Best Hotjar Alternatives For Website will be described in this article. For those attempting their first foray into user behavior research, Hotjar is a well-liked option. However, seasoned marketers, product managers, and user experience (UX) specialists that use Hotjar to understand why customers leave their site have several significant limitations:
Features for funnel analysis are no longer present. You have to pay for a second tool or set up a laborious manual interface with Google Analytics if you want to see where users leave a funnel.
Programming and a paid plan are needed for event definition and tracking. To track simple events like button clicks, JavaScript code must be written and the Hotjar Event API must be used. Additionally, you cannot design funnels using events, which is a crucial application for event tracking. Its quantitative analytic skills are extremely restricted, especially when compared to the majority of the tools below. Many professionals look for Hotjar alternatives because of these drawbacks and the inability to examine user behavior on mobile apps. Twelve of the top Hotjar competitors have been categorized into two groups in this article: tools for behavior analysis and tools for collecting user feedback and surveys.
With Smartlook, our website & mobile app analytics platform that combines heatmaps, screen recordings, event monitoring, and funnel analysis, we’re getting things started. Create a free Smartlook account right away if you want to start examining user activity on your website or mobile application. With the aid of our technology, you may observe user behavior, click locations, visited pages or screens, and much more.
10 Hotjar alternatives that use heatmaps, screen recordings, events, and funnels to analyze behavior
In this article, you can know about Hotjar Alternatives here are the details below;
Heatmaps and screen recordings, two of Hotjar’s most well-liked features, are available among the tools in this category. The tools below also assist in analyzing the user experience across several web sites or events, among other things, as heatmaps and recordings are rarely actionable on their own.
1. Smartlook
Up to 3,000 sessions are allowed under the free plan each month. No credit card is necessary.
Price: A 30-day free trial is included with paid subscriptions that begin at $55 a month.
With the aid of our product, Smartlook, more than 300,000 companies are able to examine customer activity on their websites and mobile apps for Android and iOS. Every user session on your website or transportable app is recorded by Smartlook’s always-on screen recordings once our code snippet has been loaded. The information gathered from these sessions can be used to design events, construct funnels, produce heatmaps, and see user recordings.
The result is:
- Enabling and disabling session records is not a concern.
- As far back as your data retention plan allows, historical data is automatically filled when you build events, create funnels, and create heatmaps.
- Existing funnels can always be expanded with additional events, which can then be promptly analyzed because the data has already been gathered.
- Simply put, you always have access to critical user activity data with Smartlook. It can be used to do quantitative and qualitative analysis to discover the actions and motivations of users.
To prevent sensitive information from being sent to Smartlook servers, you have the option to set masks on user input forms while using Smartlook. Here are two useful examples of how our clients utilize the feature set of Smartlook:
#1 create funnel and analyze conversion rates across different pages and events
Before completing a conversion event, such as making a purchase or subscribing to a newsletter, the majority of visitors take several steps. For boosting conversion rates and the user experience overall, it is crucial to analyze their path through these steps, a process known as funnel analysis.
With Smartlook, funnel analysis can be completed in 3 easy steps:
- Define at least 2 events. All user interactions that may be recorded are considered events. Without writing a line of code, you may specify common events like button presses, text inputs, and URL visits. With JavaScript, you can also make your own events to track pretty much anything else. As soon as you specify an event, Smartlook immediately locates every incidence of that event on your website, going back as far as your data retention policy allows.
- Create your funnels. Choose two or more events and arrange them according to the path your users take to form a funnel. As shown in the GIF below, Smartlook automatically produces a funnel representation when you do that. Use screen recordings to analyze funnels and events. From this point, you can view screen recordings of users who abandoned the funnel in between phases (more on that in a moment). You can view all recordings where a specific event, such as a user hitting the “Buy now” button, occurred to gain extra context. You can use 30+ filters, such as country, city, device kind, operating system, etc. to limit the movies.
3. Investigate occurrences by location or technology
Visit our post on funnel analysis with Smartlook for a comprehensive how-to that includes other examples. By registering for a free account, which doesn’t require a username, email address, or credit card, you can view an example funnel in our live public demo. Prior to December 2020, Hotjar offered funnel analysis, however the service was discontinued. As a result, using their product alone, you cannot analyze conversion rates throughout the customer experience. In fact, this shift caused one of our clients to begin seeking for Hotjar substitutes.
#2 Get actionable insights from your data fast
Hotjar (and several of its competitors) customers frequently lament how time-consuming it is to obtain insights from screen recordings. Even Hotjar suggests to its customers that they “book a recurring 2-hour space in your calendar every partners of weeks, so you get into the routine of watching regularly.” Here, Smartlook’s method of fusing screen recordings with events and funnel analysis will help you identify the precise records you need while saving you a ton of time and work. This Smartlook screenshot, for instance, displays a three-step checkout process.
