HEATPOINTS VS HOTJAR (CONTENTSQUARE)
Hotjar shows you the past. This works before you have one.
TL;DR
Hotjar (now Contentsquare) is real-user analytics: script, traffic, consent, then heatmaps of what already happened. Heatpoints is predictive: drop any image, mockup or screenshot and get the AI attention heatmap in about a second, before a single visitor exists. It's free, no account. For session replay at volume, keep Hotjar or Clarity; for everything that happens BEFORE launch, that's us.
REQUIRES: live site · tracking script · consent banner (EEA) · weeks of traffic
REQUIRES: an image. Seconds. Zero visitors tracked, zero consent needed.
Feature by feature
| CRITERION | HOTJAR / CONTENTSQUARE | HEATPOINTS |
|---|---|---|
| Approach | Records real visitors (after launch) | Predicts attention from the image (before launch) |
| Requirements | Script + live traffic + EEA consent | An image, or a screenshot |
| Time to first insight | Days to weeks of traffic | Seconds |
| Works on mockups / images | — | Yes, that's the point |
| Session replay | Yes, their home turf | — |
| Real-time overlay | — | Chrome extension, on any page you browse |
| Design tools | — | Figma plugin, heatmap over any frame |
| Pricing | Free tier; then ~$49 + ~$99 + quote (3 products since 07/2025) | Free, no account (Pro for ad-makers coming soon) |
| Cookie banner needed | Yes (EEA) | No, visitors are never tracked |
Honest note: if what you want is session replay and funnels at volume on a live product, Hotjar/Contentsquare or the free Microsoft Clarity win, we don't compete there. The gap we fill is everything they structurally can't see: the version that isn't live yet.
FAQ
What happened to Hotjar?
Hotjar was absorbed into Contentsquare: since July 1, 2025, hotjar.com redirects there and the offer was split into three products (Experience Analytics from ~$49/mo, Voice of Customer from ~$99/mo, Product Analytics on quote). The free tier survives with generous session limits.
Is Hotjar free?
Partly. The Contentsquare free plan covers up to 200,000 sessions/month including real-user attention maps, but it still requires installing a script, having traffic, and (in the EEA) collecting consent. It can't tell you anything before launch.
What's the difference between Hotjar and a predictive heatmap?
Hotjar records what real visitors did: it needs a live site, a tracking script and weeks of traffic. A predictive heatmap (Heatpoints) forecasts where the eye will go from the pixels alone: drop any image, mockup or screenshot and get an AI attention heatmap in about a second, with zero visitors tracked.
Can I use both?
That's actually the smart setup: Heatpoints before launch (fix attention before spending on traffic), analytics after (verify with real behavior). Heatpoints is free with no account, so there's nothing to lose by running both.
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