[badclient]

great for profitable businesses and enterprise, but way out of line for startups

And that is how it should be. To build a longterm business, you really cannot rely on catering to startups for whom $150/mo is a huge investment. I lead mixpanel adoption at startup I work for. We're ok funded and the mixpanel cost does not even make a blip on our expenses.

And yet, like you said, when I go home to test out my own ideas outside of work, mixpanel does seem like a cost I have to think hard about before paying for.