Compare Hotjar and Sitesights on capabilities, jurisdiction, assurance, and fit for European buyers.
Both listed as alternatives to: Google Analytics, Microsoft Clarity, Mixpanel
France· Web Analytics
Needs review
Shortlist for Contentsquare-owned heatmaps and replay with a public DPA and Ireland defaults. Skip if you need an independent recorder or no US-group cloud. Consider Mouseflow.
Germany· Web Analytics
Needs review
Shortlist Sitesights when you need German-operated cookieless web analytics with real-time dashboards, funnels, page flow, and a server-side API—especially agencies and SaaS teams that want Hetzner Germany hosting claims without running Matomo. Skip when you need public ISO/SOC audits, long-term visitor identity, session replay, or a fully published subprocessor pack; consider Plausible Analytics or self-hosted Matomo instead.
Highlighted rows differ between the two products.
| Feature | Hotjar | Sitesights |
|---|---|---|
| Country of origin | France | Germany |
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| Open source | No | No |
| Self-hosted | No | No |
| Headquarters | France | Germany |
| Legal entity | Content Square SAS, Paris (EU Hotjar contractor). Historical Hotjar Ltd Malta merged 1 July 2025. | Drude, Grossert GbR |
| US parent / control | No known US parent | No known US parent |
| CLOUD Act exposure (indicative) | Medium | Medium |
| Hosting / residency | Visitor data: AWS and Azure Ireland for Free/Growth and VoC Observe/Surveys. Pro/Enterprise may pick Ireland or Virginia. Defaults: EU/Japan to EU; US and most other APJ to US. Support: Content Square, Inc. and Zendesk (USA), Atlassian (Australia). Sense AI on AWS Bedrock/Azure; survey AI on Azure OpenAI France. Engage: Twilio, Daily.co, Postmark, Tremendous. | Product databases and app servers claimed in Germany on Hetzner. Marketing site uses Cloudflare (US) CDN. Payments via Paddle. Full product subprocessor/backup list not published on main site. |
| Summary | Contentsquare-owned heatmaps, session replay, and on-site surveys. French-group SaaS with default EU hosting on AWS and Azure Ireland, not an independent Maltese startup. | German cookieless web analytics SaaS with real-time dashboards, events, funnels, and server-side APIs. Operated by Drude, Grossert GbR; product data claimed on Hetzner in Germany. |
| Tags |
| At a glance | Hotjar | Sitesights |
|---|---|---|
| Current HQ / entity | Content Square SAS, Paris, France | Not listed |
| Origin | Founded in Malta in 2014 (vendor history) | Not listed |
| Ownership | Contentsquare group (acquired 2021, merged 1 July 2025) | Not listed |
| Hosting (public) | AWS/Azure Ireland default for EU Free/Growth; Virginia optional on higher plans | Not listed |
| Deployment | SaaS JavaScript tag; not self-hosted; not open source | Not listed |
| Commercial model | Free tier plus paid Growth, Pro, and Enterprise (see vendor site for current terms) | Free start; pageviews + events subscriptions (Paddle) |
| HQ / entity | Not listed | Drude, Grossert GbR, Germany |
| Category | Not listed | Web analytics (SaaS) |
| Hosting (product) | Not listed | Hetzner, Germany (vendor docs) |
| Tracking model | Not listed | Cookieless; 48h rotating server hash |
| Open source | Not listed | No (libs/plugins public; core SaaS proprietary) |
| Key capabilities | Hotjar | Sitesights |
|---|---|---|
| EU-operated (Contentsquare) | Yes | Yes |
| Heatmaps + session replay | Yes | Not listed |
| Surveys and feedback | Yes | Not listed |
| Public B2B DPA | Yes | Not listed |
| ISO 27001 (claimed) | Yes | Not listed |
| Cookieless tracking | Not listed | Yes |
| Hetzner Germany (claimed) | Not listed | Yes |
| Server-side API | Not listed | Yes |
| Funnels + page flow | Not listed | Yes |
| Multi-project / agencies | Not listed | Yes |
Click, move, and scroll heatmaps with Attention Maps
Aggregated overlays show where visitors click, hover, and scroll. Contentsquare documents Attention Maps (engagement, not only clicks) and, on the wider platform, zone-based heatmaps that attach conversion context to page elements. Use this when a page-level bounce rate does not explain the layout. Coverage is limited to sessions the tag actually captures and to pages the recorder can reconstruct.
