{"id":230661,"date":"2026-08-06T00:29:33","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T00:29:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/posthog-autocapture\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T03:23:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T03:23:14","slug":"posthog-autocapture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/posthog-autocapture\/","title":{"rendered":"PostHog Autocapture in 2026: What It Tracks and What It Costs You"},"content":{"rendered":"

PostHog autocapture starts collecting user interactions as soon as the web SDK loads. Without manually instrumenting every action, you can begin seeing page views, clicks, form submissions, and other behavioral signals in your product analytics<\/a> event stream.<\/p>\n

That speed is its main appeal, and its biggest drawback.<\/p>\n

Autocapture can generate far more data than you need, including repeated interactions, noisy properties, and events that increase volume without answering a useful product question. The consequences show up in both the event list and the bill. Product analytics includes a monthly free allowance, but additional usage is metered, while features such as session replay follow separate limits.<\/p>\n

The real challenge is knowing what PostHog collects, what contributes to usage, and when a manually defined event will give you cleaner, more useful data. I’m here to show you how to make those decisions so you can keep the convenience without inheriting unnecessary noise or cost.
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\n\"demo<\/a><\/p>\n

What does PostHog autocapture track?<\/h2>\n

PostHog uses its frontend and mobile SDKs to collect several types of client-side activity automatically from your web app or mobile app, one piece of its broader product analytics platform<\/a>. Activity that happens only on your server still requires separate server-side tracking.<\/p>\n

9 Types of data PostHog can capture automatically<\/h3>\n

Across its SDKs, PostHog can automatically collect nine broad types of client-side data, ranging from element interactions and page navigation to performance signals and mobile lifecycle events:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Interactions:<\/strong> Captures clicks on links, buttons, and user inputs such as forms, selects, text areas, and labels. It can also detect form submissions, field changes, and edits within contenteditable<\/code> elements.<\/li>\n
  2. Navigation:<\/strong> Records $pageview<\/code> and $pageleave<\/code> events as a user navigates from page to page.<\/li>\n
  3. Clipboard activity:<\/strong> Detects copy and cut actions and records the text selected at that moment. It does not capture pasted content and excludes password fields.<\/li>\n
  4. Heatmap data:<\/strong> Collects clicks, mouse movements, and scrolling to show where users interact with your product most, displayed in heatmaps rather than as individual analytics events.<\/li>\n
  5. Dead clicks:<\/strong> Detects clicks that don’t produce a visible page change or other expected response, helping you identify elements users may mistakenly believe are interactive.<\/li>\n
  6. Exceptions:<\/strong> Captures uncaught errors in your application. Errors your application handles internally may still need to be reported manually.<\/li>\n
  7. Sessions:<\/strong> Records real user behavior for playback in session replay, configured and metered separately from product analytics events.<\/li>\n
  8. Web vitals:<\/strong> Collects browser-performance signals such as Largest Contentful Paint, Interaction to Next Paint, Cumulative Layout Shift, and First Contentful Paint.<\/li>\n
  9. Lifecycle events:<\/strong> On supported mobile SDKs, tracks events such as app installation, updates, launches, and movement between foreground and background states.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Beyond the event stream, captured exceptions also feed PostHog’s dedicated error tracking<\/a> product, where teams can review them alongside the surrounding product and session context.<\/p>\n

    \"Error<\/p>\n

    PostHog handles rage clicks within interaction tracking. It fires a $rageclick<\/code> event when a user clicks in quick succession, specifically three clicks that each land within 30 pixels and 1 second of the one before, though all three thresholds are configurable. Regular interaction events also include context such as the browser, operating system, current URL, and details about the element clicked.<\/p>\n

    How mobile autocapture differs by platform<\/h3>\n

    Mobile tracking defaults and capabilities vary by SDK:<\/p>\n