Users first arrive on a page, after which they click “Pay Now,” they proceed to the “Thank you” page. However, if you consider the drop-off rate between the “Pay Now” button & the “Thank you” carrier, you can infer that the “Pay Now” page has a usability issue of some sort. You must view the session records of the 32 users in order to understand why they were unable to purchase.
How simple it is to look into this matter with Smartlook is as follows:
You start by defining the events and quickly creating the funnel. The screen recordings of all the visitors who abandoned the funnel at that stage can then be accessed by simply clicking the “Play” button located beneath each funnel phase.
By doing this, you may skip searching through all 195 recordings and just view the 32 users who had trouble making a purchase. None of this requires the use of any additional tools or the creation of any code. In our live, public demo, you can examine a comparable checkout process without providing an email address, username, or credit card. You only need to click “create a new account” and then select the funnel icon from the left-sidebar. There are 7 sample funnels available for analysis, one of which is a “Purchase process” funnel.
On the other hand, Hotjar by itself is unable to provide these insights. The funnel drop-off needs to be located in Google Analytics or similar analytics program. The following step is to view Hotjar recordings of all 264 visitors to the page (Step 1). There are still 195 videos after filtering the recordings based on the button click event (set up with JavaScript).
Smartlook vs. Hotjar
Both Smartlook and Hotjar provide screen recordings and heatmaps that monitor mouse, scroll, and click activity.
- Every user session is recorded by Smartlook’s screen recordings, which are always active by default. Hotjar may now record every user session as long as session capture is turned on since switching to continuous capture. But occasionally, Hotjar continues to sample your traffic until you manually change session targeting or pay to a more expensive plan.
- While Hotjar has excellent features for obtaining feedback from website users, Smartlook enables you to comprehend their behavior more thoroughly and quantify it by:
- As we demonstrated above, event tracking and funnel analysis allow you to examine conversion rates throughout the user journey.
Retention tables, which allow you to research user engagement and churn. Anomalies detection, which notifies you through email or the app anytime there are sudden rises or decreases in conversion rates.
The fact that Smartlook can be used to webpages and native mobile apps is another significant distinction. Hotjar is not currently compatible with mobile apps. Request a live demo of Smartlook or register for a free 30-day ordeal (no credit card needed) to see what it can achieve for your company.
2. FullStory
Free Plan: Contains all features and is available for up to 1,000 sessions per month.
Price: The cost of the enterprise and business plans is available upon request. Some paid plans provide a free trial period of two weeks.
One of the most sophisticated session replay technologies available is provided by the “Digital Experience Intelligence” platform FullStory. Additionally, it provides features for user segmentation and filtering depending on their actions, funnel analysis, and more. It’s vital to keep in mind that FullStory is intended for enterprise users. Due to this, its high price is frequently mentioned in internet evaluations, as we covered in our post on alternatives to FullStory.
FullStory vs. Hotjar
Both programs offer heatmaps and mechanisms to observe user sessions, which is an example of their commonalities. When compared to FullStory, Hotjar’s facilities for feedback and surveys set them apart. FullStory can be used to examine both mobile apps and websites and offers considerably greater quantitative analytics capabilities (including funnel analysis). Last but not least, pricing transparency is a significant distinction between the two tools. In contrast to FullStory, Hotjar offers 4 options with transparent pricing based on user sessions, whereas you must get in touch with their team to request a quote.
3. Contentsquare
- Homepage of Contentsquare: Digital insights that boost sales
- Analytics for both websites and mobile apps.
- Free Plan: Only a free product demo is provided.
- Price: Their sales team can provide the price upon request.
As of September 2021, Hotjar is really owned by Contentsquare, a sizable digital analytics platform. They also bought Clicktale, a former rival of Hotjar, in 2019. User path analysis, heatmaps, session replays, and AI insights are just a few of the tools offered by Contentsquare that can be used to analyze and enhance the customer experience. Similar to FullStory, Contentsquare targets businesses and includes tools for teams in product development, user experience design, marketing, e-commerce, information technology, operations, and customer service.
Contentsquare vs. Hotjar
Hotjar cannot compete with the capabilities offered by Contentsquare, which is perhaps why they refer to themselves as a “digital knowledge analytics cloud” rather than a tool or solution. The features for heatmaps and screen recordings are where both apps diverge. Upgrades to Contentsquare’s versions provide the capability to link revenue and conversion metrics to specific page elements.
Once more, Hotjar has an advantage with its survey and feedback capabilities, but Contentsquare is a much more complete analytics platform for websites and mobile apps overall. Because you must go through a demo to acquire a price from Contentsquare, the company is not clear about pricing.
