Inspectlet vs. Hotjar: Which Is The Better Session Replay Tool?

Inspectlet and Hotjar are two popular digital analytics software applications for businesses. But which is better?
Published on: Nov 28, 2023
Last updated: Jan 25, 2024

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Session replay tools have emerged as a game changer in the realm of user experience and website optimization. By recording the interactions of visitors on a webpage, they provide invaluable insights that help enhance site design, detect bugs, and improve overall user engagement. Among the various tools available, Inspectlet and Hotjar have carved a niche for themselves as prominent players.

Both tools pack powerful features, providing a comprehensive suite of features to help businesses fine-tune their websites based on real user interactions. In the following sections, we'll compare and contrast the capabilities of Inspectlet and Hotjar to determine which tool offers the best value for businesses. We’ll also suggest a better alternative if you’re looking for a more comprehensive session replays solution.

What Is Inspectlet?

Inspectlet is a website visitor tracking tool that allows you to monitor and record user behavior on your site. It captures events like keystrokes and mouse movements, providing valuable insights into user experience and behavior. It offers features such as session recording, heatmaps, and form analytics.

What Is Hotjar?

hotjar

Hotjar is a powerful website analytics tool that provides heatmaps and behavior analytics to help understand user engagement. It allows you to see where users click, gather feedback, and analyze why they leave your site. With features like session recordings and user surveys, Hotjar offers valuable insights for improving website performance.

Inspectlet vs. Hotjar: features comparison

In the following section, we'll compare the features offered by Inspectlet and Hotjar to determine which tool offers more value for businesses.

Inspectlet

  • Session recording: Inspectlet allows you to record videos of visitors as they navigate through your website, providing valuable insights into their behavior.
  • Heatmaps: With dynamic heatmaps, Inspectlet visualizes user interactions such as clicks, scrolls, and eye-tracking, giving you a comprehensive view of user engagement.
  • A/B testing: Inspectlet offers A/B testing capabilities, allowing you to experiment with different versions of your website and measure their impact on user behavior and conversions.
  • Surveys: You can gather feedback from your visitors using Inspectlet's feedback surveys, helping you understand their preferences and improve user experience.
  • Form analytics: Inspectlet provides detailed analytics on the performance of your website forms, including conversion rates and data on how users interact with them.

Hotjar

  • Heatmaps: Hotjar provides visual heatmaps that help you understand how users interact with your website by displaying clicks, taps, and scrolling behavior.
  • Recordings: Hotjar allows you to watch session recordings of individual users. These session replays give you insights into their browsing behavior and interactions.
  • AI Features: With Hotjar's new AI-powered features, you can gain valuable insights and predictions about user behavior and trends.
  • Feedback: Hotjar helps you collect and analyze user feedback, allowing you to understand how users feel about your website and make improvements accordingly.
  • Surveys: Hotjar's survey feature allows you to set up custom surveys to gather specific information from your website visitors.

Inspectlet vs. Hotjar: use case comparison

In this section, we will delve into the specific use cases of both Inspectlet and Hotjar, examining how these tools can be leveraged in real-world scenarios. Inspectlet focuses on providing deep insights into user behavior and optimizing experiences, while Hotjar helps with conversion confidence, user-centric product development, and valuable insights for marketing and product teams.

Inspectlet

Inspectlet is a versatile web analytics tool that is beneficial for digital departments, marketers, UX/UI designers, e-commerce businesses, and customer support teams. It offers features like session recording, heatmaps, A/B testing, surveys, and form analytics. Inspectlet helps users gain deep insights into user behavior on websites, optimize user experiences, improve conversion rates, and troubleshoot customer problems.

While it caters to a wide range of industries and business functions, its focus on real-time website performance analysis and user behavior makes it a valuable tool for those seeking detailed website analytics and optimization.

Hotjar

Hotjar is a versatile tool for marketing teams, product teams, growing companies, product managers, UX designers, and researchers. It helps convert with confidence, build customer-centric cultures, cater to growing teams, build products users love, create resonating designs, and uncover valuable insights.

