If you're trying to figure out how people are using your website or app, you've probably come across tools like session replays and heatmaps. They sound kind of similar, right? But they actually give you very different types of information. Think of it like comparing watching a video of someone using your site versus looking at a map of where most people click. Both are helpful — they just show things in different ways.

Before we get into the differences, let’s use a simple comparison. Imagine checking who viewed your Instagram Highlight using an https://highlightviewer.io/. That gives you insight into how many people viewed your content and who they are. Session replays and heatmaps are like that, but for your website — they help you see how visitors behave and where their attention goes.

A session replay is like watching a recording of someone using your website. It shows you every click, scroll, and movement they make, just like you're sitting behind them watching. You can see what pages they visited, where they got stuck, and what parts they found interesting. It’s super helpful for spotting problems, like a broken button or confusing form.

Heatmaps, on the other hand, give you a general overview. They show you which parts of a page people click on the most, how far they scroll, and where their mouse moves. It’s not a recording, but a picture with colored areas — “hot” spots are where people interact the most, and “cold” spots show the ignored parts. Great for seeing what’s grabbing attention and what’s being skipped over.

In short: session replays are detailed and let you watch what one specific visitor did. Heatmaps give you a bigger picture and help you spot patterns across lots of users.

So which one should you use? Honestly, both can be helpful depending on what you're trying to learn. If you want to fix a bug or understand why people are leaving a page, session replays can point you in the right direction. If you’re thinking about redesigning your homepage and want to know what people actually care about, heatmaps are your friend.

Both tools can work together to help you make your site smoother and easier for visitors to use — and that’s always a win.

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Pub: 10 Oct 2025 09:08 UTC

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