Heap

Heap is a product analytics platform that automatically captures every user interaction on your website or mobile app without requiring manual event tracking code for each action. Unlike traditional analytics tools where engineers must instrument specific events (button clicks, form submissions), Heap's approach captures everything by default, then allows retroactive analysis of any user behavior. This "track everything" philosophy enables product teams to answer unexpected questions about user behavior without waiting for engineering to add new tracking.

Best For

Heap excels for product teams in SaaS companies, web apps, and mobile applications (typically 10-500+ employees) that want to analyze user behavior patterns without the overhead of defining and maintaining event tracking. It's particularly valuable for product managers and growth teams who frequently need to answer ad-hoc questions about feature usage, conversion funnels, and user flows without engineering support. Early-stage products still defining their analytics strategy benefit from not needing upfront tracking decisions.

The platform serves teams tired of discovering they can't analyze user behavior because the event wasn't tracked.

Common Questions

How does Heap's automatic tracking work?
Heap's JavaScript snippet captures all clicks, form submissions, page views, and interactions automatically by recording DOM element properties and hierarchy. You can then define "events" retroactively in the Heap dashboard by specifying target elements (e.g., "clicks on button with class 'signup'"). This means you can analyze behavior from months ago even if you didn't explicitly track it when it happened.

What are the downsides of tracking everything?
Automatic capture generates large data volumes and can be expensive at scale. You may capture sensitive information inadvertently (Heap provides masking tools but requires configuration). Some teams find manually instrumented events clearer and better documented than retroactively defined events. The "track everything" approach trades data volume and cost for analytical flexibility.

Can I still do custom event tracking in Heap?
Yes, Heap supports manual event tracking for complex behaviors automatic capture can't handle (backend events, calculated metrics, third-party integrations). Many teams use a hybrid approach: automatic capture for UI interactions, manual tracking for business-critical conversions requiring precise measurement.

How does Heap compare to Google Analytics or Mixpanel?
Google Analytics requires manual event instrumentation and emphasizes page views and sessions. Mixpanel requires manual event tracking but provides deeper user-level analysis than GA. Heap's automatic capture reduces engineering time but costs more at scale than GA's free tier and generates more data than manually instrumented Mixpanel implementations. Choose based on engineering resources vs. budget trade-offs.

Pricing & Plans

Free: Up to 10,000 sessions/month - Automatic event capture, retroactive analytics, basic dashboards, unlimited users, 6-month data retention

Growth: From $3,600/year - Higher session limits, extended data retention, advanced features, integrations, priority support

Pro: Custom pricing - Unlimited sessions, multi-touch attribution, advanced permissions, dedicated support, enterprise features

Premier: Custom pricing - Advanced security, SLAs, dedicated success manager, custom onboarding, premier support

Pricing primarily scales with monthly sessions (visits to your site/app). Free tier suitable for low-traffic products; production sites quickly exceed limits.

Getting Started

Sign up for free at heap.io supporting up to 10,000 sessions per month. Install Heap's JavaScript snippet on your website or SDK in your mobile app. Heap immediately begins capturing all user interactions automatically. Define events retroactively in the dashboard by selecting target UI elements. Build funnels and segments to analyze user behavior patterns.

Limitations

• Free tier limited to 10,000 sessions/month (can be exhausted quickly)
• Automatic capture generates large data volumes and costs
• Pricing increases significantly for production-scale traffic
• Requires careful configuration to avoid capturing sensitive data
• Session-based pricing model can be expensive for high-traffic sites
• Automatic events may lack the clarity of manually instrumented tracking
• Advanced features (attribution, long retention) require paid plans
• Can be overkill for simple analytics needs