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E-Commerce · head to head

Hotjar vs Preset

Hotjar logo

Hotjar

E-Commerce

Understand how users behave on your site

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Preset logo

Preset

Business Intelligence

Managed Apache Superset

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Hotjar website performance impact - Hotjar tracking code can cause noticeable slowdowns affecting site speed and Google rankings; Preset limited SQL IDE advanced features compared to specialized query tools
  • They diverge on capability: Hotjar covers Heatmaps, Preset covers Managed Superset.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Hotjar and Preset actually diverge.

Attributes where Hotjar and Preset differ
AttributeHotjarPreset
PlatformsWebWeb, Cloud
CategoryE-CommerceBusiness Intelligence
Founded20142019

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (Unknown), free tier (Yes), 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 Hotjar

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

Only in Preset

  • Managed Superset
  • Auto-scaling
  • Enterprise Security
  • Custom Branding
  • API Access
  • Snowflake
  • BigQuery
  • Redshift

What people use each for

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

Hotjar

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

Preset

  • Self-service analyticsnot Hotjar
  • Data explorationnot Hotjar
  • Ad-hoc reportingnot Hotjar
  • Collaborative analysisnot Hotjar
  • Embedded analyticsnot Hotjar

Where each one falls short

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

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

Preset

  • Limited SQL IDE advanced features compared to specialized query tools
  • Viewer licenses add substantial cost for embedded analytics deployments
  • Dataset-centric approach requires preprocessing by data teams for some use cases

Pricing, plan by plan

Hotjar

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Hotjar review.

Preset

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Preset review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Hotjar if

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

Choose Preset if

  • You need managed superset.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Cloud.
  • You also want auto-scaling.
Preset review

Questions people ask

Is Hotjar or Preset better?
Neither clearly leads. Hotjar starts at Free and Preset at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Hotjar or Preset?
Hotjar starts at Free and Preset at Free.
Does Hotjar or Preset run on more platforms?
Hotjar runs on Web. Preset runs on Web, Cloud.
Can I use Hotjar for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Hotjar best used for?
Hotjar is most often used for user behavior analysis, conversion optimization, ux research, customer feedback. Of those, user behavior analysis and conversion optimization are not what Preset is typically brought in for.
What can Hotjar do that Preset cannot?
Hotjar covers Heatmaps, Session recordings, Feedback widgets, Surveys. Preset covers Managed Superset, Auto-scaling, Enterprise Security, Custom Branding.

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
Preset: Is Preset free?

Preset offers a free tier for small teams called Starter with 5 users and no credit card required. Paid plans start at $25 per user per month.

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
Preset: Can I export my data from Preset?

Yes. Preset uses Apache Superset and the founders contribute over 75% of commits to the open-source project, enabling migration to Superset without vendor lock-in.

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
Preset: Does Preset include embedded analytics?

Yes. Embedded dashboards are available on Professional and Enterprise plans, with viewer licenses starting at $500 per month for 50 licenses.

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
Preset: What is the enterprise pricing for Preset?

Enterprise plans are custom quoted. The median buyer pays $35,495 per year.

Source
Preset: Does Preset support AI-powered analytics?

Yes. As of 2026, Preset includes an AI Chatbot and MCP (Model Context Protocol) integration for building charts and dashboards via natural language.

Source
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