Heap after the Contentsquare merger: stay or replace

Heap after the Contentsquare merger: should you stay or replace it?

If you are facing a Heap renewal, a Contentsquare integration notice or a residency or lock-in concern, the public record confirms that Heap agreed to become part of Contentsquare, announced on September 28, 2023, but it does not document Heap's product roadmap. That means the decision should rest on contract terms, data history and exit cost, not on assumptions about what the combined company will build. Heap's own announcement of the Contentsquare combination is the place to start, and your account team should confirm in writing what changes at renewal, including pricing, data retention and support terms.

Start by reading your current order form and data processing terms. Confirm which plan you hold, how many sessions it covers, how long Heap retains your data under that plan, and whether Heap Connect is included or sold as an add-on. Ask whether the contract lets you export your full history before any renewal date, and whether data history limits will shorten what is left to export if you do not renew. Also confirm where your data is hosted and which entity processes it, since that determines whether residency commitments you have made to your own regulators can still be met after the combination.

If you decide to leave, PostHog is the export target that Heap documents: PostHog publishes a scripted migration path from Heap through Heap Connect. Matomo, Plausible and Umami cover narrower use cases, mainly page-level web analytics, and do not replace Heap's event-level product analytics on their own. Plan the exit as a project with a fixed export window, a mapping of your events and identities, and a parallel run period, and get a written quote for that scope before you commit to a renewal date.

What the Contentsquare merger means for your renewal

Heap's future sits inside Contentsquare's plans, and the public record shows the pattern Contentsquare followed with Hotjar. The four cards below separate what is documented from what you must obtain in writing before you sign another renewal.

Heap agreed to join Contentsquare

On September 28, 2023, Heap announced that it had agreed to become part of Contentsquare. That announcement is the starting point for any renewal discussion, because the commercial terms you signed were written before the combined company set its product and pricing direction. Read the announcement in full and note which product commitments it actually makes. Treat anything the announcement does not state as an open question for your account team.

Hotjar shows the merger pattern

Contentsquare's Hotjar page states that Hotjar is now part of Contentsquare and that it is no longer possible to create a new Hotjar account. If Heap follows a similar path, existing customers may keep working accounts while new sign-ups close. Ask your account team whether Heap has a sunset or migration timeline comparable to Hotjar's, and whether new Heap sub-accounts or projects can still be created during your term.

Ask for the roadmap in writing

The supplied sources do not document a roadmap, product commitment or support guarantee for Heap after the merger. A verbal assurance from a sales representative does not bind the vendor. Request a written statement covering feature availability, supported integrations, planned deprecations and the date after which the current Heap plan will change. Keep the reply with your renewal file so procurement and legal can rely on it.

Confirm data history and Heap Connect terms

Before you renew, read the current order form for the data history window your plan includes, whether extending it carries a separate fee, and whether Heap Connect is an add-on or part of the plan. Confirm how long data stays queryable after a term ends and whether a one-time export remains available. These terms decide how much history you can move to PostHog and how quickly you must start the export.

Which Heap terms to check before you renew

Before you renew, get written answers to five contract questions: how long Heap retains event history on your plan, whether Heap Connect is included or sold as an add-on, how a one-time JSON export is requested from support, whether session-based pricing changes at renewal, and who owns the data once your account sits inside Contentsquare. Heap's public materials confirm the merger agreement announced on September 28, 2023 (Heap blog: Heap x Contentsquare), but they do not settle these terms for your account. Ask your account team to put each answer in the order form or a written amendment, and ask who in Contentsquare is accountable for them.

Retention matters most because it sets your exit window. Data retention limits decide how much history remains to export, so older events may already be out of reach by the time you decide to leave. Confirm the exact retention period on your contract, the date from which it is measured, and whether events past that limit are deleted or merely hidden from the interface. If your plan has a history limit, plan the export before the next renewal date, not after it, and confirm with support how long a JSON export takes and what format it arrives in. Your export window is only as long as the oldest data you still hold.

Ownership and pricing need the same care. Ask whether the Contentsquare integration changes the processor or sub-processor list for your data, where it is stored, and what happens to your data if the contract ends. Ask whether session-based pricing or the Heap Connect add-on will be repriced at renewal, and what volume thresholds apply. Record every answer, the name of the person who gave it and the date, because these terms will drive your exit budget and your migration timeline. Your PostHog migration guide lists the export path you will need, so confirm that path is still available on the plan you are renewing.

Which open-source option fits which Heap use case

Teams that rely on Heap for event history, funnels, retention and user-level analysis are the closest match for self-hosted PostHog. PostHog's README groups product analytics, web analytics, session replay, feature flags, experiments, surveys and data pipelines into one product, so funnels and cohorts can sit next to flags and experiments on the same data.

