Hotjar
Heatmaps, session recordings, and user feedback to understand on-site behavior
What is Hotjar?
Hotjar is the leading behavioral analytics tool, combining heatmaps, session recordings, and user feedback surveys into a platform that shows not just what users do but why. While Google Analytics tells you that 70% of visitors leave a page without converting, Hotjar shows you exactly where they clicked, how far they scrolled, where they hesitated, and where they left.
Heatmaps aggregate thousands of user sessions into color-coded overlays showing click patterns, scroll depth, and mouse movement. Session recordings replay individual user visits — invaluable for spotting usability issues, broken elements, and friction points. Feedback surveys and on-site polls let teams collect qualitative data directly from users. Hotjar's Highlights feature lets teams clip important session moments and share them with stakeholders to build the case for UX improvements. Acquired by Contentsquare in 2021, Hotjar has maintained its independent brand and pricing. For teams doing conversion rate optimization (CRO), Hotjar is standard equipment.
Key Features
- Heatmaps (click, scroll, move)
- Session Recordings
- User Feedback Surveys
- On-Site Polls
- Funnels (conversion paths)
- Form Analytics
- Highlights & Collaboration
- AI Survey Summary
- Incoming Feedback (micro-surveys)
- Integrations (GA4, Slack, Zapier)
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Best visual tool for understanding on-site user behavior
- Session recordings reveal friction points invisible in quantitative data
- Feedback surveys + heatmaps = qualitative + quantitative in one tool
- Generous free plan — 35 daily sessions recorded
Cons
- No quantitative traffic analytics — needs GA4 alongside it
- Session recording storage has limits on free/lower plans
- Privacy restrictions can reduce data collection in GDPR regions
- Heatmaps are less useful on highly dynamic single-page apps
Pricing
Model: Freemium + subscription (by sessions)
| Plan | Price | Key Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 35 daily sessions, unlimited heatmaps |
| Plus | $39/mo | 100 daily sessions, events, filters |
| Business | $99/mo | 500 daily sessions, Funnels, frustration signals |
| Scale | $213/mo | 500+ daily sessions, console tracking, SSO |
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is a heatmap in Hotjar?
- A heatmap is a color-coded visualization of where users click, scroll, or move their mouse on a page. Red areas indicate high interaction; blue areas indicate low interaction. Heatmaps aggregate thousands of user sessions, making it easy to see which page elements attract attention and which are ignored.
- Does Hotjar replace Google Analytics?
- No. Hotjar and GA4 are complementary. GA4 tells you how much traffic you get and from where. Hotjar tells you what that traffic does once it arrives. Most optimization teams use both.
- Does Hotjar have an affiliate program?
- Yes. Hotjar's affiliate program pays a percentage commission on referred subscriptions with a 90-day cookie. It is managed through Impact.