9 Hotjar Alternatives For Every Team & Budget (October 2023)

Ever since David Darmanin launched Hotjar in 2014, it’s become one of the go-to user analytics tools worldwide. Fans love its minimalist and intuitive interface, visual heatmaps, and feedback & survey widgets. However, it has limitations that turn a lot of users away:

• Expensive plans: Hotjar unlocks key features like funnel analytics, dev console, and API access on its highest paid plan which starts at $213/month. And access to its survey features comes at an added cost. Additionally, you’ll have to purchase a separate plan for each extra site you want to connect to Hotjar. 
• Limited heatmaps: Hotjar’s heatmaps can’t capture all dynamic site elements. And if you want to capture any at all, you have to go through the tedious and time-consuming process of taking multiple screenshots manually.
• Limited session replays: While Hotjar’s session replays work well, they lack advanced options like live viewing and co-browsing.
• Significant impact on site speed: When you run Hotjar scripts on your site, you run the risk of taking a hit on your site’s loading speed and performance.

Given these limitations, it’s only natural to start looking around for the best alternatives to Hotjar. But don’t worry, we did the legwork to save you time and the headache. After a few months of thorough research and testing, here’s our curated list of the best Hotjar alternatives, evaluated in the following areas:

• Affordability, 
• Heatmaps,
• Session replay, and 
• Supporting features.

Let’s go! 

Best Hotjar Alternatives: Executive Summary

Best Overall		Runner-Up		Third Best Alternative
SessionStack		Microsoft Clarity		FullStory
Best lightweight alternative to Hotjar for teams who want to track real-time insights, site errors, and user frustrations		Best free Hotjar alternative for small businesses who only need session replays and heatmaps		Best for big businesses who want to track both website and mobile app insights
Visit Tool Site		Visit Tool Site		Visit Tool Site

All Hotjar Alternatives

	SessionStack Best lightweight Hotjar alternative for teams looking to quickly gather site errors, user frustrations, and in-depth user insights, and provide real-time user support.
	Affordability*: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	Session Replay: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	Heatmaps: ⭐⭐⭐	Supporting features: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
	Inspectlet Best affordable alternative to Hotjar for e-commerce businesses who don’t need comprehensive session replay and funnel analytics.
	Affordability: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	Session Replay: ⭐⭐	Heatmaps: ⭐⭐⭐⭐	Supporting features: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
	CrazyEgg Ideal for small businesses looking for a Hotjar alternative that easily integrates with their e-commerce platform and offers advanced A/B testing features.
	Affordability: ⭐⭐⭐	Session Replay: ⭐⭐	Heatmaps: ⭐⭐⭐⭐	Supporting features: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
	FullStory Best Hotjar alternative for big businesses who want to track web and mobile app insights, and have no need for feedback widgets.
	Affordability: ⭐	Session Replay: ⭐⭐⭐⭐	Heatmaps: ⭐⭐⭐	Supporting features: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
	VWO A Hotjar alternative for large enterprises who want Hotjar’s features in addition to a dedicated A/B testing tool for running large-scale optimization experiments.
	Affordability: ⭐⭐	Session Replay: ⭐⭐⭐	Heatmaps: ⭐⭐⭐⭐	Supporting features: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
	Microsoft Clarity Best free alternative to Hotjar for solopreneurs and small businesses who only need basic session replay and heatmap features.
	Affordability: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	Session Replay: ⭐⭐⭐	Heatmaps: ⭐⭐⭐	Supporting features: ⭐
	UserTesting Best Hotjar alternative for businesses who are only looking for a dedicated user feedback tool and have no need for comprehensive analytics features.
	Affordability: ⭐	Session Replay: ⭐⭐⭐⭐	Heatmaps: ⭐⭐	Supporting features: ⭐⭐⭐
	Browsee An affordable alternative suitable for small businesses seeking Hotjar’s key features but without a large tech stack for integration.
	Affordability: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	Session Replay: ⭐⭐⭐	Heatmaps: ⭐⭐⭐⭐	Supporting features: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
	Plerdy Best for digital marketing agencies who need an all-in-one solution for optimizing customer experience on websites while improving their SEO to rank in search.
	Affordability: ⭐⭐⭐	Session Replay: ⭐⭐⭐	Heatmaps: ⭐⭐⭐	Supporting features: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

