UXHeat vs Hotjar: Why We Built Something Different
Hotjar is the industry standard for heatmaps and session recordings. With over 1 million websites using it, they've dominated the user behavior analytics space since 2014. So why did we build UXHeat?
Because Hotjar shows you data. UXHeat tells you what to do with it.
This isn't a hit piece. Hotjar is a good product that's helped millions of teams understand their users better. But after years of using it (and tools like it), we saw gaps that we believed we could fill. This article explains what those gaps are, how UXHeat addresses them, and helps you decide which tool is right for your specific situation.
Quick Comparison Table
| Feature | UXHeat | Hotjar | |---------|--------|--------| | Starting Price | Free (5K sessions/mo) | Free (35 sessions/day) | | AI Insights | Automatic recommendations | Basic summaries | | Setup Time | Under 1 minute | 15-30 minutes | | Script Size | ~10KB gzipped | ~100KB+ | | Priority Scoring | Yes (conversion impact) | No | | Plain-English Insights | Yes | No | | Session Intelligence | Auto-surfaces important recordings | Manual review required | | Surveys & Feedback | Coming soon | Yes | | Funnels | Coming soon | Yes (paid only) | | Per-Seat Pricing | No (unlimited team members) | Yes | | Data Retention | 90 days (Free), 365 days (Paid) | 365 days |
Why We Built UXHeat
Problem 1: Data Without Direction
Hotjar is excellent at collecting data. Heatmaps are beautiful. Session recordings are comprehensive. But when you log in, you're faced with a question: "Now what?"
You see thousands of clicks. Dozens of rage click events. Hours of session recordings. But nothing tells you which clicks matter, which rage clicks are urgent, or which recordings are worth watching.
The insight gap. Hotjar assumes you have the time and expertise to interpret the data yourself. For teams with dedicated analytics resources, that's fine. For everyone else, it means spending hours trying to find the needle in the haystack.
UXHeat's approach: We built AI analysis directly into the product. Every heatmap comes with a written summary explaining what the patterns mean. Every rage click is scored by conversion impact. Every session recording is rated by importance, so you watch the 5 that matter instead of 50 random ones.
Problem 2: Complex Setup
Hotjar's setup isn't terrible, but it's not simple either. You need to:
- Install the tracking code
- Configure your sampling settings
- Set up funnels (if you want them)
- Define conversion events
- Configure survey triggers (if using surveys)
- Wait for data to accumulate
For a technical founder or a dedicated analyst, this is manageable. For a busy product manager or a solo founder wearing 10 hats, it's friction that delays getting value from the tool.
UXHeat's approach: One line of code. No configuration. The script starts tracking immediately. Your first insights appear within minutes. We made trade-offs to achieve this simplicity — less customization upfront — but for most users, the defaults are exactly what they need.
Problem 3: Pricing That Scales Poorly
Hotjar's free tier allows 35 sessions per day. That's roughly 1,050 sessions per month — enough to test whether the tool works, but not enough to actually use it for ongoing optimization.
Once you outgrow the free tier, pricing escalates:
| Hotjar Plan | Sessions/Day | Price/Month | |-------------|--------------|-------------| | Free | 35 | $0 | | Plus | 100 | $32 | | Business | 500 | $80 | | Scale | Unlimited | $171+ |
For a medium-traffic site that needs reliable data, you're quickly looking at $80-170/month. And that's just for the "Observe" product. If you want surveys (Ask) and user interviews (Engage), you're paying separately for each.
UXHeat's approach: Our free tier includes 5,000 sessions per month — nearly 5x Hotjar's free limit. Our Pro plan ($19/month) includes 25,000 sessions — more than Hotjar's $80 Business plan. We don't charge per seat, so your whole team can access insights without multiplying costs.
Problem 4: Missing Intelligence Layer
Hotjar collects data. You interpret it. That's the model.
But interpreting heatmap data requires context and expertise. A hot spot on a button might be good (people are clicking your CTA) or bad (people are rage-clicking because it's broken). A scroll map showing 40% reach might be fine (if the content is meant to be short) or terrible (if critical information is below the fold).
Hotjar leaves these interpretations to you.
UXHeat's approach: We built an AI layer that analyzes patterns and provides context. Instead of "347 clicks on Element X," you see "347 users clicked your non-clickable product image, expecting to zoom in. 23% abandoned within 10 seconds. Consider adding a zoom modal."
The AI doesn't replace human judgment — it provides the context that makes human judgment faster and more accurate.
Where Hotjar Still Wins
We're building UXHeat to be better at giving you actionable insights. But Hotjar has capabilities we don't have yet:
Surveys and Feedback
Hotjar's survey and feedback tools are mature and powerful. On-page surveys, NPS tracking, feedback widgets, and user interview scheduling are all built-in. If you need to ask users why they're behaving a certain way, Hotjar does this well.
