In short
Hotjar, now sold as part of Contentsquare, and Faintrail both record visits to a website so you can watch them back. Hotjar suits teams that want heatmaps, surveys and recordings in one tool, with a free plan today. Faintrail suits small and mid-size businesses that mostly watch recordings: each visit comes with a plain-words log of pages, clicks and problems, typed text is never recorded, and every customer chooses whether data is kept in the EU, the UK or the US. On Contentsquare's Free and Growth plans, data is kept in Ireland. Faintrail has no heatmaps or surveys, and no prices yet.
Side by side
| Faintrail | Hotjar (sold as Contentsquare) | |
|---|---|---|
| What you see | Each visit played back beside a plain-words log of pages, clicks and problems (rage clicks, unanswered clicks, unsent forms, errors) | Session replays, heatmaps, funnels and surveys; AI summaries of replays on Growth and above |
| Typed text | Never recorded | Suppressed by default; an admin can allow chosen fields. Numbers of 9 digits or more are always suppressed |
| Other privacy defaults | Email addresses, phone and card numbers shown on a page are hidden; pages you mark private aren't recorded | Elements can be hidden with a code attribute; see Hotjar's suppression guide |
| Where data is kept | Hosted by Faintrail, in the EU, the UK or the US: you choose | Free and Growth: Europe (Ireland). Pro and Enterprise: Europe or the USA, the customer chooses. No UK option listed |
| AI | Download up to 100 filtered visits as one text file for the AI assistant you already use. Nothing is sent to an AI automatically | Sense AI built in on Growth and above; connect AI tools through MCP, up to 300 calls a month on Free |
| How long recordings are kept | Replays 30 days and logs 90 days by default, up to a year if you choose | Replays: Free 1 month, Growth 2 months, Pro and Enterprise 2–3 months, up to 24 |
| How many visits are recorded | One visitor in ten by default; you choose the share and the pages always recorded | Free: 5% of sessions (at most 10,000). Growth: 15% (at least 20,000). Pro and Enterprise: up to 100% |
| Price | Not set yet | Free plan. Growth from $49 a month, or $39 a month billed yearly. Pro and Enterprise on request |
| Set-up | Paste one small script into your site once; we host the rest | A tracking code on your site; hosted by Contentsquare |
Sources, checked 15 November 2026: Contentsquare pricing (where hotjar.com/pricing now redirects); Contentsquare sub-processors, hosting (last updated June 2026); Hotjar: suppressing user input; Hotjar: showing elements and keystrokes. Prices are as Contentsquare shows them; European customers are billed in euros.
Why teams choose Faintrail
- The UK is on the list, and so is the choice. Every customer picks the EU, the UK or the US for their visitors' data. On Contentsquare's Free and Growth plans, data is kept in Ireland, and a US choice comes with Pro or Enterprise.
- Read a visit, don't only watch it. Every visit has a written log beside the replay: Opened /pricing, Clicked "Pay £89", unanswered click. You can skim a visit in seconds, then watch the moment that matters.
- Nothing typed, ever. Faintrail never records what visitors type, so there are no allowed fields to keep track of as your forms change.
- Your AI, your choice. Filter to the visits you care about, such as everyone who reached your pricing page and rage-clicked, and download them as one text file for ChatGPT, Claude or whichever assistant you already use. Nothing goes to an AI unless you send it.
When Hotjar is the better choice
- You use heatmaps or surveys. Hotjar has click and scroll heatmaps, funnels and on-page surveys. Faintrail has none of these today.
- You want to start free. Contentsquare's Free plan replays 5% of sessions, up to 10,000 a month. Faintrail has no prices yet.
- You want AI inside the tool. Sense AI summarises replays and heatmaps on Growth and above, without downloading anything.
- You record a mobile app. Contentsquare records native iOS and Android apps through its SDK. Faintrail records websites only.
- You need every session. Pro and Enterprise capture up to 100% of sessions, with replays kept up to 24 months.
Switching from Hotjar
- Add Faintrail beside Hotjar. Both scripts can run at once, so nothing goes dark while you compare.
- Set what to leave out. Mark the pages Faintrail should never record and choose whether it waits for your cookie banner's yes. Hotjar's suppression settings don't carry over.
- Compare a week of visits. Check that Faintrail shows you what you opened Hotjar for.
- Keep what you need, then remove Hotjar. Recordings, heatmaps and survey answers stay in Hotjar; Faintrail can't import them, and starts from the day you add it.
Questions people ask
What's the difference between Hotjar and Contentsquare?
Hotjar is now part of Contentsquare. Hotjar merged into the Contentsquare Group on 1 July 2025, and its recordings, heatmaps and surveys are sold within Contentsquare's plans; hotjar.com/pricing redirects to Contentsquare's pricing page. More on the change.
Where does Hotjar store data?
In Europe, on Contentsquare's Free and Growth plans: its sub-processor list names Ireland. On Pro and Enterprise, a customer can choose Europe or the USA. Faintrail lets every customer choose the EU, the UK or the US.
How long does Hotjar keep recordings?
On Contentsquare's pricing page, replays can be opened for 1 month on Free, 2 months on Growth, and 2 to 3 months on Pro and Enterprise, extendable to 24. Faintrail keeps replays for 30 days and written logs for 90 by default, up to a year if you choose.
Is Hotjar free?
There's a free plan. It replays 5% of sessions, up to 10,000 a month, kept for one month; paid plans start at $49 a month, or $39 billed yearly. Faintrail has no prices yet: join the early list to hear first.
Can I use Hotjar and Faintrail together?
Yes. Both scripts can run on the same site, so you can keep Hotjar for heatmaps and surveys and use Faintrail for the written logs. If you ask visitors for consent, list both tools in your cookie banner.
