Crazy Egg Review: Complete Guide to Heatmaps & A/B Testing [2026]
Crazy Egg pioneered the heatmap analytics category when it launched in 2006, founded by marketing heavyweights Neil Patel and Hiten Shah. Nearly two decades later, it remains one of the most recognized names in website optimization—but with free alternatives like Microsoft Clarity and comprehensive suites like Hotjar, is Crazy Egg still worth paying for? See our best Hotjar alternatives guide for context.
The short answer: Crazy Egg's combination of five report types, built-in A/B testing, and visual page editor creates a genuine competitive advantage. If you need testing capabilities alongside heatmap analytics, Crazy Egg offers strong value. If you only need observation without testing, free alternatives exist. See our direct Hotjar vs Crazy Egg comparison for more details.
In this comprehensive review, we'll examine every Crazy Egg feature, break down the pricing model, weigh the pros and cons, and help you decide if it's the right tool for your optimization needs.
What is Crazy Egg?
Crazy Egg is a website optimization platform built around the concept of "Snapshots"—comprehensive page reports that combine multiple visualization and analysis types. Beyond observation, Crazy Egg includes A/B testing with a visual editor, making it a closed-loop optimization tool.
Core capabilities:
- Heatmaps (5 different report types)
- Session recordings
- A/B testing
- Visual page editor
- Errors tracking
Philosophy: Crazy Egg is designed around the idea that understanding user behavior should lead directly to testing improvements. The integrated workflow—from insight to hypothesis to test to result—is the core value proposition.
The Snapshot System: Crazy Egg's Core Concept
Everything in Crazy Egg revolves around Snapshots. A Snapshot is a focused report on a single page for a specific time period, and it includes five visualization types automatically:
1. Heatmap Report
The classic visualization showing click density. Warmer colors (red, orange) indicate high click concentrations; cooler colors (blue, green) show lower activity.
Crazy Egg's heatmap automatically distinguishes between:
- Left clicks vs. right clicks
- First clicks vs. subsequent clicks
- Desktop vs. tablet vs. mobile views
You can toggle between device types to see how behavior differs across platforms.
2. Scrollmap Report
Scrollmaps show how far visitors scroll down your page. The visualization uses a gradient from "hot" (everyone sees this) to "cold" (few people reach here).
Key metrics include:
- Average fold position (where the initial viewport ends)
- Percentage of visitors reaching each scroll depth
- Drop-off points where engagement fades
This reveals whether visitors see your key content, CTAs, and conversion elements—or abandon the page before reaching them.
3. Confetti Report
Confetti is Crazy Egg's unique segmentation feature. Instead of showing aggregate click patterns, Confetti displays individual clicks as colored dots, with colors representing different segments:
Segment by:
- Referral source (Google, Facebook, direct, email, etc.)
- Search terms (what keywords brought them)
- Date/time (when they visited)
- Device type (desktop, mobile, tablet)
- New vs. returning visitors
- Custom UTM parameters
Why this matters: A standard heatmap might show heavy clicking on a "Contact" button, but Confetti reveals that 80% of those clicks come from Google organic while Facebook traffic ignores it entirely. This tells you to optimize the Contact CTA for Facebook visitors specifically.
4. Overlay Report
The Overlay report shows the exact number of clicks on each clickable element. Instead of color gradients, you see numerical click counts directly on buttons, links, and interactive elements.
Data includes:
- Total click count per element
- Percentage of total page clicks
- Click-through rates for links
This is particularly useful for navigation analysis—seeing exactly which menu items get clicks and which are ignored.
5. List Report
The List report presents click data in tabular format, sortable by:
- Number of clicks
- Percentage of total clicks
- Element type
- Link destination
For data-driven teams who prefer spreadsheets over visualizations, the List report provides exportable, manipulatable data.
Snapshots as Benchmarks
Snapshots are designed for before-and-after analysis:
- Create baseline Snapshot before making changes
- Make optimizations based on insights
- Create new Snapshot after changes
- Compare how behavior shifted
This benchmark approach helps you demonstrate ROI and understand whether changes actually improved user experience—or made things worse.
