Can You Self-Host Session Replay? Temps, OpenReplay, PostHog & FullStory Compared (2026)

Yes — Temps and OpenReplay both let you self-host session replay. Temps includes it built-in for ~$8/month in VPS costs; OpenReplay is open-source and self-hostable for ~$6–$12/month in infrastructure; PostHog requires its managed Cloud for session replay (the self-hosted Community Edition dropped replay support in 2024); FullStory is SaaS-only. Self-hosting keeps raw user interaction data on your own servers, eliminating third-party GDPR liability.

TL;DR: You can self-host session replay in 2026. Temps bundles it into its deployment platform at no extra software cost (~$8/month VPS); OpenReplay is a standalone open-source recorder (self-hosted from ~$6–$12/month infrastructure). PostHog removed session replay from its self-hosted Community Edition in 2024 — replay is now Cloud-only at $0.005/recording (15K/month free). FullStory is SaaS-only with no self-hosted path. GDPR compliance and data sovereignty are the primary drivers for self-hosting.

Can You Self-Host a User Replay Tool?

Yes. Self-hosting session replay is practical in 2026, and several mature options exist. The choice depends on whether you want a standalone replay tool or one bundled with your deployment and observability stack.

Session replay records DOM snapshots and user interactions — clicks, scrolls, form inputs, network requests — and reconstructs them as a video-like playback. The raw data is sensitive: it captures exactly what users see and do in detail. That's why where that data lives matters for GDPR, CCPA, and broader data sovereignty requirements.

Related: Self-hosted session replay: how rrweb works, privacy masking, and setup guide

4 Session Replay Options: Self-Hosted vs SaaS

1. Temps — Built-in, bundled with your deployment platform

Temps is a self-hosted deployment platform (Vercel alternative) that includes session replay, analytics, error tracking, and uptime monitoring in a single binary. You don't install a separate replay service — it's included when you deploy your application through Temps.

How it works: The Temps analytics SDK (@temps-sdk/react-analytics) records sessions using an rrweb-based approach. Recordings are stored on your own VPS in your configured storage backend.

Temps is the lowest-friction option if you're already self-hosting your deployments or migrating from Vercel/Netlify. Session replay, analytics, and error tracking come included — no separate SaaS subscriptions needed.

2. OpenReplay — Standalone open-source recorder

OpenReplay is an open-source session replay and product analytics platform designed to run on your own infrastructure. Unlike Temps, it's standalone — you can run it alongside any deployment platform.

How it works: OpenReplay provides a JavaScript tracker that sends session data to your self-hosted OpenReplay backend. The backend stores recordings in S3-compatible object storage (AWS S3, MinIO, Cloudflare R2).

OpenReplay self-hosted is the best choice if you want a dedicated, feature-rich replay tool that isn't tied to a specific deployment platform. The community edition is fully functional with no feature paywalling.

Community tier includes: Session replay, click maps, funnels, network inspection, console logs, performance metrics, and Redux devtools integration.

3. PostHog — Cloud managed (self-hosted CE dropped replay in 2024)

PostHog is an open-source product analytics platform, but session replay is no longer available in the self-hosted Community Edition — PostHog removed it in 2024 and moved replay to PostHog Cloud only. The CE still supports self-hosted analytics, feature flags, and A/B testing; it just cannot record or play back sessions.

PostHog Cloud's free tier (15,000 recordings/month) covers most small teams. Beyond that, $0.005/recording ($5 per 1,000) scales predictably. If GDPR data residency requires recordings on your own infrastructure, PostHog is not the right choice — use Temps or OpenReplay instead.

4. FullStory — SaaS only, no self-hosted path

FullStory does not offer a self-hosted or on-premise option. All session recordings are stored on FullStory's servers. Enterprise plans offer data processing agreements for GDPR compliance, but data flows through FullStory's infrastructure regardless.

FullStory's per-session pricing scales directly with traffic. A site with 10,000 sessions/month typically pays $300–$500/month. The managed convenience is real, but the cost is significant at any meaningful scale.

Related: FullStory charges per session — 6 alternatives with no per-session pricing

Side-by-Side Comparison

Privacy and GDPR for Self-Hosted Session Replay

Session replay data is personal data under GDPR if it can identify users. Raw DOM recordings may capture names, email addresses, form inputs, and behavioral patterns — all of which fall under GDPR's definition of personal data.