4. VWO
- Homepage for VWO: A/B testing is used by fast-growing businesses.
- Analytics for both websites and mobile apps.
- Free trial period of 30 days. No credit card is necessary.
- Price: Their sales team can provide the price upon request.
Conversion rate optimization (CRO) platform VWO is comprehensive. As a result, it primarily serves to enhance user experience metrics and conversions using A/B, multivariate, and split URL testing. In addition, VWO provides tools for sending push notifications, evaluating products, and more.
VWO vs. Hotjar
VWO is a feature-rich application that supports numerous use cases, just like Contentsquare. It’s also the first solution on the list to include any combination of screen recordings, heatmaps, on-page feedback, and surveys from Hotjar. Forms and funnels can be examined using VWO, although Hotjar no longer offers this functionality. For CRO specialists, VWO’s A/B, multivariate, and split URL testing capabilities are also valuable. Also check Hootsuite Alternatives
Due to VWO’s lack of publicly accessible plans, pricing is once again a significant differentiation. According to some VWO users, watching extra user session recordings costs more money.
5. Crazy Egg
- Homepage of Crazy Egg: Improve your website. Instantly.
- Website-only analytics, not applicable to mobile apps.
- No free plans are available.
- Plans start at $24 per month and include a 30-day free trial. Every plan is billed once a year.
Heatmaps, user recordings, A/B testing, and facilities for tracking ad traffic on your website are all included in the CRO and web analytics platform Crazy Egg.
Crazy Egg Vs. Hotjar
Crazy Egg functions similarly to the earlier iteration of Hotjar before they switched to Continuous Capture. Both solutions feature screen recordings and heatmaps, but Crazy Egg doesn’t record every user session on your website. Instead, they take a sample of your traffic, and you get to pick the sampling frequency. Thus, Crazy Egg’s quantitative analytics capabilities are less extensive than those of Hotjar. In terms of their additional capabilities, Hotjar excels in providing surveys and user feedback, whilst Crazy Egg provides A/B testing.
Regarding how many user sessions you can record, the pricing of the two solutions has a significant difference. While Crazy Egg’s $99/month plan only provides 1,000 user recordings, Hotjar’s free edition allows for up to 1,050 user recordings per month.
6. Mouseflow
- Homepage of Mouseflow: Mouseflow explains why visitors aren’t becoming clients.
- Website-only analytics, not applicable to mobile apps.
- Free Plan: 500 recordings per month are permitted.
- Price: Paid plans have a 14-day free trial and start at $24 per month. No credit card is necessary.
Another SaaS product that aids website owners in understanding why their visitors do not convert is called Mouseflow. Heatmaps, session replays, conversion funnels, and other features are included in its feature set.
Mouseflow vs. Hotjar
Today’s Mouseflow is comparable to Hotjar before the Forms and Funnels feature was retired. Both solutions provide capabilities for user feedback, screen recordings, and heatmaps, but Mouseflow has an advantage thanks to its form analytics and conversion funnels. Additionally, you may choose whether or not to record all visitors to your website using Mouseflow.
Mouseflow has four premium plans compared to Hotjar’s three, and it has a somewhat better price-to-user recordings ratio. In contrast, Hotjar’s free and low-cost plans keep data for a longer period of time.
7. Lucky Orange
- Homepage of Lucky Orange: Spend less time adding up the figures and more time expanding your business.
- Website-only analytics, not applicable to mobile apps.
- Free Plan: 500 page views per month are permitted.
- Paid subscriptions have a 7-day free trial and start at $10 per month. No credit card is necessary.
With the use of heatmaps and session records, Lucky Orange focuses on both visitor behavior research and conversion rate optimization (CRO), as well as live chat and form analytics.
Lucky Orange vs. Hotjar
Lucky Orange is comparable to what Hotjar was prior to the shift in December 2020, as was our previous entry. Both include features like heatmaps, records of sessions, and surveys, but Lucky Orange has an advantage because to its form analytics and conversion funnels.
Lucky Orange also offers live chat and pop-up announcements for CRO. With more affordable plans for start-ups and small enterprises as well as an enterprise option, Lucky Orange offers greater pricing variety. However, Hotjar once more has the advantage in terms of data storage, as it retains data for 365 days for all plans. The normal plans offered by Lucky Orange, including the $100/month plan, only keep data for 30 days.
8. Inspectlet
- Homepage of Inspectlet: Quit assuming what your visitors want.
- Website-only analytics, not applicable to mobile apps.
- Available for up to 2,500 recorded sessions per month under the free plan.
- Paid plans begin at $39 per month.
A/B testing and problem logging are two CRO and debugging functions that Inspectlet, a solution for website analytics, also offers.
