# Hotjar — Conversion Optimization

Hotjar by Hotjar Ltd holds a panel rating of 1/5 from 6 AI judges (category median 2/5), as of 2026-10-15. Provenance: provenance unknown; sovereignty: not determined.

- Vendor: Hotjar Ltd (https://www.hotjar.com)
- Category: [Conversion Optimization](https://whats-best.ai/software/conversion-optimization.md)
- Provenance (editorial classification): provenance unknown
- Canonical page: https://whats-best.ai/software/conversion-optimization/hotjar
- Alternatives: https://whats-best.ai/software/conversion-optimization/hotjar/alternatives ([markdown](https://whats-best.ai/software/conversion-optimization/hotjar/alternatives.md))
- Data as of: 2026-10-21 · evaluated 2026-10-15 · oldest source captured 2026-10-13

**AI-generated.** Every score, rationale and verdict here is written by a panel of AI judges from public evidence — an analysis, not a hands-on test. Every fact quotes the vendor page it was read from. No score can be bought. How scores are made: https://whats-best.ai/methodology

## At a glance

- Vendor: Hotjar Ltd
- Headquarters: Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 13 Oct 2026
- Data hosting: Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 13 Oct 2026
- Free plan: Yes, per the vendor’s own page [S2]

## The panel's verdict

Hotjar — now part of Contentsquare, with new accounts only on Contentsquare — is judged by this bench as an experience-intelligence product whose strength is moving behavioural data into your stack and whose weakness is the tracking script itself. Data and integrations is the clear high, scoring 6-7: open APIs, 100+ integrations, a fully managed ETL export to the customer's warehouse, raw data export to Tableau, and Segment, AWS and Azure connections are documented. The low side clusters elsewhere. Performance impact scores 0-1 and consent and tracking 1-2: we found no public information on the snippet's size, loading behaviour or effect on Core Web Vitals, nor on what the tracking code stores or when it runs relative to consent. Statistical rigour sits at 1-2 — published craft advice of a one-week minimum and at most three KPIs, with no named method. Experimentation scope drew the widest spread, 1-3: the low end reads the six-step framework as process guidance, the high end credits the two-click no-code setup. Sovereignty scores sit at 1; pricing transparency at 3, resting on a public free tier alone.

**Speaks for it:**
- Open APIs and 100+ integrations are documented, with named partners including Snowflake, AWS and Azure.
- A fully managed ETL export moves data to the customer's warehouse and stores it beyond the vendor's retention period.
- Raw data export to Tableau covers error and user-event data.
- A free tier is public — "Start for free", with 20 survey responses per month on Hotjar and 100 on Contentsquare.
- A Data Processing Agreement, data deletion and ISO 27001/27701 documentation are published.

**Held against it:**
- No public prices for paid tiers, the traffic metric, its limits or overage terms, so an annual invoice is not computable from the captured pages.
- No public information on what the tracking code stores on the device or when it runs relative to consent, with no cookieless or consent-pending mode on the captured pages.
- No published script size, loading behaviour, flicker handling or measured Core Web Vitals impact for the snippet itself.
- No statistical method, intervals or sample-size guidance named — the published guidance is process advice (at least one week, at most three KPIs).
- Sovereignty attributes stand unknown — legal entity jurisdiction, ownership, data residency and subprocessors — with hosting named as AWS and Azure and no region stated.

**Best for:**
- You want behavioural data flowing into your own stack — the warehouse ETL export, Tableau raw export and Segment connection took the bench's top scores (6-7 on data and integrations).
- You already run experiments on Optimizely, AB Tasty or Kameleoon and want journey analysis across test variants alongside them.
- You want to evaluate before committing — a free tier is public with survey response limits of 20 per month on Hotjar and 100 on Contentsquare.

**Avoid if:**
- Your programme depends on server-side delivery, SDKs, feature flags or multivariate testing — the captured pages position native testing as zero-configuration client-side setup with variants in two clicks, with heavier delivery through third-party integrations.
- You must compute an annual invoice before a contract — beyond the free tier, no paid prices or traffic metric are public.
- You carry a hard EU residency requirement — ask the vendor: the public pages we read do not show it
- Your compliance sign-off needs written answers on script storage and consent timing — the compliance pages document a DPA and data deletion but do not state what the tracking code stores or when it runs relative to consent.