Session replay with claimed automatic masking
Replays mouse movement, clicks, taps, and scrolls so UX and engineering can watch a single journey. Official pages describe event-triggered recording, comments, and jump-to-replay from heatmaps or surveys. Contentsquare states that card and bank details are masked automatically. You still must suppress other personal data with blocking scripts or field exclusion. This is a browser reconstruction, not a server-side log archive.
Surveys, feedback widgets, and Engage research
On-site surveys and feedback widgets (Ask) plus user interviews and unmoderated tests (Engage). The DPA treats this as Voice of Customer. Observe and survey visitor data is hosted on AWS Ireland. Interview and user-test recordings are retained for 2 years per the DPA. Engage adds extra subprocessors (Twilio, Daily.co, Postmark, Tremendous). Response volume is plan-gated.
Funnels that open the matching recordings
Build step funnels and open sessions that converted or dropped at a step. That pairing is the reason teams keep a recorder next to GA-style charts. Advanced journey and multi-session funnel work sits on Contentsquare product analytics (Heap lineage), not on the classic Hotjar-only recorder. Funnel depth and comparison features are plan-dependent.
Error and speed context on the Contentsquare platform
The unified platform adds JavaScript error lists ranked by impact and speed analysis tied to behavior. Classic standalone Hotjar was weaker here. Full network-waterfall debugging is a platform capability. If you refuse the DXA transition you may not get this layer. Errors are only as good as what the browser tag can see.
Cookieless 48-hour rotating session hash
Standard tracking does not set cookies. Sitesights generates a server-side salted hash from IP, User-Agent, and site id with a salt that rotates every 48 hours, so long-term cross-day visitor re-identification is intentionally broken. Useful when teams want essential traffic metrics without a cookie-consent banner solely for analytics—confirm legal basis with counsel for your jurisdiction and data fields (including geo).
Sub-1 KB client script plus WordPress and Shopify plugins
Drop-in client snippet marketed as under 1 KB, with official WordPress and Shopify integration paths for non-engineers. Fits marketing sites and stores that need quick instrumentation without a heavy tag manager stack.
Server-side REST API with C# and Node libraries
Send page views and events from your backend with API-key auth so ad blockers cannot strip the beacon. MIT-licensed C# and Node.js libraries on GitHub speed integration; keep API keys off the client. Preferred path for accuracy-critical SaaS and app backends.
Real-time overview with campaign and device filters
Live dashboard for visitors, pageviews, and sessions with advanced filters, UTM/campaign views, geo, browser, OS, screen size, and daytime patterns. Aimed at operators who want essential marketing analytics in one place rather than a full product-analytics suite.
Custom funnels and page-flow journey maps
Build multi-step funnels and visual page-flow maps to see entry paths, routes, and exits. Helps conversion and UX work without session replay. Depth is journey-oriented, not identity-graph product analytics.
Multi-project workspaces with roles for agencies
Group sites and apps into projects, assign roles/permissions, and invite clients or teammates. Marketing materials reference high ceilings for team seats and properties on paid plans—verify current limits on the official pricing page.
| Assurance & compliance | Hotjar | Sitesights |
|---|---|---|
| Independent security / no-logs audit | On request / NDA Vendor claims annual external penetration tests and publishes a Trust Portal with pentest reports behind access. No public independent no-logs audit (this is a recorder, not a no-logs VPN). | Not found No public third-party security or no-logs audit PDF located on the official site or docs. |
| ISO 27001 | Vendor claimed Contentsquare states it is ISO 27001 certified (also claims ISO 27017, 27018, 27701). Certificates are on the Trust Portal; not independently downloaded for this draft. | Not found No public ISO 27001 certificate found on official pages. |
| SOC 2 / SOC 3 | Vendor claimed Trust portal and security pages claim a SOC 2 Type II report. Report not independently downloaded. | Not found No public SOC 2/3 report found on official pages. |
| GDPR / EU data protection | Vendor claimed EU parent and contracting entity for non-Americas Hotjar Services. Public DPA, SCCs, and GDPR language. Customer is controller and must supply a lawful basis for visitor capture. | Vendor claimed German controller (Drude, Grossert GbR); cookieless hashing and EU hosting claims in docs/privacy. Confirm DPA and legal basis for IP/geo with counsel. |
| US CLOUD Act exposure (indicative) | Partial Assessment, not a vendor slogan. French parent and no known US parent, but AWS and Azure host visitor data, Content Square, Inc. and Zendesk process support data, and US regions exist. Not legal advice. | Partial EU entity / no known US parent; product hosting claimed on Hetzner Germany. Marketing site lists Cloudflare (US); payments via Paddle; full SaaS subprocessor list not public. Indicative only—not legal advice. |
