Key takeaways
- Top pick: Hotjar, best for: Website user experience feedback.
- Also near the top: FullStory and Clarity.
- Free to start with: Clarity.
- How it was ranked: 10 SaaS products compared. Each verdict is below.
For comprehensive user behaviour analysis,
Hotjar is the top pick for small to medium businesses needing an all-in-one suite. Meanwhile,
FullStory is the leading choice for enterprise teams requiring advanced rage click detection, deep data indexing, and robust error tracking capabilities.
Top 10 Heat Map & Session Recording, compared| RANK | ENTRY | BEST FOR | SCORE | FROM |
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| 1 |  HotjarHotjar pioneered accessible website heatmaps and surveys for millions of global domains. | Website user experience feedback | 95.0 | $32 per month |
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| 2 |  FullStoryFullStory automatically captures all DOM changes without requiring manual event tagging. | Enterprise companies and digital product teams | 92.7 | Custom |
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| 3 |  ClarityMicrosoft Clarity is entirely free with no caps on monthly traffic volume. | Budget-conscious site owners and bloggers | 90.3 | Free |
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| 4 |  SmartlookSmartlook supports full session recording for native mobile applications alongside web. | Mobile app and web developers | 88.0 | $55/month |
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| 5 |  Crazy EggCrazy Egg was founded by web analytics experts Neil Patel and Hiten Shah. | Conversion rate optimisation specialists | 85.7 | $29/month |
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| 6 |  MouseflowMouseflow calculates a unique friction score for every single user session. | Form optimisation and UX analysis | 83.3 | €31/month |
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| 7 |  InspectletInspectlet records eye-tracking data based on cursor movement and attention patterns. | UX researchers and web designers | 81.0 | $39/month |
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| 8 |  LogRocketLogRocket captures console logs and network requests alongside visual session replays. | Software engineers and frontend developers | 78.7 | Custom |
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| 9 |  VisiStatVisiStat focuses heavily on identifying anonymous B2B website visitors. | B2B lead generation websites | 76.3 | Custom |
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| 10 |  Lucky OrangeLucky Orange features dynamic heatmaps that capture interactive elements like menus and popups. | Small to medium businesses wanting affordable conversion tools | 74.0 | $32 per month |
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How to choose
Start from what you need it for. Where each entry fits best:
- Hotjar (#1): Website user experience feedback
- FullStory (#2): Enterprise companies and digital product teams
- Clarity (#3): Budget-conscious site owners and bloggers
- Smartlook (#4): Mobile app and web developers
- Crazy Egg (#5): Conversion rate optimisation specialists
- Mouseflow (#6): Form optimisation and UX analysis
- Inspectlet (#7): UX researchers and web designers
- LogRocket (#8): Software engineers and frontend developers
- VisiStat (#9): B2B lead generation websites
- Lucky Orange (#10): Small to medium businesses wanting affordable conversion tools
Each entry's full verdict is below.
The ranking, in detail
01
Understand how your users behave
An intuitive behaviour analytics tool offering heatmaps, session recordings, and user feedback surveys for product teams and marketers.
From $32 per month
PROS- Combines qualitative surveys with behavioral heatmaps
- Easy installation via tracking code
CONS- Not designed for long-form academic research
- Pricing scales quickly with high traffic
- Best for
- Website user experience feedback
- Where it falls short
- Pricing scales quickly with high traffic.
95.0
02
A digital intelligence platform that indexes every user interaction to capture rage clicks, errors, and deep session analytics.
From Custom
PROS- Powerful search and error-tracking capabilities
- Deep qualitative insights for complex web apps
CONS- Significantly more expensive than standard alternatives
- Best for
- Enterprise companies and digital product teams
- Where it falls short
- It is significantly more expensive than standard alternatives.
- Pick something else if
- you need a lower cost option.
92.7
03
A free-to-use user behaviour analytics tool by Microsoft that provides session recordings and heatmaps with no traffic limits.
Free
PROS- Completely free with unlimited traffic and recordings
- Integrates smoothly with Google Analytics
CONS- Lacks advanced custom event segmentation features
- Best for
- Budget-conscious site owners and bloggers
- Where it falls short
- It lacks advanced custom event segmentation features.
- Pick something else if
- you need advanced custom event segmentation.
90.3
04
A qualitative analytics solution that offers session recordings, heatmaps, and funnel conversion tracking for both websites and mobile apps.
From $55/month
PROS- Excellent support for native iOS and Android apps
- Automatic event tracking without manual setup
CONS- Pricing scales up quickly with higher session volumes
- Best for
- Mobile app and web developers
- Where it falls short
- Pricing scales up quickly with higher session volumes.
- Pick something else if
- you need its advanced features on a tight budget.
88.0
05
A pioneer in website heatmaps offering click maps, scroll maps, and A/B testing features to improve conversion rates.
From $29/month
PROS- Detailed scroll maps showing exact drop-off points
- Built-in A/B testing and traffic splitting tools
CONS- Session recording features are less robust than competitors
- Best for
- Conversion rate optimisation specialists
- Where it falls short
- Session recording features are less robust than competitors.
- Pick something else if
- you need a monthly payment option.
85.7
06
A session replay and heatmap tool that automatically generates friction scores to pinpoint user frustration on web forms and pages.
From €31/month
PROS- Automatic form analytics and conversion funnels
- Friction scoring helps prioritise UX issues
CONS- Interface can feel cluttered for new users
- Best for
- Form optimisation and UX analysis
- Where it falls short
- Interface can feel cluttered for new users.
83.3
07
A behavioural analytics platform that records eye-tracking style heatmaps and visitor sessions to reveal exact user intent.
From $39/month
PROS- In-depth eye-tracking and attention heatmaps
- Powerful filtering options for session recordings
CONS- User interface looks dated compared to newer tools
- Best for
- UX researchers and web designers
- Where it falls short
- User interface looks dated compared to newer tools.
81.0
08
A frontend monitoring and session replay tool that combines video replays with network logs and Redux actions for developers.
From Custom
PROS- Invaluable for debugging complex web application errors
- Combines frontend monitoring with user session replays
CONS- Steep learning curve for non-technical marketers
- Best for
- Software engineers and frontend developers
- Where it falls short
- Steep learning curve for non-technical marketers.
78.7
09
A web analytics and session recording platform designed to help businesses track visitor behaviour and generate leads.
From Custom
PROS- Good B2B visitor identification features
- Dedicated account management support
CONS- Less focus on advanced UX heatmaps than rivals
- Best for
- B2B lead generation websites
- Where it falls short
- Less focus on advanced UX heatmaps than rivals.
76.3
10
An all in one conversion rate optimisation and analytics platform offering session replays, heatmaps, and chat.
From $32 per month
PROS- Includes live chat and surveys
- Very affordable entry tier
CONS- Data retention periods can be short on lower plans
- Best for
- Small to medium businesses wanting affordable conversion tools
- Where it falls short
- Data retention periods can be short on lower plans.
74.0
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Positions #4 to #10 are available to larger companies. Contact us.
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Frequently asked questions
Are heat map and session recording tools GDPR compliant?
Yes, most modern tools automatically mask sensitive form fields, passwords, and personally identifiable information to maintain privacy compliance.
Do session recordings slow down website loading speeds?
They can have a minor impact if the tracking script is heavy, but most platforms use asynchronous loading to minimise any effect on performance.
Can I record mobile app user sessions as well as websites?
Some specialised platforms like Smartlook support native mobile app session recording, while others focus strictly on web browsers.
Sources
Where we checked each company's facts, and when.
Some links on Lister are affiliate links. Rankings are not affected.