AI Experience Analytics
Mouseflow
SF 8.6Behavior analytics for website UX fixes
Free · PaidFree plan available; paid plans scale by recorded sessions.
AI Experience Analytics
Smartlook
SF 7.4Session replay across web and mobile
Contact sales
Quick decision guide
Choose based on your workflow
Mouseflow may fit better if...
- Heatmap Tools
- Form Analytics
- Funnel Reports
Smartlook may fit better if...
- Session Recordings
- Event Tracking
- Funnel Analysis
Overview
How each tool is described
Mouseflow
What is Mouseflow?
Mouseflow is a website behavior analytics platform that automatically captures visitor interactions and combines session replay, heatmaps, conversion funnels, journey analytics, form analytics, feedback surveys, and friction detection in one workspace.
- Behavioral role: Mouseflow records sessions automatically and lets teams investigate clicks, scrolling, navigation paths, form abandonment, rage clicks, dead clicks, failed interactions, and JavaScript errors. Its friction tools can automatically detect and rank problematic behaviors so teams can move from an aggregate issue to the sessions behind it.
- AI assistance: Mina AI, currently in beta, accepts natural-language questions, analyzes behavioral data, identifies friction patterns, and directs users to relevant sessions for further investigation. Separately, Mouseflow's MCP Server lets compatible AI assistants query live Mouseflow data including recordings, heatmaps, funnels, and feedback through natural-language conversations.
- Implementation checks: buyers should assess expected session volume, privacy masking and consent configuration, retention requirements, website projects, integrations, user permissions, and which funnels or journeys require ongoing monitoring. Mouseflow also excludes sensitive form data and IP addresses by default and provides additional privacy controls depending on plan.
- Commercial considerations: Mouseflow offers Free, Essential, Advanced, Premium, and Enterprise plans, primarily scaling by monthly sessions, website projects, funnel capacity, data retention, and advanced functionality. All plans include unlimited users; current allowances range from 500 sessions and one month of retention on Free to customizable limits on Enterprise.
Mouseflow is particularly relevant to teams that want to investigate why visitors struggle by connecting conversion and journey data with recordings, heatmaps, forms, friction signals, and direct feedback rather than relying only on aggregate traffic metrics.
Smartlook
What is Smartlook?
Smartlook is a digital behavior analytics platform for websites and mobile apps that combines session recordings with automatically tracked events, funnels, heatmaps, behavior flows, and mobile crash analysis to show how users navigate digital products and where experiences break down. Smartlook is now in an announced end-of-life process following its acquisition by Cisco.
- Behavioral role: session recordings provide individual interaction context, while automatically captured events and heatmaps reveal clicks, navigation, scrolling, rage clicks, and recurring behavior across users. Behavior Flows visualize the paths users take between pages and can link teams back to recordings from particular journey points.
- Diagnostic workflow: funnels identify conversion drop-offs and let teams play sessions associated with individual funnel steps. For supported mobile applications, Smartlook Crash Reports can capture crashes and open the preceding session so teams can inspect what happened before the failure.
- Implementation checks: existing customers should assess web and mobile SDK coverage, privacy masking, consent requirements, project structure, session limits, integrations, API/export requirements, and how historical Smartlook data will be handled during migration. Smartlook masks potentially sensitive inputs and IP addresses by default unless explicitly configured otherwise.
- Commercial considerations: Cisco ended new Smartlook sales on May 31, 2026. The last date to renew or add to an existing subscription is August 31, 2026, and the official last date of subscription support is August 31, 2027. Cisco identifies Splunk Observability Cloud RUM + Digital Experience Analytics as the migration product for affected Smartlook subscriptions.
Smartlook remains relevant mainly to existing customers managing active deployments and migration. Organizations selecting a new behavior-analytics platform should evaluate the Splunk successor or other currently supported alternatives rather than starting a new Smartlook implementation.
Side-by-side
Key differences
Criteria
AI Experience AnalyticsMouseflow
AI Experience AnalyticsSmartlook
Best for
AI Experience Analytics
AI Experience Analytics
Score
8.6/10
7.4/10
Pricing
Free · Paid
Contact sales
Category / audience
AI Analytics Software › AI Experience Analytics
- heatmaps
- session replay
- funnels
AI Analytics Software › AI Experience Analytics
- heatmaps
- session replay
- mobile analytics
Feature check
Side-by-side feature check
Feature
Mouseflow
Smartlook
Session ReplayReplays visits to explain website friction
-
Heatmap ToolsShows clicking scrolling and movement patterns
-
Form AnalyticsFinds abandoned fields and completion issues
-
Funnel ReportsTracks drop offs through conversion paths
-
AI InsightsHighlights issues needing faster attention from teams
-
Feedback ToolsCollects visitor comments and survey responses
-
12 capabilities compared.12 differentiating rows are shown first.
Use cases
Who they're built for
Mouseflow
- Diagnose website conversion friction quicklyReview replay and heatmaps to understand stalled visitors.
- Improve forms with field analyticsFind which fields cause hesitation abandonment or errors.
- Review campaign landing page behaviorSee whether paid visitors engage with intended sections.
Smartlook
- Review mobile app user journeysWatch sessions to understand onboarding and feature adoption issues.
- Investigate funnel drop off pointsConnect dropped users to recordings for faster diagnosis.
- Analyze website events without developersDefine actions in the interface for clearer reporting.
The trade-offs
Pros & cons of each tool
Trade-offs
Mouseflow
Pros
- Affordable behavior analytics with practical AI guidance
- Form analytics gives clear conversion improvement signals
- Good fit for agencies and website teams
Cons
- Less deep than enterprise experience analytics platforms
- Advanced governance is limited for large organizations
- Session volume planning matters for busy websites
Trade-offs
Smartlook
Pros
- Combines recordings events funnels and crash context
- Useful replay coverage across web and mobile
- Event creation reduces repeated developer dependency for teams
Cons
- End of Sale timing creates serious buyer risk
- Long-term roadmap should be confirmed before purchase
- Less suitable for fresh public launch recommendations
Final verdict
Mouseflow has the stronger catalog fit
Current catalog data gives Mouseflow more decision signals for this pair. Verify pricing, setup effort, and ecosystem fit before committing.
Differentiators available
Mouseflow has 4 visible decision signals and Smartlook has 4.
Score signal
Mouseflow has the higher SoftFinders Score in the current catalog data.
Choose Mouseflow if…
- Diagnose website conversion friction quickly
- Improve forms with field analytics
- Review campaign landing page behavior
- Heatmap Tools
Choose Smartlook if…
- Review mobile app user journeys
- Investigate funnel drop off points
- Analyze website events without developers
- Session Recordings
TRY THEM YOURSELF
See which one fits your workflow
Both tools have their strengths, the best way to decide is to spend a few minutes inside each.