Alternatives

Hotjar alternatives that also test your fixes

Most Hotjar alternatives show you where visitors get stuck. Cuttl also finds the problems for you, tests the fix and checks it worked.

A/B testing
CuttlIncluded
ContentsquarePaid add-on
Microsoft ClarityNo
MouseflowNot listed
Crazy EggPlus plan and up
Lucky OrangeNot listed
FullstoryNot listed

Hotjar is now part of Contentsquare, and new accounts start there. If you’re looking at alternatives, the main question is what you need beyond heatmaps and recordings. Cuttl covers both, with click, scroll, hover, zone and friction maps. It also ranks problems and adds A/B testing, fix checks, funnels, on-page feedback and AI assistants, with a free plan to start.

Quick pick

Pick by what you need.

If you needLook atWhy
Heatmaps, recordings and A/B tests in one toolCuttlSpot a problem, test the fix and check it worked, from one snippet and one plan
A free tool for heatmaps and recordings onlyMicrosoft ClarityFree, with heatmaps and recordings
The Hotjar tools inside a larger platformContentsquareHotjar is part of it, with a free plan to start
Funnels and form analyticsMouseflowBuilt around funnels and forms
Heatmaps with testing from a mid-tier planCrazy EggA/B testing on its Plus plan and above
Heatmaps and live chat for a small storeLucky OrangeIncludes live chat
Large-team session analyticsFullstorySession replay with a free plan to start
Side by side

Hotjar alternatives at a glance.

FeatureCuttlContentsquareMicrosoft ClarityMouseflowCrazy EggLucky OrangeFullstory
HeatmapsYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
Session recordingsYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
Zone heatmapsYes, with conversions per zonePaid plansYes (area maps)Not listedNot listedNot listedNot listed
Frustration signalsYes, ranked as issuesPaid plansYesYes (Friction Score)Error tracking, Plus plan and upNot listedYes (rage clicks)
Form analyticsYesPro and EnterpriseNot listedYesNot listedYesNot listed
A/B testingIncludedPaid add-onNoNot listedPlus plan and upNot listedNot listed
Checks whether a change workedYes (Change Impact)Not listedNot listedNot listedNot listedNot listedNot listed
Free planYesYesYesYesFree trialFree trialYes

YesWith limits or on some plansNo or not listed

Why switch

Why teams look beyond Hotjar.

It’s part of Contentsquare now

New accounts start on Contentsquare, so the plans and pricing you compare may differ from the Hotjar you knew.

What happened to Hotjar? →

Seeing a problem isn’t fixing it

Heatmaps and recordings show where visitors get stuck. Testing a fix usually means a second tool, a second snippet and a second report.

Several sites or clients

Plans that count projects or sessions get costly across many sites.

Not enough traffic for A/B tests

Small sites need a way to check a change without waiting weeks.

The alternatives

Seven Hotjar alternatives, and what each is good for.

01

Cuttl

Good for: finding a problem and testing the fix in one place.

  • Click, scroll, hover, zone and friction maps
  • Session recordings, funnels, form analytics, feedback and NPS surveys
  • Problems found, ranked by severity and checked once fixed
  • A/B, split URL, multi-page and multivariate tests
  • A visual editor, targeting, guardrails and approvals
  • Claude and ChatGPT through MCP, with your approval
  • Heatmaps and recordings for every test variant
  • One plan, unlimited sites, a free plan to start
02

Contentsquare (includes Hotjar)

Good for: teams that want the Hotjar tools inside a larger platform.

Has a free plan with heatmaps and session replay.

What Cuttl adds

A/B testing included instead of an add-on, and one plan for unlimited sites.

03

Microsoft Clarity

Good for: a free way to get heatmaps and recordings.

What Cuttl adds

A/B testing, fix checks and Change Impact, with a free plan too.

04

Mouseflow

Good for: funnels and form analytics, with a free plan for small sites.

What Cuttl adds

A/B testing on the same plan, with recordings and heatmaps of each variant.

