What is the difference between Amplitude and Hotjar?

Amplitude is best for Growth teams needing advanced product analytics, while Hotjar is best for Teams wanting heatmaps and session recordings. Amplitude starts at Free and Hotjar starts at Free.

Is Amplitude or Hotjar cheaper?

Amplitude starts at Free with a free tier. Hotjar starts at Free with a free tier.

Is there a free alternative to Hotjar?

Both Amplitude and Hotjar offer free tiers.

Amplitude vs Hotjar (2026)

At a glance

	Amplitude	Hotjar
Best for	Growth teams needing advanced product analytics	Teams wanting heatmaps and session recordings
Starting price	Free	Free
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	—	—
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	—	—
Behavioral Analytics	✓	—
CDP	✓	—
Cohorts	✓	—
Experiments	✓	—
Funnels	—	✓
Heatmaps	—	✓
Session Recordings	—	✓
Surveys	—	✓

Amplitude

Strengths

Includes Behavioral Analytics as a core feature, purpose-built for analytics workflows
Includes Cohorts as a core feature, purpose-built for analytics workflows
Free up to 10M events/mo — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Established product with 14+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Data accuracy depends on tracking setup — misconfigured events give misleading results
Mobile experience lags behind the desktop version in features and polish

Try Amplitude → Full review

Hotjar

Strengths

Includes Heatmaps as a core feature, purpose-built for analytics workflows
Includes Session Recordings as a core feature, purpose-built for analytics workflows
Free for 35 sessions/day — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Established product with 12+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Data accuracy depends on tracking setup — misconfigured events give misleading results
Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up

Try Hotjar → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Both tools offer free tiers, so you can test each before committing. Amplitude's free plan: Free up to 10M events/mo. Hotjar's free plan: Free for 35 sessions/day.

Feature gaps: Amplitude offers Behavioral Analytics, CDP and Cohorts that Hotjar lacks. Hotjar brings Funnels, Heatmaps and Session Recordings that Amplitude does not have.

Team fit: Amplitude is geared toward mid-size teams teams, while Hotjar is aimed at small teams teams. Pick the one that matches where your team is today and where it is headed — migrating tools later is always painful.

Where each tool shines: Amplitude's biggest strengths are: includes behavioral analytics as a core feature, purpose-built for analytics workflows. includes cohorts as a core feature, purpose-built for analytics workflows. Hotjar's biggest strengths are: includes heatmaps as a core feature, purpose-built for analytics workflows. includes session recordings as a core feature, purpose-built for analytics workflows.

Watch out for: With Amplitude, users commonly note that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade. With Hotjar, the main complaint is that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade.

Choose Amplitude if...

You need a tool built for growth teams needing advanced product analytics
You specifically need Behavioral Analytics and CDP
You care about includes cohorts as a core feature, purpose-built for analytics workflows
Your team size fits the mid-size teams profile Amplitude is designed for
The free tier works for you: free up to 10m events/mo

Choose Hotjar if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: teams wanting heatmaps and session recordings
You specifically need Funnels and Heatmaps
You care about includes session recordings as a core feature, purpose-built for analytics workflows
Your team size fits the small teams profile Hotjar is designed for
The free tier works for you: free for 35 sessions/day