Skip the setup.
Start tracking now.
Hotjar shows you heatmaps and recordings. Happenstance tells you exactly what users click, submit, and encounter — with structured data you can act on.
Happenstance
Zero-config
- 1 Add one script tag to your site
- 2 Done. Every interaction tracked with structured data.
Hotjar
Traditional setup
- 1 Create Hotjar account
- 2 Install Hotjar tracking code
- 3 Set up heatmaps for specific pages
- 4 Configure session recordings
- 5 Set up feedback widgets
- 6 For event tracking, integrate with another tool
Hotjar is the go-to tool for visual user feedback — heatmaps and session recordings that show exactly how users navigate your site. But Hotjar is a qualitative tool, not a quantitative one. It shows you patterns but doesn't give you structured event data you can build funnels with. Happenstance gives you structured analytics — every click, form, and error tracked as queryable events — without visual recordings.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Happenstance | Hotjar |
|---|---|---|
| Zero-config setup | ||
| Automatic event tracking | ||
| Click tracking | Structured data | Heatmaps |
| Form analytics | ||
| Error tracking | ||
| Session recordings | ||
| Heatmaps | ||
| User surveys | ||
| Funnel analysis | ||
| Goal tracking | ||
| Privacy-friendly | ||
| No cookies | ||
| Free tier | 10k events/mo | 35 sessions/day |
Why teams switch
Teams use Hotjar to understand the 'why' behind user behavior, but still need a separate analytics tool for the 'what' and 'how many'. Happenstance fills that gap — structured event data that tracks every interaction automatically. Many teams run both, but if you're looking for one tool that covers interaction tracking, Happenstance is the more actionable choice.
How to migrate from Hotjar
- 1 Add the Happenstance script tag for structured event tracking.
- 2 Keep Hotjar temporarily for heatmaps if you still need visual data.
- 3 Use Happenstance's automatic event discovery to understand user interactions quantitatively.
- 4 Decide if you still need Hotjar's heatmaps or if structured data is enough.
- 5 Remove Hotjar to reduce script overhead and improve page performance.
Who should use what
Choose Happenstance if...
You need structured, queryable event data — clicks, forms, errors — that you can build funnels and goals from. Perfect for data-driven product decisions.
Choose Hotjar if...
You need visual feedback — heatmaps showing where users look and session recordings showing exactly how they navigate. Great for UX research.
Integration Code
Happenstance (complete setup)
<script src="https://happenstance.click/v1/track.js"></script>Hotjar (just initialization)
<script>
(function(h,o,t,j,a,r){
h.hj=h.hj||function(){
(h.hj.q=h.hj.q||[]).push(arguments)
};
// ... Hotjar snippet
})(window,document,'https://...');
</script>
// No event tracking built in
// Need separate analytics toolHotjar is best for qualitative insights — watching sessions and seeing heatmaps. Happenstance is for quantitative product analytics — tracking every event with structured data. They complement each other, but if you can only pick one, choose based on whether you need visual feedback or actionable metrics.
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