Looking for a Hotjar alternative that protects your data? Here's why Matomo is a better option

If you’re serious about improving the user-experience (UX) on your website to drive more conversions, an often popular choice is using a website behaviour and UX tool, like Hotjar. UX tools show you how users interact with the content on your website. With this data you can then optimize and test different variations of that content to see which variation drives higher conversions.

However, If you’re looking to analyse and improve the user-experience on your website to drive more conversions, while having 100% data ownership and protecting the privacy of your users, then Matomo Analytics might be the better choice for your business.

UX tool vs Web Analytics platform

Matomo Analytics is a great Hotjar alternative because it’s both a web analytics tool like Google Analytics and a UX tool like Hotjar, combined into one platform. 

Hotjar is only a UX tool which makes up for features that Google Analytics lacks, but you would still need to operate two different tools to achieve the same metrics which Matomo offers. 

By having these features all in the one platform users get more insights, more options to segment based on more data and less user management. While of course being in full control of your data.

Matomo Heatmaps - Hotjar alternative

Here’s how Hotjar and Matomo both let you analyse the UX:

  • Easily measure the performance of your important pages on your website without any guesswork with Heatmaps
  • See firsthand the user-experience of visitors on your website with Visitor Recordings / Session Recordings
  • Remove blockages for you users through analysing the performance of your forms with Form Analysis / Form Analytics
  • Avoid drop offs and improve every step of the customer journey with Conversion Funnels / Funnels

When you’re looking to purchase an analytics tool for your business, you want to make sure you invest in the right one that best meets your business needs, like a privacy and data protection option for data sensitive organisations.

Data protection and privacy

Both Hotjar and Matomo are GDPR and CCPA compliant tools which is a good start when it comes to protecting the privacy of your users.

However, Matomo gives users full control over their data by offering 100% data ownership and the option to host your analytics platform on your own servers.

This not only further protects the privacy of your users, but also your business which is why Matomo is the first choice for any data sensitive organisation looking for a Hotjar alternative that protects your data.

If you are already using Matomo, and thinking about adding some UX features like Heatmaps, Form Analytics etc. Then using Matomo instead of Hotjar helps you avoid sending data to another third-party provider which improves privacy protection, has less risk of data leaks and simplifies consent management (if consent is needed).

Hotjar Matomo
100% Data ownership
Option to host on-premise and host your data anywhere in the world
GDPR / CCPA compliant
European Commission uses Matomo Analytics

"Europa Analytics is based on Matomo which is the leading open-source analytics platform that provides relevant and reliable insights into user behaviour. The data and information collected by Matomo is 100% owned and controlled by the European Commission. This guarantees compliance with strict privacy regulations and laws. Matomo is used by more than 1,000,000 websites worldwide, including large corporations, SMEs, governments & non-profit organisations."​

Flexibility and API

The more your business grows, the more you’ll require a comprehensive analytics platform. Matomo will be more than capable of adjusting to your ever-changing needs. No need to switch platforms later down the track.

>> Learn more about Flexibility

Hotjar Matomo
HTTP API to automatise and fetch reports
Customise anything with the PHP/Plugins API
No data sampling
No data limits
Raw data access
White Label

Feature comparison

Like all product comparisons, no product is ever 100% the same. That’s why choosing the right analytics tool is a big decision.

If you are already a Matomo On-Premise user, you can purchase Heatmaps, Session Recordings, Funnels and Form Analytics from the Matomo Marketplace to enhance your Matomo and get the same UX insights which Hotjar gives you.

All these features are included in the Matomo Cloud Business plan.

However, Matomo doesn’t currently offer feedback or surveys tools if you’re looking to get direct responses from your users on your website.

Matomo Funnels - Alternative to Hotjar
Hotjar Matomo
Heatmaps
Visitor / Session Recordings
Conversion Funnels
Form Analysis
A/B Tests
Video and Audio Analysis
SEO features
Feedback
Surveys and Polls
Acquisition features
Page performance features
Visitor insights features
Visitor profiles
Ecommerce features
Event Tracking
White Label
Multi Attribution
Tag Manager
Import Google Analytics data

If you’re looking to analyse and improve the user-experience on your website to drive more conversions for your business, while being in full control of your data and protect the privacy of your users, then Matomo Analytics is the perfect Hotjar alternative for your business.

Try Matomo today with a free 21 day trial. No obligations.

More ways you can benefit from Matomo today

Minimise risk with a secure, transparent platform that’s been thoroughly tested by hundreds of contributors. 

No data sampling means you can make impactful decisions based on 100% accurate reporting.

Matomo experts will save you time and money by providing guidance on how best to use your Matomo.

Create the tool of your dreams. Matomo can be customised and extended to meet your every need.

Avoid getting fined by using a platform that complies with the strictest privacy laws in the world. 

Get an unlimited number of websites, users and segments. There’s also no limitation on how much data you store.

Easy to use

Easily navigate through a user-friendly interface to get the data you need, faster.

The comprehensive range of features gives you actionable insights and a complete picture of your customers.

Securely track personal data in accordance with privacy laws. This option is unavailable with GA.