The 6 Best Heatmap Tools For Analyzing Website Visitor Behavior

I love website heatmaps. They help me learn a lot about the user experience so that I can quickly identify holes and points of friction in the sales funnel. 

Recently, my team and I worked with Upright Pose to improve their conversion rates. We used heatmaps to uncover testing ideas and run A/B tests so that we could better understand how the changes we made helped their website.

One of the A/B tests we did was a comparison between their original homepage (the control) and the new variation we created (the test).  Heatmap data gave us a better picture of how people used the new homepage so that we could clearly see whether the new variation was working.

The result? The new variation increased transactions by 33.69% and revenue by 25%. The heatmap analysis of both variations showed that more people were scrolling through the new variation than the old variation. 

We also noticed that the new variation had:

– More CTA clicks. The old variation had a scrolling CTA but the new variation had multiple CTAs on the page.

– Twice as many clicks on the Shop Now button. This means that the messaging in the new variation is working better and more people are persuaded by the copy and design. 

This is just one of the many examples I could give of how we’ve gotten really great insights from heatmap analysis.

But here’s the truth.

1. Heatmaps provide a lot of data. So, it’s easy to get confused if you don’t approach your heatmap analysis correctly.
2. There are over 14 website heatmap tools all offering similar features. How do you know which website heatmap tool is right for you? 

A few of my We Optimize Facebook group members and I had a discussion about heatmap tools recently. One of the highlights from that discussion was a list of some of the best heatmap tools we use to get insights about website visitor behavior. 

I’m highlighting the top heatmap tools from the list so that you can choose the tool that works best for you.

But first, let’s discuss five questions you should ask when selecting heatmap software.  

5 Questions to Ask When Selecting Website Heatmap Software

Although website heatmap tools tend to be very similar, each tool has its own distinguishing features. That’s why it’s important to carefully assess your website heatmap software options so you can make the best choice for your needs. These five questions can help you make the right decision. 

1. Does this heatmap software help me achieve my goals?

You should always enter your heatmap analysis with a clear set of goals. It should be clear whether the website heatmap software options you’ve chosen have everything you need to make those goals possible. 

For example, you may want to run surveys along with your heatmaps. Hotjar may be the best option for you because it consolidates those tools. But let’s say you want a website heatmap tool that also offers traffic and reporting insights. LuckyOrange may be a better pick. 

2. Does this heatmap software have the right integrations for my website?

You may need specific integrations depending on the insights you need from your heatmap software. Sometimes, you may not discover what these integrations are until you begin using the heatmap software. But your website developer should be able to provide you with some guidance and advice based on your needs.

3. Is the cost worth the investment?

Some heatmap tools are priced based on the number of monthly visitors. The more monthly visitors you have, the pricier the tool becomes. Other heatmap tools are priced based on the number of people who’ll be using the tool, as well as the number of website page views. There’s a wide range of pricing models. 

Website heatmap tools also offer add-ons that you may need to use based on your goals. For example, you may want to add on more users or customize your heatmap setup. The prices for these add-ons vary based on the tool and what you want to accomplish.

Sticking to your budget is important. So, you should carefully assess whether the price of your chosen heatmap tool is worth the investment. If not, choose another heatmap tool that still helps you accomplish your goals within a reasonable price point.  

4. Who is going to be using this website heatmap software? 

Most website heatmap software tools include “number of seats” as part of their pricing models. It’s better to be clear upfront about who needs direct access to the heatmap tool. The people who usually need access to website heatmap software within organizations include:

• The Marketing Manager or Chief Marketing Officer
• Website UX Designer
• Website developer

These people may differ in your organization but the point is that you should figure out who needs direct access to the website heatmap tool. 

5. How easy is it to set up this website heatmap software? 

Some website heatmap tools require coding, especially if you’re using unique integrations based on your goals. If you’re a one-person team, you may want to use more of a “set it and forget it” tool like Hotjar which has an easy GTM setup. 

The 6 Best Heatmap Tools For Analyzing Website Visitor Behavior

This list isn’t arranged in any particular order. You can read through the descriptions, test the tools for yourself based on the questions previously mentioned, and decide which tool works best for you.

1. Hotjar

Hotjar is one of the heatmap tools I’ve used extensively. I even invited Hotjar’s founder, Dr. David Darmanin, to host a webinar on how to use heatmaps the right way. It was a really insightful presentation.

One of the features Hotjar users particularly love is the real-time suggestion box. It offers a quick and simple way to get feedback from website visitors.  They can easily click on the emoji that best represents how they feel about individual parts of the page. 

What I really love about Hotjar are the targeted surveys. It’s easy for me to collect real-time responses to specific survey questions in the moments when someone is actively using the website. This is HUGE for me because I don’t need to add another tool to a website for collecting data. The surveys are easy to set up and have great targeting capabilities, design, and branding options. I can also decide whether I want the survey to be a pop-up, a small window in the corner of the page, or a full survey. The data is collected really well and Hotjar even summarizes the data so that it’s easier to analyze.

But there are some downsides to using Hotjar. Some Hotjar users have expressed that the feedback suggestion box often gets in the way. So, website visitors tend to complain about the feedback button obstructing their experience.

