15 Best Hotjar Alternatives And Competitors In 2026

Feature Comparison: Hotjar Alternatives At A Glance

A quick scan of what’s actually included before you read the full breakdown below. “Surveys” covers in-product feedback or NPS; “Free Plan” means a perpetual free tier exists, not just a trial.

The 15 Best Hotjar Alternatives And Competitors

Every tool below does the core job Hotjar did — heatmaps and/or session replay of real visitor behavior — checked against each vendor’s current site and pricing page rather than older reviews, since features and pricing in this category change often (see the Smartlook note above for why that check matters). Pricing changes frequently, so treat every number below as a starting point checked in August 2026, and confirm the current rate on the vendor’s own pricing page before you buy.

1. Plerdy

Best for: teams that want heatmaps, session replay, and SEO/CRO tools under one login instead of stitching together three subscriptions.

Plerdy combines heatmaps, session replay, conversion funnels, on-site pop-ups, and an SEO-auditing module in a single platform. The pitch is consolidation: instead of paying for a behavior-analytics tool and a separate SEO tool and a separate pop-up builder, Plerdy folds all three into one dashboard and one price. The trade-off is depth — a pure-play tool like FullStory or Contentsquare will out-feature Plerdy on enterprise session-replay search and AI struggle detection specifically, so the fit is strongest for small-to-mid teams that want breadth over specialization.

Key features: heatmaps (click, move, scroll), session replay, conversion funnels, on-site pop-ups and forms, SEO audit and monitoring tools, all under one account.

Vs Hotjar: replaces Hotjar’s heatmaps and replay, then adds SEO and pop-up tools Hotjar/Contentsquare never offered at all.

Pros: one login for heatmaps, replay, SEO, and pop-ups. Cons: less specialized session-search tooling than pure-play enterprise platforms.

Pricing: free tier available; paid plans start at $32/month (Startup) — see Plerdy’s current pricing.

2. Microsoft Clarity

Best for: anyone who wants unlimited heatmaps and session recordings without a credit card, ever.

Clarity remains completely free with no session cap and no paid tier, funded by Microsoft as a data-and-goodwill play tied to Bing and Microsoft Advertising. It covers heatmaps, session recordings, and AI-generated recording summaries. The trade-off: no built-in surveys, no A/B testing, no pop-up builder — it’s a focused recording-and-heatmap tool, not a CRO suite.

Key features: unlimited heatmaps, unlimited session recordings, AI-generated recording summaries, native Google Analytics 4 integration.

Vs Hotjar: the same core recording/heatmap job old Hotjar did, minus surveys and A/B testing, at zero cost instead of a subscription.

Pros: completely free, no session limits. Cons: no surveys, A/B testing, or pop-ups built in.

Pricing: 100% free, no paid tier, no session limit — confirmed directly on Microsoft Clarity’s site: “Free forever.”

3. Lucky Orange

Best for: small e-commerce and marketing teams that want recordings, heatmaps, and live chat in one lightweight tool.

Lucky Orange bundles session recordings, dynamic heatmaps, conversion funnels, form analytics, and a built-in live-chat widget at a price point aimed squarely at small businesses rather than enterprise buyers. It’s consistently one of the most-recommended low-cost Hotjar swaps in community forums like Shopify’s own community boards, usually cited alongside Microsoft Clarity for teams that “can’t afford a $5–6k Hotjar/Contentsquare subscription.”

Key features: session recordings, dynamic heatmaps, conversion funnels, form analytics, built-in live chat.

Vs Hotjar: a comparable feature set to Hotjar plus live chat, at small-business pricing well below Contentsquare’s enterprise track.

Pros: live chat bundled in, small-business pricing. Cons: no perpetual free plan — only a 7-day free trial.

Pricing: 7-day free trial with full feature access; paid plans start at $32/month for up to 3,500 sessions (Build) — see Lucky Orange’s current pricing.

4. Crazy Egg

Best for: marketers who want visual, no-code heatmap and A/B-testing reports without engineering involvement.

Crazy Egg’s heatmaps, scroll maps, and click reports are built for fast visual reads rather than deep technical analysis, and its A/B testing tool runs on the same script. It’s one of the longest-running players in this category, which shows in how polished the reporting UI is — but session replay search and filtering are noticeably lighter than FullStory or Contentsquare.

