Hotjar
Looker Studio
| Feature | Hotjar | Looker Studio |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $32/mo | Free / from $9/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.4 / 5 | 4.2 / 5 |
| Best For | ux-designers, product-managers, marketers, conversion-optimizers | marketers, analysts, google-ads-users, small-businesses |
| Founded | 2014 | 2016 |
| Heatmaps | ✓ | ✗ |
| Session Recordings | ✓ | ✗ |
| Surveys | ✓ | ✗ |
| Feedback Widgets | ✓ | ✗ |
| Funnels | ✓ | ✗ |
| User Interviews | ✓ | ✗ |
| Dashboards | ✓ | ✓ |
| Data Connectors | ✗ | ✓ |
| Visualizations | ✗ | ✓ |
| Sharing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Templates | ✗ | ✓ |
| Calculated Fields | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Hotjar Pros
- Heatmaps show exactly where users click
- Session recordings reveal UX issues
- Easy to install (one script tag)
- Surveys and feedback widgets included
✗ Hotjar Cons
- Can slow down site if not configured well
- Session recordings take time to review
- Limited to web — no mobile app analytics
✓ Looker Studio Pros
- Free
- Google data integration
- Shareable dashboards
- Many connectors
✗ Looker Studio Cons
- Can be slow
- Limited data blending
- Basic compared to paid tools
The Verdict
Hotjar is built for ux designers and product managers, with a focus on heatmaps and session-recordings. Looker Studio targets marketers and analysts and leads with dashboards and data-connectors.
On pricing, Looker Studio is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $9/mo compared to $32/mo for Hotjar. That $23/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Feature-wise, Hotjar offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Looker Studio takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Both tools are a solid fit for marketers — 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.