What is session replay?
A session replay plays one visit, moment by moment. A heatmap piles many visits onto one picture of the page. They answer different questions. Most sites end up wanting both.
- Recording stays off until you turn it on for a website, and each site records a daily sample of visits.
- By default, page text is masked in the visitor’s browser before anything is sent. Passwords and payment fields always stay hidden.
- Included with Pro and higher plans and in the free Pro trial for new accounts.
The short answer
A session replay is a playback of one visit. You see the pages they opened, where they clicked, how they scrolled, where they paused and where they left. A heatmap is a picture of many visits at once, so the busy parts of the page show up warmer.
On Hitsteps the two are separate:
- Replay shows one visit, page by page. You can also open a visit that is still going on and watch it live.
- A click heatmap shows where people click. Experience heatmaps can also show movement and scroll.
- Recording does not start when you add the tracking code. You turn it on for that website. Each site then records a daily sample of visits, not every visit.
Replay and heatmap, side by side
| Session replay | Heatmap | |
|---|---|---|
| What it collects | One visit, played back | Many visits, stacked on the page |
| What you look at | Clicks, scrolling, pauses and leaving, page by page | Where activity piles up |
| The question it answers | What did this person do? | Which parts of the page get attention? |
| When it runs | After you turn recording on for that site | Click heatmaps from the Growth plan. Experience heatmaps on Pro and higher |
If you only remember one rule: open a replay when one visit looks odd. Open a heatmap when you want to know which part of the page gets used.
When to use which
Use a replay when a visit did something you cannot explain from the numbers. Someone reached the form and left. Someone clicked the same control again and again. Someone came from an ad and never opened a second page. The recording sits next to that visit's pages, errors and form activity.
Use a heatmap when the question is about the page, not about one person. Which headline gets the clicks. Which part of a long page is ignored. Click heatmaps are enough for that. Experience heatmaps add movement and scroll on Pro and higher.
A sample will not show you every odd visit. If a site has little traffic, the first recordings and the first heatmap can both look thin. That is the sample doing what it is set up to do.
Turn recording on
- Add the Hitsteps tracking code, or use a supported plugin or app. The setup steps are in How to track website visitors.
- Open Experience from the dashboard menu.
- Turn recording on for that website. Until you do, new recording stays off.
- Open a recording when you want the visit itself. The pages, errors and form activity for that visit are beside it.
You can save and tag a visit, and share one with a private link that expires.
Which plan includes session replay?
Included with Pro and higher plans and in the free Pro trial for new accounts. Free, Starter and Growth accounts that have paid before can start one 14-day trial from the dashboard.
Free and Starter do not include heatmaps. Growth includes up to 3 active heatmaps, 2,000 sampled pageviews each, kept for 7 days, without session recordings. Pro and higher plans include Experience heatmaps and recordings.
Frequently asked questions
What is session replay?
Session replay plays one visit back. You see the pages, the clicks, the scrolling, the pauses and where the person left. In Hitsteps that playback sits next to the same visit's pages, errors and form activity.
How is session replay different from a heatmap?
A replay is one visit. A heatmap stacks many visits on the page so you can see which parts get attention. Use a replay to follow one person. Use a heatmap to judge the page.
Does session replay record every visit?
No. After you turn recording on, each site records a daily sample of visits, not every visit.
Is a click heatmap the same as an Experience heatmap?
No. A click heatmap shows where people click. An Experience heatmap can also show movement and scroll. Session replay is the playback of one visit. Click heatmaps have their own page: Website heatmap tool.
When does recording start?
When you turn it on for that website. Adding the tracking code does not start it.
Which plan includes session replay?
Included with Pro and higher plans and in the free Pro trial for new accounts. Free, Starter and Growth accounts that have paid before can start one 14-day trial from the dashboard. Free and Starter do not include heatmaps. Growth includes up to 3 active heatmaps, 2,000 sampled pageviews each, kept for 7 days, without session recordings. Pro and higher plans include Experience heatmaps and recordings.
Can I watch a visit that is still on the site?
Yes. You can replay a finished visit page by page, or open a visit that is still going on and watch it live.
Open the first replay when a visit needs a closer look.
Add the tracking code, turn recording on for one site, and open the first replay when a visit needs a closer look.