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Hotjar alternatives: 8 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Oct 25, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rank

Common reasons people leave Hotjar: no longer a standalone product, and plans and interface now follow Contentsquare's roadmap. We ranked 8 alternatives by how directly each one replaces Hotjar, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. Microsoft Clarity currently ranks first.

Hotjar has been acquired. Merged into Contentsquare; hotjar.com now leads to Contentsquare's platform and plans.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1PostHog logoPostHogFree plan + paidYesWeb, Self-hosted4 of 453.6
2OpenReplay logoOpenReplayOpen sourceYesWeb, Self-hosted4 of 452.3
3Matomo logoMatomoOpen sourceYesWeb, Self-hosted, iOS +15 of 538.6
  1. PostHog logo

    1. PostHogTop pick

    Best for: Startups and engineering-led teams wanting analytics, replay and flags in one tool

    Free plan + paidOpen sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Self-hosted

    53.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Hotjar

    Replay and heatmaps alongside product analytics, with a free allowance.

    Pros

    • Generous monthly free allowance across every product
    • Analytics, replay, flags and experiments share one dataset
    • Transparent usage pricing with no seat fees
    • Source code is public and a hobby self-host option exists

    Cons

    • Busy interface that suits technical users more than marketers
    • Self-hosting is limited to a small hobby deployment
    • Usage bills can grow fast on high-traffic products
    Visit PostHog Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.357
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is PostHog a good Hotjar alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Free analytics allowance
    1M events/month
    Checked Oct 25, 2026posthog.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free session replay
    5K recordings/month
    Checked Oct 25, 2026posthog.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free feature flags
    1M requests/month
    Checked Oct 25, 2026posthog.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Self-hosting
    Hobby deployment available
    Checked Oct 25, 2026posthog.com(opens source in a new tab)
  2. OpenReplay logo

    2. OpenReplay

    Best for: Engineering teams that must keep session data on their own servers

    Open sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Self-hosted

    52.3

    score / 100

    Why switch from Hotjar

    Self-hosted replay if you want recordings to stay on your servers.

    Pros

    • Self-hosting keeps recordings on your infrastructure
    • Network, console and performance data in replays
    • Live co-browsing for support teams

    Cons

    • Running it yourself takes DevOps effort
    • Analytics less mature than dedicated event tools
    • Some features sit under a commercial licence
    Visit OpenReplay Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.353
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is OpenReplay a good Hotjar alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Self-hosting
    Yes
    Checked Oct 25, 2026openreplay.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Deployment options
    Self-host, dedicated or serverless
    Checked Oct 25, 2026openreplay.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Dedicated cloud
    From $199/month
    Checked Oct 25, 2026openreplay.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Co-browsing
    Yes
    Checked Oct 25, 2026openreplay.com(opens source in a new tab)
  3. Matomo logo

    3. Matomo

    Best for: Organisations that want GA-level depth with full data ownership

    Open sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Self-hosted, iOS, Android

    38.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Hotjar

    Open-source analytics with heatmap and recording plugins, self-hostable.

    Pros

    • Free to self-host with full data ownership
    • No data sampling and unlimited retention
    • Very wide feature set, including ecommerce and funnels

    Cons

    • Interface feels dated and crowded
    • Self-hosting large sites needs tuning
    • Heatmaps, recordings and other extras are paid plugins
    Visit Matomo Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.37
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Matomo a good Hotjar alternative?

    Verified facts

    5 of 5 verified
    Data sampling
    None
    Checked Oct 25, 2026matomo.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Cloud free trial
    Yes, no credit card
    Checked Oct 25, 2026matomo.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Report data retention
    Forever (Cloud)
    Checked Oct 25, 2026matomo.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Users
    1 million organisations
    Checked Oct 25, 2026matomo.org(opens source in a new tab)
    License
    GPL-3.0
    Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)

The best Hotjar alternative for…

The highest-ranked app in this list for each need.

Microsoft Clarity logo

Best Hotjar alternative for most people

Microsoft Clarity

Completely free heatmaps and recordings with no traffic limits.

OpenReplay logo

Best Hotjar alternative for a free option

OpenReplay

Self-hosted replay if you want recordings to stay on your servers.

Contentsquare logo

Best Hotjar alternative for a free plan you can upgrade

Contentsquare

Where Hotjar's features now live, with the same free tier.

PostHog logo

Best Hotjar alternative for open source

PostHog

Replay and heatmaps alongside product analytics, with a free allowance.

Matomo logo

Best Hotjar alternative for self-hosting

Matomo

Open-source analytics with heatmap and recording plugins, self-hostable.

Matomo logo

Best Hotjar alternative for iPhone and Android

Matomo

Open-source analytics with heatmap and recording plugins, self-hostable.

Mouseflow logo

Best Hotjar alternative for working in the browser

Mouseflow

Independent heatmaps, recordings and funnels with a free plan.

Hotjar alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to Hotjar?

Microsoft Clarity ranks first right now. Completely free heatmaps and recordings with no traffic limits. Contentsquare and Mouseflow follow it in our ranking.

Is there a free alternative to Hotjar?

Yes. Microsoft Clarity (free), Contentsquare (free plan + paid), Mouseflow (free plan + paid) and PostHog (free plan + paid) have a free option. Check each app's verified facts for current plan limits.

Is there an open-source alternative to Hotjar?

Yes: PostHog, OpenReplay and Matomo. PostHog, OpenReplay and Matomo can also be self-hosted.

Why do people switch from Hotjar?

The complaints we hear most: no longer a standalone product; plans and interface now follow Contentsquare's roadmap.

How is this list ranked?

Every app is scored with the same published formula: how directly it replaces Hotjar, reviews (weighted by verification), visits from AppBreakup, how recently its facts were checked against its own website, and reader votes.