When you’re an indie developer, tracking how users interact with your app or website is crucial. But sometimes, all-in-one platforms like Countly leave you wishing for more — especially when it comes to lightweight and visual tools like session replays and heatmaps.
That’s where this article comes in. We’ve put together a short list of the top 4 lightweight tools that indie devs love using to cover what Countly misses. They’re small, easy to set up, and perfect for watching users click, scroll, and rage-click their way through your app — all without turning your stack into a bloated mess.
TL;DR
- Countly is great, but it doesn’t do everything.
- If you want session replays, heatmaps, and user behavior at a glance, you need to sideload some tools.
- This list focuses on tools that are lightweight, indie-friendly, and simple to integrate.
- Get insights, not headaches.
1. Plausible + Highlight.io Combo
Alright, first up is a combo move. Plausible is a privacy-friendly analytics tool that gives you crisp, simple stats. Think Google Analytics, minus the creepiness and bloat.
But what Plausible doesn’t do is record replays or give you heatmaps. Enter Highlight.io.
Highlight.io is like having a DVR for your web app. It captures sessions, logs errors, and lets you replay what actually happened on the user’s screen. And yes — it’s open source.
Why use both? Because:
- Plausible by itself is great for page views and basics.
- Highlight.io handles the rest — like visual debugging and rage clicks.
Set them up in tandem, and you’ve got a full lightweight setup.
Pros:
- Open source and self-hostable options
- No third-party cookies
- Smooth UI and extremely lightweight
Cons:
- Need to glue together two tools
- No heatmaps in Highlight (yet)
2. PostHog
PostHog is sort of the Swiss Army knife for indie devs. It does a bit of everything — analytics, funnel tracking, feature flags, AND session recording.
What’s even cooler? It’s entirely open source. You can self-host it if you want full control. Or you can go cloud if convenience is more your thing.
It’s heavier than tiny tools like Plausible, but for folks who want a single dashboard to rule them all, PostHog hits that sweet spot between completeness and non-overkill.
Stuff it does that Countly can’t easily:
- Session replays
- Heatmaps
- Event-based analytics with no-code tagging
- Feature flags and A/B testing
Quick note: The heatmaps work best on SPAs and React-based apps thanks to how DOM tracking is done.
Pros:
- All-in-one solution
- Very developer-friendly
- Actively maintained and well-documented
Cons:
- Self-hosting takes initial setup time
- Can be overkill for super simple projects
3. SessionStack
SessionStack is like having a magic video player that shows what your users did — in their exact sessions. Imagine watching a YouTube video of every error your user faced. That’s what this tool delivers.
It’s ultra-lightweight and focuses ONLY on session replays and debugging, not analytics. So, if you already get numbers from Countly but want to see what happened, this is perfect.
Cool things you get:
- Instant replay of user sessions
- Console logs and error tracking built in
- JS/CSS issues shown as part of the session
Pros:
- Dev-focused, ideal for debugging
- No-fuss onboarding
- Session heatmaps included
Cons:
- No funnels, retention stats, or metrics
- Mostly for web (not mobile)
4. Smartlook
Last but definitely not least — Smartlook. This tool has quietly become a favorite for indie and small dev teams who want both power and simplicity. It’s one of the few that blends good UX with deep data.
What makes Smartlook great is that you get session recordings, heatmaps, funnels, and user events all in one clean dashboard — and it’s not nearly as heavy as something like FullStory.
You add one script tag, and bam — your app is being tracked visually.
Why devs love it:
- Clean, intuitive UI
- Filtering by user ID, session properties
- Nice balance of power vs complexity
Bonus:
It has support for mobile app analytics too — something most session tools lack.
Pros:
- All-in-one tool with heatmaps included
- Fast setup – no dev time wasted
- Free tier is useful enough for indie projects
Cons:
- Cloud-only (no self-hosting)
- Privacy compliance can be tricky (check GDPR/CCPA settings)
Bonus Tip: Stack Wisely
If you’re using Countly already, make sure you disable overlapping session tracking where needed. Most of these tools work best when you only track visuals and replay in one place. Avoid duplicating page views or overwhelming your users (and yourself) with data noise.
Smart combos to try with Countly:
- Countly + Smartlook (for full visual insight)
- Countly + Highlight.io (if you want open source & privacy)
- Just PostHog solo (if you can replace Countly entirely)
Final Thoughts
As an indie dev, every kilobyte and every developer hour counts. You don’t have to go all-in on huge platforms to get awesome user insight.
Use light tools that do one job well, and stitch them together with the fewest moving parts. That way, you get meaningful feedback from your users — without needing to become a full-time analytics engineer.
Remember: replays and heatmaps aren’t just “nice to have” features. They help you understand flows, spot bugs, and improve UX faster than any spreadsheet ever could.
Try one of these tools, or mix and match. You’ll be surprised how much value they unlock with just a few lines of code.