Session Recordings
Beyond Snapshots, Crazy Egg includes session recordings that capture:
- Mouse movements and clicks
- Scrolling behavior
- Page navigation
- Form interactions
- Time spent on page
Recordings are searchable and filterable by:
- Device type
- Referral source
- Geographic location
- Session duration
- Specific pages visited
The recording interface includes playback controls, speed adjustment, and the ability to skip idle time.
A/B Testing: Crazy Egg's Key Differentiator
A/B testing is where Crazy Egg separates itself from free tools like Microsoft Clarity. Instead of just observing problems, you can test solutions.
Visual Page Editor
Crazy Egg includes a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor for creating test variants without coding:
What you can edit:
- Headlines and body copy
- Button text, colors, and sizes
- Image swaps
- Element positioning (move, hide, show)
- Link destinations
- CSS styling
What you cannot edit:
- Complex JavaScript functionality
- Backend logic
- Dynamic content sources
For straightforward tests—headline variations, CTA button changes, layout tweaks—the visual editor eliminates developer dependencies.
Test Configuration
Crazy Egg offers two traffic allocation methods:
Classical Split Testing: Even traffic distribution between control and variants. Standard A/B testing methodology with statistical significance calculations.
Multi-Armed Bandit: Automatically allocates more traffic to better-performing variants over time. Maximizes conversions during the test while still gathering data.
Automatic Snapshot Creation
When you create an A/B test, Crazy Egg automatically generates Snapshots for both the control and each variant. This lets you see:
- Not just which variant won
- But why it won (behavioral differences visible in heatmaps)
Understanding the "why" is crucial for applying learnings to other pages.
Goals and Conversion Tracking
Define conversion goals for your tests:
- Page visits (reaching a thank-you page)
- Click events (clicking a specific button)
- Form submissions
- Custom events via JavaScript
Crazy Egg tracks conversion rates for each variant and calculates statistical significance.
Errors Tracking
Crazy Egg automatically detects JavaScript errors encountered by visitors:
- Error type and message
- Pages where errors occur
- Number of visitors affected
- Session recordings of users who hit errors
This helps you prioritize bug fixes by actual user impact rather than theoretical severity.
Crazy Egg Pricing (2026)
Crazy Egg structures pricing by tracked pageviews per month. All plans include all features—the only difference is data volume.
| Plan | Monthly Price | Annual Price | Pageviews/Month | |------|--------------|--------------|-----------------| | Basic | $29/month | $24/month | 30,000 | | Standard | $49/month | $42/month | 75,000 | | Plus | $99/month | $83/month | 150,000 | | Pro | $249/month | $208/month | 500,000 | | Enterprise | $499+/month | Custom | 1,000,000+ |
All plans include:
- Unlimited team members
- Unlimited domains/websites
- All 5 Snapshot report types
- Session recordings
- A/B testing
- Visual editor
- Errors tracking
- 30-day free trial
Important pricing notes:
- Annual billing required (no month-to-month option)
- No overage charges—tracking pauses when you hit limits, resumes on the 1st of next month
- Nonprofit and education discounts available (contact sales)
- Enterprise plans offer custom pageview allocations
Is Crazy Egg Pricing Fair?
Consider what you're getting:
- Heatmap tool: $30-100/month elsewhere
- A/B testing tool: $150-300/month for VWO, Optimizely, etc.
- Combined: Crazy Egg at $29-249/month
If you need both observation and testing, Crazy Egg is actually quite affordable compared to buying separate tools. The built-in A/B testing alone would cost more than Crazy Egg's top tier.
However, if you only need heatmaps and recordings without testing, Microsoft Clarity offers that for free. Learn more about using heatmaps for conversion optimization.
Crazy Egg Pros
Unique Confetti Segmentation
No other tool shows click patterns segmented by traffic source, search term, or custom parameters. This reveals behavioral differences between audiences that aggregate heatmaps miss.
Built-In A/B Testing
The complete workflow—from observing problems to testing solutions—happens in one tool. No integration headaches, no data silos, no context switching.
Visual Editor for Non-Developers
Creating test variants without code removes the developer bottleneck. Marketers can move faster on optimization ideas.
