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Business Intelligence · head to head

Chartio vs Hotjar

Chartio logo

Chartio

Business Intelligence

Cloud-based data exploration (discontinued)

From
On request
Rated
-
Hotjar logo

Hotjar

E-Commerce

Understand how users behave on your site

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only Hotjar has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Chartio product was discontinued and sunset on March 1, 2022 after company acquisition by Atlassian; Hotjar website performance impact - Hotjar tracking code can cause noticeable slowdowns affecting site speed and Google rankings
  • They diverge on capability: Chartio covers Visual Query Builder, Hotjar covers Heatmaps.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Chartio and Hotjar actually diverge.

Attributes where Chartio and Hotjar differ
AttributeChartioHotjar
Starting priceOn requestFree
Free tierNoYes
CategoryBusiness IntelligenceE-Commerce
Founded20102014

Identical on both: pricing model (Unknown), 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 Chartio

  • Visual Query Builder
  • Interactive Dashboards
  • Data Blending
  • Collaboration
  • Embedding
  • PostgreSQL
  • MySQL
  • Redshift

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.

Chartio

  • Drag and drop chart building over SQL databasesnot Hotjar
  • Shared business dashboards for non-technical teamsnot Hotjar
  • Exploring warehouse data without writing SQLnot Hotjar

Hotjar

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

Where each one falls short

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

Chartio

  • Product was discontinued and sunset on March 1, 2022 after company acquisition by Atlassian
  • No current pricing available as service no longer operates
  • Users were migrated to alternative Atlassian solutions

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

Chartio

On request
  • DiscontinuedFree
    • Service ended March 2022

Hotjar

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Hotjar review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Chartio if

  • You need visual query builder.
  • You also want interactive dashboards.

Choose Hotjar if

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

Questions people ask

Is Chartio or Hotjar better?
Neither clearly leads. Chartio 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, Chartio or Hotjar?
Hotjar has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Chartio and Free for Hotjar.
Does Chartio 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. Chartio starts at On request.
What is Chartio best used for?
Chartio is most often used for drag and drop chart building over sql databases, shared business dashboards for non-technical teams, exploring warehouse data without writing sql. Of those, drag and drop chart building over sql databases and shared business dashboards for non-technical teams are not what Hotjar is typically brought in for.
What can Chartio do that Hotjar cannot?
Chartio covers Visual Query Builder, Interactive Dashboards, Data Blending, Collaboration. Hotjar covers Heatmaps, Session recordings, Feedback widgets, Surveys.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Chartio: Is Chartio still available?

No, Chartio was discontinued on March 1, 2022. The product was acquired by Atlassian and the service was shut down. Users were offered migration to alternative solutions.

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
Chartio: What should I use instead of Chartio after its discontinuation?

Atlassian, which acquired Chartio, recommends users migrate to other data visualization and business intelligence tools within the Atlassian ecosystem or compatible alternatives.

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
Chartio: Can I still access Chartio's pricing information?

No, historical pricing is not relevant as Chartio ceased operations in March 2022. Any archived pricing information would not reflect current market options.

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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