Hotjar vs Semrush
A side-by-side look at Hotjar and Semrush: what each costs to start, whether there is a free plan, how easy they are to pick up, and which features and integrations they cover.
Which should you choose?
Choose Hotjar if
- Marketers and UX teams diagnosing why landing pages underperform
- Ecommerce stores looking for checkout friction
- Small teams that want heatmaps and surveys without training
Choose Semrush if
- Agencies running SEO and PPC for multiple clients
- In-house marketing teams that need competitor intelligence
- Content teams that want research and optimization in one suite
Cheapest to start
Not confirmed
Free plan
Hotjar, Semrush
Highest editor rating
Semrush · 4.7
| Compare | Hotjar |
|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes |
| Free trial | No |
| Starting price | From $39/mo |
| Editor rating | 4.2 |
| Ease of use | Very easy (5/5) |
| Category | Analytics |
| Pricing model | Observe, Ask and Engage are priced separately, each with a free Basic tier. Observe Plus is approximately $39 per month ($32 billed annually), Business from about $99 ($80 annually) and Scale from about $213 ($171 annually). |
| Plans |
|
| Platforms | Web, Browser extension |
| Integrations | Google Analytics, HubSpot, Jira, Microsoft Teams, Shopify, Slack, WordPress, Zapier |
| Best for |
|
| Pros |
|
| Cons |
|
| AI assistant | Yes |
| API access | No |
| Audience segmentation | Yes |
| Backlink analysis | No |
| Browser extension | No |
| Competitor analysis | No |
| Content optimization | No |
| Custom event tracking | Yes |
| Forms & surveys | Yes |
| Funnels | Yes |
| GDPR compliance tools | Yes |
| Heatmaps | Yes |
| Keyword research | No |
| Mobile app | No |
| Rank tracking | No |
| Reporting & dashboards | Yes |
| Roles & permissions | Yes |
| Session replay | Yes |
| Site audit | No |
| SSO / SAML | Yes |
| Templates | Yes |
| White-label / custom branding | No |
Common questions
- Does Hotjar or Semrush have a free plan?
- Both do. Hotjar and Semrush each offer a free tier, so you can try either without paying.
- How long is the Hotjar and Semrush free trial?
- Semrush offers a 7-day free trial. Hotjar does not offer one.
- Which is easier to use, Hotjar or Semrush?
- In VERILO's editorial assessment Hotjar is the easier of the two, scoring 5 out of 5 against 3 for Semrush. That is a judgement about how quickly a new team gets productive, not a measured benchmark.