Mouseflow Hotjar Alternatives
Hotjar is a popular option for people who start with user behavior analysis. After some experience, some might look for alternatives that suit them better. Are you looking for alternatives? Read on to learn more about great UX analytics tools on the market today.
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Reasons to switch
Why you might look for an alternative
When you start out analyzing user behavior on your website Hotjar is a great first option. Once you have gained some experience and when your website traffic grows, you might need something else. Although Hotjar is a great tool packed with features, it has some limitations:
Key aspects
What should you look for in a Hotjar alternative?
1. UX Analytics features
Most tools have a feature set oriented toward a specific use case, like user engagement reports and customer journey reports for product analytics, or heatmaps and session recordings for UX analytics. Think of what you want to measure and analyze before diving into the deep end. More features is not always better: there are specialized tools that do few things in a great way, instead of many things just okay.
2. Data privacy regulation compliance
Data privacy compliance should be high on your list. Look for a tool that complies with the GDPR and CCPA if you want to respect your visitor’s privacy and avoid trouble. Large fines have been given to companies that did not handle customer private data correctly.
UX tools that comply with any specific regulation will state it clearly since it’s a selling point nowadays. Even so, always consult a legal expert to check if a tool can be used in your target markets. Learn more about data privacy regulation in our knowledge base.
3. Data Ownership
Owning your (raw) data gives you full control over it. This means you can modify and analyze it in any way you want. Your data will not be used by anyone but you, which simplifies data privacy compliance. Still, you can send it to wherever with a Customer Data Platform (CDP).
4. Pricing of analytics tools
Get value for your money by considering the price of the tool compared to the functionality it offers. Many tools base their pricing on a metric, like the number of heatmaps or recordings. Exceeding that number exposes you to additional charges or forces you to go up one pricing tier.
Luckily these paid solutions come with a free trial, ranging from 7 to 21 days. Don’t want to pay? Pick a free tool. Be aware that free plans usually come with restrictions or fewer features.
Alternatives
What are the main alternatives to Hotjar?
UX Analytics
User Experience Analytics allows its users to analyze, test, and optimize their website content. It allows you to understand and optimize for your users quantitatively and qualitatively.
Microsoft Clarity 
Crazy Egg 
Smartlook 
Lucky Orange 
Amplitude 
Countly 
Woopra 
Pendo 
Mixpanel Selection
How to choose the right UX analytics tool?
If Hotjar fails to meet your needs or if you are worried about privacy, you should definitely look into the many Hotjar alternatives. Remember: “the most popular” doesn’t necessarily mean “the best” and it most certainly doesn’t mean “the best for you.” To discover the tool that matches your needs best, you need to ask yourself a few basic questions.
01 Goals
What are my business goals?
02 Required insights
What analytics insights do I need to achieve these goals?
03 User proficiency
Who will use the analytics tool and what is their skill level?
04 Resources availability
Do I have the budget and technical resources to integrate and maintain the tool?
Over time your goals will probably change, so it’s important to review them periodically to stay aligned with your website’s goals and to measure what matters.
Not sure where to start? List out what you dislike about Hotjar and what you want in an alternative, then use the New Metrics Analytics Quiz to see which UX tools work best for you.
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