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Hotjar vs Pirsch: Which Offers Cookie-Free Insights?

Dive into the analytics showdown between US-based Hotjar and Germany's Pirsch. Discover which tool respects privacy with cookie-free tracking.

Last updated: February 6, 2026โ€ขReviewed by Built in EU Team

Should You Switch to Pirsch?

What You Gain

Enhanced privacy protection and compliance with EU regulations.

Privacy advantage
Trade-offs

Fewer advanced features and integrations compared to Hotjar.

Hotjar has more features
Bottom Line

Switch to Pirsch for privacy; consider feature needs before deciding.

At a Glance

Data Location
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธUS

US data laws

๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ชDE

GDPR protected

Pricing

Hotjar

Contact

Pirsch

freemium

Migration
Medium difficulty~2-4 hours

Privacy & Compliance Comparison

Critical data sovereignty factors at a glance

CriteriaHotjarPirsch
Server Location
US (AWS), EU (optional)EU (Germany)
GDPR Compliance
Partial (SCCs)Full
Open Source
E2E Encryption
Enterprise onlyOptional
Data Portability
PartialFull export

CLOUD Act Notice

Hotjar is a US company and must comply with CLOUD Act data requests, even for data stored in EU data centers. Pirsch is not subject to US jurisdiction.

Switching from
Hotjar logo

Hotjar

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ

Contentsquare

VS
Switching to
Pirsch logo

Pirsch

๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช

Pirsch

US Data Storage

Data subject to US CLOUD Act and may be accessed by US authorities

EU Data Protection

Data protected under GDPR with EU-only data residency

Certifications & Compliance

No certifications listed

EU-hosted
EU-Based
GDPR Compliant
Open Source

Reasons to Switch

  • โœ“Pirsch is fully GDPR compliant, ensuring data protection for EU users.
  • โœ“Data is hosted in Germany, minimizing risk of non-EU data access.
  • โœ“Pirsch offers optional end-to-end encryption for enhanced data security.
  • โœ“Simpler interface with fewer features may reduce learning curve for users.

Things to Consider

  • !Missing features like heatmaps and session recordings found in Hotjar.
  • !Migration may require significant data export/import efforts.
  • !Limited integrations with third-party tools compared to Hotjar.
Migration difficulty:
Medium
~2-4 hours

Migration Overview

Full guide
Difficulty
Medium
Time Estimate
~2-4 hours

Depends on data size and complexity

Quick Steps

1

Create Pirsch account and configure settings

2

Export and prepare data from Hotjar

3

Import data, test integrations, and migrate users

Other alternatives to Hotjar

Ready to make the switch?

Start using Pirsch today and take control of your data privacy.