## Scores by judge and criterion

Scores out of 5, each judge scoring independently against the published rubric (v1). "n/r" = not rated: the vendor publishes no price.

| Criterion | The Growth Lead | The E-Commerce Manager | The Product Engineer | The CRO Consultant | The Data Protection Officer | The Skeptic |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Experiment types & delivery | 0.5/5 | 1/5 | 1.5/5 | 1/5 | 1.5/5 | 1/5 |
| Statistical method & guardrails | 0.5/5 | 0.5/5 | 0.5/5 | 1/5 | 0.5/5 | 1/5 |
| Consent & visitor tracking | 1/5 | 0.5/5 | 1/5 | 0.5/5 | 0.5/5 | 0.5/5 |
| Snippet performance & flicker | 0.5/5 | 0/5 | 0.5/5 | 0/5 | 0.5/5 | 0/5 |
| Analytics, data export & integrations | 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 |
| European sovereignty | 0.5/5 | 0.5/5 | 0.5/5 | 0.5/5 | 0.5/5 | 0.5/5 |
| Pricing transparency | 1.5/5 | 1.5/5 | 1.5/5 | 1.5/5 | 1.5/5 | 1.5/5 |
| **Weighted verdict** | **1/5** | **1/5** | **1.5/5** | **1/5** | **1/5** | **1.5/5** |

### The judges

- **The Growth Lead** (v1.0): Runs the testing programme for a German marketing team and reports uplift to the board. Wants a visual editor the team can use without a developer, targeting that goes beyond the URL, and results she can defend when finance asks where the promised revenue went.
- **The E-Commerce Manager** (v1.0): Owns a shop where a tenth of a second of load time shows up in the conversion rate. Wants personalisation that can be tested against a control, a snippet that does not flicker the product page, and a traffic-based price that does not jump a tier every December.
- **The Product Engineer** (v1.0): Ships experiments behind feature flags and would rather not ship a third-party script at all. Wants server-side SDKs for the stack in use, edge delivery, metrics computed in the warehouse the team already trusts, and an API good enough to build internal tooling on.
- **The CRO Consultant** (v1.0): Sets up testing programmes for several clients and has to recommend a platform each can afford and defend. Reads for multi-project management, clean analytics integration, a consent setup a client's DPO will sign off, and a traffic metric she can estimate before the contract.
- **The Data Protection Officer** (v1.0): Has to answer whether the test script may run before the consent banner is answered, and usually finds the vendor has not said. Wants the storage keys listed, a documented consent-pending mode, visitor data processed in the EU, and a published subprocessor list that includes the CDN.
- **The Skeptic** (v1.0): A statistician who has watched too many "winners" regress to zero. Reads for the method by name, what stops a team from peeking, sample ratio mismatch checks and multiple-comparison corrections — and treats a "probability to beat" without documented assumptions as marketing.

## European sovereignty — proven facts

Built only from facts on the vendor's own pages; a dimension we could not prove is left open, never scored as zero. Headline: not determined.

| Dimension | Finding | Points | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal entity | Not determined | — | — |
| Ownership | Not determined | — | — |
| Data residency | Not determined | — | — |
| Subprocessors | Not determined | — | — |

## Key facts

Each fact is the vendor's own statement, cited to the source page it was read from ([S*n*] → Sources).

