Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Smartlook VS ConvertKit

Compare Smartlook VS ConvertKit and see what are their differences

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Smartlook logo Smartlook

Qualitative analytics for websites and mobile apps Start understanding the 'whys' of your users' behaviors with clear, visual insights. With session recordings and event tracking, you get the complete picture.

ConvertKit logo ConvertKit

Email marketing software for online creators. We help you earn a living online through an intuitive email marketing automation tool.
  • Smartlook Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-22

Smartlook is a qualitative analytics solution for web and mobile helping over 250,000 businesses of all sizes and industries answer the โ€œwhysโ€ behind usersโ€™ actions โ€” why do users churn, or why arenโ€™t they using a feature, or why are they skipping onboarding? Now you can eliminate the guesswork.

With a unique feature set, Smartlook gives you a way to finally understand user behavior at the micro level. Always-on visitor recordings show you what every last visitor does on your website or app, and heatmaps give you mass data about where most people click and scroll. Automatic event tracking lets you know how (and how often) your visitors do specific things, while conversion funnels take those events and show you how much success you're having with conversions.

Started in 2016, Smartlook has grown into a complete solution for qualitative analytics, making guesswork a thing of the past. Stop wondering why, and start getting answers today.

  • ConvertKit Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-05

Smartlook features and specs

  • Comprehensive Analytics
    Smartlook provides detailed insights through session recordings, heatmaps, and event tracking, which helps businesses understand user behavior deeply.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The platform is easy to navigate, making it accessible for users who may not be experienced with analytics tools.
  • Real-Time Data
    Smartlook offers real-time data monitoring, which allows businesses to promptly identify and address issues as they occur.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    The tool supports web, iOS, and Android platforms, enabling businesses to track user behavior across different devices seamlessly.
  • Advanced Filtering
    Users can apply advanced filters to their data, which helps in segmenting users and understanding specific behaviors more accurately.
  • Integrations
    Smartlook integrates with various third-party tools like Google Analytics, Slack, and others, providing a more versatile analytical environment.
  • Session Recordings
    Smartlook provides detailed session recordings for mobile apps, allowing teams to watch real user interactions, see exactly how users navigate through the app, and identify usability issues or friction points in the user experience.
  • Heatmaps for Mobile
    The platform offers touch heatmaps specifically designed for mobile apps, helping teams visualize where users tap, scroll, and interact most frequently, enabling data-driven UI/UX design decisions.
  • Event-Based Analytics
    Smartlook allows you to track custom events and user actions without requiring extensive coding, making it easier to monitor funnels, conversions, and key user behaviors within the mobile app.
  • Crash and Anomaly Detection
    The tool helps identify crashes and anomalies by linking session recordings to error events, enabling developers to see exactly what the user was doing before a crash occurred, which significantly speeds up debugging and issue resolution.

Possible disadvantages of Smartlook

  • Data Privacy Concerns
    Recording user sessions could potentially raise privacy issues if not managed correctly, requiring strict adherence to data protection regulations.
  • Learning Curve
    Even with a user-friendly interface, new users might still encounter a learning curve when trying to utilize all features effectively.
  • Cost
    While offering a free tier, the costs can add up for premium features or advanced usage, which might be a constraint for smaller businesses.
  • Performance Impact
    The presence of session recording scripts can sometimes slow down website performance, affecting the user experience negatively.
  • Limited Free Plan
    The free plan comes with limitations in terms of data retention and the number of sessions that can be recorded, which might not be sufficient for larger businesses or detailed analysis.
  • Privacy and Compliance Concerns
    Capturing session recordings on mobile apps raises significant privacy concerns. Teams must carefully configure data masking and ensure compliance with GDPR, CCPA, and app store privacy policies, which adds complexity to implementation.
  • Data Sampling at Scale
    For apps with high traffic volumes, Smartlook may sample data rather than capturing every session, which means some user interactions could be missed and analytics may not represent the full picture of user behavior.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While basic session playback is straightforward, setting up advanced features like custom event tracking, funnel analysis, and proper data filtering requires technical knowledge and time investment, which can slow down initial adoption.

