{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "description": "Looking for the best session replay and user research tool? Compare PostHog vs Hotjar on replays, heatmaps, surveys, analytics, and more to find the right fit.",
  "path": "/posthog-vs-hotjar",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-20T00:00:00.000Z",
  "site": "at://did:plc:go7eemqz4y5nhonj4kg5w2p6/site.standard.publication/blog",
  "tags": [
    "Comparisons"
  ],
  "textContent": "PostHog and Hotjar both help you understand how users interact with your product through session replay, heatmaps, and user surveys. They're popular choices for teams that want to go beyond pageview analytics and see what users actually do.Hotjar is now part of Contentsquare (which also acquired Heap). It's still available as a focused user research tool built for UX teams, but pricing and plans now live under the Contentsquare umbrella. PostHog combines replays and surveys with a full suite of developer tools designed to measure impact from one integrated platform.In this comparison, we break down how PostHog and Hotjar stack up so you can decide which one is the right fit.How is PostHog different?1. We're an all-in-one platformPostHog goes beyond replays and user surveys by integrating them with product and web analytics, feature flags, A/B testing, error tracking, LLM observability, workflows, a data warehouse, data pipelines, and more. It's everything you need from a single app with a single contract. A genuine single source of truth for your product and customer data.2. It's a platform built for developersThis means you get support from the engineers who actually build the product, extensively documented APIs, and a SQL query builder, so you can analyze data how you want. Our code, culture, and strategy are public on GitHub and in our public handbook.And as your needs grow, PostHog grows with you – advanced capabilities such as a CDP or data warehouse are ready to switch on whenever you need them.Development teams at Supabase, Lovable, and ElevenLabs, and many more trust PostHog as they scale.3. We're cheaper and have a generous free tierEvery customer gets 5,000 web recordings, 1,500 survey responses, and 1 million events for free each month, no matter what plan they're on. Our generous free tier means more than 90% of companies use PostHog for free, and you'll pay less when you do use up your free credits. You also get 2,500 free recordings on mobile apps.Product comparisonThe best way to imagine PostHog is as an alternative to Hotjar, Heap, and LaunchDarkly rolled into one.[data-radix-scroll-area-viewport]{scrollbar-width:none;-ms-overflow-style:none;-webkit-overflow-scrolling:touch;}[data-radix-scroll-area-viewport]::-webkit-scrollbar{display:none}HotjarcompareFunnelsTrack users through a sequence of events to find drop-off and improve conversion✓✓Product AnalyticsTrack usage, retention, and feature adoption with comprehensive analytics✓✗Web AnalyticsPrivacy-focused web analytics with real-time data and no sampling✓✗Session ReplayWatch real user sessions to understand behavior and fix issues✓✓HeatmapsVisualize where users click and scroll on your website✓✓ScrollmapsVisualize where users scroll on your website✓✓Feature FlagsControl feature access with precision and safely roll out changes✓✗ExperimentsRun statistically rigorous A/B/n tests and validate ideas with confidence✓✗SurveysCollect product feedback with no-code surveys and customizable targeting✓✓Data StackImport, query, model & visualize product and third party data together✓✗Interview schedulingIn-app widget for requesting customer interviews✓✓Interview transcriptionsRecord and transcribe user interviews✗✓AnalyticsSince Hotjar is now part of Contentsquare, the analytics picture has changed. Hotjar already offered funnels, but since the merge, broader product analytics features – like retention, user paths, and custom dashboards – are now available through Contentsquare's plans.Contentsquare splits analytics across two products: Experience Analytics (funnels, heatmaps, dashboards – 200k free monthly sessions) and Product Analytics (trends, retention, journey analysis – 10k free monthly sessions). A significant number of features like user ID and custom variable filters, session summaries, and their AI assistant are all on their paid Growth tier or higher.PostHog includes all of this and more in a single product, with 1 million free events every month.