What is the difference between PostHog and Hotjar?

PostHog is best for Product teams that need analytics, session replay, and feature flags in one tool, while Hotjar is best for Teams wanting heatmaps and session recordings. PostHog starts at Free and Hotjar starts at Free.

Is PostHog or Hotjar cheaper?

PostHog starts at Free and is free. Hotjar starts at Free with a free tier.

Is there a free alternative to Hotjar?

Both PostHog and Hotjar offer free tiers.

PostHog vs Hotjar

PostHog is open-source product analytics suite with session replay, feature flags, A/B testing, and surveys, while Hotjar is behavior analytics tool with heatmaps, session recordings, and user feedback surveys. PostHog is open source and can be self-hosted, giving you full control over your data. PostHog is built for product teams that need analytics, session replay, and feature flags in one tool, whereas Hotjar targets teams wanting heatmaps and session recordings.

At a glance

	PostHog	Hotjar
Best for	Product teams that need analytics, session replay, and feature flags in one tool	Teams wanting heatmaps and session recordings
Starting price	Free	Free
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	✓	—
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	✓	—
A/B Testing	✓	—
Feature Flags	✓	—
Funnels	—	✓
Heatmaps	—	✓
Product Analytics	✓	—
Session Recordings	—	✓
Session Replay	✓	—
Surveys	✓	✓

PostHog

Strengths

All-in-one: analytics, session replay, feature flags, A/B tests
Generous free tier (1M events/mo)
Open source and self-hostable
Strong developer experience

Weaknesses

Can be overwhelming — lots of features
Self-hosting requires significant infrastructure
UI has a learning curve
Some features less mature than best-in-class alternatives

Try PostHog → 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 PostHog and Hotjar are free. You can try both without spending a dollar.

Feature gaps: PostHog offers A/B Testing, Feature Flags and Product Analytics that Hotjar lacks. Hotjar brings Funnels, Heatmaps and Session Recordings that PostHog does not have. Both share Surveys.

Team fit: PostHog is geared toward any size 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.

Open source: PostHog is open source, meaning you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in. Hotjar is proprietary — you are trusting the vendor with your data and uptime.

Where each tool shines: PostHog's biggest strengths are: all-in-one: analytics, session replay, feature flags, a/b tests. generous free tier (1m events/mo). 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 PostHog, users commonly note that can be overwhelming — lots of features. With Hotjar, the main complaint is that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade.

Choose PostHog if...

You need a tool built for product teams that need analytics, session replay, and feature flags in one tool
You need self-hosting, data sovereignty, or the ability to audit source code
You specifically need A/B Testing and Feature Flags
You care about generous free tier (1m events/mo)
Your team size fits the any size profile PostHog is designed for

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