HONEST ALTERNATIVE · SEO + AI VISIBILITY
Smartlook is a session recording and behaviour analytics platform with auto-capture for both web and native mobile apps (iOS/Android) — recording every user interaction without manual event instrumentation. It provides heatmaps, funnel analysis, and crash reporting across web and mobile in a single platform. DeepSEOAnalysis is a technical SEO audit tool — Core Web Vitals at the element level, schema validation, canonical hygiene, and indexation diagnosis that explains why pages rank where they do in search. Smartlook studies what users do post-click; DeepSEOAnalysis audits the technical ranking prerequisites that determine whether those users arrive at all.
At a glance
The useful answer is not “which tool is best?” It is which tool fits the job you need done this week.
| Criterion | Competitor | DeepSEOAnalysis |
|---|---|---|
| Primary function | Auto-capture session recording and behaviour analytics — Smartlook captures every user session automatically without manual event instrumentation for both web and native mobile apps (iOS/Android). Includes heatmaps, funnel analysis, event tracking, and crash reports for mobile. From €55/mo for 3k sessions/mo. | Technical SEO audit platform — schema.org markup validation, Core Web Vitals diagnosis (LCP, INP, CLS element-level), canonical hygiene, indexation status, and structured data server-rendering verification |
| Session recordings | Auto-capture sessions for web and mobile without SDK event instrumentation — the key differentiator vs Hotjar/Mouseflow. Every click, tap, scroll, and form interaction is recorded. Mobile app session recordings show exact user flows through iOS/Android screens. Filtering by device, OS, browser, country, custom properties, and funnel position. | No session recording — DeepSEOAnalysis analyses aggregate technical quality metrics (CrUX CWV p75, schema structure, canonical configuration) rather than individual user sessions |
| Mobile app recording | Native mobile app session recording for iOS and Android — the most significant Smartlook differentiator. Captures touch interactions, screen transitions, crashes, and ANRs in mobile apps with the same auto-capture approach as web. Heatmaps for mobile screens. Useful for teams with both a website and a mobile app in a single platform. | No mobile app recording — DeepSEOAnalysis audits web page technical quality; mobile app SEO (App Store Optimisation) is outside its scope |
| Heatmaps | Click, move, and scroll heatmaps generated from actual session recordings — accuracy improves with recording volume. Heatmaps can be filtered by device type and custom user properties. Mobile screen heatmaps show touch targets across iOS/Android screens. | No heatmaps — DeepSEOAnalysis identifies specific HTML elements causing CWV failures (LCP element, CLS-causing elements) but does not provide visual overlays of user click or scroll behaviour |
| Funnel analysis | Multi-step funnel analysis by URL pattern or auto-captured events — see drop-off at each step of checkout, onboarding, or sign-up flows. Link from a funnel drop-off step directly to session recordings of users who abandoned at that step. Available on all paid plans. | No funnel analysis — DeepSEOAnalysis audits the technical quality of individual pages rather than multi-step conversion funnels |
| Core Web Vitals | Smartlook does not natively surface Core Web Vitals data. Web recording data can be correlated with performance timings via the JavaScript API, but CWV are not a native dashboard metric. Mobile performance metrics (crash rate, ANR rate) are tracked for mobile apps. | Native CWV diagnosis from CrUX field data at p75 — the threshold Google uses for ranking signals. Identifies the specific HTML element responsible for LCP, measures INP response time on interactions, quantifies CLS per layout shift source, and checks whether schema is server-rendered or JavaScript-injected. |
| Smartlook's own CWV impact | Smartlook's auto-capture recording script intercepts every DOM event on the page — click, scroll, keypress, and form interaction — in real time. This continuous event interception adds JavaScript processing overhead on each interaction, which can contribute to INP inflation on interaction-heavy pages. The impact scales with page complexity and concurrent JavaScript load. | No tracking script — DeepSEOAnalysis reads public page HTML and CrUX field data from the outside; it identifies whether Smartlook's recording script is contributing to INP inflation on your recorded pages. |
