founded in 2012 that has become one of the most widely adopted product analytics tools globally. Like Mixpanel, it tracks user behavior through events and provides funnel analysis, cohort segmentation, retention charts, and user journey mapping. Where Amplitude differentiates itself is in its approachability and AI integration. The platform's visual chart builder is designed for product managers, marketers, and program staff who need insights without writing complex queries, and its AI capabilities are available across more pricing tiers than Mixpanel's.
Amplitude's free Starter plan is notably generous, covering up to 50,000 monthly tracked users with core analytics features including charts, dashboards, funnels, retention analysis, and session replay. This makes it an attractive starting point for small and mid-size nonprofits whose digital platforms have modest user volumes. As organizations grow, paid plans (Plus from $49/month, Growth from $995/month) add features like experiment analysis, custom metrics, and advanced data governance.
Amplitude's AI features, marketed as Amplitude AI, include automatic anomaly detection that alerts you when key metrics deviate unexpectedly, Ask Amplitude for natural language queries, and predictive analytics that identify at-risk user cohorts. These capabilities help nonprofit teams that do not have dedicated data analysts stay informed about what is happening in their digital products without spending hours in the interface.
Amplitude Strengths
- •Generous free tier: 50K monthly tracked users with core features
- •More intuitive interface for non-technical team members
- •AI anomaly detection and Ask Amplitude available on more plans
- •Session replay included in Starter plan (no add-on cost)
- •Strong cross-platform analytics for web and mobile apps
- •Better data warehouse connectivity (reverse ETL, warehouse-native)
Amplitude Limitations
- •No formal nonprofit discount program
- •Paid plans are expensive ($995+/month for Growth)
- •Cohort analysis less granular than Mixpanel at complex levels
- •A/B testing and feature flags require higher-tier plans
- •Still requires developer implementation for event tracking
- •Free tier session replay has limited retention period
Head-to-Head Feature Breakdown
Both platforms cover the core product analytics use cases, but they prioritize depth versus accessibility differently. Here is how they compare on the features that matter most to nonprofit organizations.
Funnel Analysis
Tracking user journeys from first touchpoint to conversion
Mixpanel
Mixpanel's funnel analysis is widely regarded as the most granular in the industry. You can filter funnel steps by virtually any user property or event attribute, compare conversion rates across different user cohorts, and drill down into exactly which users completed or abandoned each step. The ability to retroactively apply new funnel definitions to historical data is particularly valuable when you realize you need to analyze a journey you did not plan for in advance.
Amplitude
Amplitude's funnel charts are clean, visual, and easy to build with a drag-and-drop interface. Non-technical staff can create and share funnel analyses without help from a developer. Amplitude adds useful features like conversion timing analysis (how long users take at each step) and automatic insight suggestions about which user properties correlate with better conversion. It is slightly less flexible than Mixpanel for complex multi-step filtering but handles the most common nonprofit use cases well.
Nonprofit Verdict: Mixpanel wins for organizations that need to deeply diagnose complex donation flows. Amplitude wins for teams where multiple staff members need to independently build and share funnel reports without analyst support.
Retention & Cohort Analysis
Understanding which users stay engaged and why
Mixpanel
Mixpanel's retention and cohort analysis capabilities are among the most powerful in the market. You can define cohorts by virtually any behavioral criteria (users who donated twice in 30 days, volunteers who completed onboarding but never signed up for a shift) and track how those cohorts behave over time. The Retention report lets you visualize n-day and unbounded retention with granular filtering. For nonprofits tracking donor loyalty or program participant engagement, this depth is genuinely useful.
Amplitude
Amplitude's Behavioral Cohorts feature is robust and accessible. You can build cohorts from event sequences and properties, then apply them across any chart in the platform. The Retention chart has clear visualization with both new user and returning user retention curves. Amplitude's Compass feature automatically suggests insights about why certain cohorts retain better, which helps teams without dedicated analysts understand what drives engagement without doing manual analysis.
Nonprofit Verdict: Mixpanel offers more analytical power for advanced cohort work. Amplitude's automatic insight suggestions make retention analysis accessible to teams without data expertise. Choose based on whether you have analytical capacity to leverage Mixpanel's depth.
AI & Automation Features
Using artificial intelligence to surface insights automatically
Mixpanel
Mixpanel's Spark AI allows users to type questions in natural language ("Which user segment has the highest donation conversion rate?") and receive chart-based answers. The feature is genuinely useful for non-technical queries but is available only on Growth and Enterprise plans, meaning free-tier nonprofits cannot access it. Mixpanel also has automated alerts for metric thresholds, helping teams catch significant changes without monitoring dashboards manually.