Key features: heatmaps, scroll maps, click reports, A/B testing on the same script, snapshot-style visual reporting.

Vs Hotjar: lighter on session replay depth than Hotjar, but its visual heatmap reporting is faster to read for non-technical marketers.

Pros: fast, visual, no-code heatmap reports. Cons: session replay search is lighter than enterprise tools.

Pricing: free plan available with no credit card required, plus a 30-day free trial on paid plans; paid plans start at $29/month for 5,000 pageviews (Analytics) — see Crazy Egg’s current pricing.

5. Mouseflow

Best for: teams that want session replay tightly paired with form analytics and funnel drop-off tracking.

Mouseflow’s session replays, six heatmap types, and form analytics are built around finding exactly where and why visitors abandon a flow, with a “friction score” that flags problem sessions automatically. It’s the single most-mentioned Hotjar alternative across every competing roundup we checked — a strong signal that it consistently earns its spot rather than padding a list.

Key features: session replay, six heatmap types, automatic friction/rage-click scoring, form analytics, funnel drop-off tracking.

Vs Hotjar: matches Hotjar’s core heatmap/replay job and adds automatic friction scoring Hotjar never had.

Pros: automatic friction scoring flags problem sessions for you. Cons: advanced funnel features sit behind higher tiers.

Pricing: free plan for low traffic; paid plans start at $25/month (Essential) — see Mouseflow’s current pricing.

6. FullStory

Best for: teams that need enterprise-grade session search plus error tracking, not just heatmaps.

FullStory’s standout feature is its search: instead of scrubbing through recordings one by one, you can query sessions by behavior, error, or custom event across your whole dataset. Built-in error and rage-click tracking makes it a strong pick specifically for e-commerce teams that want behavior analytics and front-end error monitoring in the same tool rather than bolting on a separate error tracker. The trade-off is price — FullStory is priced and positioned for mid-market and enterprise, not solo sites.

Key features: searchable session replay, heatmaps, error and rage-click tracking, journey and funnel analysis.

Vs Hotjar: goes deeper than Hotjar ever did on session search and error tracking, at enterprise pricing to match.

Pros: best-in-class session search and error tracking. Cons: no published pricing — everything past the free tier requires a sales call.

Pricing: free forever plan (FullStory Free) with 30,000 sessions/month and 12 months of retention; paid Business/Advanced/Enterprise tiers are custom quote-only — see FullStory’s pricing page.

7. PostHog

Best for: developers and product teams who want session replay and heatmaps living next to feature flags and product analytics in one SDK.

PostHog ships session replay, heatmaps, funnels, feature flags, A/B testing, and error tracking from a single open-source-friendly SDK, with a generous free tier before usage-based pricing kicks in. It’s popular with engineering-led teams specifically because it avoids adding a second script and a second vendor relationship just for behavior data — a developer, not a marketer, is usually the one who installs it.

Key features: session replay, heatmaps, funnels, feature flags, A/B testing, error tracking, open-source self-hosting option.

Vs Hotjar: covers the same behavior data plus feature flags and product analytics Hotjar/Contentsquare doesn’t touch.

Pros: one SDK for replay, flags, and analytics, with an open-source option. Cons: usage-based pricing can be harder to forecast at scale.

Pricing: free tier covering the first 5,000 web (2,500 mobile) recordings/month, then usage-based from $0.0050 per recording, tapering down with volume — see PostHog’s pricing page.

8. Contentsquare

Best for: large enterprises that were already evaluating Hotjar’s higher tiers and want AI-assisted struggle detection at scale.

Contentsquare is, technically, Hotjar’s own successor rather than a separate competitor — it acquired Hotjar in 2021 and completed a full merger on July 1, 2025. For teams that liked Hotjar and don’t mind an enterprise sales process, staying inside the Contentsquare ecosystem is the path of least resistance; the free tier is reportedly more generous than old Hotjar, but paid tiers move into enterprise-level contracts and, per third-party analysis, professional-services costs on top of the subscription. It belongs on this list as the “upgrade path,” not a clean alternative.

Key features: AI-assisted struggle and journey analysis, heatmaps, session replay, Voice of Customer surveys, enterprise-grade reporting.

Vs Hotjar: this is Hotjar’s actual successor, not a competitor — same underlying data, wrapped in Contentsquare’s broader (and pricier) platform.

