Both tools offer behavior maps, scroll maps, and session replays. The difference is how they treat your users' data.
| Feature | VulpaSoft | Hotjar |
|---|---|---|
| Data hosting | EU only (Frankfurt) | US (AWS) |
| Cookies | None | Yes (required) |
| Consent banner needed | No | Yes |
| GDPR compliant | By design | Opt-in |
| IP anonymization | SHA-256 + daily salt | Optional |
| PII masking | On by default (opt-out) | Manual (opt-in) |
| Behavior Maps | Yes | Yes |
| Scroll maps | Yes | Yes |
| Session replays | Yes | Yes |
| Click-through detection | Yes (unique) | No |
| Friction scores | Yes | No |
| Dead click detection | Yes | Limited |
| Open pricing | From 0€/mo | From 0€/mo |
| Sub-processors in EU | 100% | Partial |
Hotjar requires you to manually configure privacy settings and add consent banners. VulpaSoft is private by default — PII is masked, IPs are anonymized, and no cookies are set. Your visitors never see a consent popup for analytics.
Hotjar stores data on US-based AWS servers. VulpaSoft uses exclusively EU-based infrastructure: Supabase, Tinybird, Upstash, and Vercel — all running in Frankfurt, Germany.
VulpaSoft includes click-through detection (finding z-index bugs where users click through overlapping elements) and friction scores (automatic quantification of user frustration from rage clicks, dead clicks, and erratic mouse movement).
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