[data-radix-scroll-area-viewport]{scrollbar-width:none;-ms-overflow-style:none;-webkit-overflow-scrolling:touch;}[data-radix-scroll-area-viewport]::-webkit-scrollbar{display:none}HotjarcompareAutocaptureCapture events without manual tracking✓✗Custom eventsManually capture custom events and properties wherever they happen✓✓Graphs & trendsBuild custom insights and visualizations✓✓FunnelsTrack users through a sequence of events to find drop-off and improve conversion✓✓DashboardsCombine insights into shareable dashboards✓✓Correlation analysisAutomatically identify significant factors that impact conversion✓✗Group analyticsTrack metrics at a company and account level✓✗AI analysisSurface user pain points using AI✓✗LifecycleTrack user lifecycle to understand how users interact with your product✓✗RetentionTrack user retention over time to understand how long users stay with your product✓✗StickinessTrack user stickiness over time to understand how long users stay with your product✓✗User pathsUnderstand how users navigate through your product and where they get stuck✓✗Session replaySession replays are an essential tool for understanding how people use your product, especially for early-stage companies searching for product-market fit.Since joining Contentsquare, Hotjar's session replay capabilities have expanded – recordings now include AI-powered summaries, error detection, and frustration signals. Mobile app session replay is also available through Contentsquare's Enterprise plan. PostHog supports mobile session replay with 2,500 recordings free every month, including Android, iOS, React Native, and Flutter.Both PostHog and Hotjar are good options if you're looking for a FullStory, LogRocket, or Microsoft Clarity alternative.[data-radix-scroll-area-viewport]{scrollbar-width:none;-ms-overflow-style:none;-webkit-overflow-scrolling:touch;}[data-radix-scroll-area-viewport]::-webkit-scrollbar{display:none}HotjarcompareWeb app recordingsCapture recordings from single-page apps and websites✓✓Android recordingsRecord sessions from Android mobile apps✓EnterpriseiOS recordingsRecord sessions from iOS mobile apps✓EnterpriseReact Native recordingsRecord sessions from React Native apps✓EnterpriseFlutter recordingsRecord sessions from Flutter apps✓EnterpriseConsole logsCapture console output from the browser for debugging✓✓Network monitoringMonitor network activity during sessions✓✗PlaylistsSort recordings into static and dynamic playlists✓✗HighlightsCreate short clips from recordingsBeta✓Frustration and engagement scoresFilter recordings by sentiment analysis✗✓Target recordings by URLStart or filter recordings based on specific URLs or URL patterns✓✓Record via feature flagOnly record sessions for users that have the flag enabled✓✗Export recordings to JSONExport important recording data for offline storage✓✓Export recordings to videoExport session recordings as video filesBeta✗HeatmapsHeatmaps visualize where people click and navigate to on your app or website and, when combined with session replay, give a clearer overview of how users behave.[data-radix-scroll-area-viewport]{scrollbar-width:none;-ms-overflow-style:none;-webkit-overflow-scrolling:touch;}[data-radix-scroll-area-viewport]::-webkit-scrollbar{display:none}HotjarcompareHeatmapsSee clicks and mouse movement on your site✓✓ClickmapsSee what elements people click on in pages✓✓ScrollmapsVisualize how far users scroll on your website✓✓Rage clicksTrack repeated clicks in the same place✓✓Save heatmapsSave historic heatmaps✗✓ToolbarView heatmaps overlaid directly on a webpage✓✗SurveysHotjar's surveys are now part of Contentsquare's Voice of Customer product. They've added AI-generated surveys, AI summary reports with sentiment analysis, and increased free response limits. Hotjar still supports more survey types than PostHog, including unmoderated user tests and interview scheduling, but PostHog offers more precise targeting options.