1. SessionStack — Best Lightweight Alternative For In-Depth Customer Interactions

Affordability	Session Replay	Heatmaps	Supporting features
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐

Alexander Zlatkov, an ex-software engineer, founded a digital experience analytics platform SessionStack in 2016 to serve a simple goal: understand how users engage with websites and online apps. Today, SessionStack is used by top companies like Kraken.com, Bazaarvoice, and Imagine.ai to optimize their digital experience and drive product-led growth.

Top SessionStack Features:

SessionStack is a session replay fan-favorite — it currently holds G2’s “session replay category leader” badge for 2023. This is due to advanced features like:

• Pixel-perfect session replays,
• Dev console, 
• User segmentation filters,
• Error logging,
• Co-browsing mode,
• And live sessions. 

It also has a funnels feature for in-depth customer journey analysis. It allows you to view drop-off and conversion rates at each step, filter results by user segments, and review linked session replays for insights into why users dropped off and the different paths they took.

These features make SessionStack perfect for teams including product, developer, engineering, and customer support who are working toward driving product-led growth for their business: capture in-depth user interactions, identify user frustrations, reproduce bugs, and where necessary, provide real-time support to users.

SessionStack Pros	SessionStack Cons
✅ Easy setup and navigation	❌ Click maps aren’t visual
✅ Industry-first AI capability	❌ Doesn’t have user feedback widgets
✅ Custom pricing plans	❌ Zapier integration isn’t available
✅ Extremely light JavaScript, barely impacts website performance & speed
✅ Connect to unlimited sites
✅ 10+ native integrations & API access

SessionStack has all of Hotjar’s session replay features and more.

Hotjar has a session replay tool with a dev console. Meanwhile, SessionStack steps it up with a virtually lag-free live session viewing for active users on your site. You can also choose to engage with your users in real-time via the co-browsing mode (which doesn’t require any additional installations for yourself and the site user). 

The co-browsing mode is equipped with these tools:

• A pointer for highlighting different areas of the user’s screen,
• A pen for annotating the screen, and
• A permission-based control takeover for completing actions for the user.

But there’s more.

SessionStack also includes the SessionStackAI tool that saves you tons of time when analyzing tons of session replay data. It summarizes session replays into bite-sized summaries, highlighting the most important events, and suggesting low-hanging UX improvements.

SessionStack comes with more advanced error-tracking features than Hotjar.

Unlike Hotjar, SessionStack has a dedicated errors page that logs all errors captured during user sessions (marked as “2” in the image below”) and shows more details when you click on them (marked as “1”):

Each error is linked to the specific timestamp of the session replay where it occurred (marked as “1” in the image below) — making it super easy to see the user action that led to it. From here, you can pull up the dev console (marked as “2”) for more details (3). This is an invaluable tool for developers and engineering teams who want to stay on top of issues and identify and prioritize areas to work on for the day.

SessionStack’s click maps provide better actionable insights compared to Hotjar’s heatmaps.

Hotjar has page-specific visual heatmaps: 

• click maps, 
• hover maps, 
• and scroll maps. 

However, it doesn’t capture all dynamic elements on your site. 

And for the few you can capture, you have to take separate screenshots for each dynamic element. This can be tedious and inefficient if you have multiple dynamic elements on your site. Besides, you may not be able to draw meaningful insights from them, especially if your website traffic is low (the trends may not be representative of the population).

Since SessionStack doesn’t have visual heatmaps, it doesn’t have this limitation.

Instead, SessionStack captures site-wide elements (both static and dynamic) with the most clicks, dead clicks, and rage clicks in one space. 

