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E-commerce · head to head

Hotjar vs SurveySparrow

H

Hotjar

E-commerce

Understand how users behave on your site

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SurveySparrow logo

SurveySparrow

UX Research

Survey and feedback platform for employee engagement

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; SurveySparrow the free plan allows 75 responses per quarter, 3 active surveys and 10 questions per survey
  • They diverge on capability: Hotjar covers Heatmaps, SurveySparrow covers Survey creation.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Hotjar and SurveySparrow actually diverge.

Attributes where Hotjar and SurveySparrow differ
AttributeHotjarSurveySparrow
Pricing modelUnknownusage-based
CategoryE-commerceUX Research
Founded20142011

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

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

Only in SurveySparrow

  • Survey creation
  • Engagement surveys
  • Pulse surveys
  • Analytics dashboard
  • Mobile app
  • Custom templates
  • Action planning
  • Reporting

Both cover

  • Zapier
  • Slack
  • Microsoft Teams

What people use each for

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

Hotjar

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

SurveySparrow

  • Running conversational surveys and NPS programmesnot Hotjar
  • Collecting employee and customer feedback on a schedulenot Hotjar
  • Embedding surveys in websites, email and chat channelsnot 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

SurveySparrow

  • The free plan allows 75 responses per quarter, 3 active surveys and 10 questions per survey
  • The Basic and Starter plans include a single user; extra users cost $49 per user per month
  • Responses are metered per month and additional responses or API calls require a custom quote from sales
  • Custom branding requires the Business plan
  • CSS customisation, auto translation, Key Driver Analysis and HIPAA compliance are Enterprise only
  • The advertised savings of up to 40 percent require annual billing rather than quarterly

Pricing, plan by plan

Hotjar

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Hotjar review.

SurveySparrow

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Basic surveys
    • Limited questions
    • Standard reports
  • Pro$undefined/month
    • Advanced surveys
    • Unlimited questions
    • Advanced analytics

Which should you pick?

Choose Hotjar if

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

Choose SurveySparrow if

  • You need survey creation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want engagement surveys.
SurveySparrow review

Questions people ask

Is Hotjar or SurveySparrow better?
Neither clearly leads. Hotjar starts at Free and SurveySparrow at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Hotjar or SurveySparrow?
Hotjar starts at Free and SurveySparrow at Free.
Does Hotjar or SurveySparrow run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
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 SurveySparrow is typically brought in for.
What can Hotjar do that SurveySparrow cannot?
Hotjar covers Heatmaps, Session recordings, Feedback widgets, Surveys. SurveySparrow covers Survey creation, Engagement surveys, Pulse surveys, Analytics dashboard. Both handle Zapier, Slack, Microsoft Teams.

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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