Amplitude vs Segment

Overview

Segment

Stacks3.3K

Followers941

Votes275

Amplitude

Stacks887

Followers701

Votes36

Amplitude vs Segment: What are the differences?

Both Amplitude and Segment are analytics tools used to track and analyze user behavior on websites or applications. Let's discuss the key differences between them.

Data Collection and Storage: One of the key differences between Amplitude and Segment lies in how they collect and store data. Amplitude is a complete analytics platform that directly collects and stores data on its own servers. On the other hand, Segment is a customer data platform (CDP) that acts as a data pipeline, allowing you to send data to multiple third-party tools. It acts as a middleman between your website/app and the analytics tools, including Amplitude, to which it can forward the collected data.
Data Integration and Tool Compatibility: Amplitude mainly focuses on providing comprehensive analytics functionalities and tools. It offers built-in features for data analysis, cohort analysis, A/B testing, and more. Segment, on the other hand, specializes in data integration. It allows you to collect and send data to various third-party tools, including Amplitude. Segment's strength lies in its ability to integrate with numerous tools, making it a versatile option for businesses that rely on multiple analytics and marketing platforms.
Implementation Complexity: Implementing Amplitude generally requires more technical expertise compared to Segment. Amplitude's SDKs (Software Development Kits) need to be integrated directly into your website or app codebase, requiring developers to write custom code. Segment, on the other hand, provides a simpler implementation process. Once Segment's JavaScript snippet is added to your website or app, you can easily enable/disable tools and platforms via the Segment dashboard without re-implementing the tracking code.
Pricing Structure: The pricing structures of Amplitude and Segment differ. Amplitude follows a usage-based pricing model, meaning you are charged based on the number of events or data points you track and the level of data analysis required. In contrast, Segment's pricing is based on the number of data sources, destinations, and monthly tracked users. This makes Segment's pricing more tailored to your specific needs and allows for greater flexibility depending on the size and scale of your business.
Real-time Data Processing: While both Amplitude and Segment provide real-time data processing capabilities, the extent to which they handle real-time analysis differs. Amplitude offers real-time insights, allowing you to analyze user behavior in real-time and make data-driven decisions instantly. Segment, on the other hand, focuses primarily on data collection and integration. While it does have real-time capabilities, its core strength lies in collecting and sending data to various tools rather than providing advanced real-time analytics.
Data Ownership and Flexibility: Another key difference between Amplitude and Segment relates to data ownership and flexibility. With Amplitude, the data you track and store is owned and managed by Amplitude itself. While this ensures data security and reliability, it also means you have less control over your data. On the other hand, Segment provides greater data ownership and flexibility. You have control over where your data is sent, allowing you to switch, add or remove third-party tools as needed without losing historical data.

In summary, Amplitude is a comprehensive analytics platform that directly collects, stores, and provides built-in analytics tools, whereas Segment acts as a customer data platform (CDP) and data pipeline, integrating data from various sources to multiple tools.

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Advice on Segment, Amplitude

Ben

Chief Product Officer at goLance

Aug 22, 2020

Needs advice

I am trying to decide on a solution to better track our user data. We need to track which google ads are leading to signups, and which signups are performing various actions on the site. We then need to visualize this data in various ways. We also need to run A/B tests on features and content, to track which ones lead to the most paid conversions.

