Comparison
VisitTrack vs Hotjar
Updated
TL;DR — the verdict
Choose Hotjar if…
you run ongoing UX research: on-page surveys, feedback widgets, user interviews and large volumes of heatmaps and recordings, and you already have analytics for traffic and revenue.
Choose VisitTrack if…
your main questions are "which channels bring customers and where do they drop off," you want replays and heatmaps without a second subscription, and you'd rather not show a consent banner for them.
What is Hotjar?
Hotjar is one of the best-known behavior analytics tools: heatmaps, session recordings, funnels, on-site surveys and feedback widgets, sold as separate Observe and Ask products, each with Basic (free), Plus, Business and Scale plans priced by daily sessions or monthly responses. Hotjar has been owned by Contentsquare since 2021.
That ownership now shapes the product. Hotjar's help center describes a move onto Contentsquare's platform, with the Plus, Business and Scale plans being combined into a new Contentsquare Growth plan, and hotjar.com/pricing now redirects to Contentsquare's pricing page. If you're choosing a tool today, expect the plan names and limits to keep changing during the migration.
Website: www.hotjar.com
VisitTrack vs Hotjar: feature comparison
Hotjar's column reflects its public website, docs and pricing as of October 2026.
| Feature | VisitTrack | Hotjar |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue attribution (payment → source) | YesBuilt in: each payment credited to its first-touch referrer, campaign and landing page | NoNo payment-provider revenue attribution |
| Payment providers | Stripe, Polar, Lemon Squeezy, Paddle, Razorpay | No |
| Cookieless tracking | YesCookieless mode, or hybrid (cookieless in the EU only); the default mode keeps a first-party id | NoUses first-party cookies to recognize users |
| Consent banner needed (EU) | No, in cookieless mode; standard mode generally needs consent in the EU | Generally yes in the EU, as it sets cookies and records sessions |
| Bot filtering | YesEvery visit scored human vs bot at ingest; bots are never billed | PartlyNot documented in detail |
| AI crawler tracking (GPTBot, ClaudeBot…) | YesGPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot and more, verified by reverse DNS (needs a server-side snippet) | No |
| Session replay | YesOpt-in, sampled, every input masked | YesSession recordings, limited by your plan's daily sessions |
| Heatmaps | YesClick heatmaps | YesClick, move and scroll heatmaps |
| Funnels | Yes | Yes |
| Visitor journeys / profiles | YesPer-visitor journeys and People profiles via identify() | PartlyRecordings per user; no acquisition-to-revenue journey |
| Google Search Console | YesKeywords, clicks and impressions next to traffic | No |
| API / MCP for AI assistants | YesREST API, CLI and an MCP server (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor) | PartlyLimited API on higher plans; Contentsquare offers an MCP server |
| Public dashboards | YesShareable public dashboard and embeddable widgets | No |
| Hosting & data location | Hosted SaaS on EU infrastructure; no self-hosted edition | Hosted SaaS, operated by Contentsquare |
| Script size | ~5 KB gzipped (replay recorder loads separately, only when on) | Not documented |
| Pricing model | Monthly events, from $5/mo; every feature on every plan; 14-day trial, no card | Per product (Observe, Ask), priced by daily sessions or monthly responses; moving to Contentsquare plans |
Hotjar's public pricing page now redirects to Contentsquare's, which didn't list prices when we checked in October 2026, so this page doesn't quote Hotjar prices.
What's changing with Hotjar and Contentsquare?
Contentsquare acquired Hotjar in 2021 and is moving Hotjar customers onto its own platform. Hotjar's help center says the Plus, Business and Scale plans are being combined into a Contentsquare Growth plan, with one subscription across sites, and the old hotjar.com pricing and policy pages now redirect to Contentsquare.
For a small team, the practical effect is uncertainty: plan limits, prices and product boundaries are in motion. If you're starting fresh, check Contentsquare's current plans directly before committing, and plan for your heatmaps and recordings living in Contentsquare's interface.
Do I need Hotjar if VisitTrack has heatmaps and replays?
Not for most founders. VisitTrack's click heatmaps and session replays cover the core "what are people doing on this page" question, and they sit next to the referrer, campaign and revenue for each visitor. You can open a paying customer's profile and watch the session that converted.