[data-radix-scroll-area-viewport]{scrollbar-width:none;-ms-overflow-style:none;-webkit-overflow-scrolling:touch;}[data-radix-scroll-area-viewport]::-webkit-scrollbar{display:none}HotjarcomparePlatformsWeb surveysShow surveys on websites and web apps✓✓Mobile surveysShow surveys in mobile apps✓✗Question typesMultiple choiceSingle-select questions with predefined answer options✓✓Multi-selectAllow users to select multiple answers from a list✓✓Numerical ratingCollect ratings on a numerical scale✓✓Emoji reactionQuick feedback collection using emoji reactions✓✓Embedded linksInclude clickable links within survey questions✓✓Freeform textOpen-ended text responses for detailed feedback✓✓Interview schedulingSend users a link to schedule a feedback meeting✓✓PresentationPopover surveysDisplay surveys as popovers in the bottom corner of the screen✓✓Feedback buttonShow a feedback button that opens surveys on click✓✓Hosted surveysGet a shareable URL to a survey that you can send directly to users or embedBeta✓Custom colors & positioningCustomize the colors of your surveys to match your brand✓✓Custom HTMLAdd HTML to your survey text✓✗Iframe embeddingEmbed surveys in your website using an iframe✓✓FeaturesSentiment analysisAnalyze survey results using AI to discover trends✓✓Survey templatesChoose from a library of pre-built templates (CSAT, NPS, etc) or start from scratch✓✓User interview requestsTemplates for organizing and scheduling user interviews✓✓API accessFull API access for creating custom survey experiences✓✓WebhooksSend survey responses to places like Slack or Teams✓✓TargetingDisplay conditionsDisplay surveys based on URL or person property✓✓Event-triggered surveysTrigger a survey to open when an event occurs, either every time or just once✓✓Feature flag targetingTarget surveys to specific users based on feature flags✓✗Custom targetingTarget surveys to specific users, cohorts, or behavioral segments✓✓Price comparisonHotjar's old pricing tiers (Business and Scale) no longer exist. Since the Contentsquare merger, Hotjar's tools are now sold under Contentsquare's pricing structure, which is split across three separate products – Experience Analytics (replays, heatmaps), Voice of Customer (surveys, interviews), and Product Analytics (powered by Heap). Each product has its own plan: Free, Growth, Pro, or Enterprise.PostHog, by contrast, has fully transparent, usage-based pricing for every product on a single bill.Free tier comparisonContentsquarePostHogSession replays10,000/mo5,000/moHeatmaps200,000/m (with sessions)Included with replaysAnalytics events10,000 sessions (Product Analytics)1,000,000 eventsSurvey responses100/mo1,500/moData retention1 month (Experience Analytics)7 yearsFeature flags❌1,000,000 requestsA/B tests❌1,000,000 requestsError tracking❌100,000 requestsContentsquare does offer 200,000 monthly sessions for its Experience Analytics free plan, which is generous for heatmaps and basic session data. But its Product Analytics free tier is limited to just 10,000 sessions with limited history, and surveys cap at 100 responses per month.PostHog gives you 1 million analytics events, 5,000 web replays, 2,500 mobile replays, 1,500 survey responses, and 1 million feature flag requests – all on the same platform.Paid pricingPostHog uses usage-based pricing across all products. You only pay for what you use, and prices decrease at higher volumes. Here's what typical usage costs with PostHog:Monthly usagePostHog cost5,000 replays$0 (free tier)15,000 replays$5050,000 replays$157.5100,000 replays$161.51,500 survey responses$0 (free tier)2,500 survey responses$505,000 survey responses$122.501M analytics events$0 (free tier)5M analytics events$137.2Contentsquare's Growth plan starts at $40/month for Experience Analytics, $79/month for Voice of Customer (which includes surveys), and it's not disclosed for Product Analytics. Because replays, surveys, and analytics are billed as separate products, costs add up quickly once you need more than one tool. Pro and Enterprise pricing is custom and require a conversation with the sales team.With PostHog, everything is on one bill with one pricing calculator. You can see exactly how much you'll pay using the calculator on our pricing page.Platform and integrationsData sourcesPostHog has a built-in data warehouse, so you can import, combine, and analyze data from multiple sources, and combine it with analytics events. This means you can monitor deal counts using data from Hubspot, analyze gross revenue using Stripe data, and track support ticket SLAs using Zendesk data, all from within PostHog.