Side-by-side comparison · SEO & Analytics
DataForSEO vs Contentsquare (formerly Hotjar) vs Profound
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Pick it if: Anyone using Claude Code or building their own tools who wants real SEO data without a big monthly plan.
Pick it if: Store owners, marketers and UX teams who want to see and hear why visitors leave, with surveys alongside the recordings.
Pick it if: Marketing teams at mid-sized and large brands, and agencies, who need detailed tracking of how AI assistants talk about them.
Contentsquare (formerly Hotjar) scores highest overall, but DataForSEO gives you more for your money. Which one is right comes down to what you value most.
Overview
| Attribute | DataForSEO | Contentsquare (formerly Hotjar) | Profound |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Raw search, keyword and backlink data you pay for by the query, built for AI agents. | Heatmaps, session replays and surveys that show why visitors leave, with AI summaries. | Shows how often ChatGPT, Gemini and other AI assistants mention and recommend your brand. |
| Pricing model | Paid | Freemium | Paid |
| Starting price | From $50 top-up | From $39/mo | See website |
| Free plan | No | Yes | No |
| Works with Claude Code | Yes | Yes | No |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | DataForSEO | Contentsquare (formerly Hotjar) | Profound |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.0 | 4.3Winner | 3.7 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 2.5 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.0 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 5.0 | 4.5 | 2.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | DataForSEO | Contentsquare (formerly Hotjar) | Profound |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | No | Yes | No |
| Mobile app | No | No | No |
| Desktop app | No | No | No |
| Browser extension | No | No | No |
| API access | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | – | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | No | Yes | Yes |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | No | No |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | No | No | No |
| Understands images | No | – | – |
| Makes images | No | No | No |
| Makes video | No | No | No |
| Writes code | No | No | No |
| Runs agents or automations | No | No | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | No | – | – |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 3/ 17 | 6/ 17 | 6/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | DataForSEO | Contentsquare (formerly Hotjar) | Profound |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Pay as you goOur pick From $50 top-up Anyone who wants real data in Claude Code without a subscription. | FreeOur pick Free Most small business websites. | Trial Free for 7 days Seeing what AI says about you before talking to sales. |
Growth From $39/mo billed yearly, or $49 monthly Businesses that want AI summaries and longer history. | Agency Growth Custom Agencies managing several client brands. | ||
Pro Custom Teams running conversion work across many sites. | EnterpriseOur pick Custom Large brands. | ||
Enterprise Custom Large companies. | |||
| Which plan to pick | There's only one way to pay. Use the $1 trial credit to test the MCP server, then top up $50 and set a daily limit of a dollar or two. Use the cheaper standard queue for bulk jobs and the live mode only when you need an answer now. | Start on Free. For most small sites it does what Hotjar's paid plans used to. Take the 15-day Growth trial to see if the AI summaries save you time before paying. Survey responses are a separate product with their own Growth plan from $79 a month. | Run the free 7-day trial to see how AI assistants describe you. If you're a larger brand or agency with a real budget, talk to sales about Enterprise. Small businesses will get more for their money from Peec AI or SE Ranking. |
Key features
| Attribute | DataForSEO | Contentsquare (formerly Hotjar) | Profound |
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | DataForSEO | Contentsquare (formerly Hotjar) | Profound |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | DataForSEO | Contentsquare (formerly Hotjar) | Profound |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, DataForSEO, Contentsquare (formerly Hotjar) or Profound?
Contentsquare (formerly Hotjar) scores highest overall in our ratings (DataForSEO 4.0/5, Contentsquare (formerly Hotjar) 4.3/5 and Profound 3.7/5). DataForSEO is best for SEO research from Claude Code and keyword volumes on demand. Contentsquare (formerly Hotjar) is best for seeing why visitors leave a page and heatmaps and session replays. Profound is best for tracking brand mentions across many AI assistants and seeing which sources AI cites in your category.
Which is cheaper, DataForSEO, Contentsquare (formerly Hotjar) or Profound?
DataForSEO: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at From $50 top-up. Contentsquare (formerly Hotjar): There's a free plan, and paid plans start at From $39/mo. Profound: Pricing isn't published; check the vendor's site for a quote.
Which is easier to use, DataForSEO, Contentsquare (formerly Hotjar) or Profound?
Contentsquare (formerly Hotjar) rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Store owners, marketers and UX teams who want to see and hear why visitors leave, with surveys alongside the recordings.
How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.
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