Amplitude
Amplitude AI is more deeply integrated across the platform. Automatic anomaly detection monitors key metrics and proactively alerts you to unexpected changes, whether a sudden donation conversion drop or an unusual spike in volunteer sign-ups. Ask Amplitude enables natural language queries similar to Spark AI. Amplitude's predictive cohorts can identify users likely to churn or convert before it happens, giving nonprofits a head start on intervention. These AI features are available on broader plan tiers than Mixpanel's equivalent offerings.
Nonprofit Verdict: Amplitude wins on AI breadth and accessibility. Its automatic anomaly detection alone provides significant value for busy nonprofit teams who do not have time to actively monitor dashboards.
Session Replay & Heatmaps
Watching how real users navigate your digital products
Mixpanel
Mixpanel offers session replay as an add-on to its Growth plan. The feature records user sessions with click and scroll tracking, and it integrates with funnel analysis so you can watch recordings of users who abandoned a specific step. This connection between quantitative funnel data and qualitative session recordings is powerful for diagnosing conversion problems. However, the additional cost means it is not available on the free tier or automatically included in base plans.
Amplitude
Amplitude includes session replay in its Starter (free) plan, which is a meaningful advantage. Users can watch recordings filtered by funnel step, event, or cohort membership. The integration with behavioral analytics means you can go from a funnel drop-off point directly to watching session recordings of users who abandoned at that step. Amplitude also includes heatmap functionality in higher-tier plans, giving a visual overview of where users click and scroll on pages.
Nonprofit Verdict: Amplitude wins clearly. Including session replay in the free tier is a significant value advantage, especially for small nonprofits trying to diagnose UX problems on donation and registration pages without additional tool costs.
Data Infrastructure & Integrations
Connecting analytics to your existing data ecosystem
Mixpanel
Mixpanel integrates with Segment, mParticle, and major CDPs for data collection, plus direct integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk, and Intercom. Data export to warehouses (BigQuery, Snowflake, Redshift) is available on Growth plans. The platform also has a robust JavaScript SDK and mobile SDKs for iOS and Android. For nonprofits using Segment as a data pipeline, Mixpanel is a natural destination for behavioral data alongside other tools.
Amplitude
Amplitude's data infrastructure story is particularly strong. It supports warehouse-native analytics (querying data directly from your data warehouse without importing it into Amplitude) and has more mature reverse ETL capabilities for pushing behavioral segments back to CRMs and marketing tools. The Amplitude Data feature provides a full data tracking plan manager, which helps teams maintain consistent event naming and property definitions across platforms. For nonprofits building modern data stacks, Amplitude integrates more naturally with warehouse-centric architectures.
Nonprofit Verdict: Amplitude wins for organizations building modern data infrastructure. Mixpanel is sufficient for most nonprofits using Segment or direct SDK implementations without complex warehouse requirements.
Pricing Breakdown
Understanding the true cost of each platform requires looking at both list pricing and nonprofit-specific programs. The pricing models are structured differently, which makes direct comparison require some careful calculation.
Mixpanel Pricing
- •Free: 1 million events per month, unlimited users, core analytics features
- •Growth: From $0.28 per 1,000 events above free tier; Spark AI, A/B testing, session replay add-on
- •Enterprise: Custom pricing; advanced governance, SSO, custom contracts
- •Nonprofit Program: 10K free monthly tracked users + 80% off Growth plan for qualifying nonprofits
- •Pricing Model: Per event tracked (scales with data volume, not user count)
Amplitude Pricing
- •Starter (Free): 50K monthly tracked users, session replay, charts, dashboards, funnels, retention
- •Plus: From $49/month; custom metrics, advanced dashboards, increased limits
- •Growth: From $995/month; experiment analysis, advanced governance, Amplitude AI
- •Enterprise: Custom pricing; SSO, advanced compliance, dedicated support
- •Nonprofit: No formal discount; Startup Scholarship for organizations under 20 employees/$10M funding
Total Cost of Ownership: 3 Nonprofit Scenarios
Small Nonprofit (under 10K monthly users)
Mixpanel: Free tier covers this entirely. $0/year for analytics. Nonprofit program provides additional 10K tracked users at no cost.
Amplitude: Free Starter plan covers up to 50K monthly users. $0/year for core analytics including session replay.
Verdict: Both are free. Amplitude provides more features (session replay) at no cost. Mixpanel's free tier is more flexible if your event volume is high relative to your user count.
