home / rankings / session replay tools / openreplay alternatives OpenReplay alternatives 13 tools we tested head to head against OpenReplay, ranked — and what each one actually does differently.
last reviewed 4 aug 2026 · from our best 14 session replay tools · list curated by Onur Ozcan x in
first — what you'd be leaving OpenReplay ranks #12 of 14 in our session replay tools testing. self-hostable under agplv3 — and by default it masks emails while leaving card-shaped digit strings alone..
58 /100 the best answer to data residency here and the weakest default masking of any open-source option — do not install this one and walk away.
why people look for an alternative
− `obscureTextNumbers` defaults to false — card-shaped digits unmasked − `obscureInputDates` defaults to false − general text and input content unmasked by default − `ee/` directory proprietary; no published per-session rate stay with OpenReplay if self-hosted gives complete control over residency and retention is the thing you care about most — nothing below beats it on that.
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Microsoft Clarity #1 in session replay tools · input masking you are not allowed to switch off, free, with no traffic limit — and a business model worth understanding.
88 /100 verdict the only tool here where a careless install is still a safe install, because the masking is not yours to disable.
Microsoft Clarity vs OpenReplay
OpenReplay Microsoft Clarity price free self-hosted free free tier yes yes masking default emails only all input boxes, always opt-in or out mixed — email opt-out, rest opt-in neither — cannot be disabled cost at 100k sessions infrastructure only, or $199+/mo managed $0 eu hosting yes — self-host anywhere eu contracting via microsoft ireland free tier unlimited self-hosted entirely free, unlimited
switch for teams that want the safest possible default and cannot rely on developers configuring anything.
pros
+ input masking cannot be disabled by anyone, including admins + free with no traffic limit at any volume + native consent api plus cmp support; consent enforced for eea/uk/swiss traffic + capture sdk is open source under mit cons
− funded by feeding microsoft advertising — a conflict to weigh, not ignore − retention period is not published − google consent mode support still listed as coming soon − no paid tier means no commercial leverage if priorities change 2
Contentsquare #2 in session replay tools · redacts emails, tokens and card numbers in the browser, before anything is sent.
86 /100 verdict the strongest technical privacy posture of the mainstream commercial tools, and its free tier swallows this page's entire benchmark.
Contentsquare vs OpenReplay
OpenReplay Contentsquare price free self-hosted free to 200k sessions/mo free tier yes yes masking default emails only inputs not captured; pii redacted in browser opt-in or out mixed — email opt-out, rest opt-in opt-out cost at 100k sessions infrastructure only, or $199+/mo managed $0 — inside free tier eu hosting yes — self-host anywhere yes; residency options on enterprise free tier unlimited self-hosted 200,000 sessions/mo
switch for teams that want masking to happen before data leaves the browser rather than after it arrives.
pros
+ redaction happens client-side, before transmission + input values not captured by default; all-pages masking on by default + 200,000 free sessions a month + eu data centres, iso 27701 as controller and processor cons
− mid-merger with hotjar — pricing and backend both in flux − retention windows not stated in any single primary doc − consent-gating default unverified − pro and enterprise pricing requires a sales conversation 3
PostHog #3 in session replay tools · masks all inputs by default, hosts in the eu on every plan including free, and you can self-host the mit core.
84 /100 verdict the best combination of correct defaults, real eu hosting and an escape hatch, if you can live with an enterprise carve-out in the licence.
PostHog vs OpenReplay
OpenReplay PostHog price free self-hosted $272.50/mo at 100k sessions free tier yes yes masking default emails only all inputs masked opt-in or out mixed — email opt-out, rest opt-in opt-out cost at 100k sessions infrastructure only, or $199+/mo managed $272.50 eu hosting yes — self-host anywhere yes — all plans, frankfurt free tier unlimited self-hosted 5,000 recordings/mo
switch for engineering teams that want a safe default, eu hosting and the option to run it themselves.
pros
+ `maskAllInputs: true` by default, with the reasoning documented + eu region on every plan including free + per-recording pricing you can compute in advance + mit-licensed core is genuinely self-hostable cons
− `ee/` directory is proprietary — the open core is not the full product − free-plan retention capped at 1 year until billing is attached − consent-gating behaviour undocumented − mobile replay billed separately at double the entry rate advertisement
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Quantum Metric #4 in session replay tools · pii is encrypted at capture with a key only you hold — quantum metric cannot decrypt its own customers' data.
