Hotjar
Hotjar shows how users experience your website in real time.
If you want to truly understand what users do on your website, Hotjar is one of the most popular tools in the world. It shows real visitor behavior through heatmaps, recordings, feedback widgets, and surveys — helping marketers, product teams, and UX designers make data-driven decisions.
Hotjar is a behavior analytics and user feedback tool that helps you understand how people interact with your website or product. Instead of only looking at numbers like traffic or clicks, Hotjar shows how users experience your website in real time.
Pros and Cons of Hotjar
Advantages
Disadvantages
Key Features of Hotjar
Heatmaps
Shows where users click, scroll, and move on your website.
Types of heatmaps:
- Click maps
- Scroll maps
- Move maps
Benefit: Helps identify which sections attract attention and which are ignored.
Session Recordings
Records real visitor sessions so you can watch how users navigate your site. You can spot:
- Confusing UX elements
- Rage clicks
- Form abandonment
- Navigation friction
Benefit: Saves hours of guesswork.
Surveys & Feedback Widgets
Place surveys on any page to ask users:
- What stopped you from purchasing?
- What are you looking for?
- Was this page helpful?
Benefit: Real insights directly from users.
Funnels (Behavior Analytics)
Shows where users drop off across multi-step journeys.
Ideal for:
- Checkout flows
- Signup flows
- Landing pages
User Interviews (Engage)
Hotjar now lets you recruit users for interviews directly inside the platform.
Great for real-time qualitative research.
Trends & Dashboard Analytics
Visual reports to understand behavior patterns over time.
FAQs
Yes, Hotjar offers a free plan with limited heatmaps and recordings.
No, the script is lightweight and optimized.
- Hotjar shows behavior and experience.
- GA shows numbers and metrics.
- They work best when used together.
No, Hotjar anonymizes sensitive information unless you configure otherwise.
Yes. It helps find checkout issues, UX friction, and drop-offs.
No, Hotjar is mainly for websites. Tools like Smartlook are better for apps.
Yes, it has strong privacy controls.
Best Hotjar Alternatives in 2026
Microsoft Clarity (Free)
Best for: Beginners & businesses wanting unlimited free recordings.
Why pick it over Hotjar?
- Completely free
- Automatic insights (dead clicks, rage clicks)
- Great heatmaps and recordings
Limitations: No built-in surveys or feedback tools.
Lucky Orange
Best for: Ecommerce stores needing live chat + analytics
Advantages:
- Dynamic heatmaps
- Live chat
- Conversion funnels
- Form analytics
More affordable than Hotjar.
FullStory
Best for: Enterprises & product teams
Advantages:
- Very detailed session replay
- Product analytics
- Advanced event tracking
Limitation: Expensive.
Smartlook
Best for: Mobile apps + websites
Advantages:
- Strong event tracking
- Good mobile analytics
- Smooth recordings
Mouseflow
Best for: Conversion optimization
Advantages:
- Heatmaps
- Funnels
- Form analytics
- Session replays
Hotjar vs Alternatives (Quick Comparison)
| Feature | Hotjar | Clarity | Lucky Orange | FullStory | Smartlook |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heatmaps | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Session Recordings | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ (advanced) | ✔️ |
| Surveys | ✔️ | ❌ | ✔️ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Price | Medium | Free | Affordable | Expensive | Medium |
| Best For | UX/CRO | Beginners | Ecommerce | Enterprise | Apps + Web |
Is Hotjar Worth It? (Final Verdict)
Yes — Hotjar is worth it for marketers, UX designers, and product teams who want visual insights and user feedback in one place.
If you want:
- To improve conversions
- To understand user behavior
- To fix UX issues
- To get direct user feedback
Hotjar is one of the best tools in 2025.
For advanced analytics or budget constraints, alternatives like Clarity, Lucky Orange, or Smartlook may fit better.
Conclusion
Hotjar is one of the best behavior analytics tools for understanding real user actions, improving conversions, and enhancing UX. With simple heatmaps, recordings, and surveys, it removes guesswork and gives you real insights to optimize your site.
If you need deeper analytics or cheaper options, consider Clarity, Lucky Orange, or Smartlook.