Pros: AI-assisted struggle analysis at enterprise scale. Cons: enterprise sales process and, per third-party analysis, added professional-services costs.

Pricing: a free plan exists (“Start for free”); paid tiers are custom quote-only — see Contentsquare’s pricing page.

9. Mixpanel

Best for: product teams already using Mixpanel for event analytics who want heatmaps and replay without adding a second vendor.

Mixpanel added native session replay and heatmaps directly to its platform, layering behavior visualization on top of the event-based analytics and cohort tools it’s known for. It’s a newer addition to Mixpanel’s feature set rather than a mature, dedicated heatmap product, so teams that need heatmaps as their primary use case may still prefer a purpose-built tool — but for teams standardized on Mixpanel already, it closes a real gap.

Key features: event-based product analytics, cohort analysis, native session replay and heatmaps, funnel and flow reporting.

Vs Hotjar: event analytics first, heatmaps/replay second — the opposite priority order from Hotjar.

Pros: no new vendor needed if you already run Mixpanel for analytics. Cons: heatmaps/replay are a newer, less mature part of the product.

Pricing: free forever plan with up to 1M events and 10,000 session replays/month; Growth tier is usage-based, Enterprise is custom — see Mixpanel’s pricing page.

10. Inspectlet

Best for: budget-conscious teams that want session replay, heatmaps, form analytics, and error logging from one long-running provider.

Inspectlet remains an active, independently sold product covering session replay, heatmaps, JavaScript A/B testing, feedback surveys, form analytics, and front-end error logging. It’s a smaller name than FullStory or Mouseflow, which typically means lower pricing and a smaller feature-release cadence.

Key features: session replay, dynamic heatmaps, JavaScript A/B testing, feedback surveys, form analytics, error logging.

Vs Hotjar: near feature-for-feature parity with Hotjar’s core toolset, from a smaller, lower-profile vendor.

Pros: near full feature parity with Hotjar at a smaller-vendor price point. Cons: paid tier pricing isn’t published — you’ll need to contact sales for tier details.

Pricing: free plan with 2,500 recorded sessions/month across up to 3 websites; paid tiers are billed monthly or annually (15% off annual) but not published — see Inspectlet’s plans page.

11. Zoho PageSense

Best for: teams already inside the Zoho ecosystem (CRM, Desk, Forms) that want heatmaps and A/B testing without adding a new vendor.

PageSense covers heatmaps, funnel analysis, session recording, and A/B testing, and its main advantage is native integration with the rest of Zoho’s suite rather than any single standout feature. It’s a practical, low-friction pick specifically for teams that already run their business on Zoho.

Key features: heatmaps, funnel analysis, session recording, A/B testing, native integration across the Zoho suite.

Vs Hotjar: matches Hotjar’s core features, with the native Zoho ecosystem integration Hotjar never had.

Pros: native fit if you already run Zoho CRM, Desk, or Forms. Cons: pricing above the free tier isn’t published by tracked-user volume.

Pricing: Forever Free plan for up to 5,000 monthly tracked users; Professional and Enterprise tiers start at 10,000 tracked users, priced on request — see Zoho PageSense’s pricing page.

12. Matomo

Best for: teams that need GDPR-grade privacy, self-hosting, or a genuinely free open-source option.

Matomo is a full web-analytics platform first, with heatmaps, session recordings, and event tracking layered on as features rather than the core product. It’s the clearest answer to two specific searches: “open-source Hotjar alternative” and “Hotjar alternative that protects your data” — you can self-host it and keep 100% of the data on your own infrastructure, which none of the SaaS-only tools on this list can offer.

Key features: full web analytics, heatmaps, session recordings, event tracking, 100% data ownership, GDPR/CCPA/HIPAA-friendly setup.

Vs Hotjar: the one thing here Hotjar/Contentsquare structurally can’t match — full self-hosted data ownership.

Pros: full data ownership via self-hosting. Cons: self-hosting means you own the maintenance too, unless you pay for Matomo Cloud.

Pricing: free forever, self-hosted Community edition with unlimited users and traffic; Matomo Cloud starts at €29/month for 50,000 hits — see Matomo’s pricing page.

13. UXCam

Best for: mobile-first products that need native iOS and Android session replay, not a web tool retrofitted for apps.

