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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, 2026Reviewed 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
🇺🇸US

US data laws

🇩🇪DE

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

🇺🇸

Contentsquare

VS
Switching to
Pirsch logo

Pirsch

🇩🇪

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

  • Pirsch is fully GDPR compliant, ensuring data protection for EU users.
  • Data is hosted in Germany, minimizing risk of non-EU data access.
  • Pirsch offers optional end-to-end encryption for enhanced data security.
  • 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.