Automatic Snapshots for A/B Tests
Understanding why a variant won (via behavioral data) is as valuable as knowing that it won. This feeds into better future hypotheses.
Simple, Transparent Pricing
All features at every tier. No surprise charges for "premium" capabilities. Easy to budget for.
Unlimited Team Members and Domains
No per-seat charges. Scale your team and websites without cost increases.
No Overage Charges
If you hit your pageview limit, tracking pauses rather than charging surprise fees. Predictable billing.
Strong Track Record
18 years in market, established reputation, founders with strong industry credibility.
Crazy Egg Cons
No Free Tier
Free trial is 30 days, then you must pay. Microsoft Clarity is free forever with unlimited usage.
Annual Billing Required
No month-to-month option locks you in for a year. If your needs change, you're stuck.
No Rage/Dead Click Detection
Unlike Clarity, Crazy Egg doesn't automatically flag frustration signals like rage clicks or dead clicks.
No AI Features
No AI-powered session summaries or automated insights like Clarity's Copilot.
No Live View
You can't watch visitors in real-time like Lucky Orange offers.
No Survey/Feedback Tools
Purely observational and testing—no way to ask users questions directly (unlike Hotjar).
No Mobile App Support
Website-only. Native iOS/Android apps aren't supported.
Data Retention Unclear
Crazy Egg doesn't specify data retention limits, but historical Snapshots are preserved for comparison purposes.
Crazy Egg vs. Competitors
Crazy Egg vs. Microsoft Clarity
| Aspect | Crazy Egg | Clarity | |--------|-----------|---------| | Price | $29-$249/month | Free | | A/B Testing | Yes | No | | Visual Editor | Yes | No | | Confetti Reports | Yes | No | | Rage Click Detection | No | Yes | | AI Analysis | No | Copilot | | Mobile App Support | No | Yes |
Choose Crazy Egg if: You need A/B testing and traffic source segmentation. Choose Clarity if: You need free unlimited usage and AI-powered analysis.
Crazy Egg vs. Hotjar
| Aspect | Crazy Egg | Hotjar | |--------|-----------|--------| | Price (mid-tier) | $99/month | $80/month | | A/B Testing | Yes | No | | Surveys/Feedback | No | Yes | | User Interviews | No | Yes | | Confetti Reports | Yes | No | | Funnel Analysis | Limited | Yes |
Choose Crazy Egg if: A/B testing is essential. Choose Hotjar if: Surveys and qualitative feedback are essential.
Crazy Egg vs. Lucky Orange
| Aspect | Crazy Egg | Lucky Orange | |--------|-----------|--------------| | A/B Testing | Yes | No | | Live View | No | Yes | | Live Chat | No | Yes | | Confetti Reports | Yes | No | | Form Analytics | Limited | Yes | | Price (5K sessions) | $29/month | $39/month |
Choose Crazy Egg if: A/B testing matters more than live capabilities. Choose Lucky Orange if: Real-time monitoring and live chat add value.
Who Should Use Crazy Egg?
Ideal Users
Conversion-Focused Marketers: The closed-loop workflow from heatmap insight to A/B test to results is designed for optimization practitioners.
Teams Without Developer Resources: Visual editor means you don't wait for developers to create test variants.
Paid Media Teams: Confetti segmentation by traffic source reveals which campaigns drive engaged visitors vs. tire-kickers.
Agencies: Unlimited domains and team members scale well for multi-client environments.
E-commerce Sites: Test product pages, checkout flows, and promotional layouts to optimize conversion rates.
Landing Page Optimizers: A/B test headlines, CTAs, images, and layouts on campaign-specific pages.
Not Ideal For
Budget-Constrained Teams: Clarity is free. If you don't need A/B testing, that's a hard price to beat.
Mobile App Publishers: No native app support. Use Amplitude, Mixpanel, or UXCam instead.
Teams Needing Surveys: No qualitative feedback tools. Add Hotjar or use Lucky Orange for surveys.
Very High Traffic Sites: 500K-1M pageviews/month pricing can add up. Enterprise tools like FullStory may be more economical at scale.
Teams Wanting AI Analysis: Crazy Egg doesn't have AI features. Clarity's Copilot may be more efficient for large-scale session analysis.
