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Software · head to head

Hotjar vs Square

H

Hotjar

Software

Understand how users behave on your site

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Square logo

Square

Software

Powering the economy

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; Square plus plan pricing not specified in documentation
  • They diverge on capability: Hotjar covers Heatmaps, Square covers Payment processing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Hotjar and Square actually diverge.

Attributes where Hotjar and Square differ
AttributeHotjarSquare
Pricing modelUnknownfreemium
PlatformsWebPOS (Mobile app), Web
Founded20142009

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

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

Only in Square

  • Payment processing
  • Point of sale
  • Invoicing
  • Payroll
  • Banking
  • QuickBooks
  • WooCommerce
  • Wix

What people use each for

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

Hotjar

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

Square

  • Accept payments with all-in-one POS applicationnot Hotjar
  • Online ordering and basic website creationnot Hotjar
  • Invoicing and appointment bookingnot Hotjar
  • Staff scheduling and loyalty programmesnot 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

Square

  • Plus plan pricing not specified in documentation
  • Processing fees differ by tier but exact rates not detailed
  • Free plan pricing mentioned but specific features for Plus unclear
  • Text marketing charged at 3¢ per message after first 500 included

Pricing, plan by plan

Hotjar

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Hotjar review.

Square

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Square 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 Square if

  • You need payment processing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on POS (Mobile app), Web.
  • You also want point of sale.
Square review

Questions people ask

Is Hotjar or Square better?
Neither clearly leads. Hotjar starts at Free and Square at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Hotjar or Square?
Hotjar starts at Free and Square at Free.
Does Hotjar or Square run on more platforms?
Hotjar runs on Web. Square runs on POS (Mobile app), Web.
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 Square is typically brought in for.
What can Hotjar do that Square cannot?
Hotjar covers Heatmaps, Session recordings, Feedback widgets, Surveys. Square covers Payment processing, Point of sale, Invoicing, Payroll.

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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Related pages

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