**Compliance**
- Caiq: yes [S4]
- Cyber insurance: yes [S4]
- DPA: yes [S4]
- Eval considerations: data residency · SOC 2 · privacy-first architecture · cookie consent integration [S2]
- Framework alignment: NIST Cybersecurity Framework alignment; policies based on ISO/IEC 27001 Framework [S4]
- Framework alignment: NIST Cybersecurity Framework alignment; policies based on ISO/IEC 27001 Framework [S5]
- ISO 27001: yes [S4]
- ISO 27001 certified: ISO/IEC 27001 · yes [S5]
- ISO 27017: yes [S4]
- ISO 27017 certified: ISO 27017 · yes [S5]
- ISO 27018: yes [S4]
- ISO 27018 certified: ISO 27018 · yes [S5]
- ISO 27701: yes [S4]
- ISO 27701 certified: ISO 27701 · yes [S5]
- ISO 9001: yes [S4]
- ISO 9001 listed: yes · ISO 9001:2015 [S5]
- Pentest report: yes [S4]
- Security contact: security@contentsquare.com contact for security questions and formal written confirmation [S5]
- Security grade: A+ · contentsquare.com · Qualys SSL Labs [S4]
- Security whitepaper: yes [S4]
- Sig lite: yes [S4]
- SOC 2 type2: yes [S4]
- SOC 2 type2 report: SOC 2 Type II · yes [S5]
- Ssl labs grade: A+ · contentsquare.com · Qualys SSL Labs [S5]
- Tool criteria: GDPR · CCPA · HIPAA [S2]
- Trust portal access: Trust portal with private documents available upon request/get access [S4]

**Data**
- Export etl: Data Connect managed ETL export to warehouse · yes [S8]
- Retention export: yes [S7]

**Hosting**
- Providers: Amazon Web Services and Azure [S4]
- Providers: Amazon Web Services · Azure [S5]

**Integrations**
- Ab testing: zero-configuration A/B test setup, variants in two clicks · yes [S8]
- Ab testing platforms: Optimizely · Omniconvert · AB Tasty · yes [S3]
- API open: yes [S8]
- Aws: yes [S8]
- Count: 100+ integrations [S8]
- Mcp server: MCP Server, beta, works with Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude, Dust · yes [S8]
- Microsoft azure: yes [S8]
- Named tech partners: Shopify [S8]
- Page: Integrations listed in platform footer navigation [S6]
- Partner count: 150+ solution partners [S8]
- Segment: yes [S7]
- Snowflake: yes [S8]
- Tableau export: yes [S7]

**Legal**
- Brand structure: Heap and Hotjar have been incorporated into Contentsquare [S5]
- Copyright: 2026 · ContentSquare [S7]
- Entity structure: Heap and Hotjar incorporated into Contentsquare [S4]

**Pricing**
- Ab tasty: custom · AB Tasty [S2]
- Adobe target: custom enterprise · Adobe Target [S2]
- Contentsquare plans: yes · custom · 39 [S2]
- Contentsquare vwo: Growth · VWO · 314 [S2]
- Convert: Convert · 399 · 100000 [S2]
- Crazy egg: Crazy Egg · 29 · 99 [S2]
- Enterprise cost benchmark: 50000 · 100000 · 100000 · 200000 [S2]
- Free trial reference: guide advises looking for a free trial when choosing tools [S7]
- Growthbook: GrowthBook · 0 · 75 [S2]
- Kameleoon: custom · Kameleoon [S2]
- Launchdarkly: LaunchDarkly · yes · custom · 12 [S2]
- Omniconvert: Explore · Omniconvert · 273 [S2]
- Optimizely: Optimizely · yes · 50000 [S2]
- Posthog: usage-based · PostHog · yes · yes [S2]
- Statsig: Statsig · 1M events/month · custom · 150 [S2]
- Unbounce: Unbounce · 99 · 145 [S2]

