Leaving Hotjar? Here's everything you need
Compare 4 EU alternatives side-by-side. Find the right fit based on migration difficulty, pricing, and privacy features.
Your data may be subject to US surveillance laws
Hotjar is headquartered in the US. Under the CLOUD Act and FISA Section 702, US authorities can access your data without your knowledge. Switch to an EU alternative to keep your data protected under GDPR.
All EU Alternatives at a Glance
| Alternative | Country | Pricing | Difficulty | Time Estimate | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MouseflowRecommended Mouseflow is a comprehensive web analytics service based in Denmark, designed to provide businesses with deep insights into user behavior on their websites. It allows users to track and analyze visitor interactions through features like session replay, heatmaps, and conversion funnels. These tools help businesses understand how visitors navigate their sites, identify potential issues, and optimize user experience. Key features of Mouseflow include session recordings, which capture every click and scroll, and heatmaps that visualize user engagement on different parts of a webpage. Additionally, Mouseflow offers funnel analysis to track conversion paths and form analytics to identify where users drop off during form submissions. The platform is particularly beneficial for marketers, UX designers, and website owners looking to enhance their site's performance and user engagement. Mouseflow stands out with its commitment to privacy and security, being EU-hosted and fully compliant with GDPR regulations, ensuring data sovereignty and protection for European businesses. While specific pricing details are not mentioned, Mouseflow typically offers tiered pricing based on the volume of sessions recorded, making it scalable for businesses of all sizes. | 🇩🇰Denmark | Free plan available | Medium | 2-4 hours | |
Matomo Matomo is a comprehensive web analytics platform that empowers businesses to gain insights into their website traffic and user behavior. As an open-source, self-hosted solution, Matomo offers users complete control over their data, ensuring privacy and compliance with EU regulations. Key features include customizable dashboards, real-time data tracking, and detailed reports on visitor interactions. Unlike many analytics tools, Matomo is EU-hosted, providing a significant advantage for organizations prioritizing GDPR compliance and data sovereignty. This makes it particularly appealing to European businesses and any global entity concerned with stringent data protection standards. Matomo's pricing model is straightforward, with a free version available, allowing users to explore its capabilities without financial commitment. Its target audience includes small to medium-sized enterprises, digital marketers, and web developers who require robust analytics without compromising on data privacy. By choosing Matomo, users benefit from a reliable analytics service that respects user privacy and adheres to the highest standards of data protection. | 🇪🇺EU | Free | Medium | 2-4 hours | |
OpenReplay Open-source session replay and product analytics you can self-host for full control over data security and privacy. | 🇫🇷France | Free plan available | Medium | 2-4 hours | |
Pirsch Pirsch is a web analytics service based in Germany, designed to provide insightful data while prioritizing user privacy. It offers a streamlined approach to tracking website performance without compromising on data protection. Key features include real-time analytics, user-friendly dashboards, and seamless integration with various platforms. Pirsch stands out with its commitment to privacy, ensuring that all data is processed and stored within the EU, adhering to GDPR regulations. This makes it an ideal choice for businesses and website owners who prioritize data sovereignty and compliance. The platform is particularly suited for small to medium-sized enterprises, digital marketers, and privacy-conscious developers seeking a reliable analytics tool. Pirsch operates on a transparent pricing model, offering scalable plans that cater to different levels of usage, ensuring flexibility and affordability. By choosing Pirsch, users benefit from a secure, privacy-focused analytics solution that respects user data and delivers actionable insights. | 🇩🇪Germany | Free plan available | Medium | 2-4 hours |
Our Top Picks
Best for Privacy
Open-source session replay and product analytics you can self-host for full control over data security and privacy.
Certifications:
Best Free Option
Mouseflow is a comprehensive web analytics service based in Denmark, designed to provide businesses with deep insights into user behavior on their websites. It allows users to track and analyze visitor interactions through features like session replay, heatmaps, and conversion funnels. These tools help businesses understand how visitors navigate their sites, identify potential issues, and optimize user experience. Key features of Mouseflow include session recordings, which capture every click and scroll, and heatmaps that visualize user engagement on different parts of a webpage. Additionally, Mouseflow offers funnel analysis to track conversion paths and form analytics to identify where users drop off during form submissions. The platform is particularly beneficial for marketers, UX designers, and website owners looking to enhance their site's performance and user engagement. Mouseflow stands out with its commitment to privacy and security, being EU-hosted and fully compliant with GDPR regulations, ensuring data sovereignty and protection for European businesses. While specific pricing details are not mentioned, Mouseflow typically offers tiered pricing based on the volume of sessions recorded, making it scalable for businesses of all sizes.
- Mouseflow is ISO 27001 certified for data security.
- GDPR compliance with EU-hosted servers ensures data protection.
- Mouseflow offers detailed heatmaps with click, scroll, and movement data.
Migration difficulty data is being enriched for these alternatives.