81 /100 verdict the only architecture here where the vendor is structurally unable to read your users' data, sold in the least transparent way.
Quantum Metric vs OpenReplay
OpenReplay Quantum Metric price free self-hosted quoted free tier yes no masking default emails only automatic pii and pci blocking opt-in or out mixed — email opt-out, rest opt-in opt-out cost at 100k sessions infrastructure only, or $199+/mo managed quoted — not published eu hosting yes — self-host anywhere unverified free tier unlimited self-hosted none
switch for regulated enterprises that need a privacy guarantee stronger than a vendor's promise to mask.
pros
+ customer-held encryption key — vendor cannot decrypt pii + blocks health data, card details, cvv, passwords and otps automatically + admin review ui for flagged pii and false positives + built for regulated industries rather than retrofitted cons
− no public pricing, no free tier, no trial − retention and data residency undocumented − consent integration unverified − sales-led only — no way to evaluate without a contract conversation 5
Datadog RUM #5 in session replay tools · `mask` is the default privacy level, and password, email, tel and card fields stay masked whatever you set.
78 /100 verdict the strongest non-overridable masking floor in the category, wrapped in the hardest pricing to forecast.
Datadog RUM vs OpenReplay
OpenReplay Datadog RUM price free self-hosted ~$2.50 per 1,000 replayed sessions free tier yes no masking default emails only `mask` — strictest level opt-in or out mixed — email opt-out, rest opt-in opt-out, with a floor you can't lower cost at 100k sessions infrastructure only, or $199+/mo managed componentised — see note eu hosting yes — self-host anywhere yes — datadoghq.eu, frankfurt free tier unlimited self-hosted trial only
switch for teams already running datadog who want replay correlated with apm, logs and infrastructure.
pros
+ `mask` applied when no privacy level is specified + password, email, tel and card autocomplete fields masked at every level + eu region in frankfurt for all paying customers + replay correlated with apm, logs and infrastructure cons
− three separate meters make cost forecasting genuinely hard − per-tier rates not confirmable on datadog's own pricing page − consent-integration mechanics undocumented − no free tier for replay 6
Sentry Session Replay #6 in session replay tools · masks all text and all inputs by default, with an eu region available even on the free plan.
76 /100 verdict correct defaults and eu hosting on every plan, let down by pricing we could not verify from the vendor.
Sentry Session Replay vs OpenReplay
OpenReplay Sentry Session Replay price free self-hosted ~$300–350/mo at 100k replays free tier yes yes masking default emails only all text and all inputs opt-in or out mixed — email opt-out, rest opt-in opt-out cost at 100k sessions infrastructure only, or $199+/mo managed ~$300–350 (approximate) eu hosting yes — self-host anywhere yes — all plans, frankfurt free tier unlimited self-hosted 50 replays/mo
switch for engineering teams already using sentry for errors who want the replay attached to the exception.
pros
+ `maskAllText` and `maskAllInputs` both true by default + eu region in frankfurt on every plan, including free + replays automatically linked to the triggering error + 5,000 free replays a month for the first three months cons
− per-replay overage rate not confirmable on sentry's own page − self-hosted server licence unverified — likely bsl, not open source − 30-day retention on free, fixed at ingestion time − consent integration undocumented 7
Hotjar #7 in session replay tools · suppresses typed input by default and auto-detects names, addresses and card numbers — but no longer exists as its own product.
74 /100 verdict genuinely good privacy defaults on a product that is being dissolved into its acquirer.
