8 Best Heatmap Tools for User Behavior Analysis in 2026
We tested 15+ heatmap and session recording platforms to find the best for understanding user behavior. These tools reveal exactly where visitors click, scroll, and engage on your pages.
Hotjar combines heatmaps, session recordings, surveys, and feedback widgets in one platform. The visual reports are intuitive and shareable with stakeholders. Quick setup with a simple JavaScript snippet makes it accessible for marketing teams without developer help.
Starting priceFree/$32/mo
Strengths
All-in-one platform
Great visualizations
Easy sharing
Feedback tools
Quick setup
Limitations
Recording limits on lower tiers
No mobile app tracking
Limited event tracking
Basic filtering
Who it's for: Best for marketing teams wanting a complete behavior analytics suite.
Clarity is completely free with unlimited data collection. AI-powered insights automatically detect rage clicks, dead clicks, and excessive scrolling. Deep integration with Google Analytics. Built by Microsoft with enterprise-grade privacy compliance.
Starting priceFree
Strengths
100% free
Unlimited data
AI insights
GA integration
Privacy compliant
Limitations
No surveys
Fewer features than paid tools
Limited support
Basic segmentation
Who it's for: Best for anyone wanting powerful heatmaps without any cost.
FullStory offers powerful session search and analytics for product teams. Search for any user action across all sessions instantly. Frustration signals highlight UX problems. DX Cloud platform provides complete digital experience optimization suite.
Starting priceCustom
Strengths
Powerful search
Product analytics
Frustration signals
Enterprise scale
API access
Limitations
Expensive
Complex for beginners
Requires dev setup
Custom pricing only
Who it's for: Best for product teams at scale needing deep session analytics.
Crazy Egg pioneered heatmaps and now includes A/B testing built-in. The snapshots feature captures page states for comparison. Scrollmaps and confetti reports add unique visualization options. Simple interface focused on actionable insights.
Starting price$29/mo
Strengths
Built-in A/B testing
Unique visualizations
Simple interface
Snapshots feature
Affordable
Limitations
Dated interface
Limited recordings
No live view
Basic integrations
Who it's for: Best for teams wanting heatmaps with integrated A/B testing.
Lucky Orange offers live view to see visitors on your site in real-time. Built-in live chat lets you reach out during sessions. Form analytics identify abandonment points. Dashboard shows visitor activity as it happens.
Starting priceFree/$32/mo
Strengths
Live view feature
Built-in chat
Form analytics
Real-time dashboard
Good value
Limitations
Interface dated
Learning curve
Limited enterprise features
Support varies
Who it's for: Best for teams wanting live visitor engagement capabilities.
Mouseflow excels at funnel and form analytics. Track drop-offs through conversion funnels visually. Friction scores identify problem pages automatically. Form field analytics show exactly where users abandon. GDPR compliant with EU data hosting.
Starting priceFree/$31/mo
Strengths
Funnel analytics
Form tracking
Friction scores
GDPR hosting
Good filtering
Limitations
Session limits
Dated design
Limited AI insights
Complex pricing
Who it's for: Best for conversion-focused teams needing funnel analytics.
Contentsquare provides enterprise-grade digital experience analytics. Zone-based heatmaps show engagement by page element. AI automatically surfaces revenue-impacting insights. Built for large teams with complex optimization needs.
Starting priceCustom
Strengths
Zone-based analysis
AI insights
Revenue impact
Enterprise scale
Deep analytics
Limitations
Very expensive
Complex implementation
Overkill for small sites
Long sales cycle
Who it's for: Best for enterprise teams with significant optimization budgets.
Smartlook works on both web and mobile apps with the same dashboard. Event-based analytics complement session recordings. Developer-friendly with good API and SDK options. Affordable pricing for mobile app analytics.
Starting priceFree/$55/mo
Strengths
Mobile app support
Event tracking
Good SDKs
Unified dashboard
Affordable mobile
Limitations
Less polished UI
Fewer integrations
Mobile focus
Limited heatmap types
Who it's for: Best for teams needing behavior analytics across web and mobile apps.
We tested each heatmap tool on real websites with varying traffic levels.
Heatmap Quality (25%) — Accuracy and detail of click, scroll, and move heatmaps.
Session Replay (25%) — Video quality, search filters, and playback features.
Ease of Use (20%) — Setup time and interface intuitiveness.
Insights (15%) — AI-powered insights and actionable recommendations.
Value (15%) — Features vs price at different scales.
How to Choose
Choose Hotjar if you need all-in-one simplicity.
Choose Microsoft Clarity if you need zero budget.
Choose FullStory if you need product analytics.
Choose Crazy Egg if you need A/B testing combo.
Choose Smartlook if you need mobile app tracking.
Common Questions
Most modern heatmap tools use async loading and have minimal performance impact. Microsoft Clarity and Hotjar both load after your main content. Test with PageSpeed Insights after installation to confirm.
For reliable heatmaps, aim for at least 1,000-2,000 pageviews per page. Session recordings are most useful when you can watch 20-50 sessions per user journey you are optimizing.
Most tools offer GDPR-compliant modes that mask sensitive data and exclude form inputs. Check each tool privacy settings. EU hosting is available from Mouseflow and others.
Heatmaps show aggregate patterns across all users. Session recordings reveal individual user journeys. Use heatmaps to identify problem areas, then recordings to understand why users struggle.