Why self-hosting helps with GDPR compliance

• Data residency: Recordings stay within your own infrastructure in your chosen data center region (EU, US, APAC)
• No third-party data transfer: No Article 46 Standard Contractual Clauses needed — data doesn't leave your organization
• Data subject requests: You control deletion and export of individual user recordings directly from your storage
• Data minimization: You configure what gets recorded and masked, without depending on a vendor's privacy controls

Essential privacy configuration

Both self-hosted options (Temps and OpenReplay) support input masking, as does PostHog Cloud. Configure these from day one, before you go live:

// rrweb-based masking (used by Temps and OpenReplay)
{
  maskAllInputs: true,
  maskInputOptions: {
    password: true,
    email: true,
    creditCard: true,
    tel: true,
  }
}

HTML attribute masking works across all platforms — add data-rr-mask to any element to exclude its content from recordings. Use data-rr-block to hide entire sections.

GDPR consent: In the EU, session replay typically requires prior user consent under PECR/ePrivacy combined with GDPR. Most self-hosted implementations integrate consent logic so recordings start only after a user accepts your privacy policy. OpenReplay provides consent-aware initialization patterns; Temps follows the same rrweb-based approach.

Should You Self-Host Session Replay?

Self-hosting makes sense when:

• You handle EU user data and need recordings stored in a specific region
• Legal or compliance requires data to stay within your organization's infrastructure
• You're already paying $200+/month for a SaaS replay tool and want to eliminate the bill
• You're building on Temps and want observability bundled into your deployment workflow

Managed SaaS (PostHog Cloud, LogRocket, Hotjar) makes more sense when:

• You have no GDPR data residency requirements
• You want zero infrastructure overhead and prefer a monthly invoice over server maintenance
• Your team has no capacity for any server management

For most small teams, the tipping point is around $100–$200/month in SaaS replay costs. Below that, the operational overhead of self-hosting usually doesn't pay off. Above it, an $8/month Hetzner VPS running Temps or OpenReplay is a straightforward decision.

Related: How to add session replay without FullStory: full self-hosted guide

Related: How much does continuous deployment cost for small teams in 2026?

Related: How much does Vercel cost in 2026?

FAQ

Can I self-host a user replay tool?

Yes. Temps and OpenReplay are the two mature options for self-hosting session replay in 2026. Temps bundles session replay with its deployment platform at ~$8/month in VPS infrastructure costs. OpenReplay is a standalone open-source tool, self-hostable on any VPS for ~$6–$12/month in infrastructure costs. PostHog removed session replay from its self-hosted Community Edition in 2024 — PostHog Cloud is required for replay, though it has a generous free tier (15K recordings/month). FullStory is SaaS-only with no self-hosted path available.

What is the cheapest way to self-host session replay?

OpenReplay Community Edition is free software; you only pay for VPS infrastructure (from $6/month on a small VPS). Temps is comparable ($8/month) but bundles session replay with deployment, analytics, error tracking, and monitoring in a single platform. Both are significantly cheaper than SaaS tools: FullStory starts at $300/month, LogRocket at $99/month, and Hotjar at $39/month. PostHog Cloud is free up to 15,000 recordings/month if data residency isn't a requirement.

Does self-hosting session replay satisfy GDPR requirements?

Self-hosting is the most direct path to GDPR data residency compliance because recordings never leave your infrastructure. You choose the data center region, control deletion timelines, and don't need Standard Contractual Clauses for third-party data transfer. However, self-hosting alone doesn't make you GDPR compliant — you still need proper input masking, consent mechanisms before recordings start, and processes to handle data subject access and deletion requests.

How does session replay work technically?

Session replay uses a library like rrweb to serialize the DOM into a compact snapshot, then records mutations (clicks, scrolls, input changes, network requests) as a stream of events. On playback, those events replay on top of the initial snapshot to reconstruct the session. A typical compressed session runs 250–400KB. For a technical deep-dive including storage math and performance impact, see how session replay works under the hood.

Does OpenReplay support Next.js?

Yes. OpenReplay provides an official Next.js tracker package (@openreplay/tracker). The tracker initializes on the client side and sends events to your self-hosted OpenReplay backend. Input masking, network inspection, Redux devtools integration, and Next.js App Router compatibility are all supported.

Information reflects the state of these platforms as of May 2026. OpenReplay, PostHog, and Temps are under active development — verify self-hosted setup requirements in their current documentation before deploying.