happenstance vs Mixpanel

Skip the setup.
Start tracking now.

Mixpanel is powerful, but requires manual instrumentation for every event. Happenstance tracks everything automatically.

Happenstance

Zero-config

  1. 1 Add one script tag to your site
  2. 2 Done. Events are tracked automatically.
~30 seconds

Mixpanel

Traditional setup

  1. 1 Create account and verify email
  2. 2 Install SDK in your codebase
  3. 3 Define your tracking plan
  4. 4 Add mixpanel.track() calls throughout code
  5. 5 Define user properties and identify calls
  6. 6 Test in development environment
  7. 7 Deploy code changes to production
  8. 8 Wait for data to populate
Hours to days

Mixpanel is one of the most feature-rich product analytics platforms available. But that power comes with complexity. Every event needs to be manually instrumented, properties need to be defined, and your engineering team needs to maintain the tracking code as your product evolves. Happenstance takes a different approach: automatic discovery means you get insights from day one, with zero engineering overhead.

Feature Comparison

FeatureHappenstanceMixpanel
Zero-config setup
Automatic event discovery
No code changes required
Event tracking
User analytics
Funnel analysis
Retention cohorts
A/B testing
Free tier10k events/mo1M events/mo
GDPR compliant
No cookies

Why teams switch

Teams switch from Mixpanel when they realize how much engineering time goes into maintaining tracking code. Every new feature needs new instrumentation. Every UI change risks breaking existing events. With Happenstance, your analytics automatically adapt to your UI changes. Events are named from your actual interface elements, so they stay meaningful even as your product evolves.

How to migrate from Mixpanel

  1. 1 Add the Happenstance script tag to your site alongside Mixpanel.
  2. 2 Let Happenstance discover your events automatically for a few days.
  3. 3 Map your Mixpanel event names to Happenstance's auto-discovered events using custom names.
  4. 4 Remove the Mixpanel SDK and all mixpanel.track() calls from your codebase.
  5. 5 Enjoy zero-maintenance analytics that adapts as your UI evolves.

Who should use what

Choose Happenstance if...

You want product analytics without the engineering overhead. Perfect for teams that don't have a dedicated data team to maintain tracking code.

Choose Mixpanel if...

You need advanced segmentation, A/B testing, or have a data team that can maintain complex tracking implementations across your product.

Integration Code

Happenstance (complete setup)

<script src="https://happenstance.click/v1/track.js"></script>

Mixpanel (just initialization)

import mixpanel from 'mixpanel-browser';

mixpanel.init('YOUR_TOKEN');
mixpanel.identify(userId);
mixpanel.track('Button Clicked', {
  button_name: 'Add to Cart',
  product_id: '123',
  // ... more properties
});

Mixpanel is excellent for teams with dedicated analytics engineers who can maintain complex tracking implementations. For everyone else, Happenstance provides actionable insights without the engineering overhead.

Start tracking in 30 seconds

No signup. No configuration. Just add one script tag and see your analytics instantly.

Get your script tag

Also considering alternatives?