Side-by-side comparison · SEO & Analytics
Google Analytics vs Contentsquare (formerly Hotjar) vs SE Ranking
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: Every business with a website that wants to know how many people visit, where they come from and what turns them into customers.
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: Small businesses, freelancers and agencies who want a full SEO toolkit with AI search tracking for less than the big names.
Contentsquare (formerly Hotjar) scores highest overall, but Google Analytics gives you more for your money. Which one is right comes down to what you value most.
Overview
| Attribute | Google Analytics | Contentsquare (formerly Hotjar) | SE Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Google's free website analytics: who visits, where they came from and what they do. | Heatmaps, session replays and surveys that show why visitors leave, with AI summaries. | A cheaper all-in-one SEO tool that also tracks your brand in AI search answers. |
| Pricing model | Free | Freemium | Paid |
| Starting price | Free | From $39/mo | $129/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | No |
| Works with Claude Code | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Google Analytics | Contentsquare (formerly Hotjar) | SE Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.0 | 4.3Winner | 4.1 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 3.0 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 5.0 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Google Analytics | Contentsquare (formerly Hotjar) | SE Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | No |
| Mobile app | Yes | No | No |
| Desktop app | No | No | No |
| Browser extension | No | No | Yes |
| API access | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | 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 | – | – | – |
| Makes images | No | No | No |
| Makes video | No | No | No |
| Writes code | No | No | No |
| Runs agents or automations | No | No | No |
| Learns your brand or style | – | – | – |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 7/ 17 | 6/ 17 | 6/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Google Analytics | Contentsquare (formerly Hotjar) | SE Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Google AnalyticsOur pick Free Almost every business. | FreeOur pick Free Most small business websites. | CoreOur pick $129/mo, or $103.20/mo billed yearly Small businesses and freelancers. |
Analytics 360 Custom Very large sites with huge traffic. | Growth From $39/mo billed yearly, or $49 monthly Businesses that want AI summaries and longer history. | Growth $279/mo, or $223.20/mo billed yearly Agencies and teams with many sites. | |
Pro Custom Teams running conversion work across many sites. | Enterprise Custom Large teams. | ||
Enterprise Custom Large companies. | |||
| Which plan to pick | Use the free version. Analytics 360 is only for very large companies that hit the free limits. Set data retention to 14 months in the admin settings when you set it up, since the default is shorter. | 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. | Start the 14-day free trial. Core covers most small businesses and freelancers, and paying yearly saves 20%. Agencies should look at Growth plus the $69 a month Agency Pack for white-label reports and client seats. |
Key features
| Attribute | Google Analytics | Contentsquare (formerly Hotjar) | SE Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Google Analytics | Contentsquare (formerly Hotjar) | SE Ranking |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Google Analytics | Contentsquare (formerly Hotjar) | SE Ranking |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Google Analytics, Contentsquare (formerly Hotjar) or SE Ranking?
Contentsquare (formerly Hotjar) scores highest overall in our ratings (Google Analytics 4.0/5, Contentsquare (formerly Hotjar) 4.3/5 and SE Ranking 4.1/5). Google Analytics is best for counting website visitors and where they came from and seeing which ads and channels lead to sales. Contentsquare (formerly Hotjar) is best for seeing why visitors leave a page and heatmaps and session replays. SE Ranking is best for daily rank tracking on a budget and agencies needing white-label client reports.
Which is cheaper, Google Analytics, Contentsquare (formerly Hotjar) or SE Ranking?
Google Analytics: It's free to use. Contentsquare (formerly Hotjar): There's a free plan, and paid plans start at From $39/mo. SE Ranking: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $129/mo.
Which is easier to use, Google Analytics, Contentsquare (formerly Hotjar) or SE Ranking?
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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