7 Best Smartlook Alternatives in 2026

Smartlook has long been a solid choice if you need session replay for both web and native mobile apps. It combines recordings, heatmaps, event tracking, and funnels to give you a clear view of how users move through your product across platforms.

However, there are a few limitations to consider. The free plan has tight session limits and short data retention, which can run out quickly as your traffic grows. Its session-based pricing model can also become expensive at scale. Smartlook was acquired by Cisco, and while the product remains stable, some users prefer tools with a more independent and clearly defined long-term roadmap. In addition, Smartlook does not include built-in AI tools to automatically summarize sessions or surface insights, a feature that is becoming more common in competing platforms.

This guide highlights seven Smartlook alternatives to consider in 2026, with verified pricing and a clear breakdown of where each option stands out.

7 best Smartlook alternatives in 2026

1. PostHog

PostHog is an open-source developer platform that covers session replay, product analytics, feature flags, A/B experiments, surveys, and error tracking in a single stack. Teams evaluating it as a Smartlook replacement will find that the scope extends considerably further: where Smartlook records what users do, PostHog also tracks aggregate patterns, cohort behavior, and experiment outcomes on the same data. Cross-platform session replay is a first-class feature, with native SDKs for iOS, Android, React Native, and Flutter matching Smartlook's mobile coverage.

The key architectural difference is that every PostHog product feeds into a shared data model. A funnel showing a drop-off on step three links directly to a filtered recording list for the users who abandoned there, with no export, no re-identification, and no second tool to open.

🌟 Key features

• Session recording that captures network requests, JavaScript errors, and browser console output in the same view as the visual replay
• Click heatmaps, scroll maps, and rage click tracking generated automatically for instrumented pages
• Mobile session replay via native SDKs for iOS, Android, React Native, and Flutter, included in the free tier
• Full product analytics suite: conversion funnels, retention cohorts, user path analysis, and raw SQL querying
• Feature flags and A/B experiments with results tied directly to the same user segments as your analytics
• In-app surveys with conditional logic, targeting rules, and response analysis
• JavaScript error tracking that links exceptions to the session recording where they occurred
• Self-hosting under the MIT license for teams that need full data ownership

➕ Pros

• At 5,000 free web recordings per month plus 1 million product analytics events, the free tier goes well beyond Smartlook's 3,000 free sessions and includes features Smartlook does not offer at all
• Mobile replay for iOS and Android is part of the free allocation, not a paid add-on
• Feature flags, A/B testing, and surveys are consolidated in the same platform as session replay, reducing the number of tools in a typical product team's stack
• Each product within PostHog has its own billing cap, so teams can prevent overages on individual modules without shutting down the whole platform

➖ Cons

• The platform is designed for technical users and requires meaningful configuration before a non-engineering team can use it independently
• Billing across multiple usage meters with different per-unit rates makes monthly cost estimation genuinely difficult for fast-growing products
• Session recordings on paid cloud plans are only retained for 3 months, which prevents year-over-year behavioral comparisons in the cloud version
• Running PostHog self-hosted at production scale beyond a basic Docker Compose setup requires managing your own infrastructure without a service-level agreement

💲 Pricing

PostHog's free tier includes 5,000 web session recordings per month, 2,500 mobile recordings per month, 1 million product analytics events per month, 1 million feature flag requests, and 1,500 survey responses. Paid web replay starts at $0.005 per recording between 5,000 and 15,000 recordings per month, with step-down rates of $0.0035 from 15,000 to 50,000 and $0.0020 from 50,000 to 150,000. Product analytics events beyond the free million start at $0.00005 per event. PostHog is free to self-host under the MIT license.

2. Microsoft Clarity

Microsoft Clarity is Microsoft's free behavioral analytics tool that records every session and generates heatmaps with no monthly cap and no paid tier. That straightforward value proposition makes it the easiest entry point in this category: you add the script, and recordings and heatmaps start accumulating immediately with no quota to manage, no credit card, and no decision about plan tier.

For teams switching from Smartlook because of free tier restrictions, Clarity removes the constraint entirely. Clarity Copilot processes up to 250 recordings at once and returns AI-generated summaries identifying where users hesitate, where they quit, and which patterns appear most frequently across a session batch. This kind of automated analysis addresses one of Smartlook's persistent gaps, which is that surfacing insights from large recording volumes requires manual review.

Mobile SDKs for iOS, Android, Flutter, and React Native match Smartlook's cross-platform scope.