ConvertKit features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    ConvertKit offers a user-friendly interface that is straightforward to navigate, making it easy for beginners to set up and use.
  • Automation
    The platform provides robust automation features, allowing users to set up complex email funnels and sequences efficiently.
  • Landing Pages
    ConvertKit includes built-in landing page templates that allow users to quickly create high-converting landing pages.
  • Segmentation
    Users can easily segment their audience based on various factors to send more targeted and personalized emails.
  • Integrations
    ConvertKit integrates with numerous third-party applications and services, facilitating seamless workflow and data synchronization.
  • Support
    Offers excellent customer support, including live chat and email support, as well as a rich knowledge base and community.
  • Affiliate Program
    Provides a lucrative affiliate program that allows users to earn commissions by promoting ConvertKit.

Possible disadvantages of ConvertKit

  • Pricing
    ConvertKit is relatively more expensive compared to some other email marketing platforms, which may be a deterrent for small businesses and startups.
  • Limited Design Flexibility
    Although the templates are clean and functional, ConvertKit lacks the advanced design customization options available in some other platforms.
  • Basic Email Templates
    The email templates are relatively basic and limited in variety, which may not suit users looking for elaborate design options.
  • No Free Plan
    ConvertKit does not offer a free plan beyond the initial trial period, which can be a limitation for users not ready to commit financially.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While basic functionalities are easy to use, there may be a learning curve for some of the more advanced features and automations.

Analysis of Smartlook

Overall verdict

  • Smartlook is generally well-regarded for its comprehensive analytics capabilities, ease of integration, and intuitive user interface. It offers valuable data and insights that can help businesses enhance their digital platforms. While some users have noted occasional issues with data accuracy or performance, the overall feedback is positive, making it a suitable tool for many organizations.

Why this product is good

  • Smartlook is a digital analytics tool designed for websites and mobile apps to help businesses understand user behavior through features like session recordings, heatmaps, event tracking, and conversion funnels. These functionalities provide insights into user interactions and can help identify areas for optimization, improve user experience, and increase conversion rates.

Recommended for

  • E-commerce businesses looking to understand customer behavior
  • Product managers aiming to optimize user experience
  • Marketers who need to analyze conversion rates and funnels
  • UX/UI designers focused on improving website or app interfaces
  • Businesses seeking to identify and troubleshoot technical issues quickly

Analysis of ConvertKit

Overall verdict

  • ConvertKit is a good choice for those who prioritize ease of use and effective email marketing automation, particularly if they are content creators or entrepreneurs seeking a straightforward yet powerful platform.

Why this product is good

  • ConvertKit is generally well-regarded because of its user-friendly interface, powerful automation features, and robust email marketing capabilities tailored specifically for content creators. It offers seamless integration with various platforms and has a supportive community. It lacks the overwhelming complexity of some larger competitors, making it accessible for smaller teams and individuals.

Recommended for

  • Bloggers
  • Podcasters
  • YouTubers
  • Small business owners
  • Online course creators
  • Freelancers and consultants

Smartlook videos

Smartlook - Get an insider look

More videos:

  • Review - Join the TurboTax SmartLook Team
  • Review - With TurboTax SmartLook, You're Never Alone

ConvertKit videos

ConvertKit Review - Don't Buy Until You See This! (Top 5 Reasons NOT to use ConvertKit)

More videos:

  • Review - Convertkit Review - Why It's the Best Email Marketing Platform for Bloggers!
  • Review - Convertkit Review- Email Marketing Autoresponder Overview

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Smartlook and ConvertKit)
Web Analytics
100 100%
0% 0
Email Marketing
0 0%
100% 100
Analytics
100 100%
0% 0
Email Marketing Platforms

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Smartlook and ConvertKit

Smartlook Reviews

10 Best Mixpanel Alternatives for Product Analytics in 2024
Smartlook is an advanced analytics tool that provides real-time insights into user behaviors and experiences. Understand how users engage with your products, and identify areas for improvement in your customer experience.
Source: clickup.com
11 Hotjar alternatives and competitors in 2024
Another key consideration is that Smartlook provides most of its features on the Pro plan, whereas Hotjar limits features by plan. For example, trend analysis is only available in the Scale planโ€”which starts at $171 per month. When using Smartlook, this functionality is available in all plans.
Source: maze.co
12 Hotjar alternatives for website and mobile app analytics
is the product manager at Smartlook. Martin is enthusiastic about delivering the best possible customer experience. Prior to joining Smartlook as a product manager, he used to work as a consultant for Oracle NetSuite. Martin has a deep professional interest in biometric signing and work digitalization. He is also an NFL enthusiast and likes to enjoy good food (ideally while...
10 Best Hotjar Alternatives & Competitors in 2023
The second Hotjar alternative on our list is Smartlook. As a marketing analytics tool, Smartlook seems to provide its users with session recordings of visitors and allows them to create heatmaps and add events to funnels.
Top 10 CRO Tools to Boost Conversions for Free in 2023
Smartlook is one of the conversion optimization tools that claim to increase traffic rate, and, eventually, your web conversions. It offers key features like event tracking, session replays, heatmaps, and funnels.
Source: aigrow.me