License: The PostHog/posthog repository is MIT licensed except the ee directory, which needs a PostHog license for premium features on a self-hosted instance.
Fully free option: The posthog-foss repository is purged of all proprietary code and features, so choose it if your policy forbids any non-OSI component.
Deployment: The hobby Docker Compose deployment is MIT licensed, and PostHog's self-host docs recommend a server equivalent to 4 vCPU, 16 GB of RAM and more than 30 GB of storage.
Scale: The README says open-source deployments should scale to about 100k events per month and recommends PostHog Cloud above that.
Support: PostHog states that self-hosted deployments are officially unsupported, so budget for internal or partner operations.

Confirm event volume, retained history and whether you need the ee features before committing to a license decision.

Comparing PostHog, OpenReplay and web analytics tools for a Heap exit

This table compares the self-hosted and cloud options a Heap team would evaluate, with the license, what each one replaces and the trade-offs to weigh. Read it as a shortlist: PostHog covers the closest product analytics ground, OpenReplay covers session replay, and Matomo, Plausible and Umami cover lighter web analytics. Confirm feature parity against your own event definitions before deciding.

Option	What it replaces in Heap	License	Trade-offs
Self-hosted PostHog	Autocapture, product analytics, funnels and retention, session replay and feature flags	MIT, except the ee directory, which needs a PostHog license for premium features on self-hosted instances	Hobby Docker Compose deployment is MIT licensed. The README says open-source deployments should scale to about 100k events per month before moving to PostHog Cloud. PostHog does not provide customer support for self-hosted instances, so budget for your own operations.
posthog-foss repository	The same product analytics scope, built from code with no proprietary parts	Open source, purged of all proprietary code and features	Fully free code, but confirm feature parity with the main PostHog product before you commit to it for a migration.
PostHog Cloud	Heap's hosted product analytics, with usage-based pricing rather than session-based plans	Commercial hosted service	Two hosting regions, US (Virginia) and EU (Frankfurt). The free tier includes 1 million analytics events per month. SSO, audit logs, custom roles and project permissions are sold as platform packages, so check which controls you need.
OpenReplay	Heap session replay and frontend diagnostics	AGPLv3 with MIT directories and a commercially licensed ee directory	Strong fit for session replay if that is the main Heap use. Confirm which features sit in the ee directory and whether you need a license for them. Product analytics coverage is narrower than PostHog.
Matomo	Basic page-level web analytics and reporting	GPLv3	Self-hosted web analytics with a mature feature set. Autocapture-style product analytics and retroactive event definitions are not the same as Heap. Under CNIL guidance, the consent exemption depends on configuration, so confirm your legal position for EU visitors.
Plausible and Umami	Lightweight page and referrer reporting	AGPLv3 (Plausible Community Edition) and MIT (Umami)	Simple to run and privacy-focused. Fewer product analytics features, so they suit a Heap team only when most questions are about traffic and pages rather than user journeys.

How to plan an exit from Heap to PostHog

This sequence turns a renewal question into a tested migration path: it confirms what you can still export from Heap, moves historical events into PostHog, checks the result against your own numbers, and only then retires the old tracking.

