Hotjar vs PostHog
Hotjar focused on heatmaps and session recordings and does them really well. PostHog built an entire product analytics suite - analytics, session replay, feature flags, A/B testing, and more - and made it open source. They started from different places and now overlap significantly.
Updated 2026-09 · 2026
Hotjar
Heatmaps and session recordings to understand user behavior
Strengths
- +Heatmaps are best-in-class - click, scroll, move tracking
- +Session recordings are smooth and easy to filter
- +Feedback widgets and surveys built right in
Weaknesses
- -$39/mo for 100 daily sessions - volume caps feel tight
- -No product analytics - can't do funnels or retention analysis
- -No feature flags or A/B testing
Best for
UX teams and marketers who want to visualize exactly how users interact with their site through heatmaps and recordings.
PostHog
Open-source product analytics suite with session replay, feature flags, and more
Strengths
- +All-in-one: analytics, session replay, feature flags, A/B tests, surveys
- +Generous free tier - 1M events, 5K session recordings, 1M flag requests per month
- +Open source and self-hostable
Weaknesses
- -Heatmaps are newer and not as mature as Hotjar's
- -More complex to set up and configure properly
- -Can be overwhelming - lots of features to learn
Best for
Product and engineering teams who want analytics, session replay, and experimentation in one open-source platform.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | ||
|---|---|---|
| Price | $39/mo (Plus) | Free up to generous limits |
| Heatmaps | Yes - click, scroll, move maps | Yes (newer, still maturing) |
| Session recordings | Yes, 100/day on Plus | Yes, 5,000/mo free |
| Product analytics | No | Yes - funnels, retention, paths, trends |
| Feature flags | No | Yes, 1M requests/mo free |
| A/B testing | No | Yes, built-in |
| Surveys | Yes, built-in | Yes, built-in |
| Feedback widgets | Yes | Yes (via surveys) |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Self-hosting | No | Yes |
| Event tracking | Limited to recordings context | Full event analytics with autocapture |
| Data warehouse | No | Yes, query your data directly |
| Setup complexity | Low - add script, done | Moderate - more configuration needed |
The Verdict
PostHog gives you dramatically more functionality than Hotjar at a lower price point. Product analytics, session replay, feature flags, A/B testing, and surveys - all in one platform with a generous free tier. Hotjar's remaining advantage is focused: if all you want is beautiful heatmaps and clean session recordings with zero setup friction, Hotjar still does that specific thing better. But for most product teams, paying $39/mo for just heatmaps and recordings when PostHog offers the full analytics toolkit for free doesn't make financial sense. PostHog is the better value unless heatmaps are literally your only need.
How to switch from Hotjar to PostHog
Full Hotjar export guide →- 1Export what you can from Hotjar first: download survey and feedback widget responses as CSV from each survey's results page, and save any heatmap visualizations you want to keep as PNG screenshots, since Hotjar doesn't support bulk export of session recording video.
- 2Sign up for a free PostHog account and install the JavaScript snippet on your site - PostHog's autocapture will start tracking clicks, pageviews, and form submissions immediately without manual event setup.
- 3Turn on Session Replay in the PostHog dashboard and set a sampling rate (e.g., record 20-50% of sessions) so you stay within the free tier's 5,000 recordings/month limit if your traffic is high.
- 4Recreate your Hotjar heatmaps using PostHog's Heatmaps tool (toolbar-based, works on any page with the snippet installed) and rebuild any feedback widgets or NPS surveys using PostHog Surveys.
- 5Reconnect integrations you relied on in Hotjar - like Slack notifications or Segment data forwarding - inside PostHog's integrations settings, and update any Zapier workflows to point to PostHog triggers instead.
- 6Run both tools in parallel for 2-4 weeks to confirm PostHog's data matches expectations, then move the team's bookmarks/dashboards over and cancel the Hotjar subscription.
Hotjar vs PostHog: common questions
How do I export my data from Hotjar before switching to PostHog?+
Hotjar doesn't offer a bulk export of session recording video or raw heatmap data - you can export survey and feedback widget responses as CSV from each survey's results page, and you can save individual heatmap visualizations as PNG screenshots. If you need historical session insights preserved, watch and document key recordings manually before your Hotjar subscription ends, since recordings aren't downloadable in bulk.
What do I lose by switching from Hotjar to PostHog?+
You lose Hotjar's more polished, purpose-built heatmap visualizations - PostHog's heatmaps work but are newer and less refined. You also lose Hotjar's simplicity: PostHog has more surface area to configure (events, flags, experiments) which can slow down non-technical users compared to Hotjar's install-and-go setup.
Is PostHog's free tier enough for a small team?+
For most small teams, yes - the free tier includes 1M events, 5,000 session recordings, and 1M feature flag requests per month, which covers a low-to-mid traffic product without paying anything. If your site gets more than a few hundred thousand monthly visitors generating recorded sessions, you'll want to set a recording sampling rate to stay within the free limit.
Does PostHog integrate with the same tools as Hotjar?+
Mostly yes - PostHog integrates with Slack, Segment, Zapier, Google Analytics, HubSpot, and Sentry, similar to Hotjar's integration list. PostHog also has direct integrations for feature flag use cases (like GitHub Actions and CI/CD tools) that Hotjar doesn't offer since it's not built for engineering workflows.
Will PostHog stay free as our traffic grows, or will costs increase?+
PostHog's free tier limits reset monthly, so if you stay under 1M events, 5,000 recordings, and 1M flag requests, it remains free indefinitely. Beyond that, pricing is usage-based per product (analytics events, recordings, flags) rather than a flat plan jump, so costs scale gradually with usage instead of forcing you into a much pricier tier all at once like Hotjar's plan structure can.