106k views106k

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Detailed Comparison

Segment	Amplitude
Segment is a single hub for customer data. Collect your data in one place, then send it to more than 100 third-party tools, internal systems, or Amazon Redshift with the flip of a switch.	Amplitude provides scalable mobile analytics that helps companies leverage data to create explosive user growth. Anyone in the company can use Amplitude to pinpoint the most valuable behavioral patterns within hours.
A single API to integrate third-party tools; Data replay that backfills new tools with historical data; SQL support to automatically transform and load behavioral data into Amazon Redshift; More than 120 tools on the platform; One-click to install plugins for WordPress, Magento and WooCommerce; Mobile, web and server-side libraries	Real-time user analytics, including funnels, retention, flexible user segmentation, and revenue analysis.; Microscope: Explore the user behavior behind any data point. Compare the behavior of engaged vs. churned users.; Growth Discovery Engine: Identify behaviors that are predictive of retention or conversion and drive explosive user growth.; Direct SQL Access via Amazon Redshift: Get access to all of your raw data with zero work on your end.
Statistics
Stacks 3.3K	Stacks 887
Followers 941	Followers 701
Votes 275	Votes 36
Pros & Cons
Pros 86 Easy to scale and maintain 3rd party services 49 One API 39 Simple 25 Multiple integrations 19 Cleanest API Cons 2 Not clear which events/options are integration-specific 1 Limitations with integration-specific configurations 1 Client-side events are separated from server-side	Pros 11 Great for product managers 9 Easy setup 6 Efficient analysis 2 Chart edits get their own URLs 2 Behavioral cohorts Cons 4 Super expensive once you're past the free plan
Integrations
Google Analytics Mixpanel UserVoice LiveChat Olark Marketo Intercom Sentry BugHerd Gauges	Looker Urban Airship Amazon Redshift Mode Optimizely Periscope

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Related Comparisons

Amplitude vs Segment: What are the differences?

Both Amplitude and Segment are analytics tools used to track and analyze user behavior on websites or applications. Let's discuss the key differences between them.

Data Collection and Storage: One of the key differences between Amplitude and Segment lies in how they collect and store data. Amplitude is a complete analytics platform that directly collects and stores data on its own servers. On the other hand, Segment is a customer data platform (CDP) that acts as a data pipeline, allowing you to send data to multiple third-party tools. It acts as a middleman between your website/app and the analytics tools, including Amplitude, to which it can forward the collected data.
Data Integration and Tool Compatibility: Amplitude mainly focuses on providing comprehensive analytics functionalities and tools. It offers built-in features for data analysis, cohort analysis, A/B testing, and more. Segment, on the other hand, specializes in data integration. It allows you to collect and send data to various third-party tools, including Amplitude. Segment's strength lies in its ability to integrate with numerous tools, making it a versatile option for businesses that rely on multiple analytics and marketing platforms.
Implementation Complexity: Implementing Amplitude generally requires more technical expertise compared to Segment. Amplitude's SDKs (Software Development Kits) need to be integrated directly into your website or app codebase, requiring developers to write custom code. Segment, on the other hand, provides a simpler implementation process. Once Segment's JavaScript snippet is added to your website or app, you can easily enable/disable tools and platforms via the Segment dashboard without re-implementing the tracking code.
Pricing Structure: The pricing structures of Amplitude and Segment differ. Amplitude follows a usage-based pricing model, meaning you are charged based on the number of events or data points you track and the level of data analysis required. In contrast, Segment's pricing is based on the number of data sources, destinations, and monthly tracked users. This makes Segment's pricing more tailored to your specific needs and allows for greater flexibility depending on the size and scale of your business.
Real-time Data Processing: While both Amplitude and Segment provide real-time data processing capabilities, the extent to which they handle real-time analysis differs. Amplitude offers real-time insights, allowing you to analyze user behavior in real-time and make data-driven decisions instantly. Segment, on the other hand, focuses primarily on data collection and integration. While it does have real-time capabilities, its core strength lies in collecting and sending data to various tools rather than providing advanced real-time analytics.
Data Ownership and Flexibility: Another key difference between Amplitude and Segment relates to data ownership and flexibility. With Amplitude, the data you track and store is owned and managed by Amplitude itself. While this ensures data security and reliability, it also means you have less control over your data. On the other hand, Segment provides greater data ownership and flexibility. You have control over where your data is sent, allowing you to switch, add or remove third-party tools as needed without losing historical data.

Amplitude vs Segment

Overview