🌟 Key features

• Session recordings with no monthly volume limit and no sampling across any traffic level
• Heatmaps generated automatically across all instrumented pages covering clicks, scrolling behavior, and area engagement
• Clarity Copilot that batch-processes up to 250 recordings and returns AI-written summaries of user behavior patterns
• Rage click, dead click, and excessive scroll detection with automatic tagging and filter shortcuts
• User segment analysis by browser, device type, geography, and referral source
• Direct integration with Google Analytics 4 and Google Ads campaign data
• Native mobile SDK support for iOS, Android, Flutter, and React Native
• IP anonymization and automatic input field masking, GDPR compliant

➕ Pros

• Zero cost regardless of traffic volume is the sharpest contrast with Smartlook's session-capped free tier; there is no point at which Clarity charges anything
• AI batch summaries of session recordings reduce the time required to understand behavioral patterns at scale, a capability Smartlook does not currently offer
• The Google Analytics integration connects behavioral session data with traffic attribution data in a way that requires no additional development work
• Mobile coverage at no cost competes directly with Smartlook's cross-platform support

➖ Cons

• No event-based product analytics means Clarity cannot answer aggregate questions about conversion rates, cohort retention, or feature adoption
• Recording retention resets at 30 days; only sessions that a user manually favorites are preserved for up to 13 months, making longitudinal analysis difficult
• No surveys, in-app feedback, or user interview tools, so teams that want qualitative input from users need a separate platform
• Data lives on Microsoft's infrastructure, which may be a compliance blocker for organizations with strict data residency requirements
• Clarity is not a replacement for product analytics; it is a complement to them

💲 Pricing

Microsoft Clarity is free with no session limits and no paid tier. All features including Clarity Copilot AI summaries, all heatmap types, mobile SDK access, and Google Analytics integration are available at no cost with no credit card required.

3. LogRocket

LogRocket combines session replay, product analytics, and error tracking in a single platform built for software engineering and product teams. Its defining advantage over Smartlook is the developer tooling layer: every session recording is automatically paired with console logs, JavaScript errors, network request data, Redux state, and performance metrics. When a bug surfaces in session replay, engineers have all the diagnostic context in the same view rather than switching to a separate monitoring tool.

Galileo AI watches all sessions automatically to detect user struggle patterns, surface issues by severity, and generate written issue descriptions without requiring manual review queues. The platform covers both web and native mobile apps with separate but connected replay pipelines.

🌟 Key features

• Session replay with synchronized console logs, network requests, JS errors, and Redux state
• Galileo AI for automated issue detection, severity scoring, and recommended fixes
• AI-generated issue descriptions that reduce triage time for engineering teams
• Performance monitoring including page load times, memory usage, and Core Web Vitals
• Product analytics with funnels, path analysis, cohort charts, dashboards, and heatmaps (Professional plan)
• Native mobile session replay for iOS and Android
• Conditional Recording to capture only sessions with specific events or errors, reducing session costs
• Self-hosted deployment option available on Enterprise plan

➕ Pros

• The combination of session replay with console logs and network data in a single pane removes the need for a separate application monitoring tool for front-end debugging
• Galileo AI surfaces issues automatically instead of requiring teams to manually scan recordings for friction
• Conditional Recording lets teams reduce session volume by only capturing recordings that meet specific criteria, which helps manage costs at scale
• LogRocket consistently earns high marks from engineering teams for the completeness of its debugging context compared to replay-only tools

➖ Cons

• The free tier includes only 1,000 sessions per month, which is less generous than PostHog or Microsoft Clarity and limits meaningful pre-purchase evaluation
• Product analytics, heatmaps, and AI features are only available on the Professional plan, which requires an annual commitment and custom pricing
• Mobile session replay is priced separately from web replay, which can surprise teams expecting a single unified session volume
• The depth of features targets engineers and product managers, making it less suitable for marketing or CRO teams without developer involvement

💲 Pricing

LogRocket's Developer plan is free and includes 1,000 sessions per month with 1 month of data retention and 3 seats. The Team plan starts at $69 per month for 10,000 web sessions per month (or $139/month for 25,000 sessions) and supports 5 to 10 seats on a monthly commitment. The Professional plan starts at $295 per month for 10,000 sessions and requires an annual commitment; it unlocks AI-powered struggle detection, full product analytics, heatmaps, and scrollmaps. Mobile pricing is separate. Enterprise pricing is custom and includes self-hosting, unlimited seats, audit logs, and role-based access controls.

4. Mouseflow

Mouseflow is a mature behavioral analytics platform focused on website UX, conversion optimization, and form performance. It covers session replay, seven automatic heatmap types (click, scroll, movement, attention, friction, geo, and live), conversion funnels, user journey mapping, form analytics, feedback surveys, and friction detection. Mina AI helps teams explore session data more quickly by surfacing behavior patterns and friction points from recording data without requiring manual filtering.

Mouseflow is the closest like-for-like replacement for teams using Smartlook primarily for website analysis rather than mobile app tracking. It does not have native mobile SDK support, which is a meaningful gap if your team needs cross-platform replay.

