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Marketing · head to head

Attribution vs Hotjar

A

Attribution

Marketing

First-party data marketing attribution platform

From
$2000/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Hotjar logo

Hotjar

E-Commerce

Understand how users behave on your site

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Hotjar has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • They diverge on capability: Attribution covers First-party data attribution, Hotjar covers Heatmaps.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Attribution and Hotjar actually diverge.

Attributes where Attribution and Hotjar differ
AttributeAttributionHotjar
Starting price$2000/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Mobile, ApiWeb
CategoryMarketingE-Commerce
Founded20202014

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Attribution

  • First-party data attribution
  • Multi-touch attribution
  • Privacy-compliant tracking
  • Real-time insights
  • Conversion tracking
  • Channel attribution
  • Custom reporting
  • API access

Only in Hotjar

  • Heatmaps
  • Session recordings
  • Feedback widgets
  • Surveys
  • User interviews
  • Conversion funnels
  • Form analytics
  • Rage click detection

Both cover

  • HubSpot

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Attribution

  • Marketing attributionnot Hotjar
  • ROI trackingnot Hotjar
  • Privacy-compliant trackingnot Hotjar
  • First-party datanot Hotjar

Hotjar

  • User behavior analysisnot Attribution
  • Conversion optimizationnot Attribution
  • UX researchnot Attribution
  • Customer feedbacknot Attribution
  • Usability testingnot Attribution

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Attribution

Nothing recorded yet. See the Attribution review.

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

Attribution

$2000/month
  • Starter$2000/month
    • Up to 5 channels
    • Basic attribution
    • Monthly reports
  • Professional$5000/month
    • Unlimited channels
    • Advanced attribution
    • Weekly reports
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Custom implementation
    • Real-time attribution
    • Dedicated support

Hotjar

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Hotjar review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Attribution if

  • You need first-party data attribution.
  • You work on Web, Mobile, Api.
  • You also want multi-touch attribution.
Attribution review

Choose Hotjar if

  • You need heatmaps.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want session recordings.
Hotjar review

Questions people ask

Is Attribution or Hotjar better?
Neither clearly leads. Attribution starts at $2000/month and Hotjar at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Attribution or Hotjar?
Hotjar has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $2000/month for Attribution and Free for Hotjar.
Does Attribution or Hotjar run on more platforms?
Attribution runs on Web, Mobile, Api. Hotjar runs on Web.
Can I use Hotjar for free?
Yes. Hotjar has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Attribution starts at $2000/month.
What is Attribution best used for?
Attribution is most often used for marketing attribution, roi tracking, privacy-compliant tracking, first-party data. Of those, marketing attribution and roi tracking are not what Hotjar is typically brought in for.
What can Attribution do that Hotjar cannot?
Attribution covers First-party data attribution, Multi-touch attribution, Privacy-compliant tracking, Real-time insights. Hotjar covers Heatmaps, Session recordings, Feedback widgets, Surveys. Both handle HubSpot.

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.

Source
Hotjar: 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.

Source
Hotjar: 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.

Source
Hotjar: 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.

Source
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