Right away, you can see what elements are popular on your site and which ones are triggering user frustrations. This makes it easy to determine what action to take to maintain a consistently optimal user experience. 

Use SessionStack if:

• You want to record all user sessions.
• You’re looking for a more affordable alternative to Hotjar.
• You need a Hotjar alternative that supports live session viewing with a co-browsing mode for providing real-time support.

2. Inspectlet — Best Alternative For E-commerce Businesses

Affordability	Session Replay	Heatmaps	Supporting features
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rachit Gupta founded Inspectlet in 2011 to bridge the gap between website designers and users, enabling quicker and more effective design iterations. 

Inspectlet’s top features include:

• Funnels,
• A/B testing,
• Error logging,
• Form analytics,
• Feedback surveys,
• Live session viewing.

These features make Inspectlet ideal for e-commerce businesses who want to optimize site design for increased conversions. 

Inspectlet Pros	Inspectlet Cons
✅ Easy to set up and navigate	❌ Basic session replays
✅ Visual heatmaps	❌ Slow live sessions
✅ Dedicated error logs page	❌ Inconsistent customer support

Inspectlet vs. Hotjar

Hotjar and Inspectlet share similar features like session replays, heatmaps (click, scroll, and move), funnels, and surveys. However, these features are better developed in Hotjar. For example, Hotjar’s heatmaps have user segmentation filters for more granular insights, a feature unavailable in Inspectlet.

On the other hand, Inspectlet has a dedicated error logging page, A/B testing, and form analysis, all of which are unavailable in Hotjar other than as integrations. These are quite handy tools if you’re trying to understand how users interact with online stores. 

Inspectlet Pricing

Inspectlet’s pricing starts with a free plan which allows for up to 2,500 recorded sessions per month for 1 site. Paid plans start at:

• $39/month for 10,000 sessions,
• $79/month for 25,000 sessions,
• $149/month for 50,000 sessions,
• $299/month for 125,000 sessions,
• $499/month for 250,000 sessions.

Use Inspectlet if:

• You don’t need robust session replay features.
• You don’t need comprehensive funnel analytics.
• You want a cheaper tool that supports key Hotjar features + A/B tests, and form analysis.

Click here to get started with Inspectlet

3. CrazyEgg — Best Alternative For Advanced A/B Testing

Affordability	Session Replay	Heatmaps	Supporting features
⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐

Neil Patel, a renowned digital marketing expert, co-founded CrazyEgg in 2006 alongside Hiten Shah. They wanted to help businesses optimize their website conversions and make more money. 

CrazyEgg includes features like:

• A/B testing,
• Survey widgets,
• CTA pop-ups,
• Goal tracking,
• Traffic analysis,
• Heatmaps (click, scroll, confetti, & overlay),
• Integrations with top sites like Shopify, Squarespace, WordPress, Wix, Magento, and Joomla.

CrazyEgg’s features make it an ideal choice for side hustlers, solopreneurs, and small businesses looking for a tool that seamlessly integrates into their e-commerce platform and helps boost sales.

CrazyEgg Pros	CrazyEgg Cons
✅ Extensive visual heatmap types	❌ No free plan
✅ Unlimited site connections	❌ Super basic session replay
✅ Responsive customer support	❌ Monthly billing isn’t available

CrazyEgg vs. Hotjar

Hotjar and CrazyEgg have click and scroll maps. However, while Hotjar has move maps, CrazyEgg has confetti, overlay, and list reports that allow you to segment clicks, view a percentage breakdown of clicks, and also get a pure rundown of the numbers.

Hotjar’s greatest strengths over CrazyEgg are its robust session replays and extensive survey features. Meanwhile, CrazyEgg wins over Hotjar when it comes to A/B testing, traffic analysis, and ease of integration with e-comm sites. 

CrazyEgg Pricing

While CrazyEgg has no free plan, it offers a 30-day free trial across all paid plans. CrazyEgg’s paid plans start at:

• $29/month for 30,000 pageviews
• $49/month for 75,000 pageviews
• $99/month for 150,000 pageviews
• $249/month for 500,000 pageviews

Note: The graph is based on the estimation that a user on an e-comm site views 10 pages in a session.

