Top pick: Microsoft Clarity. Switching saves about $468 USD a year.
$468 USDa year
≈$667.23 CAD (converted from USD)
Every pick below has a free version.
3 alternatives
The editor’s first choice for most people switching.
Best for free heatmaps and recordings with no traffic cap
Free with no limits on traffic. It is hosted by Microsoft, so session data is processed on Microsoft servers. Needs a Microsoft or Google account.
Covers most of the same work, with trade-offs noted on each card.
Best for product analytics plus recordings and surveys
A wider product analytics suite, so setup is heavier. The cloud free tier renews monthly. Self-hosting is MIT but officially unsupported. Free version: Cloud free allowance renews monthly, with 1M events and 5K recordings. No card needed until you pass it.
Right for specific needs, or not yet mature enough to recommend widely.
Best for developers who want self-hosted session replay
Built for debugging, with developer tools in each replay. Self-hosting is free; a managed Dedicated instance starts at $199 a month. Free version: The open-source edition is free to self-host. A managed Dedicated instance starts at $199 a month.
Sponsor this page: $149 for 30 days. Sponsors appear above the ranking, labeled; the ranking itself is not for sale.
How each alternative covers what people use Hotjar for. Numbers link to editor notes.
| Feature | Microsoft Clarity | PostHog | OpenReplay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Behavior | |||
| Click and scroll heatmaps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Session recordings | Yes | YesNote 1The free tier includes 5K recordings a month | Yes |
| Analysis | |||
| Funnels and journey analysis | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Feedback | |||
| On-site surveys and feedback | NoNote 2No survey or feedback widget | YesNote 31500 survey responses a month free | NoNote 4No survey tool listed |
| Technical | |||
| Error and performance monitoring | PartialNote 5Flags JavaScript errors, rage clicks and dead clicks | YesNote 6100K exceptions a month free | YesNote 7Captures console logs and network requests with each replay |
| AI | |||
| AI summaries of sessions | YesNote 8AI summaries and chat over sessions | PartialNote 9PostHog AI runs on a monthly credit allowance | PartialNote 10AI session summaries are listed; confirm the self-hosted build includes them |
| Parity score | 75% | 92% | 75% |
Switching saves about $468 USD / ≈$667 CAD (estimated from the USD price) a year. Prices checked ; ≈ means converted from USD.
Based on Growth plan, Experience Analytics. Price source. USD to CAD at 1.4257 as of Oct 7, 2026.
Last verified . Ranking: tier first, then the published score.
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Hotjar is a product of Contentsquare, named here for comparison only. Platforms listed for Hotjar: Web.