05

Crazy Egg

Good for: marketers who want heatmaps and surveys, with A/B testing from its Plus plan.

What Cuttl adds

Issues ranked by severity from rage, dead and error clicks, and testing included on the one paid plan.

06

Lucky Orange

Good for: small online stores that want heatmaps, recordings and live chat together.

What Cuttl adds

A/B testing and Change Impact, plus a free plan.

07

Fullstory

Good for: large product teams that want detailed session analytics.

What Cuttl adds

A/B testing on the same plan, and heatmaps tied to each test variant.

Why Cuttl

Why Cuttl is the better choice.

  • Find the problem and test the fix in one place. A problem such as rage clicks on a checkout button becomes a test idea with the recordings and heatmap attached.
  • Every kind of heatmap. Click, scroll, hover, zone and friction maps, filtered by device, channel, segment, test variant or a clicked element. Open the menus and tabs visitors opened, and look back at past versions of a page.
  • See why the winner won. Every variant gets its own heatmaps and recordings.
  • Know when a fix worked. Cuttl marks an issue “Looks fixed”, then “Fixed, verified”, and reopens it as “Regressed” if it comes back.
  • Answers without much traffic. Change Impact compares changed pages with the rest of the site before and after, so a change doesn’t need an A/B test.
  • Control for bigger teams. Targeting, guardrails, approvals, version history and an emergency stop that turns off every test at once.
  • Work from Claude or ChatGPT. Ask about your visitors and draft tests through Cuttl’s MCP server. Nothing launches without a person.
  • One plan, unlimited sites. No tiers by session count or project, and no separate testing product. Free plan to start.
Choosing

How to choose a Hotjar alternative.

  1. Start from the decision you need to make. If it’s “which version converts better”, pick a tool that runs the test.
  2. Check how many sites and visitors you have. Per-project and per-session limits add up.
  3. Check what happens after a problem is found. Who builds the test, and where do you read the result?
  4. Check privacy settings. Look for masked form inputs, consent handling and IP storage. Cuttl never stores visitors’ IP addresses and masks form inputs by default.
Switching

Switching takes a few minutes.

Step 1

Add the snippet

One script tag in your page’s head, or through Google Tag Manager. It can run next to Hotjar while you compare.

Step 2

Set up goals

Pick the clicks, form submits or revenue you care about.

Step 3

Run your first test

Turn an issue into a test with one click.

Step 4

Keep or remove your old tool

Remove its snippet once you no longer need it.

Questions

Questions

What is the best alternative to Hotjar?

It depends on what you need. If you want heatmaps, recordings and A/B testing in one tool, Cuttl is built for that. If you only need free heatmaps and recordings, Microsoft Clarity and Cuttl’s free plan both work.

Does Hotjar still exist?

Hotjar is part of Contentsquare, and new accounts are created on Contentsquare. People who already had a Hotjar login can still use it.

Is there a free Hotjar alternative?

Yes. Cuttl has a free plan, and so do Contentsquare, Microsoft Clarity, Mouseflow and Fullstory. Cuttl pairs its heatmaps and recordings with A/B testing.

Is there an open-source Hotjar alternative?

Cuttl is fully hosted and isn’t open source or self-hosted, so there’s nothing to run or patch. Teams that need to host their own analytics need a different tool.

Which Hotjar alternative has A/B testing?

Cuttl includes A/B, split URL, multi-page and multivariate tests on its one plan. Some others sell testing separately or on higher plans.

Can I run Cuttl next to Hotjar?

Yes. Both run from a script in your page’s head, so you can compare them on the same pages.

Why choose Cuttl over Hotjar?

Cuttl lets you act on what you see: test a fix, view heatmaps and recordings for each version, and get told when the fix worked, all on one plan. It also finds and ranks problems for you, and works with Claude and ChatGPT through MCP.

See where visitors get stuck, then test the fix.

Add one line to your site and your first heatmaps and recordings arrive today.