UserBird vs HotJar
| UserBird | HotJar | |
|---|---|---|
| Usability | ✅ | ✅ |
| Heatmaps | ✅ | ✅ |
| Scroll depth | ✅ | ✅ |
| Session recordings | Coming soon! | ✅ |
| Ease of use | ✅ | Needs manual setup |
| Event tracking | ✅ | ✅ |
| Content drilldown | ✅ | ✅ |
| Easy segmenting | ✅ | ✅ |
| UTM tag tracking | ✅ | ✅ |
| Cookieless | ✅ | 🍪 Needs consent |
| Data Privacy | ✅ | ✅ |
| Data Retention | 5 years | 1 year |
| Customer Support | ✅ | ✅ |
| Made for | 🫵You | ContentSquare |
HotJar is a behavioral analytics platform primarily focused on heatmaps and session replay functionality.
While it excels in these areas, it lacks comprehensive web analytics capabilities.
Originally developed during the Google Analytics 3 era, HotJar was designed when standalone behavioral analytics tools were common.
However, with GA4 now being the industry standard, businesses need integrated solutions that combine web analytics and behavioral insights.
UserBird offers this unified approach, eliminating the need to:
- Bridge multiple disconnected tools
- Make compromises on page tracking coverage
- Worry about data retention limitations
- Manage separate billing and pricing tiers
UserBird vs HotJar on User Privacy#
While both platforms prioritize user privacy, their approaches differ significantly. HotJar, despite being a European company, was developed before GDPR and requires explicit user consent for tracking. UserBird, on the other hand, was built with privacy-first principles, offering cookieless tracking that doesn't require user consent while maintaining full GDPR compliance.
UserBird vs HotJar on Heatmaps#
UserBird provides comprehensive heatmap tracking for every page and every pageview on your site, with no sampling or limitations. In contrast, HotJar's entry-level plan (€39/month) limits you to 500 sessions per day, potentially missing valuable user interactions.
UserBird vs HotJar on Data Retention#
Data retention policies significantly impact long-term analytics value:
- UserBird: Long-term data retention (5 years) for all customers
- HotJar: Limited to 1 year of data retention
The Future of HotJar#
Since its acquisition by Contentsquare in 2021, HotJar's original team has departed, and the company no longer maintains a public roadmap. UserBird, as an independent platform, continues to innovate with a clear vision for the future of web analytics.
UserBird is designed to be the comprehensive analytics solution for modern businesses, combining the best of behavioral insights and web analytics in one powerful platform.