Softwr

E-commerce · head to head

Hotjar vs VWO

H

Hotjar

E-commerce

Understand how users behave on your site

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
VWO logo

VWO

Marketing & Analytics

Experience Optimization Platform

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; VWO growth plan restricted to 1 workspace and 0 custom attributes
  • They diverge on capability: Hotjar covers Feedback widgets, VWO covers A/B testing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Hotjar and VWO actually diverge.

Attributes where Hotjar and VWO differ
AttributeHotjarVWO
Pricing modelUnknownusage-based
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android, Server-side
CategoryE-commerceMarketing & Analytics
Founded20142007

Identical on both: starting price (Free), 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

  • Feedback widgets
  • Surveys
  • User interviews
  • Conversion funnels
  • Form analytics
  • Rage click detection
  • Segment
  • Zapier

Only in VWO

  • A/B testing
  • Multivariate testing
  • Analytics
  • SSL encryption
  • Web support
  • 20+ languages language support

Both cover

  • Heatmaps
  • Session recordings
  • Google Analytics
  • Slack
  • Cloud deployment

What people use each for

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

Hotjar

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

VWO

  • A/B testing and multivariate testingnot Hotjar
  • Conversion rate optimisationnot Hotjar
  • Behavioural analytics and session recordingsnot Hotjar
  • Feature experimentation and progressive rolloutsnot 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

VWO

  • Growth plan restricted to 1 workspace and 0 custom attributes
  • Single Sign-On (SSO) and API access limited to Enterprise tier only
  • Growth plan offers only 8-hour first response time for support

Pricing, plan by plan

Hotjar

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Hotjar review.

VWO

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the VWO review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Hotjar if

  • You need feedback widgets.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want surveys.
Hotjar review

Choose VWO if

  • You need a/b testing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Server-side.
  • You also want multivariate testing.
VWO review

Questions people ask

Is Hotjar or VWO better?
Neither clearly leads. Hotjar starts at Free and VWO at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Hotjar or VWO?
Hotjar starts at Free and VWO at Free.
Does Hotjar or VWO run on more platforms?
Hotjar runs on Web. VWO runs on Web, iOS, Android, Server-side.
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 VWO is typically brought in for.
What can Hotjar do that VWO cannot?
Hotjar covers Feedback widgets, Surveys, User interviews, Conversion funnels. VWO covers A/B testing, Multivariate testing, Analytics, SSL encryption. Both handle Heatmaps, Session recordings, Google Analytics, Slack.

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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