Use CrazyEgg if:

• You want to boost conversions with heatmaps and A/B tests.
• You don’t need a funnel feature for customer journey analysis.
• You don’t need robust session replay features.

Click here to get started with CrazyEgg

4. FullStory— Best Alternative For Web/Mobile Analytics

Affordability	Session Replay	Heatmaps	Supporting features
⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐

Scott Voigt, ex-Google engineer, and his team wanted to understand user navigation within an app they’d created. So in 2014, they created FullStory as a solution.

FullStory includes features like:

• Click and scroll maps,
• Session replay,
• Live viewing,
• Funnels,
• Extensive user segmentation filters,
• Retention and conversion analysis.

FullStory’s features make it perfect for businesses who want to dive deeper into customer journey analysis and remove roadblocks in the user’s journey.

FullStory Pros	FullStory Cons
✅ Allows for live viewing	❌ Hidden pricing plans
✅ Supports web analytics and mobile app analytics	❌ Takes a while to get used to
✅ Integrates with Zapier	❌ No co-browsing and feedback widgets
	❌ Heatmaps don’t capture dynamic elements

FullStory vs. Hotjar

FullStory is a great alternative to Hotjar if you’re looking for a tool that captures both web and mobile analytics but don’t need feedback and survey widgets. 

Hotjar and FullStory’s features are quite similar—they both have session replay features, a dev console, and click & scroll maps. However, Hotjar also has move maps for tracking mouse movements. And on the other hand, FullStory allows you to view live sessions.  

FullStory Pricing

FullStory’s pricing isn’t publicly available. However, some users have said it starts at $299/month. Plus, you have to purchase the mobile app analytics feature as an add-on.

Use FullStory if:

• You want a tool with website analytics and mobile app analytics.
• You want to view live sessions.
• You don’t need co-browsing.

Click here to get started with FullStory

5. VWO — Best Alternative For Large Enterprises

Affordability	Session Replay	Heatmaps	Supporting features
⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐

Paras Chopra launched VWO in 2010 as the first-ever A/B testing tool for websites. Today, VWO is one of the few tools with an extensive A/B testing feature set for web, mobile, and server-side experimentation.

VWO includes features like:

• A/B testing (with a visual and code editor),
• Dynamic heatmaps (click and scroll),
• Surveys,
• Funnels,
• Form analytics,
• Session recordings.

Best for use by big businesses who want to run large-scale experimentation projects to optimize product designs and drive conversions.

VWO Pros	VWO Cons
✅ Free plan	❌ Expensive paid plans
✅ Responsive customer support	❌ Steep learning curve
✅ Unlimited recordings on all plans	❌ No Zapier integration
✅ 40+ native integrations(Google Analytics, Slack, WordPress)	❌ No dedicated error tracking

VWO vs. Hotjar

VWO’s main products are Insights and Testing. The features included in Insights are very similar to those offered in Hotjar — session replay,  heatmaps, funnels, and surveys. Unlike Hotjar, VWO’s heatmaps are live, which allows you to easily capture all dynamic elements. Plus, VWO supports form analytics.

VWO takes it a step further. Its session replays and heatmaps are available on both web and mobile apps. In addition, Testing is VWO’s dedicated A/B testing tool for web, mobile, and servers — a feature not available in Hotjar.

VWO Pricing

VWO allows full functionality — unlimited recordings, heatmaps, and surveys across all plans. Hence, VWO’s pricing is based on Monthly Tracked Users (MTU). Here are the plans for each product they offer:

Product	Platform	Price (Starts at …)
VWO Insights	Web	$144/month
VWO Testing	Web	$286/month
VWO Testing	Mobile App	$1,418/month
VWO Testing	Server Side	$2,026/month

Use VWO if:

• You have a big budget.
• You need dynamic heatmaps.
• You don’t need live viewing and co-browsing.
• You need a dedicated A/B testing tool for your web, mobile app, and server side.s

Click here to get started with VWO

6. Microsoft Clarity — Best Free Alternative For Basic User Insights

Affordability	Session Replay	Heatmaps	Supporting features
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐

Microsoft, one of the largest global tech companies, developed Clarity to collect anonymous data for its robust machine-learning algorithms. As a result, Clarity is offered as a free-to-use user behavior analytics tool.