UXHeat status: Surveys and feedback are on our roadmap but not yet available. If you need surveys today, Hotjar is the better choice — or use both tools together.
Funnels
Hotjar's funnel analysis visualizes where users drop off in multi-step flows. For checkout optimization, onboarding analysis, and signup flow debugging, this is valuable.
UXHeat status: Funnel tracking is coming soon but not yet live.
Enterprise Features
Hotjar offers SSO, advanced access controls, and enterprise-grade compliance documentation. For large organizations with strict security requirements, these matter.
UXHeat status: We're focused on small-to-medium teams first. Enterprise features will come as we scale.
Data Retention
Hotjar retains data for 365 days across all plans. UXHeat's free tier retains data for 90 days (paid plans get 365 days).
When to Choose UXHeat
Choose UXHeat if you:
Want insights, not just data. You don't have time to become a heatmap analyst. You want the tool to tell you what's broken and what to fix first.
Need a generous free tier. If you're bootstrapping, testing ideas, or running a small site, 5,000 sessions/month goes a long way.
Value simplicity. One line of code, instant setup, no configuration required.
Hate per-seat pricing. Your whole team gets access without cost multiplying per user.
Want an affordable paid plan. Even when you outgrow free, $19-49/month gets you serious capacity.
When to Choose Hotjar
Choose Hotjar if you:
Need surveys and feedback today. Hotjar's qualitative tools are mature and effective.
Require funnel analysis. Multi-step conversion tracking is essential for checkout optimization.
Work at an enterprise company. SSO, advanced permissions, and enterprise compliance matter.
Need 365-day data retention on free. If historical comparison matters and you can't pay, Hotjar retains longer.
The Hybrid Approach
Many teams use multiple tools. Here's how UXHeat and Hotjar can work together:
Use UXHeat for:
- AI-powered insights and recommendations
- Day-to-day monitoring of user behavior
- Quick identification of issues with priority scoring
- Cost-effective coverage of high-traffic pages
Use Hotjar for:
- User surveys and NPS tracking
- User interview recruiting
- Funnel analysis for specific flows
- Long-term historical analysis
This gives you UXHeat's intelligence layer plus Hotjar's qualitative capabilities, often at a lower combined cost than Hotjar's highest tier alone.
Detailed Feature Comparison
Heatmaps
| Capability | UXHeat | Hotjar | |------------|--------|--------| | Click heatmaps | Yes | Yes | | Scroll heatmaps | Yes | Yes | | Move heatmaps | Coming soon | Yes | | Segmentation | Basic | Advanced | | AI interpretation | Yes | No | | Mobile heatmaps | Yes | Yes |
Session Recordings
| Capability | UXHeat | Hotjar | |------------|--------|--------| | Recording limit (free) | 5,000/mo | ~1,050/mo | | AI session selection | Yes | No | | Rage click flagging | Yes | Yes | | Dead click flagging | Yes | Limited | | Error capture | Yes | No | | Skip inactive time | Yes | Yes |
Pricing (as of 2026)
| Sessions/Month | UXHeat | Hotjar Observe | |----------------|--------|----------------| | ~1,000 | Free | Free | | ~3,000 | Free | $32/mo | | 5,000 | Free | $32/mo | | 25,000 | $19/mo | $80/mo | | 100,000 | $49/mo | $171/mo | | 500,000 | $149/mo | Custom |
Migration Guide: Hotjar to UXHeat
Switching from Hotjar to UXHeat is straightforward:
- Sign up for UXHeat (free, no credit card)
- Add the UXHeat script to your site (one line of code)
- Run both tools in parallel for 1-2 weeks to compare data
- Remove Hotjar script once you're confident in UXHeat data
The entire migration takes about 5 minutes of active work, plus the parallel testing period.
Conclusion
Hotjar is a good product that's served the industry well for over a decade. But we built UXHeat because we believe heatmap tools should be smarter.
Hotjar shows you data. Beautiful heatmaps. Comprehensive recordings. Solid survey tools.
UXHeat shows you what to do. AI-powered recommendations. Priority scoring. Plain-English insights that tell you exactly what's broken and how to fix it.
If you have dedicated analytics resources and need mature qualitative tools, Hotjar is still a strong choice. If you want insights without the interpretation work, at a price that respects your budget, UXHeat is worth trying.
Try UXHeat Free — 5,000 Sessions/Month
For more context, see how UXHeat compares to other tools: UXHeat vs Clarity, Best Hotjar Alternatives, or learn about UXHeat's AI insights.