Hotjar vs FullStory: Best Session Replay for SaaS
Quick Comparison
| Hotjar | FullStory | |
|---|---|---|
| Best For | SMB and mid-market product teams combining behavioral and attitudinal user research | Enterprise SaaS with dedicated product analytics teams that need AI-driven session analysis at scale |
| Pricing | Free (35 sessions/day) / from $32/mo | Free (30K sessions/mo) / custom enterprise |
| Winner | Our Pick |
Tool Breakdown
Hotjar
Better value for non-enterprise teams — session replay, heatmaps, surveys, and NPS in one platform at a fraction of FullStory's enterprise pricing.
- Surveys and NPS widgets bundled with session replay
- Accessible pricing — meaningful tier at $32/mo
- Hotjar Engage for recruiting users for interviews
- Less powerful filtering and segmentation than FullStory
- No enterprise DX data aggregation or AI session summaries
FullStory
Enterprise digital experience analytics platform with AI-powered session summaries, DX Data, and autocapture of every interaction.
- StoryAI automatically summarizes session insights across thousands of recordings
- DX Data platform exports behavioral data to data warehouses
- Autocapture records every DOM interaction retroactively — query anything
- Enterprise pricing (custom) — not suitable for teams under ~50K sessions/mo
- No built-in survey or feedback widgets
Frequently Asked Questions
Does FullStory have a free tier? +
Yes. FullStory's free plan includes 30K sessions per month with 1-month data retention. This is more generous than Hotjar's free tier (35 sessions/day), making FullStory's free plan usable for small apps in a way that Hotjar's is not.
What is FullStory's StoryAI and why does it matter? +
StoryAI is FullStory's AI layer that automatically clusters sessions, identifies friction patterns across thousands of recordings, and surfaces the most important usability issues without manual review. It's the main differentiator for enterprise teams — Hotjar requires manual session review to find similar insights.
Is Hotjar GDPR compliant for EU users? +
Yes. Hotjar is GDPR compliant and SOC 2 Type II certified. It supports IP masking, PII suppression, and cookie consent integrations. If your users are in the EU, you should configure Hotjar's consent mode to record only opted-in users.