# PostHog vs Smartlook: which do AI models recommend for session replay, October 2026

GTM AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, Session replay and heatmaps. Two of fourteen models named PostHog first on the direct prompt; one named Smartlook. Page: https://gtm-ai-index.com/gtm-data/session-replay-and-heatmaps/posthog-vs-smartlook/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PostHog | 7% | #4 of 10 | 5% | 37 | 14 of 14 |
| Smartlook | 2% | #8 of 10 | 29% | 17 | 12 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- DeepSeek V4 Flash: posthog first (first choices: PostHog) (alternatives: Hotjar, LogRocket, Microsoft Clarity, Mouseflow)
- GPT-6 Luna: posthog first (first choices: PostHog) (alternatives: Fullstory, Hotjar)
- Llama 4 Maverick: smartlook first (first choices: Smartlook) (alternatives: Adobe Analytics, Fullstory)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: Pendo) (alternatives: LogRocket, Mouseflow, PostHog)
- Mistral Small: neither first, one named (first choices: Hotjar, Lucky Orange) (alternatives: Fullstory, PostHog, UXCam)
- Kimi K2: neither first, one named (first choices: Hotjar) (alternatives: LogRocket, Mouseflow, Smartlook)
- MiniMax M2.5: neither first, one named (first choices: Mixpanel) (alternatives: Fullstory, PostHog, UXCam)
- Muse Glimmer 30B: neither first, one named (first choices: Fullstory) (alternatives: Contentsquare, Heap, Hotjar, Microsoft Clarity, PostHog, VWO)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: neither named (first choices: Mouseflow) (alternatives: Hotjar)
- GPT-5.4 mini: neither named (first choices: Contentsquare, Mouseflow) (alternatives: LogRocket)
- Perplexity Sonar: neither named (first choices: Fullstory) (alternatives: Hotjar, LogRocket)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: neither named (first choices: Hotjar) (alternatives: LogRocket, Microsoft Clarity, Mouseflow)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: neither named (first choices: Hotjar) (alternatives: LogRocket, Matomo)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: neither named (first choices: Hotjar) (alternatives: Crazy Egg, Fullstory, Microsoft Clarity, Mouseflow)

## What the models said about PostHog

- "PostHog does offer data scrubbing features, but I was recently surprised to see their announcement about integrating AI to analyze session replays on behalf of users. This raises a red flag" (Muse Glimmer 30B, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "If you enable network capture, scrutinize it separately from replay masking: requests and responses can contain sensitive headers or bodies" (GPT-6 Luna, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "I'd generally recommend PostHog if you want the best balance of visitor behavior analytics, product analytics, and session replay in one place" (GPT-5.4 mini, paraphrase prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about Smartlook

- "avoid or exercise extreme caution with Hotjar, FullStory, Mouseflow, LogRocket, and Smartlook" (Mistral Small, negative prompt, hard negative)
- "Listed together with Hotjar and FullStory as tools selling the legitimate interest no-consent narrative." (Muse Glimmer 30B, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "Microsoft Clarity, Hotjar, FullStory, Mouseflow, LogRocket, and Smartlook all share common issues" (Kimi K2, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "Smartlook is a popular choice for mid-market companies, offering session replay and product analytics for web and mobile apps." (Llama 4 Maverick, direct prompt, first choice)
- "Smartlook is budget-friendly with the best mobile app recording in the mid-market, with a generous free tier of 1,500 sessions a month" (Claude Haiku 4.5, budget prompt, alternative)
- "Other budget-friendly options include Smartlook, which offers the best mobile app recording in the mid-market." (Llama 4 Maverick, budget prompt, alternative)

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category. Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category. Published under CC BY 4.0; the output is the models' output, and nothing here is a recommendation by the index.