**Product**
- Ab tasty features: visual editor · Emotions AI personalization · feature flags · server-side experimentation · ROI dashboard [S2]
- Access control: Data Access, Logging, Password Security [S5]
- Adobe target features: Auto-Target · Auto-Allocate · Automated Personalization · multivariate testing · mobile app experimentation · Adobe Experience Platform integration [S2]
- Ahrefs free tools: yes · Ahrefs Webmaster Tools · verify website ownership first [S7]
- Ahrefs positioning: Ahrefs · yes [S7]
- AI copilot: chat-style questions over product analytics [S6]
- AI documentation: AI overview, data privacy for AI features, and AI model list documented [S4]
- AI documentation: AI Overview, Data Use and Data Privacy for AI Features, AI Model List [S5]
- AI summaries: yes [S1]
- Analytics canvas focus: Analytics Canvas · yes · importing Google Analytics 4 reports [S7]
- Attention maps: yes [S1]
- Benchmarks: Benchmarks tool shows competitors' high-level analytics data [S6]
- Benchmarks: yes [S7]
- Coefficient refresh: Coefficient · 1 [S7]
- Coefficient sources: Coefficient · 100 [S7]
- Contentsquare ab tool integrations: AB Tasty · Kameleoon · Optimizely [S2]
- Contentsquare description: all-in-one experience intelligence platform for holistic view of users' journeys [S7]
- Contentsquare features: zone-based heatmaps · session replay with frustration scoring · customer journey analysis · AI-powered insights [S2]
- Contentsquare surveys AI: Sense · summary reports · sentiment analysis · automated tags [S2]
- Continuous monitoring: Automated Alert Response, Automated Compliance Monitoring, Data Loss Prevention System (DLP) [S5]
- Convert features: privacy-first architecture · traffic-based pricing · targeting and segmentation · unlimited team members · white-label [S2]
- Corporate security: Employee Training and Security, Incident Response, Internal Assessments [S5]
- Crazy egg features: heatmaps · scroll maps · confetti reports · A/B testing editor · session recordings · error tracking · surveys [S2]
- Dashboard subscriptions: dashboard subscription for regular metric updates [S6]
- Dashboards: unlimited custom dashboards for quantitative metrics [S6]
- Data backups: Data Backups and Data Deletion documented [S4]
- Data security capabilities: Access Monitoring, Data Backups, Data Deletion [S5]
- Dlp: DLP, automated alert response and compliance monitoring in place [S4]
- DPA available: yes [S5]
- Dynamic yield features: AI personalization engine · omnichannel delivery · product recommendations · predictive targeting [S2]
- Encryption capabilities: Disk Encryption, Endpoint Detection & Response, Mobile Device Management [S5]
- Endpoint security: Disk encryption, EDR, MDM documented [S4]
- Framework six steps: 6 [S3]
- Free tier: yes [S6]
- Free tier reference: yes · Looker Studio [S7]
- Funnels: yes [S1]
- Growthbook features: open-source · free self-host · warehouse-native · Bayesian statistics engine · feature flags · visual experiment editor [S2]
- Growthbook warehouses: Snowflake · BigQuery · Redshift [S2]
- Headlines: every Monday · +/- 5% change in KPI metrics [S7]
- Heatmap capability: scroll maps · move maps · click maps [S3]
- Heatmaps: heatmaps of clicks, moves, scroll on key pages [S6]
- Hotjar free survey responses: 20 · 100 [S1]
- Hypothesis structure: recommended hypothesis structure template [S3]
- Journey analysis export: Journey Analysis renders sunburst chart of customer journey [S6]
- Journey visualization: sunburst [S7]
- Kameleoon features: AI predictive targeting · full-stack experimentation · GDPR compliance built-in · flicker-free implementation · real-time segmentation [S2]
- Kpi limit: 3 [S3]
- Launchdarkly features: feature flags · kill switches · progressive rollouts · canary releases · SDK support [S2]
- Legalentity copyright: © 2026 ContentSquare. All Rights Reserved. [S9]
- Llm connect: yes [S1]
- Looker integrations: Looker Studio · 700 [S7]
- Merger: Hotjar is now part of Contentsquare; new accounts can only be created on Contentsquare [S1]
- Min experiment length: one week [S3]
- Mobile apps: yes [S1]
- Msa: Master Services Agreement and Service-Level Agreement available [S4]
- Network security: Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), Virtual Private Cloud [S5]
- Omniconvert features: A/B testing · customer segmentation · surveys and NPS tracking · web personalization · Reveal customer analytics [S2]
- Optimizely features: web experimentation · feature experimentation · stats accelerator · multi-armed bandit testing · personalization [S2]
- Partner program types: Solution · Technology · Cloud & Data · Reseller [S9]
- Posthog features: open-source · self-hosted option · A/B testing · feature flags · session recordings · event autocapture [S2]
- Quantitative data points: task completion rate · churn rate · task completion time · NPS [S3]
- Segment freemium: Segment · freemium [S7]
- Sense chat: yes [S1]
- Session replay: yes [S6]
- Session replay capability: yes [S3]
- SLA and msa documents: Master Services Agreement, Service-Level Agreement, Cyber Insurance available on Trust Portal [S5]
- Statsig features: free tier up to 1M events · warehouse-native analytics · feature gates · dynamic configs · Pulse metrics [S2]
- Status page: yes [S5]
- Supermetrics positioning: Supermetrics · yes [S7]
- Supermetrics sources: Supermetrics · 100 [S7]
- Supported integration categories: Feedback, APM, Web Analytics, A/B Testing systems [S8]
- Survey template: yes [S7]
- Surveys: yes [S6]
- Surveys capability: yes [S3]
- Tableau positioning: Tableau · yes [S7]
- Technical documentation: yes [S1]
- Technology partner APIs: yes [S9]
- Tools: Dashboards · Heatmaps · Error Analysis · Journeys · Session Replay · Surveys [S7]
- Tracking code: tracking code on website [S7]
- Trust center: yes [S1]
- Trust center: Trust Center listed in footer resources [S9]
- Trust portal documents: Trust Portal offers pentest report, security whitepaper, ISO 27001/27701 docs, CAIQ, and Information Security Policy; some documents private with 'Get access' and 'Bulk download' [S5]
- Unbounce features: drag-and-drop builder · Smart Traffic AI · A/B testing · pop-ups and sticky bars · AMP landing pages [S2]
- Vulnerability contact: Vulnerability reporting contact available [S5]
- Vwo features: visual editor · server-side testing · Bayesian statistics engine · personalization [S2]

