May 26, 2026 (2w ago)
Written by Temps Team
Last updated June 7, 2026 (1w ago)
Yes — you can self-host session replay in 2026, and it's the most practical path for GDPR data residency. The two mature privacy-first options are Temps and OpenReplay. Temps bundles rrweb-based session replay into a single deployment platform binary — free to self-host (Apache 2.0) or ~$6/month on Temps Cloud (Hetzner CAX11 + 30% margin, no per-seat fees). OpenReplay is a standalone open-source recorder that runs on any VPS for ~$6–$12/month in infrastructure. PostHog's session replay is available in PostHog Cloud (15K recordings/month free) but is not part of the Community Edition self-hosted deployment. FullStory has never offered a self-hosted path. If you need recordings stored on your own servers for GDPR compliance or data sovereignty, Temps and OpenReplay are the only production-ready options.
TL;DR: Self-hosting session replay in 2026 is practical. Temps includes it as part of its deployment platform at no extra software cost (free to self-host Apache 2.0, or ~$6/mo on Temps Cloud, no per-seat fees); OpenReplay is a standalone open-source recorder (self-hosted from ~$6–$12/month in VPS infrastructure). PostHog session replay requires PostHog Cloud — the self-hosted CE covers analytics, feature flags, and A/B testing, not replay. FullStory is SaaS-only with no self-hosted option. GDPR data residency and cost reduction are the two main reasons teams self-host.
The best self-hosted session replay tool in 2026 depends on what else you need. If you want a standalone recorder you can drop into any stack, OpenReplay is the most purpose-built open-source option. If you're self-hosting your deployments and want analytics, error tracking, and session replay in a single binary — no separate SaaS subscriptions — Temps is the stronger choice.
Temps replaces seven categories of paid SaaS tools — deployment (Vercel), web analytics (PostHog/Plausible), session replay (FullStory), error tracking (Sentry), uptime monitoring (Pingdom), managed databases, and transactional email — with one binary. Session replay is built in; you don't install a separate service.
Related: Self-hosted session replay: how rrweb works, privacy masking, and setup guide
| Feature | Temps | PostHog | Matomo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Session replay | Built-in | Cloud only (not in CE) | Available in Cloud and self-hosted (feature availability varies by plan) |
| Self-hosted replay | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (requires PostHog Cloud) | ✅ Yes (plugin) |
| Analytics | Built-in | Built-in | Built-in |
| Error tracking | Built-in | Separate product | Not included |
| Deployment platform | Built-in | ❌ No | ❌ No |
| Uptime monitoring | Built-in | ❌ No | ❌ No |
| Software cost (self-hosted) | Free (Community edition) | Free (CE, no replay) | Free (Community) |
| Managed cloud pricing | ~$6/month (Hetzner cost + 30%) | Usage-based (per event/recording) | Paid Cloud plans available (see matomo.org) |
| Per-seat fees | None | None | None |
| Single binary install | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (Kubernetes/Docker Compose) | ❌ No |
| GDPR: data on your infra | ✅ Yes (self-hosted) | ❌ Cloud replay leaves your infra | ✅ Yes (self-hosted) |
| Input masking | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Vendor lock-in | None | PostHog Cloud dependency for replay | None |
Temps is a self-hosted deployment platform (Vercel alternative) that includes session replay, analytics, error tracking, and uptime monitoring in a single Rust 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 free to self-host (Community edition, open-source). For teams who prefer not to manage infrastructure, Temps Cloud runs on Hetzner at cost plus a 30% margin — roughly $6/month — with no per-seat fees and no bandwidth bills.
| Temps | |
|---|---|
| Software cost | Free (Community edition) |
| Managed cloud cost | ~$6/month (Hetzner cost + 30%, no per-seat fees) |
| Setup | Bundled — no separate install required |
| Data location | Your VPS |
| GDPR | Data stays within your infrastructure |
| Limitation | Session replay requires Temps as deployment platform |
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.
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 | |
|---|---|
| Software cost | Free (open-source) |
| Infrastructure cost | ~$6–$12/month (VPS + object storage) |
| Setup | Docker Compose install, ~30 minutes |
| Data location | Your infrastructure |
| GDPR | Data stays within your infrastructure |
| Limitation | Separate service to maintain; needs storage configuration |
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.