🌟 Key features

• Session replay with full HTML5 recording and mouse movement tracking
• Seven automatic heatmap types generated without manual setup
• Mina AI for surfacing behavior patterns and friction from session recording data
• Form analytics with per-field drop-off tracking, hesitation detection, and error identification
• Conversion funnel analysis with step-by-step drop-off and segmentation
• User journey mapping showing common navigation paths and exit points
• Feedback surveys embedded directly in the session replay workflow
• Friction score automatically calculated per page and session

➕ Pros

• Seven heatmap types including a live heatmap and a friction-specific view go beyond what Smartlook offers
• Form analytics are significantly deeper than Smartlook's event tracking approach, making Mouseflow the better option for teams optimizing high-stakes forms like checkout flows or signup funnels
• All core features including surveys and funnel analytics are available on paid plans without tier restrictions
• Mina AI adds a friction-surfacing layer that reduces the manual review burden without requiring a professional plan

➖ Cons

• No native mobile session replay, which is a direct downgrade from Smartlook for teams with iOS or Android products
• The free plan covers only 500 sessions per month, enough for light testing but not for evaluating the tool against production traffic
• Mouseflow does not offer product analytics, feature flags, A/B experiments, or error tracking, so teams needing those capabilities require additional tools
• Integration setup requires more manual configuration than some simpler tools in this category

💲 Pricing

The Free plan includes 500 sessions per month with 1 month of data retention and access to core features. The Essential plan is $25 per month for 5,000 sessions across 5 website projects. The Advanced plan is $109 per month for 25,000 sessions. The Premium plan is $319 per month for 100,000 sessions. Enterprise pricing is available on request. All plans include session replay, all seven heatmap types, funnels, form analytics, feedback surveys, and journey analytics.

5. Hotjar (now Contentsquare)

Hotjar has been the default starting point for behavioral analytics since it popularized session replay and heatmaps for non-technical teams. Its core proposition is the broadest feedback coverage in its category: session recordings and heatmaps are paired with in-app surveys, feedback widgets, and user interview scheduling in one platform. For teams that want to understand user behavior and collect user feedback without stitching together separate tools, Hotjar's breadth is still its most distinctive feature.

Hotjar merged into Contentsquare in July 2025 and is currently being migrated onto the Contentsquare platform. Legacy products are available under the Observe, Ask, and Engage labels, with pricing available on request through Contentsquare.

🌟 Key features

• Session recordings with rage click, u-turn, and dead click detection
• Click heatmaps, scroll heatmaps, and move heatmaps
• In-app surveys with conditional logic, targeting, and response analysis
• Feedback widgets for continuous passive visitor input
• User interview scheduling and participant recruitment (Engage)
• Funnel tracking and user segment filtering
• Integration with marketing and analytics tools including Google Analytics, Segment, and HubSpot

➕ Pros

• The combination of session replay, surveys, and user interview scheduling in one subscription removes the need to run separate feedback tools alongside behavioral analytics
• Hotjar has the largest body of tutorials, integrations, and third-party resources of any tool in this category, which reduces onboarding friction for new teams
• No-code setup requires no developer involvement to start capturing data, making it accessible to marketing and CX teams immediately
• Widely used enough that most analytics and CRM platforms include a native Hotjar integration

➖ Cons

• No native mobile session replay: Hotjar is a web-only tool, which is a direct gap compared to Smartlook
• The product is now split across three separately billed tools under the Contentsquare umbrella, which can result in significantly higher total cost for teams wanting full functionality
• The Contentsquare migration has introduced pricing and product uncertainty for legacy customers
• No product analytics, feature flags, cohort analysis, or A/B experimentation

💲 Pricing

Hotjar's pricing is no longer publicly listed following the Contentsquare merger. Pricing is available on request through the Contentsquare sales team. Legacy Observe, Ask, and Engage plans are available with a 20% bundle discount for teams purchasing multiple products.

6. FullStory

FullStory is a behavioral intelligence platform targeting enterprise product and engineering teams. It goes beyond recording individual sessions toward synthesizing behavioral data at scale: autocapture records every user interaction without manual event tagging, which means teams can answer retroactive questions about behavior patterns that were never explicitly instrumented in advance. FullStory AI surfaces anomalies, generates session summaries, and helps teams quantify the revenue impact of friction points without building custom dashboards.

FullStory's free tier, launched in August 2025, is the most generous session allocation in this category at 30,000 sessions per month with 12 months of replay and analytics retention. Paid plans require a sales conversation, making FullStory more enterprise-oriented than self-serve.

