Product Analytics for Beginners: Set Up Funnels in Amplitude

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You can see how many people sign up. You cannot see where everyone else gave up. A funnel chart answers that question in one picture, and you can build your first one this afternoon.

If you are new to product analytics, Amplitude funnels are one of the fastest ways to get real answers out of your data. This guide is product analytics for beginners in plain language: what a funnel is, how to get events flowing into Amplitude, and how to build, read and save a Funnel Analysis chart step by step.

Everything below is based on Amplitude’s own documentation at amplitude.com/docs and its public pricing page. Where the docs do not describe a specific screen, we say so instead of guessing. Pricing is as of October 2026.

What is a funnel in product analytics?

A funnel is an ordered list of steps you expect a user to take, such as:

• Visited pricing page
• Started sign up
• Completed sign up
• Created first project

A funnel chart counts how many users entered the first step and how many made it through each later step. The gap between bars is your drop-off. That gap tells you where to spend your next week of work: fixing a confusing form, shortening onboarding, or rewriting a pricing page.

Amplitude’s documentation gives two classic examples: an onboarding path (create account, sign up page one, sign up page two, registration complete) and a purchase path (view item, add to cart, checkout, purchase confirmation). Most small businesses have at least one of each.

Funnels vs. page view counts

Page view reports tell you how busy each page was. Funnels tell you whether the same people moved forward. Amplitude’s FAQ makes this distinction directly: a funnel requires the first step to happen within your date range and the remaining steps to happen in order within the conversion window, while a simple event count only needs events to fire within the date range. That is why funnel numbers often look lower, and more honest, than raw totals.

Amplitude pricing for beginners (as of October 2026)

Before you install anything, it helps to know what you are signing up for. We reviewed Amplitude’s pricing page, billing FAQ and startup page. Here is the current lineup.

Plan	Price	Volume	Notable inclusions
Free	$0, no credit card, no time limit	2M events per month	Product analytics, 10,000 session replays per month, 1 year of data access, 1 space
Plus	“Starts at $0”, scales with event volume (credit card required)	First 2M events free, scales up to 700K MTU / 70M events	Custom events and formulas, 20 behavioral cohorts, alerts, heatmaps, webhooks, 2 years of data access
Growth	Custom, contact sales	Custom	Advanced behavioral exploration, SSO and project permissions, A/B/n testing, unlimited data access
Enterprise	Custom, contact sales	Custom	Everything in Growth plus RBAC, SCIM, data access controls, dedicated account manager

A few caveats worth knowing:

• Plus has no public dollar figure. The pricing page only says “Starts at $0” and offers an “Estimate bill” tool. Check your own estimate before you upgrade.
• Free has a hard edge. Amplitude’s billing FAQ says that if you exceed the 2M monthly event limit three times, the account is blocked from charts and dashboards. Keep an eye on volume if you turn on every Autocapture option.
• MTU guardrail. On MTU-based versions of Plus, the FAQ describes an average cap of 1,000 events per monthly tracked user, with overage counted as extra MTUs.
• Some funnel features are paid. The funnel docs note that A/B Test Funnel View and Conversion Drivers require Growth or Enterprise. Basic funnels work on Free.

The startup scholarship

If you run an early-stage company, check Amplitude’s startup program before paying for anything. The startups page says companies with fewer than 20 employees and less than $10M raised can get their first year of the full Growth plan free, with limits of 200K monthly tracked users or 100M events per month. In year two, the page offers 40% off the annual Plus plan, or you can drop to the Free plan and keep your data and dashboards.

How to set up Amplitude funnels: the step-by-step guide

Here is the whole path from an empty account to a saved funnel on a dashboard. Steps 1 to 4 get data in. Steps 5 to 10 turn that data into a funnel you can act on.