Getting Started with Crazy Egg
Implementation
- Sign up for 30-day free trial (no credit card required)
- Add tracking script to your website's
<head>tag - Create your first Snapshot by entering a page URL
- Set tracking duration (typically 7-30 days)
- Wait for data to accumulate
Most sites see meaningful data within 3-7 days depending on traffic volume.
First Week Priorities
Day 1-2: Create Snapshots for your 5 most important pages (homepage, pricing, key product pages, checkout).
Day 3-5: Review initial heatmap and scroll data. Look for:
- Clicks on non-clickable elements (user confusion)
- Important CTAs getting ignored
- Content below the fold that few see
Day 6-7: Start watching session recordings filtered by high-value pages. Note friction patterns.
Week Two: Testing
Formulate hypotheses based on observations:
- "Moving the CTA above the fold will increase clicks"
- "Simplifying the headline will reduce bounce rate"
- "Adding trust badges will increase checkout completion"
Create A/B tests using the visual editor. Start with your highest-confidence hypothesis.
Set test duration for statistical significance (typically 2-4 weeks depending on traffic).
Ongoing Workflow
- Monitor tests until statistically significant
- Review Snapshot data for winning variants to understand why they won
- Apply learnings to other pages
- Queue next test
- Repeat
Advanced Crazy Egg Tips
Confetti Deep Dives
Don't just look at aggregate Confetti data. Filter by:
- High-value referrers to understand what engaged visitors want
- Paid traffic only to validate ad landing page performance
- Mobile vs. desktop to catch device-specific issues
Use Snapshots for Stakeholder Reporting
Create Snapshots before and after changes. The visual comparison is compelling evidence for stakeholders who want to see "proof" that optimization works.
Combine with External A/B Tools
If you use Google Optimize, VWO, or Optimizely, create Snapshots for your control and variant URLs separately. Crazy Egg's behavioral data adds context to your test results.
Set Up Alerts
Configure Crazy Egg to email you when Snapshots complete or when A/B tests reach significance. Stay informed without logging in daily.
Export Data for Analysis
List reports export to CSV. For teams with data analysts, this enables deeper cross-referencing with other marketing data.
FAQ
Does Crazy Egg offer a free plan?
No free plan, but a 30-day free trial with full feature access. No credit card required to start.
Can Crazy Egg track logged-in users?
Yes, Crazy Egg can track authenticated users and associate sessions with user IDs for more granular analysis.
Does Crazy Egg work with single-page applications (SPAs)?
Yes, with proper configuration. You may need to trigger Snapshots on virtual page changes using their JavaScript API.
How long are session recordings stored?
Crazy Egg doesn't publish specific retention limits, but recordings remain accessible for several months. Snapshots are retained indefinitely for comparison.
Is Crazy Egg GDPR compliant?
Yes, Crazy Egg offers GDPR compliance features including automatic PII masking and consent management integrations.
Can I cancel my Crazy Egg subscription?
Annual subscriptions can be canceled but are not refundable. The subscription continues until the end of the billing period.
Verdict: Is Crazy Egg Worth It?
Crazy Egg is worth it if:
- You need A/B testing integrated with heatmap analytics
- You value Confetti segmentation by traffic source
- Your team lacks developer resources for creating test variants
- You want a proven, established tool with an 18-year track record
- Your traffic fits comfortably within their pricing tiers
Crazy Egg is NOT worth it if:
- You only need basic heatmaps and recordings (use Clarity for free)
- You need survey/feedback tools (add Hotjar instead)
- You need AI-powered analysis (Clarity's Copilot is stronger)
- You need mobile app analytics (not supported)
- You prefer month-to-month billing flexibility
Overall Rating: 4.3/5
Crazy Egg delivers on its core promise: a closed-loop optimization workflow from observation to testing. The Confetti reports, built-in A/B testing, and visual editor create genuine differentiation. The lack of AI features and free tier are drawbacks compared to newer competitors, but for conversion-focused teams, Crazy Egg remains a strong choice.
Want heatmap analytics without the complexity? UXHeat is launching soon with focused insights designed for teams who want actionable data without overwhelming feature sets. Join the waitlist to get early access.