Trench is an open-source, production-ready analytics infrastructure designed to deliver lightning-fast event tracking and querying at scale. Powered by industry giants ClickHouse and Kafka, Trench lets teams track millions of events per second with GDPR compliance baked in. Users can self-host the system or use Trench’s cloud service with serverless autoscaling, webhooks, SQL editors, and a managed environment. It supports industry-standard event models like Segment’s Track, Identify, and Group methods, making it ideal for anyone building data-driven applications, user analytics, or real-time dashboards.
| Trench Review Summary | |
| Performance Score | A+ |
| Content/Output Quality | Ultra-Fast and Reliable |
| Interface | Developer-Centric and Minimalist |
| AI Technology |
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| Purpose of Tool | Capture, query, and send millions of events in real-time |
| Compatibility | Web-Based + Docker |
| Pricing | Free Open Source + Paid Cloud Plans |
Who is Best for Using Trench?
- Developers: Deploy scalable event-tracking systems without dealing with Kafka and ClickHouse setup complexity manually.
- SaaS Companies: Track user events, performance metrics, and behavioral analytics with instant queries and no usage bottlenecks.
- Product Teams: Analyze in-app behavior, retention, and user journeys at massive scale using real-time dashboards.
- Growth Teams: Measure key metrics across marketing funnels with low-latency queries and flexible webhook-based integrations.
- Enterprise Data Teams: Build privacy-compliant, scalable internal analytics systems with customizable deployment options.
Trench Key Features
| Open Source and Free Hosting Option | Cloud Hosting with Serverless Autoscaling | Lightning-Fast SQL Queries on ClickHouse |
| Kafka-Powered Real-Time Event Tracking | GDPR-Compliant Architecture | Standardized Segment Spec (Track, Identify, Group) |
| Throttled Webhook Builder for Data Export | 1M Free Monthly Events on Cloud Plan | Admin Dashboard and SQL Editor |
Is Trench Free?
Yes, Trench offers both:
- Open Source Version: Free, self-host with no usage limits, full control over infrastructure, and community support.
- Cloud Version: Free Tier + Pay-As-You-Go, 1M free events per month, $0.00003 per additional event, managed hosting, autoscaling, and SLA-backed uptime.
- Enterprise Plan: Custom Pricing for volume-based custom plans, dedicated support, and infrastructure, on-prem deployment options.
Trench Pricing Plans
- Open Source Version: Free, self-hosted.
- Cloud Version: 1M free events per month, pay-as-you-go pricing starting at $0.00003 per additional event.
- Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing based on usage, with dedicated support and infrastructure.
Trench Pros & Cons
Pros
- Blazing fast real-time analytics with low infrastructure overhead
- Fully open source with flexible hosting options
- GDPR-compliant and secure out of the box
- Affordable cloud pricing with generous free tier
- Built on trusted tech (Kafka + ClickHouse)
Cons
- Requires basic technical knowledge to self-host
- No dedicated mobile app for monitoring
- Custom enterprise features need consultation
- Limited out-of-the-box dashboard templates
- Community support for open-source tier only
FAQs
What is Trench?
Trench is an open-source analytics infrastructure that captures, queries, and sends events in real-time, powered by ClickHouse and Kafka.
How much does Trench cost?
Self-hosting is free. Cloud hosting offers 1M free events monthly, then $0.00003/event. Enterprise plans have custom pricing.
Does Trench support GDPR compliance?
Yes. Trench is built with GDPR compliance standards for data privacy and protection from day one.
Can I use Trench without hosting it myself?
Yes. Trench offers a cloud hosting service where all the infrastructure management is handled for you.
Is Trench good for startups?
Absolutely. Startups can leverage the free tier to build fast, scalable analytics without heavy upfront infrastructure costs.