🌟 Key features

• Autocapture records every user interaction without pre-configured event tagging
• Session replay with retroactive event analysis: behavioral data captured before questions are asked can still be queried
• FullStory AI for anomaly detection, session summaries, and revenue impact modeling
• DX Data product analytics with funnels, rage click and frustration scoring, and user segments
• Journey mapping showing aggregate user paths across the product
• Heatmaps, click maps, and scroll maps
• Native mobile session replay for iOS, Android, and React Native
• Enterprise compliance features including GDPR, CCPA, SOC 2 Type II, and HIPAA-ready configurations

➕ Pros

• The free tier includes 30,000 sessions per month with 12 months of replay and analytics retention, far more generous than Smartlook's free plan by every dimension
• Autocapture eliminates the ongoing engineering cost of maintaining an event taxonomy, which is one of the most common pain points in Smartlook's event-based tracking model
• FullStory AI can model the revenue impact of identified friction, which helps teams prioritize fixes by business outcome rather than just user frequency
• Enterprise compliance and data governance features are built into the platform rather than requiring add-ons

➖ Cons

• Paid plans are not publicly priced and require a sales conversation, which creates friction for teams that prefer self-serve evaluation
• The tool is designed for enterprise product and engineering teams; the complexity of the platform can be excessive for small product teams or marketing-led organizations
• The session cap on the free tier is generous, but paid plan costs reported by customers are substantial, with median annual contracts in the range of tens of thousands of dollars
• FullStory's positioning and pricing model are fundamentally different from Smartlook, making it a category upgrade rather than a direct replacement for most teams

💲 Pricing

FullstoryFree includes 30,000 sessions per month, 12 months of replay retention, 12 months of analytics data retention, and up to 10 users, with no credit card required. All paid plans are custom-quoted through the sales team based on session volume, data retention, and team size.

7. OpenReplay

OpenReplay is an open-source session replay and product analytics platform that can be self-hosted on your own infrastructure. It covers session recordings, click maps, conversion funnels, user journey analysis, and developer tools including console logs, network monitoring, and co-browsing for real-time support. Because the platform is open-source, teams in regulated industries or those with strict data residency requirements can deploy it inside their own cloud account with no third-party data processors involved.

For teams that specifically want Smartlook's cross-platform capabilities, OpenReplay currently supports web apps. Native mobile SDKs are not available, which is a gap for teams that need iOS or Android session replay.

🌟 Key features

• Session replay with pixel-perfect DOM capture, console logs, network requests, and performance metrics
• Co-browsing for real-time support sessions inside recorded user interactions
• Click maps and user path analysis for conversion funnel investigation
• Developer tools including JavaScript error capture and network request inspection
• Product analytics with funnels, retention, and segmentation
• SOC 2 Type 2 and GDPR compliant on both cloud and self-hosted deployments
• Full self-hosting on AWS, GCP, Azure, or DigitalOcean with no vendor lock-in
• Open-source codebase available on GitHub under a permissive license

➕ Pros

• Self-hosting keeps all session data within your own infrastructure, removing third-party data processing concerns entirely
• The co-browsing feature enables real-time support sessions tied directly to session replay, which no other tool in this list provides
• Open-source transparency means teams can audit the code, modify behavior, and contribute features rather than waiting for a vendor roadmap
• Cloud pricing is usage-based and transparent, with costs that are competitive at low to moderate session volumes

➖ Cons

• No native mobile session replay, which is a direct limitation compared to Smartlook's cross-platform coverage
• Self-hosting requires DevOps capacity for deployment, maintenance, and scaling, which is not viable for teams without dedicated infrastructure support
• The cloud free plan includes only 1,000 sessions per month, limiting pre-purchase evaluation compared to more generous free tiers
• The product analytics and AI capabilities are less mature than those in PostHog, LogRocket, or FullStory

💲 Pricing

The cloud Free plan includes 1,000 sessions per month, all core features, 2 users, 1 project, and 30-day data retention with no credit card required. The Serverless cloud plan starts at $5.95 per 1,000 sessions per month with unlimited users, unlimited projects, and 30-day retention. Dedicated managed instances start at $200 per month for up to 50,000 sessions per month, scaling to $400 for 200,000 sessions and $800 for 500,000 sessions. Self-hosting is free and open-source. Enterprise self-hosted plans with advanced security, high availability, and SSO are available with custom seat-based pricing.

Final thoughts

The right choice depends on two things: whether you need mobile session replay and how deep your analytics need to go.

If cross-platform coverage is essential, choose a tool that supports both web and native mobile apps. If your focus is mainly website optimization, a strong web-first platform with better form analytics and friction insights may be enough.

For more advanced needs, look beyond basic recordings. Some platforms combine session replay with product analytics, experiments, and AI-driven insights, which can reduce the need for multiple tools. Others focus more on debugging, pairing replay with technical diagnostics.

Data control can also be a deciding factor. If compliance or data ownership matters, a self-hosted option may be the right fit.

Ultimately, the best alternative is the one that closes Smartlook’s gaps without adding unnecessary complexity to your stack.

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