Hotjar vs OpenReplay
OpenReplay Hotjar price free self-hosted free to 200k sessions/mo free tier yes yes masking default emails only input suppressed; sensitive fields detected opt-in or out mixed — email opt-out, rest opt-in opt-out cost at 100k sessions infrastructure only, or $199+/mo managed $0 — inside contentsquare free tier eu hosting yes — self-host anywhere yes — ireland, aws eu-west-1 free tier unlimited self-hosted 200,000 sessions/mo via contentsquare
switch for marketing and ux teams who want heatmaps plus recordings and don't mind buying contentsquare to get them.
pros
+ input suppressed by default, not on request + auto-detects names, addresses, phones, passwords and card numbers + suppresses digit sequences by default without extra configuration + eu storage in ireland, confirmed location cons
− no longer a standalone product — folded into contentsquare − pricing page redirects; you evaluate the acquirer's plans − retention period unverified − consent-gating default unverified 8
Highlight.io #8 in session replay tools · regex-matches emails, ssns, card numbers, addresses and ips anywhere on the page, not just in form fields.
72 /100 verdict the widest automatic pii detection of the open-source options, with no published rate at the volume this page compares.
Highlight.io vs OpenReplay
OpenReplay Highlight.io price free self-hosted $50/mo for 500 sessions free tier yes yes masking default emails only all inputs plus regex pii in page text opt-in or out mixed — email opt-out, rest opt-in opt-out cost at 100k sessions infrastructure only, or $199+/mo managed estimator only — not published eu hosting yes — self-host anywhere self-hosted only free tier unlimited self-hosted 500 sessions/mo
switch for teams who want pii caught wherever it appears on the page, including rendered text.
pros
+ regex pii detection covers emails, ssns, cards, phones, addresses and ips + catches pii in rendered page text, not only in inputs + apache 2.0 across most of the codebase + free forever at 500 sessions with up to 15 seats cons
− no published rate at 100k sessions — estimator or sales only − base paid tier covers only 500 sessions − no confirmed eu-hosted region; self-host for residency − consent integration undocumented 9
Glassbox #9 in session replay tools · whitelist model — inputs are blocked until you allow them, sold entirely through sales.
70 /100 verdict the right default model for regulated industries, described almost entirely by people who aren't glassbox.
Glassbox vs OpenReplay
OpenReplay Glassbox price free self-hosted quoted free tier yes no masking default emails only whitelist — all inputs blocked opt-in or out mixed — email opt-out, rest opt-in opt-out cost at 100k sessions infrastructure only, or $199+/mo managed quoted — not published eu hosting yes — self-host anywhere unverified free tier unlimited self-hosted none
switch for banks, insurers and healthcare providers who need iso 27701 certification on the vendor as well as the product.
pros
+ whitelist model — inputs blocked until explicitly allowed + iso 27701 certified privacy management + client-side and server-side masking across web and mobile + built for hipaa, glba and pci environments cons
− no public pricing whatsoever and no free trial − masking behaviour confirmed only through secondary sources − retention, residency and consent all undocumented − circulating cost estimates are unverifiable 10
FullStory #10 in session replay tools · form privacy masks inputs, textareas and selects on every account by default; radio and checkbox aren't captured at all.
68 /100 verdict sensible masking defaults and a generous free tier, attached to pricing you cannot see until you ask.
FullStory vs OpenReplay
OpenReplay FullStory price free self-hosted free to 30k sessions/mo free tier yes yes masking default emails only input, textarea, select, contenteditable opt-in or out mixed — email opt-out, rest opt-in opt-out cost at 100k sessions infrastructure only, or $199+/mo managed quoted — not published eu hosting yes — self-host anywhere unverified free tier unlimited self-hosted 30,000 sessions/mo
switch for product teams who want replay and analytics together and are prepared to talk to sales for real volume.
pros
+ form privacy on by default across all accounts + radio and checkbox elements not captured at all + 30,000 free sessions a month with 12-month retention + replay and product analytics in one product cons
− no published pricing above the free tier − eu data residency not confirmed anywhere on the site − masking scope for custom input components needs manual verification − consent integration and vendor data use both unverified + 3 more tested, not detailed here
we ranked 14 session replay tools in total. the 3 that didn't make this page are written up in the full ranking →
how these were compared every tool on this page went through the same test as OpenReplay — same tasks, same order, scored the same way. the comparison tables are the figures from that testing, not vendor spec sheets.
the session replay tools test in full → was this useful?
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Microsoft Clarity alternatives Contentsquare alternatives PostHog alternatives Quantum Metric alternatives Datadog RUM alternatives Sentry Session Replay alternatives