Microsoft Clarity includes features like:

• Session replays,
• Click and scroll maps,
• User segmentation filters,
• Integrations with tools like Google Analytics, Optimizely, and AB Tasty.

Microsoft Clarity is best for solopreneurs, small businesses, and startups looking for a dedicated session replay and heatmapping tool to understand user behaviors and patterns.

Microsoft Clarity Pros	Microsoft Clarity Cons
✅ Completely free	❌ Captures user data
✅ Simple, intuitive, user-friendly UI	❌ Analytics are slow to load
✅ Unlimited site connections	❌ No surveys and funnels
✅ Supports mobile apps	❌ No live viewing and co-browsing

Microsoft Clarity vs. Hotjar

Microsoft Clarity is a good Hotjar alternative if you’re solely focused on gathering insights with session replays and heatmaps but don’t need supporting features like funnels, surveys, error tracking, and live session viewing — and you’re also willing to compromise on how slow it is to generate insights. 

However, unlike Hotjar, Microsoft Clarity captures all dynamic site elements and also supports mobile app analytics.

Microsoft Clarity Pricing

Microsoft Clarity is an open-source analytics platform that is free to use forever. 

Use Microsoft Clarity if:

• You’re a solopreneur or small business.
• You don’t need robust and advanced features.
• You’re looking for a free tool with unlimited heatmaps and session recordings.

Click here to get started with Microsoft Clarity

7. UserTesting — Best Alternative For Remote Usability Testing

Affordability	Session Replay	Heatmaps	Supporting features
⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐

In 2007, Dave Garr, a website manager, partnered with Darrell Benatar to create UserTesting. Their goal was to provide a solution for quickly gathering user feedback on designs.

UserTesting includes features like:

• UserTesting’s contributor network,
• Screening & recruitment,
• Transcription & note-taking,
• Sentiment and intent analysis,
• Click maps,
• Path flows.

UserTesting is best for the UX, marketing, and product teams who want to quickly conduct moderated and unmoderated usability tests, gather feedback, and make changes to their products. 

UserTesting Pros	UserTesting Cons
✅ Very easy to use	❌ No free plan
✅ Allows you to specify target audience	❌ Pricing plans aren’t public
✅ Transcribes user’s video feedback	❌ Sentiment analysis feature can be unreliable

UserTesting vs. Hotjar

UserTesting is a dedicated feedback management tool for speeding up UX research. It’s similar to Hotjar’s Engage product. 

However, unlike Hotjar, UsertTesting has:

• a larger participant pool for selecting your target audience, 
• supports unmoderated tests, and
• works well with mobile devices.

On the other hand, Hotjar is a well-rounded tool that does feedback management, as well as session replays, heatmaps, and surveys.

UserTesting Pricing

Contact the UserTesting team for a custom quote.

Use UserTesting if:

• You don’t need user analytics features like session replays and heatmaps.
• You want to proactively gather user feedback.
• You want to observe how users interact with your site in real time.
• You want to gather qualitative feedback with video recordings.

Click here to get started with UserTesting

8. Browsee — Best Alternative For Dynamic Site Analysis

Affordability	Session Replay	Heatmaps	Supporting features
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐

Browsee is founded by Saurabh Mathur and Shraddha Srivastava, who are passionate about helping website owners understand their customers better so they can increase conversions.

Browsee includes features like:

• Session recordings,
• Click, scroll, and attention maps,
• Funnels,
• Surveys.

Browsee is best for small businesses that need a perfect blend of core user analytics features and affordable pricing plans.