Inspectlet vs. Hotjar: user reviews comparison

In this section, we'll cover user reviews for both Inspectlet and Hotjar. Both tools have a decent satisfaction rating, with Inspectlet achieving 4.2/5, and Hotjar scoring 4.3/5 on G2 Crowd.

Inspectlet

Inspectlet has a 4.2 out of 5-star rating on G2, with 25 reviews. Users like the following things about Inspectlet:

  • "Handy and straightforward tools"
  • "Easy-to-use interface"
  • "Good customer support"

However, some users have noted the following negatives:

  • "Not easily customizable"
  • "Must create specific configurations to get the results you need"
  • "Sometimes sessions are not actually recorded"

Hotjar

Hotjar has a 4.3 out of 5-star rating on G2, with 298 reviews. Positive reviews mention:

  • "The heatmaps are fantastic"
  • "Hotjar's implementation is straightforward, requiring minimal technical knowledge"
  • "Hotjar's conversion funnel analysis feature allows you to track and analyze user journeys"

However, some users have noted the following negatives:

  • "Messy navigation menu"
  • "While Hotjar offers a free plan, it comes with limitations on the number of daily page views, snapshots, and recordings"
  • "Hotjar only retains data for a limited period"

Inspectlet vs. Hotjar: pricing comparison

In this section, we'll compare the pricing plans offered by Inspectlet and Hotjar.

Inspectlet

Inspectlet offers a free plan that includes up to 2,500 recorded sessions each month. Paid plans range from $39 to $499, depending on the specific features and session limits required.

Hotjar

Hotjar offers a free plan with limited features and usage, making it suitable for small businesses or individual users. Paid plans start at $32 per month, with additional charges based on the number of page views and sessions required.

Alternative to Inspectlet & Hotjar: Fullview

Are you on the lookout for a session replays solution that prioritizes security, dependability, and cost-effectiveness for your technical support and product development team? If that's the case, Fullview stands out as an excellent substitute for Hotjar and Inspectlet. This platform is crafted to streamline your technical support tasks.

  • In contrast to Hotjar and Inspectlet, Fullview fully complies with GDPR regulations. All user data is securely stored on EU servers (customers can opt for US storage if preferred), and sensitive data is automatically obscured. Additionally, customizable data blurring options are available for specific data censorship needs.
  • Unlike Hotjar and Inspectlet, Fullview's session replays are centered around user identity, ensuring that data isn't aggregated or anonymized. This feature makes Fullview particularly beneficial for customer support and product teams tackling individual user issues within their web app.
  • Fullview extends its capabilities beyond session replays, offering cobrowsing and console logs. When a support ticket is received, you can access the relevant session recording, observe the user's screen activity, and engage in a cobrowsing call to address the issue. Detailed console information, including user journey, page views, frustration signals, console errors, device details, and more, is available for efficient troubleshooting.
  • Moreover, Fullview is exceptionally cost-effective. Its forever free plan includes four cobrowse sessions per month for each agent and 1000 monthly session replay recordings — surpassing the offerings of Hotjar and Inspectlet on their free plans. For more extensive features, options like unlimited integrations, cobrowsing calls, and 10,000+ monthly session replays are available, starting at just $49 per seat.
  • Fullview requires no downloads and boasts an easy installation process by copying a few lines of code into your app. The installation typically takes no more than 15 minutes.
  • Fullview seamlessly integrates with popular customer support software such as Zendesk, Intercom, and Salesforce, enabling you to view session replays and initiate cobrowsing calls directly from a support ticket. Additionally, relevant session replays are conveniently pinned to the ticket for quick reference.

Wrapping things up

In the choice between Inspectlet and Hotjar for session replay tools, both excel in providing valuable insights for user experience and website optimization. Inspectlet suits a range of industries with features like session recording and A/B testing, while Hotjar caters to marketing, product development, and user-centric insights.

For those prioritizing security, reliability, and cost-effectiveness, Fullview is a compelling alternative. GDPR-compliant, user-centric, and with cobrowsing capabilities in addition to session replays and console logs, Fullview offers a comprehensive solution for technical support and product development at a competitive price.

Sources used:

Sources last checked on: 21-Nov-2023

Author

Shifa Rahaman

Content Marketing Manager

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