**Support**
- Help center: Help Center · Learning Hub · Contact Us · Trust Center [S7]
- Status page: yes [S4]

## Questions

### Is Hotjar European?

Not determined: the vendor’s pages as captured do not say where Hotjar is based.

### Where does Hotjar store data?

Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 13 Oct 2026.

### Does Hotjar have a free plan?

Yes. Hotjar has a free plan, per [the vendor’s page captured 13 Oct 2026](https://whats-best.ai/evidence/7402).

### What are the best alternatives to Hotjar?

As of 21 Oct 2026, the panel rates [GrowthBook (3.5/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/conversion-optimization/growthbook), [Convert Experiences (3.5/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/conversion-optimization/convert-experiences) and [Webtrends Optimize (3/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/conversion-optimization/webtrends-optimize) highest among the other 31 Conversion Optimization products evaluated. Ratings that look equal are rounded to half stars; the order uses the unrounded rating, then the name. The highest-rated European alternative is [Webtrends Optimize](https://whats-best.ai/software/conversion-optimization/webtrends-optimize) (UK / wider Europe). Ratings are the AI panel’s opinion, formed from public evidence: [how scores are made](https://whats-best.ai/methodology#ordering). The full list, with European products first: [Hotjar alternatives](https://whats-best.ai/software/conversion-optimization/hotjar/alternatives).

## What this page leaves out

- 12 product facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 1 legal fact could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and was left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 1 sovereignty dimension could not be confirmed on the vendor’s own pages and is shown as unknown.
- 6 of the readings below were written against an earlier fact sheet — a fact has been corrected, added or pulled since. Until the panel next runs on this product you are reading the older judgement.

## Sources

- [S1] Vendor page: https://www.hotjar.com (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S2] Experiment types & delivery — found from sitemap: https://www.hotjar.com/ab-testing/tools/ (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S3] Experiment types & delivery — found from sitemap: https://www.hotjar.com/product-experimentation/framework/ (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S4] Consent & visitor tracking — found from sitemap: https://www.hotjar.com/privacy/gdpr-compliance/ (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S5] Consent & visitor tracking — found from sitemap: https://www.hotjar.com/legal/compliance/gdpr-commitment/ (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S6] Snippet performance & flicker — found from sitemap: https://www.hotjar.com/performance-reporting/ (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S7] Snippet performance & flicker — found from sitemap: https://www.hotjar.com/performance-reporting/software/ (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S8] Analytics, data export & integrations — found from sitemap: https://www.hotjar.com/integrations/hotjar-api/ (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S9] Analytics, data export & integrations — found from sitemap: https://www.hotjar.com/integrations/ (checked 2026-10-13)

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Cite as: whats-best.ai, "Hotjar — Conversion Optimization", AI panel analysis, as of 2026-10-21. https://whats-best.ai/software/conversion-optimization/hotjar

Corrections: https://whats-best.ai/correct/768?target=page