1. Create your free account. Sign up on the Free plan from the Amplitude website. Amplitude creates a project for you, and that project has an API key you will need in the next step.
2. Install the Browser SDK. For a website or web app, Amplitude’s docs point to Browser SDK 2. With npm, run npm install @amplitude/analytics-browser, then import it with import * as amplitude from "@amplitude/analytics-browser";. If you do not use npm, the docs describe a script loader you copy from Amplitude’s install screen, plus a shorter “Unified Script” option. Do not load both on the same page.
3. Initialize with Autocapture. Call amplitude.init(AMPLITUDE_API_KEY, OPTIONAL_USER_ID, { autocapture: true }), following the pattern shown in the docs. Autocapture tracks a useful baseline with no extra code (see the table below). The docs advise initializing only once your app knows the user ID and the final page URL, so early events do not go out with missing data.
4. Add custom events for your key actions. Autocapture sees page views and forms, but it does not know what “activated” means for your product. Add amplitude.track("Sign Up Completed") or amplitude.track("Project Created", { plan: "free" }) at the moments that matter. These named events become your funnel steps.
5. Create a Funnel Analysis chart. In Amplitude, create a new chart and choose Funnel Analysis. In the Events module, select your starting event. You can pick a specific event or “Any Event”. Use “+ Filter by” to narrow it, for example to page views of your pricing page only.
6. Add the remaining steps and pick an order. Add at least one more event. Then choose “This order” (steps in sequence, other events allowed between), “Any order” (sequence ignored) or “Exact order” (no other events between steps). Beginners should start with “This order”.
7. Set the conversion window. Use the “…completed within” setting to define how long users have to finish. The default is one day. The docs list a range from one second up to 366 days.
8. Segment and break down. In the Segmentation module, pick a saved segment or click “+ Filter by” to build one, and click “+ Add Segment” to compare groups side by side. Add a group-by property, such as device type or country, to see conversion for each value.
9. Read the drop-off. In the Conversion view, converted users show in solid color and drop-offs in a lighter shade. The takeaway dropdown includes “Largest drop-off step”. Switch the “Measured As” view to Conversion over time, Time to convert or Frequency for other angles.
10. Save it and add it to a dashboard. Save the chart, then click “+ Add to” and either select an existing dashboard or choose “+ Create a new dashboard”. Name it something your team will recognise, such as “Onboarding funnel”.

The rest of this post walks through each stage in more detail, with the beginner mistakes to avoid.

Step 1 to 4 in detail: getting clean events into Amplitude

What Autocapture tracks by default

According to the Browser SDK 2 docs, setting autocapture: true turns on every option, or you can pass an object to choose them one by one. These are the documented defaults:

Autocapture option	Default	What it records
attribution	On	UTM parameters, referrer and click IDs
pageViews	On	[Amplitude] Page Viewed
sessions	On	[Amplitude] Start Session and End Session
formInteractions	On	[Amplitude] Form Started and Form Submitted
fileDownloads	On	[Amplitude] File Downloaded
elementInteractions	Off	[Amplitude] Element Clicked and Element Changed
frustrationInteractions	Off	Rage clicks, dead clicks, error clicks
webVitals	Off	[Amplitude] Web Vitals (INP, LCP, FCP, CLS, TTFB)

For a first funnel, the defaults are plenty. “Page Viewed” and “Form Submitted” alone can build a basic landing page to sign up funnel. Turning on element clicks gives you more detail but also more events, which matters if you are trying to stay under the Free plan’s 2M monthly events.

Naming custom events so funnels stay readable

Your funnel is only as clear as your event names. A few habits make a big difference:

• Use one naming pattern. “Object Action” in title case, such as “Project Created” or “Invoice Sent”, is easy to scan in a dropdown.
• Track outcomes, not clicks. “Sign Up Completed” fired after the account exists is more reliable than “Sign Up Button Clicked”.
• Put variations in properties. Instead of “Upgraded To Pro” and “Upgraded To Team”, send one “Plan Upgraded” event with a plan property. You can then break the funnel down by plan.
• Start small. Five to ten well-named events cover most early-stage funnels.

A simple way to keep this organised is a tracking plan: a table listing each event, when it fires, its properties and who owns it. Many small teams keep that list in Notion so product, marketing and developers see the same definitions. You can track your event plan in Notion next to your roadmap and launch notes.

Confirming events actually arrive

The SDK docs explain that events are queued and uploaded in batches, by default every second or after 30 events. If you need to confirm a specific event was delivered in code, you can await amplitude.track("Button Clicked").promise. The docs also note that awaiting track by itself does not wait for delivery. Once events appear in your project, you are ready to build.

Step 5 to 7 in detail: building your first Amplitude funnel

Choosing the starting event

The starting event defines who enters the funnel. Amplitude’s docs explain that you can choose a specific event or “Any Event”, then use “+ Filter by” to add property conditions. For example, start with “[Amplitude] Page Viewed” filtered to your pricing page URL so only pricing-page visitors enter.

