Hotjar Surveys vs Zonka Feedback 2026: Best Customer Feedback Tool for SaaS?
Hotjar Surveys is a digital experience analytics platform that combines heatmaps, session recordings, and in-product surveys to help teams understand user behavior and gather contextual feedback.
Zonka Feedback is an AI-powered customer feedback platform that combines NPS, CSAT, and CES surveys with thematic analysis and sentiment detection across multiple channels. In this comparison, we break down pricing, features, and AI capabilities — and show where each falls short.
Hotjar Surveys vs Zonka Feedback: Feature & Pricing Comparison
| Feature | Hotjar Surveys | Zonka Feedback | feedback.tools | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Fragmented - separate products for Ask, Observe, and Engage | Quote-based (starts at $199/mo for base, $999/mo for AI) | Surveys-based (unlimited responses) | |
| 100 responses | €48/month ~€38/month annual (Ask Plus) | Contact Sales | $35/month $420/year |  feedback.tools |
| 500 responses | €64/month ~€51/month annual (Ask Business) | Contact Sales | $35/month $420/year | feedback.tools saves $1,968/year vs Zonka |
| 1K responses | Contact Sales (Ask Scale) | Contact Sales | $35/month $420/year | feedback.tools |
| 5K responses | Contact Sales (Ask Scale) | Contact Sales | $35/month $420/year | feedback.tools |
| 10K responses | Contact Sales (Ask Scale) | Contact Sales | $35/month $420/year | feedback.tools |
| Data ownership | ✅ CSV/Excel export on paid plans | ✅ CSV/Excel export | ✅ CSV/Excel export | |
| AI-powered insights & analysis | ⚠️ Ask Business or Scale only (€64/month+) | ⚠️ $999/month add-on | ✅ Automated insights with categories | feedback.tools |
| Sentiment analysis | ⚠️ Ask Business or Scale only (€64/month+) | ⚠️ $999/month add-on | ✅ Automatic sentiment analysis | feedback.tools |
| AI-prioritized product backlog | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ AI-prioritized product backlog | feedback.tools |
| Incident tracking & monitoring | ⚠️ Feedback widgets only, no dedicated tracking | ⚠️ Basic alerts only | ✅ Error monitoring & trend visualization | feedback.tools |
| JavaScript SDK | ⚠️ Events API on Plus (€48/month+), Identify API on Business (€64/month+) | ⚠️ Embed-only widgets | ✅ Full programmatic SDK | feedback.tools |
| Surveys included | 3 on free, unlimited on paid | Unlimited | 1 survey included | Hotjar / Zonka |
| Appearance customization | ⚠️ Ask Business or Scale only (€64/month+) | ✅ Customizable branding | ✅ Appearance customization | Zonka / feedback.tools |
| User targeting | ✅ Basic on all plans, Events/Identify APIs on paid tiers | ✅ Advanced targeting with custom attributes | ✅ Target specific users |
Hotjar Surveys vs Zonka Feedback: Key Differences
Pricing & Plans
Hotjar Surveys uses a fragmented pricing model where survey functionality (Ask), heatmaps/recordings (Observe), and interviews (Engage) are sold as separate products. The Ask Plus plan starts at €48/month (250 responses), Business at €64/month, and Scale requires a custom quote. Using all three products together costs €360/month minimum.
Zonka Feedback does not publish pricing publicly. The base Feedback Management plan starts at approximately $199/month (~$2,388/year) based on available information, with AI features (sentiment analysis, thematic analysis) requiring a separate $999/month add-on. Total cost with AI features reaches roughly $1,198/month.
feedback.tools charges a flat $35/month ($420/year) with no product fragmentation, no add-ons, and no custom quotes. AI insights are included on the Standard plan.
AI Features
Hotjar Surveys includes AI summaries, automated tags, and sentiment analysis, but only on the Ask Business plan (€64/month+) or Scale. The Plus plan at €48/month has no AI capabilities.
Zonka Feedback charges a separate $999/month add-on for AI-powered sentiment analysis and thematic analysis. This is on top of the $199/month base plan, making full AI access cost approximately $1,198/month.
feedback.tools includes automated AI insights on the $35/month Standard plan. Feedback is categorized, sentiment detected, and a product backlog generated automatically — no add-ons required.
Survey Types & In-App Targeting
Hotjar Surveys offers basic targeting on all plans. Advanced programmatic control via the Events API requires Plus (€48/month+), and user identification via the Identify API requires Business (€64/month+). This creates a tiered targeting capability rather than full SDK access on any single plan.
Zonka Feedback supports advanced targeting with custom attributes for user segmentation. However, its SDK is embed-only, limiting programmatic control for software teams that need to trigger surveys based on in-app events.
feedback.tools includes a full JavaScript SDK on the Standard plan, enabling event-based and user-targeted surveys without plan upgrades or additional cost.
