Hotjar
PostHog
| Feature | Hotjar | PostHog |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $32/mo | Free / from $0/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.4 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Best For | ux-designers, product-managers, marketers, conversion-optimizers | developers, startups, product-teams, privacy-conscious-companies |
| Founded | 2014 | 2020 |
| Heatmaps | ✓ | ✗ |
| Session Recordings | ✓ | ✗ |
| Surveys | ✓ | ✓ |
| Feedback Widgets | ✓ | ✗ |
| Funnels | ✓ | ✗ |
| User Interviews | ✓ | ✗ |
| Dashboards | ✓ | ✗ |
| Product Analytics | ✗ | ✓ |
| Session Replay | ✗ | ✓ |
| Feature Flags | ✗ | ✓ |
| Experiments | ✗ | ✓ |
| Data Warehouse | ✗ | ✓ |
| Self Hosting | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ 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
✓ PostHog Pros
- All-in-one analytics replacing multiple tools
- Generous free tier (1M events/month)
- Self-hostable for full data control
- Feature flags and experiments built-in
✗ PostHog Cons
- Can be complex to set up properly
- Self-hosting requires infrastructure maintenance
- Less polished UI than Amplitude
The Verdict
Hotjar is built for ux designers and product managers, with a focus on heatmaps and session-recordings. PostHog targets developers and startups and leads with product-analytics and session-replay.
On pricing, PostHog is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $0/mo compared to $32/mo for Hotjar. That $32/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.
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.