[data-radix-scroll-area-viewport]{scrollbar-width:none;-ms-overflow-style:none;-webkit-overflow-scrolling:touch;}[data-radix-scroll-area-viewport]::-webkit-scrollbar{display:none}HotjarcompareSegmentSend events via Segment✓✓SentrySend and receive data from Sentry✓✗StripeStripe customer data connector✓✗HubspotSend and receive data from Hubspot✓✓ZendeskSend and receive data from Zendesk✓✗Amazon S3Export data to a S3 bucket✓✗PostgresImport and export data to a Postgres database✓✗SnowflakeExport data to Snowflake database✓✗Google Cloud StorageImport/export data✓✗Data destinationsContentsquare has improved its data export capabilities since the Hotjar days – its Data Connect feature now exports behavioral data to Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift, S3, and Databricks. However, PostHog can still send richer data because it collects more actionable data via product analytics, feature flags, and experiments.[data-radix-scroll-area-viewport]{scrollbar-width:none;-ms-overflow-style:none;-webkit-overflow-scrolling:touch;}[data-radix-scroll-area-viewport]::-webkit-scrollbar{display:none}HotjarcompareHubspotSend and receive data from Hubspot✓✓ZapierTrigger Zapier automations✓✓SlackAlerts and notifications for Slack✓✓Microsoft TeamsAlerts and notifications for Microsoft Teams✓✓DiscordSend survey responses and data to Discord✓✗IntercomMessaging and marketing automation✓✗SalesforceSync event and person data✓✗Customer.ioMessaging and marketing automation✓✗CSV exportsExport your data as a CSV✓✓Amazon S3Export data to a S3 bucket✓✗BigQueryExport data to Google BigQuery for analysis✓✗Privacy, compliance, and securityRegulatory compliance can be a critical need for many teams, especially if they operate in financial or healthcare industries. Regulations such as HIPAA and GDPR can require teams to store data in certain locations or protect it in certain ways.[data-radix-scroll-area-viewport]{scrollbar-width:none;-ms-overflow-style:none;-webkit-overflow-scrolling:touch;}[data-radix-scroll-area-viewport]::-webkit-scrollbar{display:none}HotjarcompareSOC 2 Type IISOC 2 security certification✓✓GDPR-readyCan be compliant with GDPR✓✓CCPA-readyCompliant with California Consumer Privacy Act✓✓HIPAA-readyCan be compliant with HIPAA✓✗Data anonymizationAnonymize user data for privacy✓✓Cookieless tracking optionTrack users without cookies✓✗When to choose PostHog vs HotjarChoosing between PostHog and Hotjar (now Contentsquare) depends on what you need beyond session replay and heatmaps. Here's a quick guide:Want an all-in-one developer platform that goes beyond user research with product analytics, feature flags, A/B testing, error tracking, and transparent pricing? Go with PostHog.Need a focused UX research tool with session replays, AI-powered surveys, user interviews, and unmoderated user testing? Hotjar/Contentsquare is a solid choice.Recommendations by team typeFor engineering-led product teamsPostHog – SQL access, open-source codebase, and SDKs for every major framework. Tightly integrated feature flags, experiments, error tracking, and LLM observability mean fewer tools to manage.For UX research and design teamsHotjar / Contentsquare – Built for qualitative user research with AI-generated surveys, user interviews, unmoderated user tests, and feedback widgets. The Sense AI assistant surfaces insights from survey responses and session replays automatically.For product managers who also run experimentsPostHog – Run A/B tests, roll out features with flags, and measure impact on funnels and retention – all in one platform. Contentsquare doesn't include native feature flags or experimentation.For e-commerce and CRO teamsHotjar / Contentsquare – Zone-based heatmaps, journey analysis, and impact quantification help identify and prioritize conversion improvements. Its enterprise tier adds mobile app replay and revenue attribution.For teams building AI productsPostHog – Native LLM observability for tracking model performance, token costs, and debugging AI interactions. Contentsquare doesn't offer AI observability.For privacy-conscious and regulated organizationsBoth are SOC 2 certified, GDPR-ready, and CCPA-ready. PostHog is HIPAA-ready and offers EU hosting with raw data access via its data warehouse. Contentsquare/Hotjar is not HIPAA-compliant, but they do offer EU hosting.For early-stage startupsPostHog – A single platform that scales from MVP to growth stage. The generous free tier includes 1 million analytics events, 5,000 replays, and 250 survey responses per month. Startups can also qualify for $50k in free credits.Frequently asked questionsWhat's the difference between PostHog and Hotjar?Hotjar (now part of Contentsquare) is a UX research tool built for understanding