Integrations & SDK
Hotjar Surveys integrates with Slack, HubSpot, Segment, and others. Full programmatic integration requires paid tiers for Events and Identify APIs. Mobile SDK support is not available, limiting in-app mobile use cases.
Zonka Feedback connects with Salesforce, HubSpot, Slack, Intercom, and Zapier. SDK access is limited to embed-only widgets, and device login restrictions can affect team workflows.
feedback.tools focuses on a full JavaScript SDK for web integration with webhook-based connectivity. It is designed for web-based SaaS applications where in-app survey triggering is required.
Ease of Setup
Hotjar Surveys is relatively easy to set up for basic widget surveys, but the fragmented product structure means different setup processes for heatmaps, surveys, and interviews. Tiered API access adds configuration complexity for teams that need advanced targeting.
Zonka Feedback requires a sales engagement to get started, as pricing is not self-serve. Setup involves demo calls and custom contract negotiation before you can begin using the platform.
feedback.tools is built for software development teams with a straightforward JavaScript SDK integration. There is no sales requirement — teams can sign up and start self-serve.
Hidden Costs
Hidden Costs of Hotjar Surveys
⚠️ Fragmented pricing model: You must purchase Observe, Ask, and Engage products separately with no all-in-one bundle option.
⚠️ AI features locked behind higher plans: Sentiment analysis, automated tags, and AI summaries require Ask Business (€64/month) or Scale plans.
⚠️ Limited survey targeting on lower tiers: Events API requires Plus (€48/month+) and Identify API requires Business (€64/month+).
⚠️ Expensive for full feature stack: Using Observe + Ask + Engage together costs €360/month minimum on Plus tiers.
⚠️ Branding removal costs extra: Hotjar Surveys branding only removed on Ask Business plan and higher (€64/month+).
⚠️ Scale pricing hidden: For 1,000+ responses per month, you must contact sales for custom pricing.
Hidden Costs of Zonka Feedback
⚠️ No transparent pricing: You must contact sales for a quote — actual costs are hidden behind demos and custom pricing.
⚠️ AI features cost 5x more: AI sentiment and thematic analysis require the $999/month add-on, separate from the $199/month base plan.
⚠️ Response limits not disclosed: Pricing scales with "feedback volume" and "data credits," but exact limits aren't published anywhere.
⚠️ No free plan: Unlike most competitors, there's no permanent free tier to test the platform beyond the 14-day trial.
⚠️ Device login restrictions: Users report limitations on the number of devices that can access the platform simultaneously.
Hidden Costs of feedback.tools
No hidden costs! All features are available on the Standard plan with no limits except the number of surveys.
Hotjar Surveys vs Zonka Feedback: Which Should You Choose?
Choose Hotjar Surveys if: you need heatmaps and session recordings alongside surveys in a single platform, and you don't need AI features on the entry-level plan.
Choose Zonka Feedback if: you need multi-channel NPS/CSAT/CES with advanced custom attribute targeting and can justify the $199/month+ starting cost without AI features.
Consider feedback.tools if: you're a software development team that wants flat-rate pricing, built-in AI insights, and sentiment analysis without paying per user or per seat.
A Better Alternative for Software Teams
feedback.tools is built specifically for software development teams: response-based pricing, automated AI insights, sentiment analysis, and incident tracking — all on a single flat-rate plan.
Try feedback.tools free today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hotjar Surveys better than Zonka Feedback?
Hotjar Surveys is better if you need behavioral analytics (heatmaps, recordings) alongside survey data and prefer a self-serve platform with transparent pricing. Zonka Feedback is better if you need multi-channel survey distribution with advanced segmentation and can afford the higher starting cost.
Which is cheaper: Hotjar Surveys or Zonka Feedback?
Hotjar Surveys is cheaper and more transparent: Ask Plus starts at €48/month (~$52/month) for up to 250 responses. Zonka Feedback starts at approximately $199/month with no published response limit, and AI features require an additional $999/month. At equivalent feature levels including AI, Zonka is significantly more expensive.
Does Hotjar Surveys have a free plan?
Hotjar Surveys offers a free Ask plan with 3 surveys and basic response collection. Paid features including AI insights, branding removal, and advanced targeting require paid tiers starting at €48/month.
Does Zonka Feedback have a free plan?
Zonka Feedback does not have a permanent free plan. It offers a 14-day free trial, after which paid plans starting at approximately $199/month are required. Pricing requires a sales conversation to obtain.
What is a good Hotjar Surveys alternative?
feedback.tools is a strong alternative for software teams focused on in-app feedback: it charges $35/month for unlimited responses, includes automatic AI analysis and sentiment detection out of the box, and offers a full JavaScript SDK without plan tier restrictions.
Conclusion
SaaS teams that need AI-powered in-app feedback without fragmented product pricing or $999/month AI add-ons will find feedback.tools a significantly more affordable and simpler alternative to both Hotjar Surveys and Zonka Feedback.
