ToolStack

Hotjar vs FullStory vs Heap — Side-by-Side Comparison 2026

Side-by-side comparison · Updated 2026-03-30

Hotjar, FullStory, and Heap all compete in the product tooling space — making the choice between them a common headache for growing product teams. All three are mature, well-reviewed platforms with strong G2 track records, but they differ meaningfully on team size fit and methodology alignment. This page breaks down the key differences so you can pick the right tool without reading three separate pricing pages.

Most Reviewed
Hotjar
by Contentsquare
4.3
out of 5 · 1k+ G2 reviews
Free tier available
Free tier available
Visit Hotjar
Best Rated
FullStory
by FullStory
4.5
out of 5 · 900 G2 reviews
Free tier available
Free tier available
Visit FullStory
Best for user behavior analysis
Heap
by Contentsquare
4.4
out of 5 · 400 G2 reviews
Free tier available
Free tier available
Visit Heap

Feature Comparison

FeatureHotjarFullStoryHeap
G2 Score4.3 / 5.04.5 / 5.04.4 / 5.0
G2 Reviews1300900400
Free Tier✓ Yes✓ Yes✓ Yes
Starting Price
Mobile App✗ No✗ No✗ No
AI Features✓ Yes✓ Yes✓ Yes
API Access✓ Yes✓ Yes✓ Yes
SSO / SAML✓ Yes✓ Yes✓ Yes
SOC 2✓ Yes✓ Yes✓ Yes
Automations✗ No✓ Yes✗ No
Learning Curveeasymoderatemoderate

Which Should You Choose?

Choose Hotjar if…

Choose Hotjar if your team is focused on heatmap analysis and session replay and skews toward a startup or scaleup profile. There is a generous free tier to start with. Extremely fast setup — just add a single JavaScript snippet and start collecting heatmaps and recordings within minutes

Choose FullStory if…

Choose FullStory if your team is focused on session replay and user behavior analysis and skews toward a startup or scaleup profile. There is a generous free tier to start with. Best-in-class autocapture technology — captures every click, scroll, and interaction without manual event tagging, enabling retroactive analysis on historical data

Choose Heap if…

Choose Heap if your team is focused on user behavior analysis and conversion optimization and skews toward a startup or scaleup profile. There is a generous free tier to start with. Autocapture eliminates the need for manual event instrumentation — every click, pageview, and form interaction is tracked automatically from day one

Frequently Asked Questions

There is no single winner — it depends on your team. Hotjar (4.3/5 on G2) suits heatmap analysis and session replay. FullStory (4.5/5) is stronger for session replay and user behavior analysis. Heap (4.4/5) excels at user behavior analysis and conversion optimization. Run a free trial of your top pick before committing.
Hotjar has a free tier. FullStory has a free tier. Heap has a free tier.

Head-to-Head Comparisons

Hotjar vs FullStoryHotjar vs HeapFullStory vs Heap
Data verified 2026-03-30. Some links may be affiliate links — see disclosure.