ConvertKit Reviews

10 Best Campaign Monitor Alternatives You Can Find
If you are a content creator or active in such activities, then ConvertKit can be an effective Campaign Monitor alternative for you. You can also review some of the finest ConvertKit alternatives.
Source: mailbluster.com
Comparing 16 Campaign Monitor Alternatives: In-depth Analysis
Migrating from other ESPs to ConvertKit is free. Over 500K creators use ConvertKit. It is loved particularly for its intuitive interface and excellent list management feature.
The 6 Best Campaign Monitor Alternatives for 2024
CategoryConvertKitCampaign MonitorBest FeatureAdvanced email template customizationUser-friendly interfacePros1. Flexible design and customization2. Intuitive drag-and-drop editor3. Seamless integration with other tools1. Easy-to-use email editor2. Beautiful customizable templates3. In-depth reporting and analyticsCons1. Limited advanced automation capabilities2. Higher...
The 10 best landing page builders + the top features you should always look for!
ConvertKit landing pages were designed by world-class pros to be fully customizable and give you the quick data to improve your conversion rates and grow your business.
Source: convertkit.com
12 Top Campaign Monitor Alternatives & Competitors
Summary: ConvertKit is unique in that it is built very intentionally with bloggers and other online storytellers in mind, featuring easy to build visual automations and smart segementations. Itโ€™s a bit pricey for what it offers, but if you are an author, blogger, newsletter creator or brand marketer, it fits like a glove.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, ConvertKit seems to be a lot more popular than Smartlook. While we know about 22 links to ConvertKit, we've tracked only 2 mentions of Smartlook. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Smartlook mentions (2)

ConvertKit mentions (22)

  • Ask HN: What Are You Working On? (October 2025)
    Https://SaasCustomDomains.com, it started as a side project while I was working on https://sparkloop.app. https://kit.com acquired SparkLoop and I decided to go full-time on SaaS Custom Domains. It's basically a reverse-proxy-as-a-service. I handle TLS termination and cert management, offer routing rules, rate limiting, WAF + DDOS protection, proxy + web analytics, redirects etc. All accessible via very simple... - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • Adding Multiple Authors to my Astro Writing Blog: A Technical Walkthrough
    At the end of last year, my brothers and I wrote our first novel together (The Battle for Christmas: Reign of the Nutcrackers). That experience inspired us to continue writing together, starting with a monthly newsletter with short stories. At this point, we decided we wanted a website. We had been using Kit to send emails, and we liked that functionality, but as our writing resumes grow, we also wanted to have a... - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Low/no code signup/demo page for startup?
    Iโ€™ve used https://convertkit.com/ for this in the past. - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
  • Minimalist email subscription/newsletter for website?
    ConvertKit is my go to and still is for now. Source: about 3 years ago
  • From Pizza Hut to YouTube - Embracing Life's Adventures
    One lazy Saturday afternoon, a sudden epiphany struck me like lightning. I decided to seize every moment and pursue my bucket list dreams while capturing them on YouTube. My aim is to inspire others to cherish their time and embrace life's adventures with a newfound zeal. I want you to do the things on your bucket list. When I was sick and thought I was dying. The one thing that ruminated in my head was "I just... Source: about 3 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Smartlook and ConvertKit, you can also consider the following products

Hotjar - The #1 Leader in Heatmaps, Recordings, Surveys & More. Sign up for a 15-day free trial and start learning from real user behavior today!

MailChimp - MailChimp is the best way to design, send, and share email newsletters.

Google Analytics - Improve your website to increase conversions, improve the user experience, and make more money using Google Analytics. Measure, understand and quantify engagement on your site with customized and in-depth reports.

Brevo - Innovative online Email Marketing solution to manage your contacts, create & send your newsletters and track your results. More than 80 000 clients. Best prices and attractive features.

FullStory - Meet FullStory, the app that captures all your customer experience data in one powerful platform.

ActiveCampaign - Integrated email marketing, marketing automation, and small business CRM. Send beautiful newsletters, setup behavioral based automations, and benefit from sales automation.