How do HeyLead and Attributer work?
HeyLead and Attributer both use a small script on your website to read where each visitor came from: UTM tags, ad click IDs such as gclid, and the referring website. The difference is where that information ends up.
Attributer stores the visitor's channel, source and campaign, then fills them into hidden fields that you add to each form. When the form is sent, the source travels with the lead into your CRM, email tool or spreadsheet. Your reporting happens there.
HeyLead detects your forms automatically and saves each submission together with its first touch, last touch and every visit in between. You see the source of every lead in the HeyLead dashboard straight away, and you can still push it into your CRM with webhooks, Zapier or hidden fields if you want it there too.
Setup: hidden fields or automatic capture?
Setting up Attributer means installing its script, then adding a set of hidden fields to every form you want tracked and mapping them in your CRM. That works well on a site with a few stable forms. It takes more care when you have many forms, page builders that make hidden fields awkward, or a team that adds new forms without telling anyone.
HeyLead's setup is one script tag or the WordPress plugin. Forms are captured automatically, so a new form starts tracking the moment it goes live. Our guide to tracking leads without writing code walks through the difference in more detail.
| Setup step | HeyLead | Attributer |
|---|---|---|
| Install a script or plugin | Yes, about 5 minutes | Yes |
| Add hidden fields to each form | Optional | Required |
| Map fields in your CRM | Optional | Required for reporting |
| New forms tracked automatically | Yes | After hidden fields are added |
How accurate is the data from each tool?
Both HeyLead and Attributer read the same signals when a visitor arrives: UTM tags, ad click IDs and the referring website. The accuracy of the result depends mostly on whether the source reaches the lead record intact.
With a hidden-field setup like Attributer's, the source is only saved when the form has the right hidden fields and those fields are mapped in your CRM or form tool. If a form is rebuilt, duplicated or swapped for a new one and the hidden fields are not added again, leads from that form arrive without a source. That is a process risk rather than a flaw in the tool, and teams with a few stable forms manage it without trouble.
HeyLead saves the source with the submission itself, so a new or rebuilt form is tracked as soon as it is live. Its channel order is fixed and documented: custom rules first, then AI assistants, then ad click IDs (gclid, gbraid, wbraid, msclkid, ttclid, li_fat_id, twclid), then UTM tags, then the referrer, and finally Direct. A live install checker shows whether tracking is working on your site.
Where do you see your reports?
With Attributer, reports live wherever the lead lands. If you use HubSpot, Salesforce or another CRM, you build lead source reports there. That suits teams that already run all their reporting in the CRM.
HeyLead includes a dashboard built for business owners: leads, customers and revenue by channel, campaign and landing page, plus a plain-English summary of what changed. Each lead has its own page showing every visit before they got in touch. See how to read the HeyLead dashboard.
How do they handle leads from ChatGPT and AI assistants?
AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini now send real buyers to small business websites, and many analytics tools still file those visits under Direct or Referral. HeyLead labels them as an AI Referral channel and names the assistant, so you can see ChatGPT and Perplexity leads side by side. Read more on the AI Lead Tracker page.
Check Attributer's documentation for how it currently classifies AI referrals, as tracking tools are adding this quickly.
How do HeyLead and Attributer work with HubSpot and other CRMs?
Attributer is built around your CRM. The source data it writes into hidden fields travels through your form tool's integration into HubSpot, Salesforce or whichever CRM or spreadsheet you use, and you report on it there. If your team already lives in the CRM, that is a clean fit: nothing new to log in to.
HeyLead can work the same way and adds its own reporting on top. It sends each lead and its source to HubSpot, Zoho CRM, Salesforce, Pipedrive and most other tools through Zapier or webhooks, and connects to Google Sheets directly. Native CRM sync is coming soon. If your form tool already pushes leads into your CRM, you can add optional hidden fields and HeyLead fills them in, so the source appears on the CRM record just as it would with Attributer. The HubSpot setup guide shows how the fields map.
HeyLead also keeps lead statuses (New, Qualified, Customer, Lost) and deal values, so the dashboard can show customers and revenue by channel even if you never build a CRM report.
| CRM and reporting | HeyLead | Attributer |
|---|---|---|
| Source written to the CRM record | Yes, through integrations or optional hidden fields | Yes, through hidden fields |
| Getting leads into your CRM | Zapier or webhooks (native sync coming soon); Google Sheets directly | Through your form tool's integrations |
| Webhooks and Zapier | Yes | Check Attributer's docs |
| Reports outside the CRM | HeyLead dashboard | Reports in your CRM or tool |
| Phone call tracking | No, on the roadmap | Check Attributer's docs |
HeyLead does not track phone calls or live chat yet, so if many of your leads phone you, plan for a call tracking tool alongside either product.
How does pricing compare?
Both tools list very similar pricing: a single-site plan from $29/month and multi-site plans for agencies. HeyLead's 14-day trial costs $2.99, then continues on the plan you chose. See HeyLead pricing for every plan and limit, and Attributer's pricing page for theirs.
For a single website, Attributer's listed entry tier is $29 a month for 1 site and 100 leads. HeyLead's single-site plans are $29, $49, $99 per month for 1,000, 2,000 or 5,000 leads. Attributer lists a free trial; HeyLead's trial is 14 days for $2.99. HeyLead is billed monthly and you can cancel anytime; check Attributer's pricing page for its billing terms.
Which is better for agencies and multi-site businesses?
Agencies and businesses with several websites can use either tool. Attributer lists multi-site tiers at $199, $299 and $399 a month, with the top tier covering 50 sites; check its pricing page for the lead limits on each. HeyLead's multi-site plans start at $199/month and cover 10, 25 or 50 sites with unlimited leads.
The bigger difference for agencies is the work per client site. With Attributer, each client's forms need hidden fields added and mapped in that client's CRM. With HeyLead, you install one script or the WordPress plugin per site, forms are captured automatically, and each client's leads appear in the dashboard straight away. You can invite team members, and the live install checker shows which sites are tracking correctly.
How do you switch from Attributer to HeyLead?
You can switch from Attributer to HeyLead without losing leads by running both for a short time. Neither tool needs the other removed first, because HeyLead does not depend on Attributer's hidden fields.
- Start a HeyLead trial and add the script tag or WordPress plugin to your site. Leave Attributer installed.
- Submit a few test leads from different sources, for example a link with UTM tags and a visit from a search engine, and check that each one appears in HeyLead with the right channel.
- Connect your CRM through a HeyLead integration, Zapier or webhooks, or keep your existing hidden fields and let HeyLead fill them.
- Compare a week or two of leads in both tools so your team is happy with the numbers.
- Remove the Attributer script and any hidden fields you no longer need, and update CRM reports that read from those fields.
Past leads stay in your CRM with the source Attributer recorded, so your history is not lost. HeyLead's data starts from the day you install it.
Which should you choose?
Choose Attributer if your CRM is the centre of your reporting and you are comfortable adding hidden fields to every form.
Choose HeyLead if you want to see where every lead came from without touching your forms, with a dashboard, a full journey for each lead and AI assistants counted properly. You can also compare HeyLead with Google Analytics or read what lead source tracking is.