I also believe that Hotjar’s reporting isn’t good enough. LuckyOrange in comparison provides rich data suck as traffic sources per click. Hotjar’s reporting is very generic in comparison.

Other Hotjar users have expressed that tagging is challenging. It’s currently not possible to tag feedback based on keywords or themes. Also, it’s not possible to segment (or tag) time periods so that historical data can be grouped.

Pricing

Hotjar is one of the few free heatmap software that offers data useful for very small websites on the free plan. There are paid options but the free option allows you to test out the most crucial features of the software and get the data you need if you have a small website.

Be careful though! The accuracy of your data increases with the number of website visitors. It’s difficult to draw conclusions if you have less than 300 website conversions per month. 

• Free up to 1,050 recordings per month and 35 daily sessions
• $39 per month up to 3,000 recordings per month and 100 daily sessions
• $99 per month for up to 500 daily sessions
• $389 per month for up to 4,000 daily sessions

2. Crazy Egg

Many users love Crazy Egg for its simplicity. It’s easy to use and provides all the data you need for accurate heatmap analysis. It also has a cool feature that shows you not only how far people scroll on a page, but also how long they spend on a specific part of the page. 

But there are some users who dislike the hassle of setting up heatmaps separately for each page rather than having an option to automatically create heatmaps for all pages on a website. This issue can result in missed data. If you don’t remember to set up a new recording, it won’t be recorded. 

Pricing

Each plan offers a 30-day free trial. 

• $288 per year for 30,000 tracked page views per month, 25 snapshots, and 100 recordings per month
• $588 per year for 75,000 tracked page views per month, 50 snapshots, and 500 recordings per month
• $1188 per year for 150,000 tracked page views per month, 75 snapshots, and 1,000 recordings per month
• $2988 per year for 500,000 tracked page views per month, 100 snapshots, and 5,000 recordings per month

3. VWO

VWO is one of the heatmap tools mentioned by my We Optimize Facebook group members. Generally, VWO’s users find it easy to launch A/B tests and have a history of previous data insights. VWO also makes it easy to run multi-variate tests simultaneously. 

But some of these tests will require advanced implementation. So, chances are that you’ll need a web developer. Some VWO users have also had issues with the tool relying on front-side rendering which increases page load speeds. 

The good thing about VWO though is that if you’re using it to run tests, you don’t need another tool. You can connect between your tests and heatmaps which is super cool. Their support is also phenomenal and you get a lot of really useful data. 

Pricing

Pricing isn’t transparent. You have to contact VWO’s customer support for pricing information.

4. Lucky Orange

LuckyOrange is another heatmap tool that I use regularly. I particularly love that it allows me to track the percentage of clicks on specific web page elements. It also shows paths website visitors take in terms of what they click on first, second, etc. 

But some Lucky Orange users have expressed concerns about some of the heatmap tool’s features. These concerns include:

1. The poll feature only allows up to four answers with no dropdowns. 
2. Data is only stored for 30 days.
3. Some of the videos are a compilation of a user’s time spent on your website thus making them not 100% accurate.

Pricing

Like Hotjar, Lucky Orange is one of the few free heatmap software. There are also paid options that offer a wider range of features. The paid options are some of the most affordable among the heatmap tool options listed in this article.

• Free up to 500 page views per month
• $10 per month for 25,000 views per month
• $20 per month for 60,000 page views per month
• $50 per month for 200,000 page views per month
• $100 per month for 500,000 page views per month

5. Microsoft Clarity

Microsoft Clarity is another heatmap tool recommended by the WeOptimize group members. It’s one of the few heatmap tools that’s completely free. That’s what Microsoft has been using as the main selling point of the heatmap software.

Here’s what some people like about Microsoft Clarity:

1. It’s easy to use.
2. Since it’s free, there’s unlimited heatmap recording.
3. Data can be stored for up to 12 months at no additional cost.
4. It can be integrated with Google Analytics.

BUT there are some big issues with Microsoft Clarity.

1. There are no A/B testing tools.
2. You can’t get the advanced data you need for deep conversion optimization.
3. Traffic can’t be filtered based on source or campaign.

I think those are some pretty big issues. But if you’re looking for free website heatmap software that provides basic insights, Microsoft Clarity is an option. 

Pricing

• Absolutely free because it’s an open-source platform. 

6. Full Story

I’m closing out this list with Full Story, one of the most frequently recommended heatmap tools. Full Story makes it easy to clearly see how visitors are interacting with your website from both an overall and individual perspective. It’s also easy to create segments for consistent monitoring.

But Full Story has its drawbacks. Switching between sessions can take a long time. Also, the tablet/desktop numbers aren’t entirely accurate because Apple’s iPadOSX isn’t properly distinguished from the Mac OS.

Pricing

Pricing isn’t transparent. You have to contact Full Story’s customer support to schedule a demo. But you can start using Full Story for free. The free plan includes minimal access to recordings and data storage. 

Final Words

I hope this list has helped you narrow down your options for a heatmap tool. But your heatmap tool is only as good as your heatmap analysis. If you want to learn how to do a heatmap analysis effectively, check out my article Heatmaps 101: Using Website Heatmaps to Analyze Your Site (+ Common Errors to Avoid).

Have any questions about heatmaps? Let me know in the comments.