CoStar
Heap
| Feature | CoStar | Heap |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Contact sales | Free only |
| Free Plan | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.1 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 |
| Best For | commercial-brokers, property-investors, asset-managers, appraisers | product-teams, growth-marketers, ux-researchers, saas-companies |
| Founded | 1987 | 2013 |
| Property Data | ✓ | ✗ |
| Market Analytics | ✓ | ✗ |
| Tenant Information | ✓ | ✗ |
| Comparable Sales | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mapping | ✓ | ✗ |
| Forecasting | ✓ | ✗ |
| Alerts | ✓ | ✗ |
| Auto Capture | ✗ | ✓ |
| Session Replay | ✗ | ✓ |
| Funnel Analysis | ✗ | ✓ |
| Retention Analysis | ✗ | ✓ |
| User Segments | ✗ | ✓ |
| Data Science | ✗ | ✓ |
| Integrations | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ CoStar Pros
- Most comprehensive commercial real estate database
- Detailed property and tenant information
- Advanced analytics and market forecasting
- Verified data with dedicated research teams
✗ CoStar Cons
- Very expensive subscription costs
- Primarily focused on commercial real estate
- Steep learning curve for new users
✓ Heap Pros
- Auto-captures all user interactions without code
- Retroactive analysis (define events after the fact)
- Session replay integrated with analytics
- No engineering resources needed for tracking
✗ Heap Cons
- Pricing not transparent (sales-required for growth+)
- Can generate excessive data requiring cleanup
- UI can feel slower than event-based alternatives
The Verdict
CoStar is built for commercial brokers and property investors, with a focus on property-data and market-analytics. Heap targets product teams and growth marketers and leads with auto-capture and session-replay.
Both tools use custom enterprise pricing — you'll need to contact sales for a quote, which makes direct cost comparison difficult.
Heap has a free plan, which gives it a meaningful edge for individuals and small teams exploring their options. CoStar requires a paid subscription from day one.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.