Umami vs. Hotjar
Replays, heatmaps, and real analytics — without the session caps
Hotjar shows behavior but needs another tool for analytics. Umami does both — cookie-free, open source, with no daily session limits.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Umami | Hotjar |
|---|---|---|
| Privacy & Compliance | ||
| Cookie-free tracking | ||
| No consent banner required | ||
| GDPR compliant by default | Requires configuration | |
| Open source | MIT license | |
| Self-hosting option | ||
| Data ownership | Full ownership | Contentsquare servers |
| Analytics Features | ||
| Web analytics (pageviews, referrers, UTM) | ||
| Session replay | Session-capped | |
| Heatmaps | ||
| Custom events | Paid tiers | |
| Funnel analysis | Top tier only | |
| User journeys | Paid tiers | |
| Cohorts & retention | ||
| Custom dashboards | Basic (paid tiers) | |
| Revenue tracking | ||
| Real-time data | Limited | |
| Surveys & feedback | ||
| Setup & Usability | ||
| Setup complexity | Single script tag | Script + tagging setup |
| Session limits | None | Daily session caps per plan |
| Works without a second analytics tool | Needs GA alongside | |
| API access | Top tier only | |
| Hosting & Pricing | ||
| Free tier | Yes (35 sessions/day) | |
| Cloud starting price | Free / $20 mo | From $32/mo per product |
| Self-hosting cost | Free | Not available |
| One platform, one subscription | Split across separate subscriptions | |
Last verified August 2026. Spot something out of date? Let us know.
One tool instead of two
Hotjar shows you how users behave, but it has no traditional web analytics — no pageview trends, referrers, or campaign reporting — so most teams run it alongside Google Analytics. Umami combines both: session replay and heatmaps for behavior, plus complete web analytics with funnels, cohorts, and revenue tracking, in one privacy-first dashboard.
No session caps, no tier ladders
Hotjar meters everything by daily session caps — 35 on the free plan — and locks funnels, journeys, and API access behind higher tiers, with observation and feedback sold as separate subscriptions. Umami has no daily session caps, funnels and journeys are on every plan, self-hosting is free and unlimited, and Umami Cloud pricing scales simply with events.
Privacy by default, not by configuration
Hotjar sets cookies that persist for a year, which means consent banners and careful GDPR configuration — recordings only start after visitors opt in. Umami is cookie-free and collects no personal data, so it is compliant by default and captures every visit without asking permission to watch.