UXCam is built specifically for mobile: native SDKs for iOS and Android capture session replay, heatmaps, and crash context inside the app itself, rather than trying to adapt a browser-based script. For teams whose primary product is a mobile app rather than a website, it’s a more direct fit than any web-first tool on this list, Hotjar/Contentsquare included.

Key features: native iOS/Android session replay, mobile heatmaps, crash and issue context, in-app funnel analysis.

Vs Hotjar: covers where Hotjar was always weak — native mobile apps — at the cost of web coverage.

Pros: purpose-built native mobile SDKs, not a retrofit. Cons: no public pricing — every quote is custom by session volume.

Pricing: free trial with full feature access; paid plans are custom-quoted by monthly session volume — see UXCam’s pricing page.

14. Pendo

Best for: product management teams that want behavior data feeding directly into in-app guides, NPS surveys, and product analytics.

Pendo’s core job is product experience management — onboarding flows, in-app guides, and feature adoption tracking — with heatmaps and session data as supporting evidence for product decisions rather than the main event. It fits teams whose primary question is “which features are people actually using,” not “where do people click on this landing page.”

Key features: in-app guides and onboarding flows, feature-adoption tracking, NPS and in-app surveys, heatmaps and session data as supporting context.

Vs Hotjar: treats behavior data as one input into product decisions, not the main product, unlike Hotjar.

Pros: ties behavior data directly to product-adoption decisions. Cons: behavior data is secondary — not the tool’s main strength.

Pricing: free plan for up to 500 monthly active users; Base, Core, and Ultimate paid tiers are custom-quoted by MAU — see Pendo’s pricing page.

15. VWO

Best for: conversion-optimization teams that want heatmaps and recordings bundled inside a full A/B and multivariate testing platform.

VWO’s heatmaps and session recordings ship as part of a broader experimentation suite that includes A/B testing, multivariate testing, and personalization. It’s a strong pick if you’re buying a testing platform first and want behavior data included, rather than buying a behavior-analytics tool and hoping it also does testing well.

Key features: A/B and multivariate testing, heatmaps, session recordings, visitor segmentation, personalization.

Vs Hotjar: behavior data is the add-on here; the core product is a testing platform Hotjar never had.

Pros: heatmaps and testing in one experimentation platform. Cons: no public pricing above the free explore tier.

Pricing: a free “Explore” tier is available; Growth, Pro, and Enterprise tiers are custom-quoted — see VWO’s pricing page.

Hotjar Alternatives Pricing Comparison

Checked directly on each vendor’s pricing page in August 2026. “Custom” means no public number is listed and you’ll need to request a quote.

Hotjar Vs Competitors: Which Tool Should You Choose

If you want the shortest possible version of this guide: pick based on what you’re optimizing for, not brand familiarity. Choose Plerdy if you want heatmaps, replay, and SEO/CRO tools in one subscription. Choose Microsoft Clarity if budget is the only constraint. Choose Matomo if data ownership or GDPR compliance is non-negotiable. Choose UXCam if your product is mobile-first. Choose PostHog if engineering owns the tool. Choose Contentsquare only if you were already heading toward an enterprise contract — it’s Hotjar’s direct successor, not a true alternative.

How To Choose the Right Hotjar Alternative

Start from the job, not the feature list. If the real question is “what’s broken on this specific page,” you want strong heatmaps and filterable session replay — Mouseflow, FullStory, and Lucky Orange lead there. If the question is “should we build this feature at all,” you want a tool tied to product analytics — PostHog, Mixpanel, or Pendo fit better. If budget or data ownership is the deciding factor, Microsoft Clarity and Matomo cover the two ends of that spectrum for free and self-hosted respectively. And if you’re tired of running four separate CRO tools, Plerdy is built specifically to replace that stack rather than add to it.

Bottom Line

Hotjar’s move into Contentsquare didn’t remove behavior analytics as a category — if anything, it pushed more teams to re-evaluate what they actually need instead of defaulting to whatever tool they installed first. For most small-to-mid teams that want heatmaps, session replay, and CRO tools without three separate logins, Plerdy is the strongest first tool to test. Teams with a narrower, specific need — mobile-only, developer-first, fully free, or fully self-hosted — are better served by the specialist on this list built for that exact job.

FAQ About Hotjar Alternatives