Mid-Size Nonprofit (10K to 100K monthly users)
Mixpanel: With 80% nonprofit discount, Growth plan costs approximately $200 to $600/year depending on event volume. Without discount, $1,000 to $3,000/year.
Amplitude: Free tier covers up to 50K users; Plus plan ($49/month = $588/year) covers 100K+ users. Growth plan ($995/month) needed for advanced AI features.
Verdict: Mixpanel with nonprofit discount is highly competitive, often $200 to $600/year for strong analytics. Amplitude's Plus plan at $588/year is comparable. Amplitude's free tier may cover organizations under 50K users entirely.
Large Nonprofit (100K+ monthly users, multiple products)
Mixpanel: Enterprise pricing required; estimated $2,000 to $8,000/year with nonprofit discount. Session replay, advanced governance, and Spark AI all included at enterprise tier.
Amplitude: Growth or Enterprise plan needed: $12,000+/year without nonprofit pricing. Amplitude Growth at $995/month provides the most complete feature set including AI and experiment analysis.
Verdict: Mixpanel's nonprofit discount creates a significant cost advantage at scale. Large nonprofits should apply for the nonprofit program before evaluating Amplitude, as the savings can be $10,000+/year.
Note: Prices may be outdated or inaccurate.
Nonprofit Discounts & Special Pricing
Mixpanel Nonprofit Program
- •Discount: 80% off Growth plan pricing
- •Free MTUs: 10,000 additional monthly tracked users at no cost
- •Eligibility: Registered 501(c)(3) organizations in the US; similar status internationally
- •Application: Submit documentation through Mixpanel's nonprofit application page
- •Renewal: Annual renewal required with updated nonprofit documentation
Amplitude Nonprofit Options
- •Nonprofit Discount: No formal nonprofit discount program
- •Startup Scholarship: One year of Growth plan features free for organizations under 20 employees and under $10M in funding
- •Free Tier: Permanent free Starter plan covering 50K monthly tracked users
- •Negotiation: Contact Amplitude sales directly; some nonprofits have negotiated custom pricing
- •TechSoup: Not available through TechSoup as of 2026
Nonprofit Discount Summary
Mixpanel's nonprofit program is substantially more valuable for organizations that need advanced features and exceed the free tier limits. If your organization qualifies, the 80% discount should be a significant factor in your decision. Amplitude's free tier is excellent for small organizations with modest user volumes, and the Startup Scholarship is worth exploring for newly formed or small nonprofits. Large nonprofits should negotiate directly with Amplitude's sales team even without a formal program.
Ease of Use & Learning Curve
Mixpanel Learning Experience
Mixpanel has a powerful but complex interface. The query builder for custom reports requires understanding of event properties, user properties, and filter logic. New users typically need 1 to 2 weeks of regular use before feeling comfortable with the platform. The documentation is excellent, but the depth of options can be overwhelming initially.
The Mixpanel Academy has free courses covering fundamentals to advanced analytics, which helps onboard team members systematically. Spark AI reduces the learning curve for ad-hoc questions, but the underlying query interface still requires training for building custom reports.
Amplitude Learning Experience
Amplitude's interface is designed for a broader audience than just data analysts. The drag-and-drop chart builder, pre-built templates, and visual event selector make it accessible to program managers and marketing staff who are not data specialists. Most users can build basic charts and dashboards within a few hours of their first login.
Amplitude Academy provides structured certification programs, and the in-app guided tours help new users find their footing. Ask Amplitude reduces the need to learn the query interface for exploratory questions. The main learning curve comes from setting up a good tracking plan initially, which requires developer involvement regardless of platform.
Implementation Timeline
| Milestone | Mixpanel | Amplitude |
|---|---|---|
| Account setup | 30 minutes | 30 minutes |
| Initial event tracking (developer) | 1 to 2 days | 1 to 2 days |
| First useful dashboard | 3 to 5 days | 1 to 3 days |
| Staff trained on basics | 1 to 2 weeks | 2 to 3 days |
| Full team proficiency | 4 to 6 weeks | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Comprehensive tracking plan | 4 to 8 weeks | 3 to 6 weeks |
Integration & Compatibility
Both platforms support the most common data collection methods and CRM integrations nonprofits use. The key differentiator is in data warehouse and reverse ETL capabilities, which matter more to organizations with mature data stacks.
| Integration Type | Mixpanel | Amplitude |
|---|---|---|
| Segment CDP | Native (preferred partner) | Native (preferred partner) |
| Salesforce CRM | Native integration | Native integration |
| HubSpot | Native integration | Native integration |
| Slack notifications | Available | Available |
| BigQuery/Snowflake export | Growth+ plans | Plus+ plans |
| Warehouse-native analytics | Limited | Strong (Amplitude CDP) |
| Reverse ETL (push to CRM) | Basic | More mature |
| Zapier | Via Webhooks | Native Zapier integration |
Integration Recommendation for Nonprofits
For nonprofits using Segment as a data pipeline, both tools are equally easy to connect. For organizations with existing data warehouses looking to run analytics on consolidated data, Amplitude's warehouse-native capabilities are more mature. For simpler setups using direct SDK implementations and basic CRM sync, both platforms are equivalent in practical terms.
