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Hotjar vs Matomo
Hotjar specializes in heatmaps and user feedback but does not provide full unsampled web analytics or GDPR-centric data ownership.
Which to pick
Pick Hotjar if you want…
- Free behavior analytics with AI summaries
- Heatmaps and user feedback
- Integrations with Slack, Jira or Unbounce (on Hotjar's list, not Matomo's)
Pick Matomo if you want…
- Privacy-first web analytics with full data control
- Open-source code (matomo-org/matomo on GitHub, GPL-3.0 license)
- Integrations with WordPress, Google Tag Manager or HTTP Tracking API (on Matomo's list, not Hotjar's)
Side by side
- What it is
- Hotjar:Hotjar, now part of Contentsquare, provides free heatmaps, session recordings, surveys and expanded analytics like attention maps and AI insights.
- Matomo:Matomo is an open-source web analytics platform that provides privacy-first, unsampled data with full data ownership.
- Best for
- Hotjar:Free behavior analytics with AI summaries
- Matomo:Privacy-first web analytics with full data control
- Who it’s for
- Hotjar:Product, UX, and growth teams needing user behavior insights.
- Matomo:Product, marketing and compliance teams needing GDPR-compliant analytics.
- Pricing
- Hotjar:Freemium
- Matomo:Freemium
- Plans
- Hotjar:Free $0 · Growth $49 per month (discounted $39 year
- Matomo:Community Free
- Open source
- Hotjar:—
- Matomo:Yes, 21,964 GitHub stars
- Works with
- Hotjar:Slack, Jira, Unbounce, HubSpot, Zapier, Microsoft Teams
- Matomo:WordPress, Google Tag Manager, HTTP Tracking API, HTTP Analytics API
Hotjar features
- Heatmaps & Attention Maps. Visualize clicks, hovers, scrolls and true engagement with attention overlays.
- Session Replay. Watch real user sessions to spot errors and moments of delight.
- Surveys & Feedback. Collect up to 100 survey responses per month and 5 user interviews.
- Error & Performance Monitoring. Capture JavaScript errors and load-time issues across pages.
- Funnels. Analyse drop-off at each step of key user flows.
- AI Summaries & Sense Chat. Get instant AI-generated insights and ask natural-language questions about your data.
- LLM Connect (MCP). Query data directly from ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot and other LLMs.
- Integrations. Connect to 10+ tools such as Slack, Jira, Unbounce, HubSpot, Zapier, etc.
Matomo features
- Unsampled, first-party tracking. Collect complete visitor data without sampling or data loss from consent banners.
- GDPR & privacy compliance. Built-in cookieless tracking, data anonymisation, access controls and audit logs.
- Self-hosted or cloud hosting. Choose on-premise or Matomo Cloud with 100% data ownership and data residency options.
- Heatmaps & session recordings. Visualise user behaviour with heatmaps and recorded sessions.
- A/B testing & personalization. Run experiments and tailor experiences based on funnel and flow analysis.
- AI traffic insights. Identify and segment traffic from AI assistants, agents and chatbots.
- Extensive integrations. One-click integrations for WordPress, Google Tag Manager and 100+ other platforms via APIs.
- Customisable dashboards & reports. Build real-time dashboards, segmentation, custom alerts and exportable widgets.
Hotjar vs Matomo FAQ
Is Hotjar or Matomo free?+
Hotjar has a free plan and paid plans. Matomo has a free plan (Community) and paid plans.
Is Hotjar or Matomo open source?+
Matomo is open source (matomo-org/matomo on GitHub, GPL-3.0 license). DevHunt has no public source repository on record for Hotjar.
Do Hotjar and Matomo integrate with the same tools?+
Their integration lists don't overlap: Hotjar lists Slack, Jira, Unbounce, HubSpot and 2 more; Matomo lists WordPress, Google Tag Manager, HTTP Tracking API and HTTP Analytics API.
On DevHunt
Based on each tool's website and DevHunt data. Details may change; check the official sites.