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Hotjar vs OpenReplay: The GDPR Compliance Comparison

Discover how France's OpenReplay offers a privacy-focused alternative to US-based Hotjar, ensuring your web analytics align with strict GDPR standards.

Last updated: February 19, 2026โ€ขReviewed by Built in EU Team

Should You Switch to OpenReplay?

What You Gain

Gain GDPR compliance, open-source flexibility, EU hosting

Privacy advantage
Trade-offs

Potential loss of advanced features like conversion funnels

Hotjar has more features
Bottom Line

Switch if privacy is priority; stay if advanced features are needed

At a Glance

Data Location
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธUS

US data laws

๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ทFR

GDPR protected

Pricing

Hotjar

Contact

OpenReplay

freemium

Migration
Medium difficulty~2-4 hours

Privacy & Compliance Comparison

Critical data sovereignty factors at a glance

CriteriaHotjarOpenReplay
Server Location
US (AWS), EU (optional)EU
GDPR Compliance
Partial (SCCs)Full
Open Source
E2E Encryption
OptionalOptional
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. OpenReplay is not subject to US jurisdiction.

Switching from
Hotjar logo

Hotjar

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ

Contentsquare

VS
Switching to
OpenReplay logo

OpenReplay

๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท

OpenReplay

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

SOC 2
EU-Based
SOC 2 Type II
Open Source
Self-Hostable
EU-hosted

Reasons to Switch

  • โœ“Self-hosted option for full data control
  • โœ“GDPR compliance with EU-based servers
  • โœ“Open-source platform allows customization
  • โœ“Role-based access control enhances security

Things to Consider

  • !Migration from Hotjar could be complex
  • !Potential learning curve for new users
  • !Lacks some Hotjar integrations
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 OpenReplay 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 OpenReplay today and take control of your data privacy.