Data Privacy, Security & Compliance
Mixpanel Security
- SOC 2 Type II certified
- GDPR compliant with EU data residency options
- CCPA compliant with user deletion support
- Data retention controls (90 day to 5 year options)
- Role-based access controls
- SSO/SAML (Enterprise plan)
- IP allowlisting and data masking
Amplitude Security
- SOC 2 Type II certified
- GDPR compliant with EU data residency
- CCPA compliant with right-to-deletion support
- HIPAA BAA available (Enterprise plans)
- Role-based access controls and data governance
- SSO/SAML (Growth+ plans)
- Amplitude Data for tracking plan governance
Important Note for Healthcare & Social Service Nonprofits
Both platforms can be used for general website and app analytics. However, neither should be used to track personally identifiable health information or protected health information (PHI) without a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) in place. Amplitude offers HIPAA BAA on Enterprise plans. If your nonprofit serves healthcare clients or tracks health-related behavioral data, verify compliance requirements before implementation. For general donation flow and volunteer management analytics, standard data anonymization practices are sufficient for most nonprofits.
Which Tool Should You Choose?
Both Mixpanel and Amplitude are excellent product analytics platforms. The right choice for your nonprofit depends on your budget, technical capacity, and the specific analytics use cases you need to support.
Choose Mixpanel if:
- •Your organization is a registered 501(c)(3) and you qualify for the 80% nonprofit discount
- •You need advanced funnel analysis and cohort segmentation capabilities
- •Your team has a developer and ideally a data analyst who can leverage the platform's depth
- •A/B testing and feature flags are part of your product development workflow
- •Your event volume is high but your user count is modest (Mixpanel's pricing model favors this)
Choose Amplitude if:
- •You want to start for free and your organization has fewer than 50K monthly users
- •Multiple non-technical team members need to independently access and interpret analytics
- •AI-powered anomaly detection and proactive insights are important for your small team
- •You need session replay without additional cost (included in Amplitude's free tier)
- •You have or are building a data warehouse and want native warehouse analytics
Decision Framework: 5 Questions
1. Do you qualify for Mixpanel's nonprofit discount?
If yes, Mixpanel's pricing becomes extremely competitive, often making it the better value for organizations that need advanced features. Apply before evaluating alternatives.
2. How many monthly users does your digital platform have?
Under 50K users: Amplitude's free tier may cover your needs entirely. Over 50K users: evaluate both platforms' paid pricing with any available discounts.
3. Who will use the analytics platform day-to-day?
Primarily a data analyst or developer: Mixpanel's depth is an asset. Multiple non-technical staff: Amplitude's accessibility reduces training burden and increases adoption.
4. Do you need proactive AI-driven insights?
If your team does not have capacity to actively monitor dashboards, Amplitude's automatic anomaly detection provides value without requiring someone to log in daily.
5. Are you building a modern data stack with a warehouse?
If you have or plan to build a data warehouse (BigQuery, Snowflake), Amplitude's warehouse-native features and reverse ETL capabilities provide better long-term infrastructure alignment.
Getting Started with Your Choice
Getting Started with Mixpanel
- 1.Apply for the nonprofit discount before signing up for a paid plan. Submit documentation at mixpanel.com/nonprofit.
- 2.Create a tracking plan document listing every user action you want to track before writing any code.
- 3.Implement Mixpanel SDK on your key pages, or use Segment as a data pipeline if you have multiple analytics destinations.
- 4.Build your first donation funnel report to establish a baseline conversion rate before making any changes.
- 5.Enroll in Mixpanel Academy's free courses to systematically train staff who will use the platform regularly.
Getting Started with Amplitude
- 1.Start with the free Starter plan. No credit card required. Check if your organization qualifies for the Startup Scholarship.
- 2.Use Amplitude Data to create your tracking plan and define naming conventions before implementation.
- 3.Install the Amplitude Browser SDK or connect Segment. Use Ampli, Amplitude's SDK wrapper, for type-safe event tracking.
