Podcast & Audio Publishing · head to head
Acast vs Hotjar

Acast
Podcast & Audio Publishing
Enterprise podcast hosting and advertising
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Hotjar has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Acast the free Starter tier is limited to 1 show and 5 episodes; unlimited episodes require making the show available in Acast's advertising marketplace; Hotjar website performance impact - Hotjar tracking code can cause noticeable slowdowns affecting site speed and Google rankings
- They diverge on capability: Acast covers Enterprise hosting, Hotjar covers Heatmaps.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Acast and Hotjar actually diverge.
Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), founded (2014).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Acast
- Enterprise hosting
- Dynamic ad insertion
- Sponsorship platform
- Analytics
- Monetization
- API access
- All podcast platforms
- Advertising networks
Only in Hotjar
- Heatmaps
- Session recordings
- Feedback widgets
- Surveys
- User interviews
- Conversion funnels
- Form analytics
- Rage click detection
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Acast
- Hosting and distributing a podcast to all major listening appsnot Hotjar
- Monetising episodes through the Acast advertising marketplace and sponsorshipsnot Hotjar
- Publishing video podcast episodes alongside audionot Hotjar
Hotjar
- User behavior analysisnot Acast
- Conversion optimizationnot Acast
- UX researchnot Acast
- Customer feedbacknot Acast
- Usability testingnot Acast
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Acast
- The free Starter tier is limited to 1 show and 5 episodes; unlimited episodes require making the show available in Acast's advertising marketplace
- Multiple shows require the paid Influencer plan at $14.99 per month billed annually or $25 per month billed monthly
- Team management, prioritised support and the Publishing API require the Pro plan at $29.99 per month billed annually or $40 per month monthly
- Publishing video episodes to Apple Podcasts requires the Video plan at $39.99 per month billed annually or $50 per month monthly
- The Video plan includes only 10,000 monthly video views
- A payment card is required to sign up even for the free tier
- The Creator Network tier is quote only with no published price
Hotjar
- Website performance impact - Hotjar tracking code can cause noticeable slowdowns affecting site speed and Google rankings
- Session recording limits - free and lower-tier plans have monthly session recording caps that must be sampled above the limit
- Inaccurate heatmaps on dynamic pages - heatmaps fail to display correctly on pages with modals, sticky navigation bars, and pop-up overlays
- No mobile app - only web-based access available
- Not real-time analytics - includes slight data processing delay
Pricing, plan by plan
Acast
On request- Enterprise$undefined/month
- Unlimited hosting
- Dynamic ad insertion
- Sponsorship marketplace
Hotjar
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Hotjar review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Hotjar if
- You need heatmaps.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want session recordings.
Questions people ask
- Is Acast or Hotjar better?
- Neither clearly leads. Acast starts at On request and Hotjar at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Acast or Hotjar?
- Hotjar has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Acast and Free for Hotjar.
- Does Acast or Hotjar run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Hotjar for free?
- Yes. Hotjar has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Acast starts at On request.
- What is Acast best used for?
- Acast is most often used for hosting and distributing a podcast to all major listening apps, monetising episodes through the acast advertising marketplace and sponsorships, publishing video podcast episodes alongside audio. Of those, hosting and distributing a podcast to all major listening apps and monetising episodes through the acast advertising marketplace and sponsorships are not what Hotjar is typically brought in for.
- What can Acast do that Hotjar cannot?
- Acast covers Enterprise hosting, Dynamic ad insertion, Sponsorship platform, Analytics. Hotjar covers Heatmaps, Session recordings, Feedback widgets, Surveys.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Hotjar: Does Hotjar have a free tier?
Yes. Hotjar's free plan (now under Contentsquare) includes 200,000 monthly sessions, 10,000 session replays, and unlimited heatmaps, with no time limit on the free tier.
SourceHotjar: Can I export my data from Hotjar?
Yes. Hotjar allows exporting heatmaps as JPG images, survey responses as CSV files, and session recording metadata. Advanced export options are available through the Hotjar API.
SourceHotjar: Does Hotjar provide real-time analytics?
No. Hotjar has a slight delay in data processing and does not offer true real-time analytics compared to some competitors.
SourceHotjar: What integrations does Hotjar support?
Hotjar integrates with Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Slack, HubSpot, Jira, Linear, Microsoft Teams, Zapier, and hundreds of other tools through its API and partner integrations.
SourceRelated pages
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- Hotjar vs Chartable
- Hotjar vs Cleanfeed
- Hotjar vs FullStory
- Hotjar vs Mailchimp
- Hotjar vs Contentful
- Hotjar vs FastSpring
- Hotjar vs Algolia
- Hotjar vs Authorize.net
- Hotjar vs Bluepark
- Hotjar vs Braintree
- Hotjar vs Checkout.com
- Hotjar vs CJ Dropshipping
- Hotjar vs eBay
- Hotjar vs Gumroad
- Hotjar vs Loox
- Hotjar vs Memberful
- Hotjar vs Razorpay
- Hotjar vs Saleor
- Hotjar vs SamCart
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