Heap
Hex
| Feature | Heap | Hex |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free only | Free / from $28/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.3 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 |
| Best For | product-teams, growth-teams, ux-researchers, data-analysts | data-analysts, data-scientists, analytics-engineers, data-teams |
| Founded | 2013 | 2019 |
| Auto Capture | ✓ | ✗ |
| Retroactive Analytics | ✓ | ✗ |
| Session Replay | ✓ | ✗ |
| Journey Mapping | ✓ | ✗ |
| Funnels | ✓ | ✗ |
| Retention | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sql Cells | ✗ | ✓ |
| Python Cells | ✗ | ✓ |
| Charts | ✗ | ✓ |
| Data Apps | ✗ | ✓ |
| Scheduling | ✗ | ✓ |
| Version History | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Heap Pros
- Auto-capture all events
- No code required for tracking
- Retroactive analysis possible
- Session replay included
✗ Heap Cons
- Expensive at scale
- Can be data-overwhelming
- Slower than event-based tools
✓ Hex Pros
- SQL + Python in one tool
- Beautiful data apps
- Collaborative notebooks
- Good sharing features
✗ Hex Cons
- Expensive for teams
- Learning curve for non-technical
- Limited self-hosting
The Verdict
Heap is built for product teams and growth teams, with a focus on auto-capture and retroactive-analytics. Hex targets data analysts and data scientists and leads with sql-cells and python-cells.
Heap uses custom enterprise pricing, while Hex starts at $28/mo — a tangible advantage for teams with a fixed budget.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Both tools are a solid fit for data analysts — in those cases, the decision often comes down to workflow style and how your team prefers to organize work.
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.