| Event tracking | Auto-capture tracks all interactions without manual SDK instrumentation. Custom events can be tagged using JavaScript API calls for conversion tracking. Event counts and funnels available in the dashboard. Smartlook Identify API for associating session recordings with user IDs or email addresses from your database. | No event tracking — DeepSEOAnalysis does not capture individual user interactions; it measures aggregate technical quality metrics from CrUX field data and static page analysis |
| Privacy and GDPR | Smartlook records real user sessions and processes personal data. Requires informed cookie consent under GDPR for EU visitors — Smartlook must not load before consent is granted. Provides sensitive content masking (input fields, custom CSS selectors) and IP anonymisation. EU data residency option available on Business plans. | No cookies, no personal data, no consent required — DeepSEOAnalysis fetches public page HTML; no user behaviour is recorded, no consent mechanism is needed for your visitors |
| Pricing | Free plan: 3k sessions/mo, 1 website or app, 30-day data retention; Startup €55/mo (3k sessions, extended retention); Business €95/mo (higher volume, custom properties, data retention 12 months); Enterprise custom. All paid plans include mobile app recording. Pricing is per sessions/mo across web + app combined. | Free for all URL audits with no email gate; Pro $24/mo; Agency $89/mo |
What each product is
Smartlook is an auto-capture session recording platform for web and mobile apps — records all interactions without manual instrumentation, native iOS/Android recording, heatmaps, funnel analysis, and crash reports. Free plan includes 3k sessions/mo; Startup €55/mo. Requires cookie consent under GDPR.
DeepSEOAnalysis is a free technical SEO audit tool — no sign-up required. Get CrUX field data CWV at p75, element-level LCP/CLS identification, schema.org validation, canonical configuration checks, and structured data server-rendering verification. Pro $24/mo and Agency $89/mo for scheduled monitoring.
When to choose which
Pricing context
FAQ
Smartlook's auto-capture approach intercepts every DOM event in real time — click, scroll, keypress, and form interaction — to build session recordings without manual event instrumentation. This continuous event interception adds JavaScript processing overhead on each user interaction. Because INP measures the response time from interaction to next paint, JavaScript that executes during an interaction delays that response. On complex pages or pages with significant concurrent JavaScript, Smartlook's recording overhead can push INP above the 200ms passing threshold. Run a DeepSEOAnalysis audit on your key landing pages to see current INP scores, then test with Smartlook disabled to isolate its contribution.
The primary Smartlook differentiator is native mobile app session recording (iOS/Android) alongside web recording in a single platform — Hotjar and Mouseflow are web-only. For teams with a web product and a mobile app, this cross-platform capability is significant. On the web side: Smartlook uses auto-capture (records all events without instrumentation), which is similar to Heap's approach and unlike Hotjar (which samples some plans) or Mouseflow (which records all web sessions without sampling but requires web-only scope). Pricing: Smartlook starts at €55/mo for paid plans; Mouseflow starts at $31/mo; Hotjar starts at €32/mo.
Yes — Smartlook records user sessions and processes personal data (IP address, session behaviour, browser environment, user identifiers if you use Smartlook Identify). Under UK GDPR and PECR, you must obtain informed consent before Smartlook can load. Smartlook must not be loaded in the page head before consent is granted by the user. Use a consent management platform (CMP) configured to load Smartlook only after positive consent is given. This creates a recording gap for visitors who decline consent — typically 30-70% of EU users, depending on your CMP design.
No — Smartlook shows what happens after users arrive on your pages. It does not have access to Google Search Console ranking data, CrUX Core Web Vitals field data, or schema.org structured data validation. Smartlook can show you that users are dropping off at a particular step in a funnel, or that a CTA is not getting clicks — but it cannot diagnose whether that page has a slow LCP element, a schema error, or a canonical misconfiguration affecting search visibility. Use Smartlook for post-click behaviour analysis; use DeepSEOAnalysis for pre-click technical SEO quality.
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