Which is cheaper, Hotjar or OpenPanel?

OpenPanel is 2.5x cheaper than Hotjar. Hotjar starts at $0/mo, OpenPanel starts at $0/mo.

Does Hotjar have a free tier?

Yes, Hotjar offers a free tier with sessionsPerMonth: 200000, projects: 1.

Hotjar has moderate switching cost. OpenPanel has drop-in switching cost. OpenPanel is easier to switch away from.

Analytics

Hotjar

Heatmaps and session recordings platform for understanding user behavior (now part of Contentsquare)

Switching Cost: moderate

OpenPanel

← More affordable

Open-source analytics platform with event tracking, user profiles, and real-time dashboards

Switching Cost: drop-in

The pricing gap between OpenPanel and Hotjar runs about 2.5x — significant consideration for scaling.

Pricing philosophy differs — Hotjar charges tiered, but OpenPanel takes a flat-rate approach.

Price-conscious teams should choose OpenPanel — the cost advantage is hard to ignore, especially for growing workloads.

Price-conscious teams should choose OpenPanel — the cost advantage is hard to ignore, especially for growing workloads.

Price Difference

2.5x

OpenPanel is cheaper by $29/mo

Pricing Model

Different

Tools charge using different pricing philosophies

Switching Costs

OpenPanel

Lower switching costs for easier migration