happenstance vs Segment

Skip the setup.
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Segment is the plumbing between your tools. But do you really need plumbing when one tool does everything? Happenstance is analytics without the middleware.

Happenstance

Zero-config

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

Segment

Traditional setup

  1. 1 Sign up for Segment (starts at $120/mo)
  2. 2 Install analytics.js or SDK
  3. 3 Define your tracking plan
  4. 4 Add analytics.track() calls for each event
  5. 5 Configure destinations (analytics tools)
  6. 6 Set up schemas and protocols
  7. 7 Map events to each destination's format
  8. 8 Monitor data quality and fix breaking changes
Hours to days

Segment is a customer data platform — it collects events and routes them to hundreds of downstream tools. It's incredibly powerful for enterprises with complex data stacks. But Segment is middleware, not analytics. You still need to buy Mixpanel or Amplitude on top of it. And every event still needs to be manually instrumented. Happenstance is a complete analytics solution — tracking and dashboard in one, with zero instrumentation.

Feature Comparison

FeatureHappenstanceSegment
Zero-config setup
Automatic event discovery
No code changes required
Built-in analytics dashboard
Event tracking
Error tracking
Data routing to multiple tools
Identity resolution
Privacy-friendly
No cookies
Free tier10k events/mo1k visitors/mo

Why teams switch

Teams reconsider Segment when the bills start adding up. Segment's pricing plus analytics tools plus data warehouse can easily exceed $500/month. And you're still writing tracking code. Happenstance replaces the entire stack — automatic tracking, built-in dashboard, zero configuration — for $10/month.

How to migrate from Segment

  1. 1 Add the Happenstance script tag — no tracking plan needed.
  2. 2 Let Happenstance discover your events automatically.
  3. 3 Compare the coverage with what Segment was capturing.
  4. 4 Evaluate if you still need Segment's data routing to other tools.
  5. 5 Remove Segment and downstream analytics tools you no longer need.

Who should use what

Choose Happenstance if...

You want a complete analytics solution in one tool. Perfect for teams who don't need to route data to a dozen different platforms.

Choose Segment if...

You need to feed event data to multiple downstream tools (CRM, email, data warehouse) and need enterprise-grade identity resolution.

Integration Code

Happenstance (complete setup)

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

Segment (just initialization)

// Segment analytics.js
analytics.identify('userId', {
  name: 'Jane Smith',
  email: 'jane@example.com'
});

analytics.track('Button Clicked', {
  button: 'Add to Cart',
  product_id: '123'
});
// Then configure destinations...

Segment is the right choice for enterprises that need to route data to many downstream tools with strict schemas. Happenstance is for teams who want analytics, not data infrastructure — one tool that tracks everything and shows you what matters.

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Also considering alternatives?