| Data processing agreement (B2B) | Vendor claimed Public Contentsquare DPA incorporated by the MSA. Execution of the MSA or an order form is treated as execution of the DPA and SCCs. | Not found No standalone public DPA download found during research; request under contract for B2B processing. |
| EU AI Act | Not applicable Core product is analytics and replay, not an AI system sold as such. Sense AI and survey LLMs exist as optional features. Confirm AI Act role if you enable those modules. | Not applicable Web analytics product; not marketed as an AI system under the EU AI Act. |
| CSA STAR | Vendor claimed Security page displays a STAR badge. Scope and level not independently verified. | Not listed |
| Considerations & known limitations | Hotjar | Sitesights |
|---|---|---|
| No longer an independent Maltese company | High Acquired in 2021 and described as merged into Contentsquare on 1 July 2025. New contracts are Contentsquare entities. A scheduled DXA transition from 18 August 2026 can move data and retire the old UI unless you elect to stay. Practical impact: vendor risk, product roadmap, and DPA counterparty are the French group, not Hotjar Ltd. | Not listed |
| US-group cloud and US support path | Medium Visitor data sits on AWS and Azure. Zendesk (USA) and Content Square, Inc. handle support. US regions are default for some geographies. Practical impact: an Ireland region does not remove US-group infrastructure from a CLOUD Act discussion. | Not listed |
| Session replay can capture extra personal data | Medium The vendor asks customers to block non-permitted personal data and claims card masking. Misconfigured tags still record inputs or on-screen PII. Practical impact: you need a suppressions review and a consent story before go-live. | Not listed |
| SaaS tag only | Low No official self-hosted or open-source edition. Practical impact: skip this product if residency rules require your own servers. | Not listed |
| Optional LLM features add extra processors | Low Sense AI and survey AI use AWS Bedrock and Azure OpenAI. Practical impact: disable those features or map their regions if procurement treats LLMs as a separate transfer. | Not listed |
| No public independent security audit | Not listed | Medium ISO 27001, SOC 2, and third-party security audits were not found on public pages. Enterprises may need to commission questionnaires or wait for vendor artifacts under NDA. |
| Incomplete public subprocessor list | Not listed | Medium Hetzner (product) and Cloudflare (marketing site) are documented; backups, email, support, and monitoring vendors for the SaaS are not fully listed. Ask for a current subprocessor annex. |
| US-group CDN on marketing site | Not listed | Low Privacy policy lists Cloudflare Inc. (US) for the public website CDN. Separate from claimed Hetzner product data path, but relevant to overall vendor surface area. |
| 48-hour hash limits long-term visitor analytics | Not listed | Low By design, the rotating salt prevents durable cross-day visitor recognition. Teams needing retention cohorts or multi-week funnels by person must model events differently or choose product-analytics tools. |
| On-premise availability is marketing-only detail | Not listed | Low About page claims on-prem hosting; docs do not provide a self-serve install guide. Treat as sales-assisted until scope is confirmed in writing. |
When: You want session replay and heatmaps from an independent European vendor, not the Contentsquare group
Consider: Mouseflow
Danish SaaS with selectable EU or US Google Cloud residency and a public DPA.
When: You only need page or privacy-oriented analytics without replaying mouse paths and form fields
Consider: Plausible Analytics or etracker
Lighter measurement. Not a substitute for session replay.
When: You want a no-contract recorder and will accept a US vendor
Consider: Microsoft Clarity
Free Microsoft product. Different jurisdiction and contract posture than Content Square SAS.
When: You need a US-native event warehouse more than qualitative replay
Consider: Mixpanel or Amplitude
Product analytics incumbents. Pair with a recorder only if you still need heatmaps.
When: You want a minimal EU cookieless SaaS or a well-known self-host option
Consider: Plausible Analytics
Simpler metric set; strong self-host story. Sitesights markets deeper funnels/page-flow and multi-project agency features.
When: You need full self-host control, on-prem by default, or mature open-source governance
Consider: Matomo (self-hosted)
Heavier stack, deeper feature surface, and you operate the data plane yourself.
When: You need identity-rich product analytics, retention cohorts, or event warehouses
Consider: Mixpanel or similar product-analytics platforms
Different category—Sitesights is website/app growth analytics, not a full product analytics suite.
When: You need heatmaps, recordings, or UX feedback loops
Consider: Hotjar, Microsoft Clarity, or EU UX-analytics tools
Sitesights focuses on traffic, events, funnels, and flows—not session replay.