Detailed Comparison of Each Alternative
Mouseflow is a comprehensive web analytics service based in Denmark, designed to provide businesses with deep insights into user behavior on their websites. It allows users to track and analyze visitor interactions through features like session replay, heatmaps, and conversion funnels. These tools help businesses understand how visitors navigate their sites, identify potential issues, and optimize user experience. Key features of Mouseflow include session recordings, which capture every click and scroll, and heatmaps that visualize user engagement on different parts of a webpage. Additionally, Mouseflow offers funnel analysis to track conversion paths and form analytics to identify where users drop off during form submissions. The platform is particularly beneficial for marketers, UX designers, and website owners looking to enhance their site's performance and user engagement. Mouseflow stands out with its commitment to privacy and security, being EU-hosted and fully compliant with GDPR regulations, ensuring data sovereignty and protection for European businesses. While specific pricing details are not mentioned, Mouseflow typically offers tiered pricing based on the volume of sessions recorded, making it scalable for businesses of all sizes.
Advantages
- Mouseflow is ISO 27001 certified for data security.
- GDPR compliance with EU-hosted servers ensures data protection.
- Mouseflow offers detailed heatmaps with click, scroll, and movement data.
- Session replay feature includes advanced filtering options.
Trade-offs
- Migration from Hotjar may require data reconfiguration.
- Mouseflow lacks direct survey and poll features.
- Learning new interface may take time for existing teams.
Matomo is a comprehensive web analytics platform that empowers businesses to gain insights into their website traffic and user behavior. As an open-source, self-hosted solution, Matomo offers users complete control over their data, ensuring privacy and compliance with EU regulations. Key features include customizable dashboards, real-time data tracking, and detailed reports on visitor interactions. Unlike many analytics tools, Matomo is EU-hosted, providing a significant advantage for organizations prioritizing GDPR compliance and data sovereignty. This makes it particularly appealing to European businesses and any global entity concerned with stringent data protection standards. Matomo's pricing model is straightforward, with a free version available, allowing users to explore its capabilities without financial commitment. Its target audience includes small to medium-sized enterprises, digital marketers, and web developers who require robust analytics without compromising on data privacy. By choosing Matomo, users benefit from a reliable analytics service that respects user privacy and adheres to the highest standards of data protection.
Advantages
- Matomo is fully GDPR compliant, ensuring EU data protection.
- Open source allows for customization and transparency.
- Self-hosting option offers full data control and privacy.
- ISO 27001 certification ensures high security standards.
Trade-offs
- Migration from Hotjar to Matomo can be time-consuming.
- Matomo lacks built-in session recordings like Hotjar.
- Learning curve for Matomo's self-hosted setup.
Open-source session replay and product analytics you can self-host for full control over data security and privacy.
Advantages
- Self-hosted option for full data control
- GDPR compliance with EU-based servers
- Open-source platform allows customization
- Role-based access control enhances security
Trade-offs
- Migration from Hotjar could be complex
- Potential learning curve for new users
- Lacks some Hotjar integrations
Pirsch is a web analytics service based in Germany, designed to provide insightful data while prioritizing user privacy. It offers a streamlined approach to tracking website performance without compromising on data protection. Key features include real-time analytics, user-friendly dashboards, and seamless integration with various platforms. Pirsch stands out with its commitment to privacy, ensuring that all data is processed and stored within the EU, adhering to GDPR regulations. This makes it an ideal choice for businesses and website owners who prioritize data sovereignty and compliance. The platform is particularly suited for small to medium-sized enterprises, digital marketers, and privacy-conscious developers seeking a reliable analytics tool. Pirsch operates on a transparent pricing model, offering scalable plans that cater to different levels of usage, ensuring flexibility and affordability. By choosing Pirsch, users benefit from a secure, privacy-focused analytics solution that respects user data and delivers actionable insights.
Advantages
- 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.
Trade-offs
- 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.
Before You Switch
Export your data from Hotjar before you start the migration. This ensures you have a backup and makes the transition smoother.
General Data Export Steps
- 1Log into your Hotjar account and navigate to Settings or Privacy.
- 2Look for "Download your data", "Export", or "Data portability" options.
- 3Select all data you want to export and choose a standard format (ZIP, CSV, JSON).
- 4Wait for the export to complete — large accounts may take hours or days.
- 5Download and verify the export before proceeding with migration.
Under GDPR Article 20, you have the right to data portability. Hotjar is required to provide your data in a structured, commonly used format upon request.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best EU alternatives to Hotjar?
There are 4 European alternatives to Hotjar. Mouseflow, Matomo, OpenReplay are among the top-rated options. All are GDPR-compliant and store your data in European data centers.
How long does it take to switch from Hotjar?
Migration time varies by alternative. Most migrations can be completed in under an hour with our step-by-step guides. We provide detailed migration guides for each alternative.
Can I export my data from Hotjar?
Yes, most services including Hotjar allow you to export your data. Check the settings or privacy section of your Hotjar account for data export options. GDPR also grants you the right to data portability.
Is switching from Hotjar to an EU alternative safe?
Yes, switching is safe when done correctly. We recommend: 1) Export your data from Hotjar first, 2) Set up the new EU service, 3) Import your data, 4) Run both services in parallel for a transition period, 5) Update any linked accounts or integrations, and 6) Cancel your Hotjar subscription only after verifying everything works.
Why should I switch from Hotjar to an EU alternative?
EU alternatives provide stronger privacy protection under GDPR, keep your data in European data centers, and are not subject to US surveillance laws like the CLOUD Act or FISA Section 702. By switching, you gain true data sovereignty and support European tech innovation.