- Three questions that settle this faster than any feature list
- The verdict, before the detail
- Why new sign-ups now land on Contentsquare
- What you see: the heatmaps compared
- What you do next: testing, popups and AI
- Scale, audience and the full list of differences
- Worth a look if neither feels right
- Frequently asked questions
Pick Hotjar, which is now part of Contentsquare, if you want heatmaps, recordings, surveys, funnels and error monitoring on a free tier from a large vendor. Pick Crazy Egg if you're a marketer who wants heatmaps, A/B testing and popups in one tool, starting with a 30 day free trial. Neither page shows an overall winner.
Three questions that settle this faster than any feature list
- Do you want to run A/B tests in the same tool you use for heatmaps, or will you test somewhere else?
- Are you happy to sign up with Contentsquare rather than the brand you searched for?
- Would you rather start on a free tier you can stay on, or a time-limited free trial of the full package?
If you said yes to testing in the same tool, you're leaning one way. If you want a large vendor and a free tier, you're leaning the other. The rest of this page fills in the detail.
The verdict, before the detail
Go the Contentsquare route if your priority is understanding behaviour: heatmaps, session recordings, surveys, funnels and error monitoring, with a free tier to get going. Go the other way if your priority is acting on what you see, because it puts heatmaps, A/B testing and popup calls to action in one package, and you start on a free trial. Neither vendor's site makes a case that one beats the other overall, and I won't pretend it does. Your answer to question one above is the best guide.
Why new sign-ups now land on Contentsquare
This is the part most older comparisons miss. Hotjar is now part of Contentsquare. Its site opens with a banner saying so, and a footnote says it's no longer possible to create a new account under the old name. So if you're choosing the familiar name today, you're really signing up for Contentsquare.
That isn't all bad news. The site says the move adds attention maps, funnels and error monitoring to the heatmaps, recordings and surveys people already knew. It also shows a comparison of free tiers: the old one captured 35 sessions a day, while the Contentsquare free tier is described as 200k sessions per month. Those are the vendor's own numbers, but they suggest the free entry point has grown, not shrunk.
The practical point for a business owner is simple. Any review, tutorial or setup guide you find for the old product may not match the screens you'll see after sign-up. Allow a little time for that, and don't assume a feature exists because an old article mentions it.
What you see: the heatmaps compared
Both tools are heatmap tools at heart, but they slice the page differently.
- Contentsquare route: click, scroll, move and rage click maps, plus Attention Maps on the newer platform.
- The testing-led tool: five heatmap types, namely click, scroll, confetti, overlay and list, which you can filter by audience, traffic source or conversion. The vendor says it uses AI analysis and no sampling.
Rage click maps are useful for spotting where people get frustrated. Confetti and filtered maps are useful for asking whether visitors from one source behave differently from another. If you'd like to see how these sit against the rest of the field, our roundup of the best heatmap tools goes wider.
What you do next: testing, popups and AI
Here's where the two pull apart. Crazy Egg names A/B Testing and Popup CTAs as products in their own right, so you can spot a weak page and test a fix without leaving the tool. The Contentsquare-era page lists funnels, error monitoring and performance monitoring, but no A/B testing shows on it. If testing matters to you, you'll likely pair it with something else, and our guide to the best A/B testing tools is a good place to find a partner for it.
On AI, the angles differ again. The Contentsquare route lets you connect your own AI assistant via MCP. Its rival offers AI summaries of results and connectors that feed its data into your AI tools. Both are about getting answers out of the data faster, just from opposite ends.
Scale, audience and the full list of differences
Contentsquare positions itself with enterprise and small business tiers, and says it's trusted by more than 1.3 million sites and apps. Crazy Egg says it's trusted by over 449,000 websites and aims itself at marketers, agencies and e-commerce. Here's everything side by side.
| Topic | Hotjar (now Contentsquare) | Crazy Egg |
|---|---|---|
| Brand status | Now Contentsquare; new accounts under the old name can't be created | Its own brand, with sign-up and free trial |
| Heatmap types | Click, scroll, move, rage click, plus Attention Maps | Click, scroll, confetti, overlay and list, filterable |
| Experimentation | Funnels, error and performance monitoring; no A/B testing shown | A/B Testing and Popup CTAs as named products |
| AI | Connect your AI assistant via MCP | AI summaries and connectors to feed your AI |
| Scale and audience | Enterprise and small business tiers; 1.3+ million sites and apps | Over 449,000 websites; marketers, agencies, e-commerce |
| Free entry | Free tier, now measured in sessions per month | Free 30 day trial, cancel anytime |
Worth a look if neither feels right
Microsoft Clarity
Best for: Anyone after free heatmaps and session recordings with AI summaries and AI chat; the vendor says it's free forever.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
Mouseflow
Best for: CRO and UX teams wanting heatmaps, recordings and funnels, with a free forever plan and no card needed, per the vendor.
Lucky Orange
Best for: Small sites that want live chat alongside recordings, surveys and dynamic heatmaps that catch clicks in dropdowns and pop-ups.
Fullstory
Best for: Larger product and engineering teams capturing user behaviour, with a focus on AI analytics and data activation.
Do you make a heatmap or behaviour analytics tool? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this page.
Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.
Frequently asked questions
Can I still sign up for Hotjar?
Not under the old name. Its site says the product is now Contentsquare and new sign-ups go there instead.
Does Crazy Egg do A/B testing?
Yes. A/B Testing and Popup CTAs are named products alongside its heatmaps, recordings, surveys, funnels and error tracking.
Which one has a free option?
The Contentsquare route has a free tier, described as 200k sessions per month. The other has a free 30 day trial you can cancel anytime.
Which has more heatmap types?
The testing-led tool lists five: click, scroll, confetti, overlay and list. The Contentsquare route lists click, scroll, move and rage click maps plus Attention Maps.
Is there a fully free alternative to both?
Microsoft Clarity says it's free forever, and Mouseflow offers a free forever plan with no card required, per its site.