PostHog is an open-source product analytics platform. Session replay is available in PostHog Cloud but is no longer part of the self-hosted Community Edition — PostHog moved session replay to PostHog Cloud only in 2024, separating it from the CE self-hosted deployment. The CE still supports self-hosted analytics, feature flags, and A/B testing; session replay requires PostHog Cloud.
| PostHog Cloud | |
|---|---|
| Software cost | $0.005/recording (15K recordings/month free) |
| Infrastructure cost | $0 (managed) |
| Setup | SaaS — add one script tag |
| Data location | PostHog servers |
| GDPR | DPA available; data leaves your infrastructure |
| Self-hosted for replay? | ❌ No — session replay requires PostHog Cloud |
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.
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 | |
|---|---|
| Software cost | $300–$2,000+/month (per-session pricing) |
| Infrastructure cost | $0 (managed) |
| Setup | SaaS — add one script tag |
| Data location | FullStory servers |
| GDPR | DPA available on enterprise, but data leaves your infra |
| Self-hosted | Not available |
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
| Temps | OpenReplay | PostHog Cloud | FullStory | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-hosted for replay? | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ Cloud only (not in CE) | ❌ No |
| Monthly cost | Free (self-hosted); ~$6 (Temps Cloud) | ~$6–$12 (VPS) | $0 (≤15K recordings); $0.005/recording after | $300–$2,000+ |
| Setup time | Minutes (bundled) | ~30 min | Minutes (SaaS) | Minutes (SaaS) |
| Data on your infra? | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ PostHog servers | ❌ No |
| Standalone? | ❌ Requires Temps platform | ✅ Yes | ✅ (SaaS) | ✅ (SaaS) |
| Session filtering | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Input masking | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Network inspection | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Funnels and analytics | ✅ Built-in | ✅ Built-in | ✅ Built-in | ✅ Built-in |
| Error tracking | ✅ Built-in | ❌ Separate | ❌ Separate | ❌ Separate |
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.
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.
Self-hosting makes sense when:
Managed SaaS (PostHog Cloud, LogRocket, Hotjar) makes more sense when:
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, ~$6/month on Temps Cloud running Temps or a similar-cost VPS running 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?
Yes. Temps and OpenReplay are the two mature options for self-hosting session replay in 2026. Temps bundles session replay with its deployment platform — free to self-host (Apache 2.0) or ~$6/month on Temps Cloud with no per-seat fees. OpenReplay is a standalone open-source tool, self-hostable on any VPS for ~$6–$12/month in infrastructure costs. PostHog session replay is available via PostHog Cloud (15K recordings/month free) — session replay is not included in the Community Edition self-hosted deployment. FullStory is SaaS-only with no self-hosted path available.
OpenReplay Community Edition is free software; you only pay for VPS infrastructure (from ~$6/month on a small VPS). Temps is comparable — free to self-host (Community edition, open-source) — and bundles session replay with deployment, analytics, error tracking, and monitoring in a single platform at no extra software cost. 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.
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.
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.
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.
Matomo is a strong self-hosted analytics platform with privacy as a core focus, but session replay is a paid add-on — not included in the free Community edition. Temps includes session replay, analytics, error tracking, and uptime monitoring in one binary at no extra software cost. Matomo is a better fit if you want standalone analytics with optional replay; Temps is the better fit if you want your entire observability stack consolidated alongside your deployment workflow.
Highlight.io is a modern open-source alternative that combines session replay with error monitoring and logging — a more focused observability tool. Temps takes a broader approach: it replaces deployment, analytics, session replay, error tracking, uptime monitoring, managed databases, and transactional email in a single binary. If you need only replay plus error tracking from an independent tool, Highlight.io is a solid choice. If you want to consolidate your full deployment and observability stack, Temps covers more ground.
Last updated June 7, 2026. Information reflects the state of these platforms as of June 2026. OpenReplay, PostHog, Matomo, Highlight.io, and Temps are under active development — verify self-hosted setup requirements in their current documentation before deploying.