Softwr

SaaS · head to head

Heap vs Salesforce

Heap logo

Heap

SaaS

Product analytics for the modern product team

From
Free
Rated
-
Salesforce logo

Salesforce

All industries

World's #1 CRM

From
$25/month
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only Heap has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Heap no built-in A/B testing or feature flags; requires integration with separate tools for experimentation; Salesforce sales Cloud tiers as captured 2 January 2024: Starter Suite $25/user/month, Professional $80/user/month, Enterprise $165/user/month, all USD billed annually
  • They diverge on capability: Heap covers Autocapture, Salesforce covers Contact management.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Heap and Salesforce actually diverge.

Attributes where Heap and Salesforce differ
AttributeHeapSalesforce
Starting priceFree$25/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Ios, Android, Api
CategorySaaSAll industries
Founded20131999

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 Heap

  • Autocapture
  • Retroactive analytics
  • Session replay
  • Funnel analysis
  • User segmentation
  • Path analysis
  • Data science
  • Virtual events

Only in Salesforce

  • Contact management
  • Opportunity management
  • Lead management
  • Reports & dashboards
  • Email integration
  • Workflow automation
  • Mobile access
  • AppExchange

Both cover

  • SOC2

What people use each for

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

Heap

  • User behavior analysisnot Salesforce
  • Conversion optimizationnot Salesforce
  • Product adoptionnot Salesforce
  • Customer journey mappingnot Salesforce
  • A/B testing analysisnot Salesforce

Salesforce

  • Sales managementnot Heap
  • Customer servicenot Heap
  • Marketing automationnot Heap
  • Lead generationnot Heap
  • Analytics & reportingnot Heap

Where each one falls short

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

Heap

  • No built-in A/B testing or feature flags; requires integration with separate tools for experimentation
  • Group analytics and advanced features require a sales conversation, not self-serve
  • Cloud-only deployment; no self-hosted option for data security or compliance requirements
  • Session replay lacks developer debugging tools compared to PostHog
  • Pricing for Growth and Pro plans requires direct sales contact; no transparency on how pricing scales

Salesforce

  • Sales Cloud tiers as captured 2 January 2024: Starter Suite $25/user/month, Professional $80/user/month, Enterprise $165/user/month, all USD billed annually

Pricing, plan by plan

Heap

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 10,000 monthly sessions
    • Basic charts
    • 6 months data history
  • Growth$null/custom
    • Custom session pricing
    • Sense AI assistant
    • 12 months data history
  • Pro$null/custom
    • Custom session pricing
    • Account analytics
    • Engagement matrix
  • Premier$null/custom
    • Custom session pricing
    • Data warehouse integration
    • Unlimited projects

Salesforce

$25/month
  • Essentials$25/month
    • Account & contact management
    • Opportunity tracking
    • Lead management
  • Professional$80/month
    • Everything in Essentials
    • Complete CRM
    • Lead scoring
  • Enterprise$165/month
    • Everything in Professional
    • Workflow automation
    • Advanced analytics
  • Unlimited$330/month
    • Everything in Enterprise
    • Unlimited customizations
    • 24/7 support

Which should you pick?

Choose Heap if

  • You need autocapture.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want retroactive analytics.

Choose Salesforce if

  • You need contact management.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want opportunity management.

Questions people ask

Is Heap or Salesforce better?
Neither clearly leads. Heap starts at Free and Salesforce at $25/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Heap or Salesforce?
Heap has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Heap and $25/month for Salesforce.
Does Heap or Salesforce run on more platforms?
Heap runs on Web, iOS, Android. Salesforce runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
Can I use Heap for free?
Yes. Heap has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Salesforce starts at $25/month.
What is Heap best used for?
Heap is most often used for user behavior analysis, conversion optimization, product adoption, customer journey mapping. Of those, user behavior analysis and conversion optimization are not what Salesforce is typically brought in for.
What can Heap do that Salesforce cannot?
Heap covers Autocapture, Retroactive analytics, Session replay, Funnel analysis. Salesforce covers Contact management, Opportunity management, Lead management, Reports & dashboards. Both handle SOC2.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Heap: What does Heap's autocapture feature do?

Heap's autocapture is a single code snippet that automatically captures every click, swipe, tap, pageview, and form fill on your website and apps without requiring manual event setup. Once installed, Heap captures the entire digital experience of every user on every platform with no ongoing engineering maintenance needed.

Source
Heap: What are Heap's pricing plans and how much do they cost?

Heap offers a Free plan for up to 10,000 monthly sessions. Growth, Pro, and Premier plans use custom session-based pricing that requires contacting sales for a quote. Free includes basic charts and 6 months data history. Growth adds the Sense AI assistant. Pro adds account analytics. Premier adds data warehouse integration and dedicated customer success management.

Source
Heap: Does Heap include session replay and A/B testing?

Heap includes integrated session replay showing exactly what users did on your site. However, Heap does not include built-in A/B testing or feature flags. Teams requiring these capabilities must use separate tools or integrate with third-party platforms.

Source
Heap: What integrations does Heap support?

Heap supports over 100 integrations connecting to business tools including marketing platforms, CRMs, and data warehouses. This allows insights to reach relevant teams and ensures data flows to other business systems automatically.

Source
Heap: Does Heap offer self-hosting or is it cloud-only?

Heap is cloud-only and does not offer self-hosted options. Organizations requiring on-premises deployment should consider alternatives like PostHog which supports self-hosting alongside its cloud product.

Source
Heap: What is Sense and how does it help with analytics?

Sense Chat is Heap's AI assistant that enables users to access analytics without extensive technical knowledge. It allows teams to ask questions about user behavior and get answers directly without lengthy onboarding or technical expertise, making insights more accessible to non-technical stakeholders.

Source

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