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News & Media · head to head

Beehiiv vs Hotjar

Beehiiv logo

Beehiiv

News & Media

The all-in-one platform for newsletter creators

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
H

Hotjar

E-commerce

Understand how users behave on your site

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Beehiiv platform lacks native SMS support; requires third-party integrations via API or webhooks; Hotjar website performance impact - Hotjar tracking code can cause noticeable slowdowns affecting site speed and Google rankings
  • They diverge on capability: Beehiiv covers Newsletter creation, Hotjar covers Heatmaps.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Beehiiv and Hotjar actually diverge.

Attributes where Beehiiv and Hotjar differ
AttributeBeehiivHotjar
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
CategoryNews & MediaE-commerce
Founded20212014

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web), 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 Beehiiv

  • Newsletter creation
  • Email automation
  • Subscriber management
  • Monetization tools
  • Analytics dashboard
  • Referral program
  • A/B testing
  • Spam checking

Only in Hotjar

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

Both cover

  • Zapier
  • Slack

What people use each for

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

Beehiiv

  • Newsletter creation and hosting with monetizationnot Hotjar
  • Content creator monetisation through ad networks and paid subscriptionsnot Hotjar
  • Podcast hosting and distributionnot Hotjar

Hotjar

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

Where each one falls short

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

Beehiiv

  • Platform lacks native SMS support; requires third-party integrations via API or webhooks
  • Free Launch plan offers only read-only AI capabilities

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

Beehiiv

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Beehiiv review.

Hotjar

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Hotjar review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Beehiiv if

  • You need newsletter creation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want email automation.
Beehiiv review

Choose Hotjar if

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

Questions people ask

Is Beehiiv or Hotjar better?
Neither clearly leads. Beehiiv starts at Free and Hotjar at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Beehiiv or Hotjar?
Beehiiv starts at Free and Hotjar at Free.
Does Beehiiv or Hotjar run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Beehiiv for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Beehiiv best used for?
Beehiiv is most often used for newsletter creation and hosting with monetization, content creator monetisation through ad networks and paid subscriptions, podcast hosting and distribution. Of those, newsletter creation and hosting with monetization and content creator monetisation through ad networks and paid subscriptions are not what Hotjar is typically brought in for.
What can Beehiiv do that Hotjar cannot?
Beehiiv covers Newsletter creation, Email automation, Subscriber management, Monetization tools. Hotjar covers Heatmaps, Session recordings, Feedback widgets, Surveys. Both handle Zapier, Slack.

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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