Hawkeye

Hawkeye is eye-tracking software for studying how people view websites, images, and supported prototypes. It suits product and design teams seeking gaze evidence without dedicated tracking hardware. Its mix of visualizations and element-level statistics is compelling for focused interface studies, though mobile testing requires a TrueDepth camera and the free plan is tightly capped.

Overview

Hawkeye brings participant gaze data into studies of both existing interfaces and design prototypes. Testing websites and images requires no code changes, while support for InVision, Marvel, and Sketch extends its use to work before implementation. For teams that need to connect attention patterns to particular UI elements, the combination of aggregate results and individual statistics is more useful than a heat map alone.

Key features

Results include heat maps, focus-point diagrams, and screen recordings. Researchers can see where a participant looked and for how long, then aggregate results across testers or examine statistics for individual UI elements. This gives teams ways to inspect both broad attention patterns and specific interface areas. CSV exports contain eye-position, UI-element, and touch data; heat maps and screen recordings can also be exported.

Participants can be invited by phone number through text message, a direct option for bringing people into a study. Calibration centers the participant’s head, verifies the calibration, and reports a five-star rating and an accuracy estimate. Those indicators give the researcher a way to assess calibration, though they should not be mistaken for a guarantee of measurement quality.

Slack and Google sign-in are supported, and company Slack teammates are automatically added to the same team. Feedback, feature requests, and questions can be sent through the in-app chat button. These team and support touches are useful for collaborative work, but the central appeal remains the study and analysis workflow.

Pricing

Hawkeye is freemium. The Free plan costs nothing and allows 1 project and 5 sessions. That is enough to explore the workflow or run a small study, but the session cap makes it a poor fit for repeated research or larger participant groups.

The Starter Plan costs $39.99 a month, billed monthly. It is the paid option for teams whose work outgrows the free project and session allowance. No seat or usage allowance is given for this plan, so prospective buyers should confirm that its terms fit their study volume before committing.

Platforms

Hawkeye supports iPhone, iPad, and web. The iPhone and iPad app requires a TrueDepth camera, so those devices are not a universal route into mobile testing. The product is software-based and does not require dedicated eye-tracking hardware, a practical advantage for teams without specialized tracking equipment.

Who it's for

Hawkeye is best suited to product and design teams that need gaze evidence on websites, images, or supported prototypes and want to inspect both participant-level behavior and patterns across testers. Its exports and element-level statistics support more focused interface analysis than visualizations alone. It is less suitable for teams needing broad mobile-device compatibility, large-scale studies on a no-cost plan, or a plan whose usage terms they have not confirmed.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Website and image studies need no code changes, and prototype support makes the tool relevant before development as well as after.
• Pros: Participant-level gaze views, aggregated results, and element statistics connect visual patterns to interface questions.
• Pros: CSV exports include eye position, UI element, and touch data, giving teams structured study output alongside visual exports.
• Cons: The free plan is limited to 1 project and 5 sessions, constraining ongoing or larger studies.
• Cons: iPhone and iPad testing requires a TrueDepth camera, narrowing the compatible device pool.
• Cons: The paid Starter Plan has a monthly price, while its session and seat allowances are not given here; teams should verify fit before purchase.

Alternatives

Browse our Eye Tracking Software category for more options. Choose GazePlotter if you want a free, open-source tool under GNU GPL v3 with broad desktop, mobile, and web platform support. Labvanced is another freemium option, with a free plan that includes 300 MB storage, 10 recordings, and 1 active recruiting link, plus a free trial.

GazeRecorder is a free option for non-commercial use. Choose OpenGazer if you want an open-source gaze tracker for Linux and can work with its webcam requirement and Linux build dependencies. PyGaze is a free, open-source eye-tracking toolbox distributed as a Python package and source downloads.

Chiasm offers a pay-per-use Flex plan at €0.25 per minute with no monthly minimum, or a Starter plan at €199 a month with 900 participant-minutes per month included. OGAMA is a free, open-source Windows option. Pupil Player is another option for Linux, macOS, and Windows.

Verdict

Choose Hawkeye if your product or design team needs gaze studies across websites, images, and supported prototypes, with clear paths from individual behavior to aggregated interface findings. Its no-code test setup and detailed exports make that workflow persuasive without dedicated tracking hardware. Look elsewhere if five free sessions will not cover your needs, your iPhone or iPad lacks a TrueDepth camera, or you need clearer paid-plan usage terms before deciding.