About Hotjar
Hotjar is a behaviour analytics tool that goes beyond the usual metrics to provide deep insights into how users actually interact with your website. It combines heatmaps, session recordings, and user feedback tools to give you a comprehensive view of user behaviour. For instance, with heatmaps, you can visually see where users are clicking, scrolling, and spending their time. Session recordings let you watch real user interactions, which is invaluable for spotting usability issues. This is particularly useful for UX designers who need to understand user pain points and make informed decisions about design tweaks or feature updates.
One of the standout features of Hotjar is its feedback tools. You can deploy on-site surveys or feedback widgets that allow users to express their thoughts directly. This qualitative data complements the quantitative data gathered from heatmaps and recordings, providing a fuller picture of user experience. In my experience, this combination is very effective for product teams that want to iterate quickly based on real user input. However, it’s essential to strike a balance; too many surveys can annoy users, so use them judiciously.
Now let’s talk pricing. Hotjar offers a free basic plan that’s genuinely useful, allowing you to test the waters without committing financially. However, if you want access to more advanced features like unlimited heatmaps and recordings, you'll need to fork out $39 per month for the Plus plan. The Business plan at $99 per month provides even more features, while the Scale plan at $213 per month is aimed at larger enterprises. While the free tier is sufficient for small projects, serious users will eventually need to upgrade, and that can add up if you’re managing multiple websites.
Hotjar is best for digital marketers, UX designers, and product managers who are looking to enhance user experience and conversion rates. However, it might not be the best fit for smaller sites or those who don’t have the bandwidth to act on the data collected. If you’re just starting out with a new website, you might find Hotjar’s features overwhelming without a clear plan on how to act on the insights. It’s crucial to have a strategy in place to make the most of what Hotjar has to offer, or you may find yourself lost in the data without making significant improvements.
Our Review
Verified 11 May 2026Reviewed by Delv Editorial, Delv Team
When I first got my hands on Hotjar, I was excited to dive into the world of behaviour analytics. As someone who often wrestles with understanding user interactions on websites, I found Hotjar's heatmaps and session recordings to be eye-opening. Seeing where users clicked and how they navigated through my site was like having a backstage pass to their experience. One feature that stood out was the ability to watch real-time recordings of users as they interacted with my website. This is invaluable for identifying where users got stuck or confused. In one session, I noticed a particular button that was supposed to lead to a contact form was largely ignored. After making it more prominent, I saw a significant uptick in engagement.
However, it's not all sunshine and rainbows. I found the on-site surveys quite intrusive at times. There was one point where I had three pop-ups asking for feedback in the span of five minutes, which just felt overkill. It’s crucial to strike the right balance with surveys; too many can drive users away, rather than encouraging them to share their thoughts. Additionally, while the free tier is a great way to start, I quickly realised I needed to upgrade to access more advanced features. The Plus plan at $39 per month is reasonable, but if you're managing multiple sites, those costs can add up quickly.
Compared to competitors like Crazy Egg and FullStory, Hotjar holds its own. Crazy Egg has a simpler interface and transparent pricing, making it appealing for smaller businesses that don’t want to navigate a complex tool. FullStory, on the other hand, offers a more comprehensive suite of analytics but at a higher price point, focusing on larger teams. Hotjar strikes a balance of affordability and functionality, making it particularly suitable for digital marketers and UX designers who want to take actionable insights from their data.
In terms of who should use Hotjar, I’d recommend it to anyone serious about understanding their website visitors. It’s particularly useful for e-commerce sites and product managers looking to refine their offerings. Yet, if you’re just starting out or running a small blog, you might find the wealth of data overwhelming without a clear strategy for acting on it. Overall, Hotjar is a powerful tool, but it requires a commitment to truly benefit from its insights. If you’re ready to dive deep into user behaviour, it’s worth considering, provided you have the time and resources to act on what you learn.
Getting started with Hotjar
In this guide, you'll learn how to set up Hotjar to analyse user behaviour on your website using heatmaps, session recordings, and surveys. By the end, you'll be able to gather valuable insights to improve your site's user experience.
Step 1: Sign up and set up
Step 2: Your first heatmap
Step 3: Get better results
Pro tip
Set up custom segments in your recordings by clicking on "Filters" in the recordings section. This lets you focus on specific user behaviours, such as users from a certain country or those who visited a particular page.
Common mistake to avoid
Avoid skipping the installation of the tracking code on your website. Without it, Hotjar won't collect any data, making your efforts ineffective. Make sure the code is correctly placed and published before expecting results.
The Verdict
Hotjar is a solid choice for anyone looking to understand user behaviour on their website, especially for UX designers and product managers. Just be prepared to upgrade from the free tier if you want to access the full range of features. If you’re overwhelmed by data or not ready to act on insights, you might want to look elsewhere.
Best For
- E-commerce managers who need to optimise the sales funnel.
- Freelance web designers looking to demonstrate the effectiveness of their designs.
- Product teams wanting real user feedback on new features.
- Marketing teams aiming to refine their strategies based on visitor behaviour.
- Bloggers who want to improve content engagement based on user interaction.
At a Glance
Hotjar is a behaviour analytics tool that offers heatmaps, session recordings, and user feedback tools to help you understand how your website visitors interact with your site. The combination of quantitative and qualitative data makes it an invaluable resource for UX designers and product managers looking to optimise user experience. With a freemium model, it’s accessible for small projects but may require a paid plan for more serious analysis.
Strengths
- +The heatmaps are visually intuitive, allowing you to quickly identify where users click and scroll, which is great for pinpointing areas that need improvement.
- +Session recordings provide a real-world look at user interactions, helping you to identify usability issues that might not be apparent through traditional analytics.
- +The feedback tools, including on-site surveys, enable you to gather direct input from users, which is essential for understanding their motivations and pain points.
- +The free tier is genuinely useful, offering enough features for small websites to start analysing user behaviour without any financial commitment.
- +The user interface is clean and easy to navigate, making it accessible even for those who aren’t data-savvy.
- +Hotjar's integration capabilities with other tools allow you to enhance your analytics setup, providing a more comprehensive view of user behaviour across platforms.
Limitations
- -The free plan is quite limited; while it’s good for testing, serious users will likely find themselves needing to upgrade quickly for more comprehensive features.
- -The on-site surveys can be intrusive if overused, potentially leading to a negative user experience if not implemented thoughtfully.
- -Some advanced features, like the ability to segment recordings and heatmaps, are only available in higher pricing tiers, which can feel frustrating for users on a budget.
- -The mobile view of heatmaps is not as detailed as the desktop version, which can be a drawback for websites focusing on mobile optimisation.
- -Although the data is insightful, interpreting it and turning it into actionable changes can be a daunting task without a clear strategy in place.
Use Cases
- -E-commerce websites that want to identify where users drop off in the purchasing journey to enhance conversion rates.
- -Freelance web designers who need to demonstrate the effectiveness of their design choices through user behaviour data.
- -Product managers looking to test new features by observing how users interact with them in real time.
- -Marketing teams aiming to gather user feedback on campaigns directly from visitors to optimise future strategies.
- -Bloggers wanting to understand what content resonates most with their audience to tweak their writing and improve engagement.
