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E-Commerce · head to head

Braze vs Hotjar

Braze logo

Braze

E-Commerce

Customer engagement platform built for the modern marketer

From
On request
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.
  • Each has a real cost: Braze no free tier or monthly billing, requiring annual enterprise contracts with no flexibility; Hotjar website performance impact - Hotjar tracking code can cause noticeable slowdowns affecting site speed and Google rankings
  • They diverge on capability: Braze covers Cross-channel messaging, Hotjar covers Heatmaps.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Braze and Hotjar actually diverge.

Attributes where Braze and Hotjar differ
AttributeBrazeHotjar
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Ios, Android, ApiWeb
Founded20112014

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (E-Commerce).

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 Braze

  • Cross-channel messaging
  • Customer journey orchestration
  • Real-time personalization
  • A/B testing
  • Predictive analytics
  • Audience segmentation
  • Campaign analytics
  • Content cards

Only in Hotjar

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

Both cover

  • Segment
  • SOC2
  • ISO27001
  • GDPR

What people use each for

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

Braze

  • Customer engagementnot Hotjar
  • Marketing automationnot Hotjar
  • Personalizationnot Hotjar
  • Retention campaignsnot Hotjar
  • Cross-channel messagingnot Hotjar

Hotjar

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

Where each one falls short

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

Braze

  • No free tier or monthly billing, requiring annual enterprise contracts with no flexibility
  • Implementation costs of $20k-$100k+ significantly increase total cost of ownership

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

Braze

On request
  • Pro$undefined/month
    • Core messaging channels
    • Basic segmentation
    • Campaign analytics
  • Plus$undefined/month
    • Advanced features
    • Predictive suite
    • Canvas Flow
  • Premier$undefined/month
    • All features
    • Dedicated CSM
    • Custom integrations

Hotjar

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Hotjar review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Braze if

  • You need cross-channel messaging.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want customer journey orchestration.
Braze review

Choose Hotjar if

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

Questions people ask

Is Braze or Hotjar better?
Neither clearly leads. Braze 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, Braze or Hotjar?
Hotjar has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Braze and Free for Hotjar.
Does Braze or Hotjar run on more platforms?
Braze runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. Hotjar runs on Web.
Can I use Hotjar for free?
Yes. Hotjar has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Braze starts at On request.
What is Braze best used for?
Braze is most often used for customer engagement, marketing automation, personalization, retention campaigns. Of those, customer engagement and marketing automation are not what Hotjar is typically brought in for.
What can Braze do that Hotjar cannot?
Braze covers Cross-channel messaging, Customer journey orchestration, Real-time personalization, A/B testing. Hotjar covers Heatmaps, Session recordings, Feedback widgets, Surveys. Both handle Segment, SOC2, ISO27001, GDPR.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Braze: What is Braze's pricing model?

Braze uses a usage-based pricing model with custom annual contracts. There is no free plan or monthly billing. Typical contracts range from $60,000 to $200,000 per year for mid-market deployments.

Source
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
Braze: Does Braze offer implementation support?

Implementation through a Braze Solutions Partner typically costs $20,000 to $100,000 or more, as Braze is an enterprise platform requiring custom configuration.

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
Braze: What messaging channels does Braze support?

Braze supports push notifications, in-app messaging, email, SMS, and web messaging across mobile apps and web platforms.

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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