Two requests hidden in the same search
‘Heatmap without tracking code’ can mean reviewing a design before launch, or measuring a live site's visitors without installing a script. Heatpoints answers the first request. It uses an image to predict visual saliency, so the page being reviewed does not need traffic.
It does not reconstruct clicks, scroll reach or session recordings that were never collected. A model output should not be presented as measured visitor behaviour.
References: UNISAL paper and implementation
Use an image or the Chrome extension
For a draft, export an image and upload it to the free generator. For a running website, use the Chrome extension to capture the visible tab. This can work on a page behind a login because the browser has already rendered it.
The extension adds a predicted overlay as you scroll and pause. It sends captures to the server; it is not local image processing. Review the visible information before using it on an internal dashboard.
References: Image generator · Chrome extension
Compare with measured analytics
Microsoft Clarity and behavioural heatmap products answer questions about recorded interactions on an instrumented site. They are useful when you need to investigate actual clicks or scroll behaviour. A predicted map can complement that work by suggesting a visual hypothesis to test.
A simple sequence is to inspect a draft, publish a considered revision, and then evaluate its real use. The prediction and the measured result should remain labelled as different evidence.
References: Microsoft Clarity
Behavioural and predictive, side by side
The table summarises what each family of heatmap needs and delivers. The predictive column is what a tool without tracking code can give you; the behavioural column is what it cannot replace.
| Question | Behavioural heatmap | Predictive heatmap |
|---|---|---|
| Script on the site | Yes | No |
| Visitors needed | Yes, enough to aggregate | None |
| Works before launch or on a mockup | No | Yes |
| Works on a page you do not control | No | Yes, from a screenshot or the Chrome extension |
| What the map shows | What visitors did: clicks, scroll depth, movement | What is likely to stand out in the image |
| Data sent to the vendor | Visitor events | The image you upload |
| Repeatable on a revision | Only after new traffic | Immediately, same settings |
References: Reviewing a page before launch · Free heatmap tools
No script on the target does not mean no data processing
Uploading a screenshot is still data processing. A screenshot can contain personal or confidential information even when no analytics code was added to the original site. The Heatpoints website also has its own service and analytics behaviour, described separately in the privacy policy.
Avoid claims that a predictive tool is automatically exempt from every privacy obligation. First understand what you capture, where you send it and whether it is appropriate for that use.
References: Heatpoints data handling