One important detail from the docs: the segment you apply in the Segmentation module applies only to the starting event, not to every step. If you need a filter on later steps too, add it to each event in the Events module.

Picking the right order mode

Order mode	How it counts	Use it when
This order	Steps must happen in sequence, other events can happen in between	Most onboarding and checkout funnels
Any order	Users count if they do every step in any sequence within the window	Setup checklists where order does not matter
Exact order	Steps must happen in sequence with no other events between them	Very tight flows, like a single multi-page form

Exact order is strict. Because Autocapture fires many events (page views, form events), an exact-order funnel can show far lower conversion than reality. Start with “This order” and only tighten it if you have a reason.

Excluding users who took a detour

The docs describe an “+ Exclude users who did” option. You choose an event and apply it across all steps or between two specific steps. A practical example: exclude users who fired “Support Ticket Opened” between sign up and first project, so you can see how the self-serve path performs on its own.

Setting the conversion window

The conversion window is the time a user has to finish the funnel after entering it. Per the interpretation docs, the setting reads “…completed within”, the default is one day, and the range is one second to 366 days. The FAQ adds that the window is a rolling 24-hour style period, not tied to calendar dates.

How to choose a window as a beginner:

• Sign up flows: one hour to one day. People either finish in one sitting or not at all.
• Onboarding to first value: seven days is a common starting point, since users come back over several sessions.
• Free trial to paid: match your trial length, for example 14 or 30 days.

A window that is too short undercounts real conversions. A window that is too long hides urgency problems. Try two windows and compare.

Uniques, totals and holding a property constant

By default, funnels count unique users, and each user appears once. The FAQ explains that choosing “Totals” in the “Counting by” dropdown counts all conversion paths instead. That suits repeated actions, such as each checkout attempt.

Holding a property constant, such as a session ID, requires every step to share the same value. The docs point out that this changes what you are counting: the chart then counts user and session pairs, so you see converting sessions rather than converting users. The property must exist on every event in the funnel.

Step 8 and 9 in detail: breakdowns and reading the results

Segments vs. group-by breakdowns

There are two ways to compare groups in an Amplitude funnel:

• Segments. Click “+ Add Segment” in the Segmentation module to define separate groups, such as “Visited from paid ads” and “Visited from organic search”. Each segment gets its own funnel. You can also use “+ Performed” to limit a segment to users who already did a certain event.
• Group-by breakdowns. Add a property to group by, such as device type, country or plan. Amplitude groups users by the property value at their entry point into the funnel, according to the docs on how conversions are computed.

Results show in a breakdown table with an “Export CSV” button. The FAQ notes CSV export is limited to 300 group-by values, which is rarely an issue for small businesses. One small quirk from the docs: when a group-by is applied, the “Average Time” column shows “N/A”.

The four ways to view a funnel

Amplitude’s interpretation docs describe these views in the Measured As module:

• Conversion: the classic bar chart with converted and dropped-off users per step, plus a “Dropped off” column in the table.
• Conversion over time: how the conversion rate changes day by day or week by week. Useful after a launch or a pricing change. The FAQ warns this view can count one user in several data points, so it may differ from the standard funnel.
• Time to convert: how long users take between steps. Long gaps often point to confusing steps or missing reminders.
• Frequency: how often users repeat a step before converting.

The takeaway dropdown in the upper left offers “Largest drop-off step”. Note that it compares absolute drop, not percentage drop, so a big early step will usually win. Look at percentages too before deciding what to fix.

Turning drop-off into action

Amplitude’s guidance on getting the most out of funnels suggests creating cohorts of users who dropped off at key steps, then reaching them through your messaging tools. The quick guide on funnels also suggests saving drop-offs as a cohort or exploring where they went next with the Journeys chart. For a small business, that might mean:

• Sending a short help email to users who signed up but never created a project.
• Watching session replays (10,000 per month on Free) of users who stalled at checkout.
• Running a quick survey for users who dropped at pricing. Our guide to customer feedback and analytics tools for small SaaS covers survey tools that pair well with Amplitude.

If you are not sure which events to put in a funnel in the first place, the docs suggest using Pathfinder to see common paths, or Compass to find events most linked to retention.