- 4.Enable session replay to visually understand user behavior alongside quantitative funnel data from the start.
- 5.Complete Amplitude Academy certification to get your team up to speed. Assign dashboard creation tasks to build hands-on familiarity.
Migrating Between Platforms
If you are switching from Mixpanel to Amplitude or vice versa, plan for a parallel running period of 4 to 6 weeks where both platforms receive the same events. This allows you to validate that data matches and build confidence in the new platform before fully switching. Historical data typically cannot be migrated between platforms, so you will start fresh in the new system. Set up your most critical dashboards and baseline reports before decommissioning the old platform.
For organizations coming from Google Analytics, both Mixpanel and Amplitude represent a significant step up in behavioral analytics capability but require developer effort to implement event tracking. Google Analytics' automatic pageview tracking does not transfer. Budget 2 to 4 weeks of developer time to implement a solid event tracking plan when migrating from GA4 to either platform.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better for nonprofits: Mixpanel or Amplitude?
It depends on your budget and technical capacity. Mixpanel is better if you qualify for the 80% nonprofit discount and need deep funnel analytics, cohort tracking, and granular behavioral queries. Amplitude is better if you want a generous free tier (50K monthly tracked users), a more approachable interface for non-technical staff, and stronger out-of-the-box AI insights. For small nonprofits, Amplitude's free tier often covers everything needed without any cost.
Does Mixpanel offer a nonprofit discount?
Yes. Mixpanel offers an 80% discount on its Growth plan for qualifying nonprofit organizations. The program also provides 10,000 additional free monthly tracked users. To apply, nonprofits submit documentation through Mixpanel's nonprofit program page. Qualifying organizations must be registered 501(c)(3)s (or international equivalent). The discount is one of the most generous in the analytics SaaS market and can save organizations thousands of dollars annually.
Does Amplitude offer a nonprofit discount?
Amplitude does not have a formal nonprofit discount program. However, Amplitude offers a Startup Scholarship that gives qualifying early-stage organizations (under 20 employees, under $10M in funding) one year of Growth plan features for free. Some small nonprofits qualify for this program. Amplitude's free Starter plan also covers up to 50,000 monthly tracked users with core analytics features, which is often sufficient for smaller nonprofits without requiring any paid plan.
Can nonprofits with no technical staff use these platforms?
Both platforms require developer involvement for initial implementation (adding event tracking code to your website or app). After implementation, Amplitude is more accessible to non-technical staff for day-to-day use. Its visual chart builder and pre-built templates allow program managers and marketing staff to build reports and dashboards independently. Mixpanel is more powerful but requires more training before non-technical staff feel comfortable. For nonprofits without in-house developers, both platforms work well with a freelance developer for the initial 1 to 2 day implementation project.
How do Mixpanel and Amplitude compare to Google Analytics?
Google Analytics (GA4) is a general web analytics tool focused on traffic sources, pageviews, and aggregate behavior. Mixpanel and Amplitude are product analytics platforms focused on individual user journeys, event sequences, and behavioral cohorts. GA4 is free and better for understanding where your web traffic comes from. Mixpanel and Amplitude are better for understanding what specific users do after they arrive, how they move through donation flows, and which user segments are most engaged. Many nonprofits benefit from using GA4 alongside either Mixpanel or Amplitude for different analytical purposes.
What is session replay and why does it matter for nonprofits?
Session replay records individual user sessions, capturing every click, scroll, and form interaction as a playable video. For nonprofits, this is invaluable for diagnosing why donors abandon the giving process. If your funnel shows 40% drop-off at the payment step, session replay lets you watch actual recordings of users who abandoned at that point, often revealing specific UI issues like confusing form fields, unclear error messages, or mobile layout problems that quantitative data alone would not surface. Amplitude includes session replay in its free tier; Mixpanel offers it as a paid add-on.
How long does implementation take for a typical nonprofit?
Basic implementation for either platform takes 1 to 2 days of developer time to add event tracking to your key pages. A comprehensive tracking plan covering all important user journeys (donation flow, volunteer registration, program portal engagement) typically takes 2 to 4 weeks of iterative development and testing. Amplitude tends to be faster for non-technical staff to adopt after initial setup, with most staff comfortable building basic reports within 2 to 3 days of training. Mixpanel typically requires 1 to 2 weeks for staff to reach basic proficiency.
Still Deciding Between Mixpanel and Amplitude?
Our team helps nonprofits evaluate analytics tools, plan event tracking implementations, and choose the platform that fits both their mission and their team's capacity. Book a free consultation to get personalized guidance.