Confirm contract terms and data history in writing
Ask Heap, in writing, for your current plan terms, the data history window that applies to your account, whether Heap Connect is included or sold as an add-on, and the date after which any export capability ends. Ask Heap to confirm whether any post-merger changes to plans, data residency or Heap Connect are planned, and record the answers with the account owner. The step is done when you hold a dated written reply from Heap that names each term, and your finance and legal contacts have reviewed it. Clarify with Contentsquare whether the same terms apply after the merger.
Request the one-time JSON export and Heap Connect access
While your plan still permits it, request a one-time JSON export from Heap support and confirm that Heap Connect warehouse sync is active for your project. Heap's export path depends on plan and history limits, so do this before any renewal or downgrade changes access. Store both exports in a controlled location with access logging and a documented retention period set by your data protection owner. The step is done when you have a complete export file, a warehouse copy you can query, and a record of what date ranges each one covers.
Inventory events, properties and identities
Using the exports, list the event names, event properties, user properties and identity fields your product uses, including any autocaptured events that your team depends on for dashboards or experiments. Mark which events are used in active reports, which are legacy, and which contain personal data that needs a lawful basis and a retention rule in PostHog. Map each identity field, such as user IDs and account IDs, to the identifier you will use in PostHog. The step is done when you have a signed-off inventory that a product owner and a privacy lead have both reviewed.
Run PostHog's documented Heap migration guide
Follow PostHog's documented guide for migrating from Heap, which uses Heap Connect to script the import of historical data. Run the migration against a non-production PostHog instance first, whether PostHog Cloud or a self-hosted deployment, and record each command and configuration value so the run can be repeated. Note that PostHog's managed direct imports from Mixpanel and Amplitude are a different path, limited to one year per job and not deduplicated, so do not assume the same behavior for Heap. The step is done when the test run completes and its logs are saved with the configuration used.
Validate event counts and aliasing on a sample
Pick a sample of days, events and users from the source exports and compare event counts, property values and timestamps with what PostHog now shows. Check that identities alias correctly, so that anonymous sessions merge into known users where you expect, and that no user is duplicated under two identifiers. Because PostHog's direct imports do not deduplicate events, check for double counts if you have run more than one import pass. The step is done when a named analyst signs off that the discrepancies are explained and within the tolerance your reporting owners accepted.
Run parallel tracking
Send events to Heap and PostHog at the same time for a period your analytics owner sets, using the same SDK calls or a shared event pipeline where possible. Compare key dashboards, funnels and feature flag exposure in both tools to find gaps in event coverage, such as autocaptured interactions that PostHog does not capture the same way. Track consent behavior for each tool, since both collect data under the same user choices and must honor them. The step is done when the parallel period ends with a written list of gaps, each assigned an owner and a fix.
Cut over and archive the exports
Switch production tracking to PostHog, remove the Heap snippet and calls, and update your consent configuration and privacy notice to name PostHog. Keep the Heap exports and the migration logs in an archive that your records policy governs, and document what was moved, when, and which identifiers map to which. Confirm that the archive is access-controlled and that retention for each copy has an owner. The step is done when Heap is no longer receiving production events, the archive index is signed, and the decision record is filed for your next audit.

Questions buyers ask before replacing Heap

What does a Heap exit to self-hosted PostHog cost?

The cost is mostly people and time, plus the infrastructure you run. Software has no license fee for the MIT-licensed core, but the ee directory needs a PostHog license for premium features on a self-hosted instance, so check which features you rely on. The main cost components are infrastructure, export and migration scripting, validation of event counts and identities, internal staff time, and any support contract. Infrastructure is one-time setup plus recurring hosting. PostHog's self-host documentation recommends a server equivalent to 4 vCPU, 16 GB of RAM and more than 30 GB of storage for the hobby Docker Compose deployment. Ask any implementation partner for a fixed-scope quote built from your event volume, integrations and identity count. Note that PostHog states self-hosted deployments are officially unsupported, so budget for your own operations or a retainer.

How long does a Heap to PostHog migration take?

Timeline depends on four things: how much history you need, how many events and users you have, how many integrations and warehouse pipelines read Heap data today, and how many people must sign off on the results. Heap Connect exports and one-time JSON exports both need to be requested and checked against your plan, which adds lead time you do not control. PostHog's Heap guide uses scripted migration, so engineering effort goes into converting events, users and identity aliases. Ask for a timeline that separates export, transformation, parallel running and cutover. Avoid committing to a date before you know your data volume and history window, because both are set by your Heap contract and plan.

Can our in-house team migrate from Heap without a partner?

Yes, for a small event set with engineers who know your product and data stack. Teams with a limited number of events, a clear list of tracked events and few identity merges can usually script the export and conversion themselves, following PostHog's documented Heap path. The work gets harder with many user identities that need aliasing, several warehouse pipelines fed by Heap Connect, custom virtual events, and dashboards that others depend on. In those cases a fixed-scope engagement can cover export design, validation against Heap reports, and documentation, while your team keeps ownership of the result. Decide early who will operate the instance after go-live.

Does self-hosted PostHog meet EU data residency requirements?

Self-hosting lets you choose where the servers run and who can access them, but residency is a configuration and legal question that your organization decides. PostHog Cloud offers US (Virginia) and EU (Frankfurt) regions, while a self-hosted instance runs wherever you deploy it. Confirm with your counsel and data protection officer which entities hold data, which backups and logs leave the region, how long events are retained, and whether any third-party component sends data elsewhere. DeployOpen does not issue attestations on residency; the outcome depends on your configuration and your legal assessment.

Do we still need consent for analytics in the EU?

It depends on the tool and how it is configured, so confirm the position with counsel. France's CNIL sheet 16 lists conditions under which analytics trackers can be exempt from consent: purposes limited to audience measurement and A/B testing, a single publisher scope, no cross-checking with other processing, truncation of the last byte of the IP address, and a tracker lifetime of at most 13 months. CNIL's guidance also states that most large audience measurement offerings fall outside the exemption regardless of configuration, and it points to open-source software that the publisher can configure itself. A self-hosted tool does not remove the need to assess consent by default, so map your PostHog setup against those conditions and your own purposes.

What happens to our Heap data if we wait?