Step 10 in detail: saving funnels to a dashboard

A single funnel is useful. A dashboard with your two or three key funnels is what people actually check each week. Amplitude’s dashboard docs describe two routes:

1. From the chart: save the funnel, click “+ Add to”, then pick a dashboard from the list or choose “+ Create a new dashboard”.
2. From the dashboard: go to Create, then Dashboard, replace “Untitled Dashboard” with a name, click “Add Content”, choose the chart type and select your saved funnel from the panel on the right.

Two limits from the docs: a saved chart can appear only once per dashboard (though it can live on several dashboards), and you must be the owner or co-owner to edit a dashboard.

If you would rather not start from a blank page, Amplitude also publishes dashboard templates, including a Product Funnel Dashboard. The template page says it contains placeholder content that you replace by selecting your own event names.

Three starter funnels for small businesses

Not sure where to begin? These three cover most early-stage products. Swap in your own event names.

1. Landing page to sign up

• Steps: [Amplitude] Page Viewed (filtered to your landing page), [Amplitude] Form Started, Sign Up Completed
• Window: one day
• Break down by: UTM source (from attribution tracking)

2. Sign up to first value

• Steps: Sign Up Completed, Onboarding Step Completed, Project Created (or your main “aha” action)
• Window: seven days
• Break down by: device type or plan

3. Trial to paid

• Steps: Trial Started, Pricing Page Viewed, Plan Upgraded
• Window: your trial length
• Break down by: plan property on Plan Upgraded

Put all three on one dashboard and review it every Monday. Write down one change you will test each week, and note the result next to it. If you already run your business from a Notion workspace, a system like our Company OS 2.0 Notion template gives you a home for those weekly metric reviews, experiments and decisions alongside the rest of your operations.

Common beginner mistakes with Amplitude funnels

• Using button clicks as steps. Clicks fire even when the action fails. Track completed outcomes.
• Forgetting the segment only hits step one. Add filters to each event if you need them across the whole funnel.
• Choosing Exact order too early. Autocaptured events between steps can break exact-order conversions.
• A one-size conversion window. The one-day default is fine for sign up, too short for onboarding.
• Reading only “Largest drop-off step”. It compares absolute numbers. Check percentages too.
• Ignoring event volume. Turning on every Autocapture option on a busy site can push you past 2M events on Free, which the billing FAQ says can lead to a blocked account after three overages.

Is Amplitude the right product analytics tool for beginners?

Amplitude is a strong fit if you have a web or mobile product with a clear sign up or purchase path and you want answers beyond page views. The Free plan is generous for small products, the Browser SDK gets a useful baseline with Autocapture, and funnels are one of its core charts.

It may be more than you need if you only run a brochure site with a contact form, where a simple web analytics tool would cover you. It also asks for some setup discipline: someone has to add custom events and keep names tidy. And since Plus has no public price beyond “Starts at $0”, budget-conscious teams should run the bill estimate before upgrading.

If you have a product and a few hundred users, the most useful next step is simply to get events flowing and build one funnel. You will learn more from one real drop-off chart than from any amount of reading.

FAQ

Are Amplitude funnels available on the free plan?

Yes. Funnel Analysis charts are part of core product analytics on the Free plan, which includes 2M events per month with no time limit. Some extras, such as A/B Test Funnel View and Conversion Drivers, require Growth or Enterprise according to Amplitude’s docs.

What is the default conversion window in Amplitude?

The default “completed within” window is one day. Amplitude’s docs list a range from one second to 366 days, so you can match it to how long your users realistically take.

Do I need a developer to set up Amplitude?

You need someone comfortable adding a script or npm package to your site and a few lines of tracking code for custom events. Autocapture reduces the work by recording page views, sessions, form interactions and file downloads by default, but meaningful funnel steps usually need a handful of custom events.

What is the difference between “This order” and “Exact order”?

“This order” requires steps in sequence but allows other events in between. “Exact order” allows no other events between steps. For most beginners, “This order” gives a more realistic picture.

Why does my funnel show fewer conversions than my event totals?

Funnels require the same user to enter at step one within your date range and finish later steps in order within the conversion window. Event totals only count events that fired. By default funnels also count each user once, though you can switch “Counting by” to “Totals”.

How much does Amplitude Plus cost?

As of October 2026, the pricing page lists Plus as “Starts at $0” with the first 2M events per month free, scaling with event volume. It does not publish a fixed monthly price, so use the “Estimate bill” option on the pricing page for your volume. Eligible startups can get a free year of Growth through the startup program.