user behavior through session replay, heatmaps, and surveys. PostHog is a broader all-in-one platform that combines those capabilities with product analytics, feature flags, A/B testing, error tracking, LLM observability, and more – built for engineering-led teams who want everything in one place.Is Hotjar still available or is it just Contentsquare now?As of July 2025, Hotjar formally merged into the Contentsquare Group. The Hotjar brand still exists, but all products – session replay, heatmaps, surveys – are now part of the Contentsquare platform under new pricing tiers (Free, Growth, Pro, Enterprise). Existing Hotjar users were migrated to Contentsquare accounts.Does PostHog replace Hotjar?Yes, for most teams. PostHog offers session replay, heatmaps, and surveys – the core Hotjar features – plus product analytics, feature flags, A/B testing, error tracking, and more. If you're an engineering or product team that wants to go beyond user research, PostHog replaces Hotjar and several other tools in one platform.Consider keeping Contentsquare if your team relies heavily on user interviews, unmoderated user tests, or the Sense AI assistant for UX research.Which has better session replay – PostHog or Contentsquare?PostHog includes more developer-focused features like console logs, network request monitoring, a DOM explorer, and performance metrics. It also supports mobile replay on all plans (Android, iOS, React Native, Flutter). Contentsquare added AI-powered replay summaries and frustration signals, but mobile replay is limited to Enterprise plans or Pro add-ons.Does Contentsquare have error tracking?Contentsquare has basic error detection through its Experience Monitoring product, which surfaces JavaScript errors and performance issues. However, this is more focused on frontend monitoring than full error tracking. PostHog includes native error tracking that connects exceptions and stack traces directly to session replays, user behavior, and feature flag changes.Does Contentsquare have product analytics?Yes, but it's complicated. Contentsquare's Product Analytics is powered by Heap, which it acquired in 2023. It's offered as a separate product with its own pricing (free tier: 10k sessions). Contentsquare's Experience Analytics also includes basic funnels, dashboards, and journey analysis. PostHog's product analytics is fully integrated with all other tools on the same platform and same data.Can I use PostHog and Contentsquare together?Yes, though most teams find it redundant for replays and heatmaps. You can use Contentsquare for UX research (interviews, user tests) alongside PostHog for product analytics, feature flags, and experiments. PostHog can receive data from or send data to other tools via its CDP.Does Contentsquare support mobile apps?Partially. Contentsquare's mobile session replay and experience monitoring are limited to Enterprise plans (or Pro add-ons). PostHog supports mobile session replay on all plans with native SDKs for Android, iOS, React Native, and Flutter.What are the best Hotjar alternatives in 2026?The top Hotjar alternatives in 2026 include:PostHog – Best all-in-one platform for teams wanting replay, heatmaps, analytics, feature flags, and experiments togetherFullStory – Best for enterprise teams wanting AI-powered session insights with strong mobile supportMicrosoft Clarity – Best free option for basic heatmaps and session replayLogRocket – Best for frontend teams wanting replay with error tracking and performance monitoringMixpanel – Best for product teams wanting analytics-first with replay capabilitiesWhich is better for B2B SaaS – PostHog or Contentsquare?PostHog is generally better for B2B SaaS teams. It includes group analytics for account-level analysis, feature flags for enterprise rollouts, and a built-in data warehouse for connecting CRM data from Stripe, HubSpot, and Zendesk. Contentsquare is more oriented toward B2C e-commerce and high-traffic consumer websites.Can I migrate from Hotjar to PostHog?There's no direct data migration from Hotjar/Contentsquare to PostHog since session replay data isn't portable between platforms. However, you can set up PostHog alongside Contentsquare and run them in parallel during a transition period. PostHog starts collecting data immediately via autocapture, so there's no gap in coverage. See our getting started guide for setup instructions.",
  "title": "In-depth: PostHog vs Hotjar"
}