Heap vs Hotjar — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
Heap starts at $300/mo. Hotjar starts at $39/mo. Hotjar is $261/mo cheaper on the entry tier than Heap.
Product analytics that captures every click, tap, and swipe automatically — positioned as the alternative to Amplitude/Mixpanel for teams that don't want to define events upfront. Distinctive for autocapture (retroactive analysis of any user interaction). Acquired by Contentsquare in 2024. Free tier up to 10K sessions/mo; Growth ~$300/mo ($3,600/yr); Enterprise typically $30K-100K/yr. Popular with product teams who value 'ask any question later' over structured tracking.
Session replay + heatmap analytics acquired by Contentsquare in 2021 for $500M. Positioned as the alternative to FullStory and Microsoft Clarity (free) for product and marketing teams. Distinctive for its combined qualitative + quantitative approach — heatmaps, recordings, feedback polls, surveys in one platform. Priced $32-$171/mo across four tiers. Real cost bloat comes from session capacity — high-traffic sites hit overages fast.
All plans compared
| Tier role | Plan | Heap monthly | Heap annual | Hotjar monthly | Hotjar annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free / starter | Free | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Entry paid | Growth / Observe Plus | $300 | $300 | $39 | $32 |
| Pro / power | — / Observe Scale | — | — | $213 | $171 |
| Teams | — / Observe Business | — | — | $99 | $80 |
| Enterprise | Enterprise / — | Custom | Custom | — | — |
Tier names differ across vendors. Rows are aligned by tier role, not name. Full tier structures on each tool's page.
What each is best for
Heap is worth it if… product/growth teams (10-500 people) that want autocapture-based analytics — no manual event instrumentation — particularly if your engineering team is too busy to build tracking taxonomies. Growth covers small teams; Pro and Premier custom for larger orgs.
Hotjar is worth it if… product/marketing teams (5-100) that want session recordings + heatmaps + on-site surveys — the qualitative data behind why users behave the way they do. Observe covers session-based analytics; Ask adds surveys; Engage adds interviews.
Bottom line: Similar positioning, closer to a preference call than a strategic one.
Choose Heap over Hotjar if…
Choose Heap if…
- You're comfortable with Heap's from $300/mo entry point.
- You match the profile Heap is built for: product/growth teams (10-500 people) that want autocapture-based analytics — no manual event instrumentation — particularly if your engineering team is too busy to build tracking taxonomies.
- You need a general-purpose analytics & data option rather than a vertical-specific one.
Choose Hotjar if…
- You want fixed-price predictability (freemium, from $39/mo).
- You match the profile Hotjar is built for: product/marketing teams (5-100) that want session recordings + heatmaps + on-site surveys — the qualitative data behind why users behave the way they do.
- You need a general-purpose analytics & data option rather than a vertical-specific one.
At a glance
| Heap | Hotjar | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Entry price | $300/mo | $39/mo |
| Enterprise available | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | — | Freemium |
| Verification | Pricing under review | Pricing under review |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified October 1, 2026. Tracked daily.