Heap's future under Contentsquare is not described in detail in the sources we rely on, so treat it as an open question for your account team. Heap announced on September 28, 2023 that it had agreed to become part of Contentsquare. Your practical risk is contractual: data history limits, plan terms that gate Heap Connect, and renewal pricing. Before renewal, request in writing your data history window, the export options included in your plan, the fees for extending history, and the notice terms. Exporting while you still have access is the safer sequence, because you cannot count on getting data back out later.

Will PostHog Cloud be cheaper than self-hosting for us?

It depends on event volume, data retention needs and how much operating work you want to keep in-house. PostHog's pricing page states that the first 1 million analytics events are free each month, that the Free plan includes 1 project and 1-year data retention, and that Pay-as-you-go raises this to 6 projects and 7-year retention. The PostHog README says open-source deployments should scale to approximately 100k events per month and recommends PostHog Cloud above that. Compare Cloud usage charges against the infrastructure, staff time and support you would carry if self-hosted, and ask for both options in the same written scope.

Evidence to keep for the exit and the residency review

An exit from Heap and a residency review both depend on records you can show later. The cards below list the evidence to collect while you decide, move data and retire the old tool, so the decision and the cut-over can be checked by your own teams and by independent auditors.

Signed terms and written answers

Keep the signed Heap and Contentsquare order terms, plus written answers on data history limits and Heap Connect availability for your plan. Verbal assurances from a sales or account contact do not show what you were entitled to export. Ask in writing which data history window applies to your account, whether Heap Connect is included or sold separately, and what happens to stored data after the contract ends. Confirm whether any Contentsquare roadmap commitments affect your renewal.

Export files and checksums

Record every export file you take from Heap, including Heap Connect syncs and any one-time JSON export, with the date, the source query or sync settings and a checksum for each file. Store the checksums with the files in a location both the migration team and the security team can access. If a file changes or is re-exported, keep the earlier version so the chain of custody remains clear.

Event count reconciliations

Compare event counts per event name and per day between the Heap export and what PostHog stores after import. Heap and PostHog do not model events and users in the same way, so expect some differences and document each one. Note where identity aliasing changes user counts. Sign off the reconciliation before you switch dashboards or reports to PostHog.

Consent and IP truncation configuration

For EU traffic, keep a dated record of the consent settings, tag configuration and IP truncation applied to the analytics tracker in each release. Include the tracker lifetime and the purposes you declared. CNIL's guidance on analytics trackers sets conditions for consent exemption, and most large audience measurement offerings fall outside that exemption regardless of configuration. Ask your legal team which regime applies to your self-hosted tracker before relying on it.

Transfer assessment for US-hosted processors

If any processor in the chain hosts data in the United States, such as a managed PostHog Cloud region or a US-based sync tool, document your transfer basis. The European Commission adopted its adequacy decision for the EU-US Data Privacy Framework on July 10, 2023 (decision 2023/1795). Check that each processor participates in the framework, and file the decision and the processor's status with your records. Note that PostHog Cloud offers a US and an EU hosting region, so you can select the region when you configure it.

Deletion record after cut-over

After the cut-over, record how and when Heap data was deleted or retained, and who approved each step. Confirm the deletion with the vendor in writing, and keep the request and response. Note that PostHog does not allow selective deletion of imported event data, so plan the scope of any imported history before you load it. Retain this record with the exit file so auditors can trace data from collection through deletion.

How DeployOpen plans a Heap exit under your constraints

DeployOpen plans, implements, integrates, documents and supports self-hosted open-source platforms inside your own infrastructure. For Heap after the Contentsquare merger, we start from your renewal date, your data residency rules and the history you need to keep, then decide whether a PostHog deployment fits your constraints.

How we scope

Engagements are fixed-scope, with scope, deliverables and timelines agreed in writing before work starts.
We inventory the Heap plan, event volumes, data history limits and Heap Connect terms you have today.
We confirm with you which data must move, which can lapse, and which regions and cloud accounts may host it.

How we build

We deploy PostHog in your cloud account, data center or air-gapped network, with the license edition you choose.
We configure identity identifiers, aliasing and event mapping so historical and new events line up in one project.
We test the migration path, including the warehouse export and any direct import, against sample data before cutover.

How we hand over

You receive documentation of the architecture, configuration, backup routines and upgrade steps for your team.
We record the export evidence, retention settings and deletion steps your compliance reviewers will ask about.
Handover covers parallel running, the Heap cancellation checklist and a written list of anything not migrated.

How we support

Ongoing support, upgrades and continuous security testing are available as retainers after handover.
PostHog's self-hosted product is unsupported by PostHog itself, so DeployOpen becomes your operational support route.
We can review each PostHog upgrade against your configuration and test it before it reaches production.