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Software · head to head

Blackbaud Raiser's Edge vs Hotjar

Blackbaud Raiser's Edge logo

Blackbaud Raiser's Edge

Software

Enterprise-grade donor management system

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
H

Hotjar

Software

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.
  • Each has a real cost: Blackbaud Raiser's Edge pricing is not published and requires a sales conversation; Hotjar website performance impact - Hotjar tracking code can cause noticeable slowdowns affecting site speed and Google rankings
  • They diverge on capability: Blackbaud Raiser's Edge covers Donor management, Hotjar covers Heatmaps.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Blackbaud Raiser's Edge and Hotjar actually diverge.

Attributes where Blackbaud Raiser's Edge and Hotjar differ
AttributeBlackbaud Raiser's EdgeHotjar
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Desktop, MobileWeb
Founded19812014

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

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 Blackbaud Raiser's Edge

  • Donor management
  • Gift tracking
  • Prospect research
  • Campaign management
  • Advanced reporting
  • Stripe
  • PayPal
  • Salesforce

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.

Blackbaud Raiser's Edge

  • Donor management and gift processing for nonprofitsnot Hotjar
  • Major gift portfolio management for fundraisersnot Hotjar
  • Campaign and appeal trackingnot Hotjar
  • Prospect research and wealth screeningnot Hotjar
  • Fundraising reporting for boards and fundersnot Hotjar

Hotjar

  • User behavior analysisnot Blackbaud Raiser's Edge
  • Conversion optimizationnot Blackbaud Raiser's Edge
  • UX researchnot Blackbaud Raiser's Edge
  • Customer feedbacknot Blackbaud Raiser's Edge
  • Usability testingnot Blackbaud Raiser's Edge

Where each one falls short

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

Blackbaud Raiser's Edge

  • Pricing is not published and requires a sales conversation
  • Aimed at mid-sized and large nonprofits with dedicated development teams rather than small charities

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

Blackbaud Raiser's Edge

On request
  • Standard$200/month
    • Donor database
    • Gift tracking
    • Reports
  • Premium$500/month
    • Advanced analytics
    • Prospect research
    • Custom reporting

Hotjar

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Hotjar review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Blackbaud Raiser's Edge if

  • You need donor management.
  • You work on Web, Desktop, Mobile.
  • You also want gift tracking.
Blackbaud Raiser's Edge review

Choose Hotjar if

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

Questions people ask

Is Blackbaud Raiser's Edge or Hotjar better?
Neither clearly leads. Blackbaud Raiser's Edge 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, Blackbaud Raiser's Edge or Hotjar?
Hotjar has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Blackbaud Raiser's Edge and Free for Hotjar.
Does Blackbaud Raiser's Edge or Hotjar run on more platforms?
Blackbaud Raiser's Edge runs on Web, Desktop, Mobile. Hotjar runs on Web.
Can I use Hotjar for free?
Yes. Hotjar has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Blackbaud Raiser's Edge starts at On request.
What is Blackbaud Raiser's Edge best used for?
Blackbaud Raiser's Edge is most often used for donor management and gift processing for nonprofits, major gift portfolio management for fundraisers, campaign and appeal tracking, prospect research and wealth screening. Of those, donor management and gift processing for nonprofits and major gift portfolio management for fundraisers are not what Hotjar is typically brought in for.
What can Blackbaud Raiser's Edge do that Hotjar cannot?
Blackbaud Raiser's Edge covers Donor management, Gift tracking, Prospect research, Campaign management. 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.

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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