Hotjar still earns its place for qualitative research: on-page surveys, NPS, feedback widgets and interview recruiting are things VisitTrack doesn't do. Hotjar's heatmaps are also richer (move and scroll maps). If you run structured UX research every week, keep Hotjar; if you mostly want to see why a pricing page doesn't convert, VisitTrack is enough.
Consent banners and recordings
Hotjar recognizes returning users with first-party cookies, so in the EU it's normally loaded only after consent. VisitTrack's replays store nothing in the visitor's browser, mask every input field before upload, never record bots, and skip visits shorter than 5 seconds, so they can run in cookieless mode without a banner. This is general information, not legal advice.
Hotjar or VisitTrack: who should choose which?
Hotjar is the better fit for
- UX researchers who rely on surveys, feedback widgets and interviews
- Product teams that need scroll and move heatmaps at scale
- Companies already standardizing on Contentsquare
VisitTrack is the better fit for
- Founders who need acquisition, funnels and revenue first
- Teams that want replays and heatmaps without another subscription
- EU sites that want replays without a consent banner
How to switch from Hotjar to VisitTrack
- Install the VisitTrack script tag next to Hotjar's. See installation.
- Enable replays in Settings → Replays and set a sample rate.
- Recreate your Hotjar events as VisitTrack custom events and build funnels from them.
- Connect your payment provider so you can filter replays and journeys down to paying visitors.
- Keep Hotjar's Ask product if you rely on surveys; otherwise remove the Hotjar tag and its consent category.
VisitTrack vs Hotjar: FAQ
Is VisitTrack a Hotjar alternative?
For heatmaps and session recordings, yes; for surveys and feedback widgets, no. VisitTrack includes click heatmaps and sampled session replays alongside analytics and revenue attribution. It doesn't offer on-page surveys, NPS or interview recruiting, which are Hotjar strengths.
Is Hotjar still available after the Contentsquare acquisition?
Yes, but it's being moved onto Contentsquare's platform. Hotjar's help center says the Plus, Business and Scale plans are being combined into a Contentsquare Growth plan, and Hotjar's pricing page now redirects to Contentsquare.
Does Hotjar need cookie consent?
Generally yes in the EU and UK, because Hotjar sets first-party cookies to recognize users and records sessions. Most sites load it only after consent. VisitTrack's replays store nothing on the device and can run in cookieless mode. This is general information, not legal advice.
Can Hotjar show revenue by traffic source?
No. Hotjar doesn't connect to payment providers or attribute revenue to channels. VisitTrack credits payments from Stripe, Polar, Lemon Squeezy, Paddle and Razorpay to the referrer, campaign and landing page that brought each customer.
How many sessions does VisitTrack record?
You choose: replays are off by default, and when on, VisitTrack records a sample of sessions — 20% by default, anything from 1% to 100%. Bots and visits shorter than 5 seconds are never recorded, and each recording is capped at 30 minutes.
Can I use Hotjar and VisitTrack together?
Yes. They don't interfere. A common setup is VisitTrack for acquisition, funnels and revenue, and Hotjar's surveys for qualitative feedback.
Keep comparing
- Best Hotjar alternativesHeatmap and replay tools after the Contentsquare move.
- Session replaysHow VisitTrack records, masks and samples sessions.
- Conversion rate calculatorMeasure the page you're about to redesign.
- VisitTrack vs Microsoft ClarityFree, unlimited session recordings and heatmaps — but no revenue attribution, and consent is enforced in the EEA, UK and Switzerland.
- VisitTrack vs PostHogAn all-in-one product platform with a generous free tier. VisitTrack is narrower: web traffic and revenue attribution, readable in a minute.
- VisitTrack vs MixpanelEvent-based product analytics with deep funnels, flows and cohorts. VisitTrack focuses on web acquisition and revenue, with no tracking plan to design.
- All VisitTrack comparisonsEvery head-to-head, grouped by category.
Try VisitTrack next to Hotjar
Add one script tag, connect your payment provider, and see which channels bring paying customers. Run it alongside your current tool for a couple of weeks and compare. 14 days free, no card required.