Inspectlet vs. Hotjar
The present feature of Inspectlet is rather similar to what Hotjar provides. Both of them offer heatmaps, session recordings, and feedback forms. This implies that their event and funnel capabilities are likewise constrained in a similar way.
Three areas, A/B testing, form analytics, and error recording, are where Inspectlet excels. In comparison to Hotjar’s pricing options, it also provides more recorded sessions. For their more affordable price levels, Inspectlet stores data for substantially shorter times (between 1 and 6 months).
Finally, there is an odd discrepancy in how Inspectlet collects data. By design, the tool staggers session recordings, which means it can pause users’ recordings to keep you from going over your monthly allotment. While it’s not necessarily a terrible thing, it can result in the loss of crucial records.
9. Plerdy
- Conversion Rate Optimization Tools on the Plerdy homepage
- Website-only analytics, not applicable to mobile apps.
- With the free plan, you can browse up to 2,000 pages every day.
- Paid subscriptions have a 14-day free trial and start at $23 per month. Depending on whatever features you want to use, there are various plans.
Plerdy provides solutions for a variety of use cases, including user activity research, quantitative website analytics (events and funnels capabilities), SEO, and more.
Plerdy vs. Hotjar
The majority of Hotjar’s key features, such as heatmaps, screen recordings, and surveys, are included with Plerdy. Hotjar allows you to create more complex surveys, but Plerdy simply allows you to conduct Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys.
Depending on what you want to utilize, Plerdy’s pricing plans vary because of its considerably wider reach. Their behavior analytics tool plans aren’t as economical as Hotjar’s. For instance, the $47/month Plerdy plan only captures 2,000 recordings, whereas the $39/month Hotjar plan captures 3,000 recordings over a considerably shorter amount of time.
10. Clarity
Homepage for Clarity: Use Clarity to see what your users want. Website-only analytics, not applicable to mobile apps. Also check Github Alternatives
Free Plan: Microsoft’s Clarity is a free open-source solution that offers unlimited team members, websites, and recordings.
Clarity doesn’t provide any paid plans. Microsoft’s Clarity is a free solution for behavior analytics that includes session records, heatmaps, automatic insights, and a Google Analytics integration.
Clarity vs. Hotjar
Clarity is a good substitute for Hotjar for session recordings and heatmaps. Clarity records every user’s visit to your website, but it warns that not all sessions may have recordings. Additionally, you may apply more than 25 filter options to both recordings and heatmaps, and it provides endless heatmaps.
Its insights dashboard automatically displays activities, such as furious clicks, rapid scrolling, and JavaScript failures, that may point to friction points on your website. Surveys, funnel analysis, and other methods of getting client feedback are not provided by Clarity.
Two alternatives to Hotjar for customer feedback and surveys
These latter two tools can assist you in taking the place of Hotjar’s less well-liked survey and client feedback capabilities. In light of this, we are solely comparing them to Hotjar based on these features.
11. Survicate
- Either a website or a mobile app received user feedback.
- Up to 25 survey responses are permitted under the free plan per month.
- Paid plans begin at $79 per month.
A complete platform for getting client insights is Survicate. It includes a long range of survey capabilities in addition to several connections with various types of technologies, like email clients (Mailchimp, Klavyio), CRMs (Salesforce, HubSpot), content management systems (WordPress), and more.
Survicate vs. Hotjar
Both programs provide functionality for getting user feedback and doing surveys, including NPS ones. Free survey templates are also available to clients, albeit Survicate’s library is larger. Survicate features online, in-product, and mobile app surveys with a variety of practical integrations, making it definitely the more advanced option. Additionally, Survicate has a Feedback hub where users can monitor feedback from many sources (such as Intercom, Slack, the App Store, Google Play, etc.) in one location. The least expensive premium package offered by Survicate is $79 per month, while Hotjar starts at just $39 per month.
12. RightMessage
RightMessage enables organizations to increase lead generation, personalize the customer experience, and increase conversion rates. It has many capabilities as a comprehensive platform, such as widgets for surveys and offers, customized sales pages, and email list segmentation.
RightMessage vs. Hotjar
Both tools fall within the survey category since you may use them to design multi-step questions and get real-time user input. They both offer a big number of templates, with RightMessage concentrating more on the lead generating element of surveys than Hotjar, which has a wider library of instances. RightMessage’s pricing forms at $79/month, which is expensive when compared to Hotjar’s cost and is similar to our prior example.
Get Smartlook today and see how all your visitor interact with your website or mobile app
You’ll never miss a visitor recording or another important piece of information with Smartlook. The always-on screen recordings of Smartlook automatically record everything users do on your website when you install the code snippet, including URL visits, button presses, text inputs, and more. By combining the strengths of quantitative & qualitative research, you may draw insights from this data in order to better understand the behavior of your consumers and increase conversion rates.
