Best Hotjar alternatives for session replay
Hotjar is part of Contentsquare, and teams sometimes look for alternatives when packaging, price, or data hosting no longer fit. This page focuses on session replay and heatmaps, not a full survey platform replacement.
Last updated .
What changed
The Contentsquare merger does not automatically mean you should switch. Re-check current Hotjar plans and data-processing terms, then decide whether you still need surveys or mainly need replay.
How Replayly compares to Hotjar
| Topic | Replayly | Hotjar |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Self-host on your VPS, or run a Replayly workspace | Hosted by Hotjar / Contentsquare |
| Privacy defaults | Input masking and Do Not Track on from the first snippet | Configurable in the Hotjar product; confirm current defaults on their site |
| Pricing | Free tier, then Starter $29, Pro $79, Business $199 / mo | Paid plans with a limited free tier. Check Hotjar's current pricing page |
| Heatmaps | Click and scroll heatmaps on Pro and Business | Heatmaps and recordings are a core Hotjar feature |
| Surveys and feedback | Not included today — Replayly focuses on replay, heatmaps, and privacy | Surveys, feedback widgets, and related UX tools |
| Data residency | Choose your VPS region and object-storage buckets | Contentsquare-hosted regions |
Replay or a full UX suite
Hotjar is a hosted UX platform that combines recordings and heatmaps with surveys and feedback widgets, and it is part of Contentsquare. Teams usually look for Hotjar alternatives when packaging, price, or data hosting no longer fit, or when they realize they mainly use recordings and can live without surveys.
Replayly is a session replay and heatmap product with privacy defaults on and a self-host path. It is not a survey platform and does not ship feedback widgets today. If those Hotjar tools are part of your weekly workflow, keep Hotjar or replace that slice with another research stack. A replay-only move only makes sense when recordings and heatmaps are the remaining job.
The Contentsquare merger does not automatically mean you should switch. Re-check current Hotjar plans and data-processing terms on their site. This page does not invent competitor prices or describe unpublished packaging changes.
Other options include staying on Hotjar, using Microsoft Clarity if a free hosted recorder is enough, or looking at Mouseflow and PostHog when you want a different mix of UX or product-analytics tools. Confirm current feature lists directly with each vendor.
How to decide without a rushed migration
Start by listing the jobs you actually open Hotjar for. If surveys and feedback widgets appear every week, a Replayly-only stack will feel narrower. If you open it to watch sessions, inspect rage clicks, and glance at heatmaps, a privacy-first replay tool can be a tighter fit, especially when you want recordings on a VPS you control.
Replayly publishes plan prices and retention on the pricing page. For Hotjar, use their current pricing page. Then read the Replayly versus Hotjar comparison for hosting, privacy defaults, and the honest gap around surveys. Do not treat a third-party table as a contract.
Options worth considering
Replayly
Session replay and heatmaps with privacy defaults on, plus a self-host path. No surveys or feedback widgets today.
Stay on Hotjar
Still the better fit if you depend on surveys, feedback widgets, and a hosted UX suite from Contentsquare.
Microsoft Clarity
A free hosted option for recordings and heatmaps if you do not need surveys and can use a Microsoft-hosted product.
Other UX and product-analytics suites
Mouseflow, PostHog, and similar tools may fit broader stacks. Check each vendor's current pricing and privacy terms directly.
Compare Replayly directly in Replayly vs Hotjar, or review Replayly pricing.