Browsee Pros	Browsee Cons
✅ Heatmaps capture dynamic elements	❌ Limited free plan
✅ Filter heatmaps by traffic source	❌ Few native integrations
✅ Chrome extension for on-site analysis	❌ Limited site connections
	❌ No Zapier integrations

Browsee vs. Hotjar

Browsee and Hotjar have similar features, but Hotjar has more advanced funnel and survey capabilities. Browsee, on the other hand, excels in capturing dynamic site elements with its heatmaps. It also has a Chrome extension that allows you to view analytics and sessions for each element on your site.

Plus, while Hotjar allows for 1 site connection on a plan, Browsee allows for up to 5 sites (a.k.a. projects) on higher plans.

Browsee Pricing

Browsee’s pricing starts with a free plan, and then upgrades with the following paid plans:

• Starter: $24 for 4K recordings/month 
• Plus: $57 for 10K recordings/month 
• Pro: $129 for 30K recordings/month 
• Executive: $299 for 100K recordings/month 

Use Browsee if:

• You want to connect to more sites on higher plans.
• You want unlimited members on all plans.
• You want a Hotjar alternative that supports dynamic heatmaps.

Click here to get started with Browsee 

9. Plerdy — Best Alternative For E-Commerce SEO Analysis

Affordability	Session Replay	Heatmaps	Supporting features
⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐

Andrew Chornyy, CRO & SEO expert, founded Plerdy in 2017 as a tool to help his SEO agency optimize search rankings and user experience for maximum conversions.

Plerdy includes features like:

• Session replay,
• Click, scroll, and move maps,
• User segmentation,
• Feedback forms,
• SEO & SERP checker,
• Event tracking tools,
• Conversion funnel analysis.

Plerdy is ideal for website owners and digital marketing agencies looking for a single tool to enhance user experience, improve conversion rate optimization, and boost search rankings.

Plerdy Pros	Plerdy Cons
✅ Flexible and affordable plans	❌ Limited free plan
✅ Integrates with Google Search Console	❌ Complex UI
✅ Helpful customer support	❌ Can get slow at times

Plerdy vs. Hotjar

Similar to Hotjar, Plerdy has core features like session replay, heatmaps, funnels, and surveys. However, with Plerdy, you can filter heatmaps by traffic source, providing in-depth insights into the impact of your traffic sources.

Where Plerdy stands out from Hotjar is its SEO toolset, which allows you to audit and optimize your website’s technical and on-page SEO to boost your search engine ranking.

Plerdy Pricing

Plerdy’s pricing starts with a free plan that tracks up to 100 page views daily and only allows for 500 session replays. You can upgrade to the all-in-one package which is made up of the UX&CRO, Pop-up, SEO, and E-commerce modules (or purchase them separately):

• Start: $122/month (500 pageviews/day + 1,000 total videos sessions)
• Business: $248/month (500 pageviews/day + 2,000 total video sessions)
• Premium: $390/month (500 pageviews/day + 10,000 total video sessions)

Use Plerdy if:

• You have a high-traffic site.
• You want to optimize SEO for high search ranking.
• You want to optimize site elements for conversions.

Click here to get started with Plerdy

The Final Verdict

This list presents the best Hotjar alternatives that address specific needs not fully covered by Hotjar. If you’re still unsure about a tool, test its free plan or trial to see if it suits your requirements.

But based on our extensive research and first-hand experience using these tools over the past few months, here’s our verdict:

• SessionStack for teams who want to actively monitor and resolve site errors & user frustrations, and provide real-time support to users — without taking a hit to site performance.  
• Microsoft Clarity for solopreneurs and small businesses looking for a free tool with basic session replays and heatmaps.
• FullStory for big businesses who are willing to pay more to track both website and mobile app insights.

Still looking for the best customer behavior analysis platform for your specific needs? We tried, tested, and compared the most popular ones out there and found a match for every budget, team, and use case. Check out our comparisons:

• Lucky Orange vs SessionStack,
• Mouseflow vs Hotjar,
• Hotjar vs Smartlook,
• and more.