Hotjar vs Microsoft Clarity: Which Should You Use? [2026]
Choosing between Hotjar and Microsoft Clarity is one of the most common decisions website owners face when setting up user behavior analytics. Both tools offer heatmaps and session recordings, but they take fundamentally different approaches to pricing and features. If you're new to heatmaps, start with our beginner's guide to what heatmaps are.
The short answer: Microsoft Clarity is completely free with unlimited usage, while Hotjar offers a free tier with limits plus paid plans starting at $32/month. But the right choice depends on what you actually need. For a broader view, check out our guide to the best Hotjar alternatives.
In this comprehensive comparison, we'll break down exactly when the free option is enough, when paying for Hotjar makes sense, and help you make the right decision for your specific situation.
Quick Comparison Table
| Feature | Hotjar | Microsoft Clarity | |---------|--------|-------------------| | Pricing | Free tier + $32-$213/mo | 100% Free | | Session Recording Limit | 35/day (free), unlimited (paid) | Unlimited | | Heatmaps | Unlimited | Unlimited | | Data Retention | 365 days | 30 days | | Surveys & Feedback | Yes | No | | User Interviews | Yes | No | | Funnels | Yes (paid) | No | | Rage Click Detection | Yes | Yes | | Dead Click Detection | Limited | Yes | | Mobile App Support | No | Yes | | AI Features | Basic | Copilot AI | | Support | Dedicated team | Community only | | Privacy Controls | Advanced | Limited |
Microsoft Clarity: The Free Powerhouse
Microsoft Clarity launched in 2020 and quickly became the go-to free alternative for heatmaps and session recordings. Microsoft's backing means they can offer the tool completely free, subsidized by their broader ecosystem. For a complete breakdown, see our full Microsoft Clarity review.
What Microsoft Clarity Does Well
Unlimited Everything (Free)
Unlike most "free" tools that impose strict limits, Clarity genuinely offers unlimited session recordings and heatmaps at no cost. There's no credit card required, no trial period that expires, and no artificial caps designed to push you toward paid plans.
The only soft limits are 100,000 pageviews per heatmap and 100,000 user sessions per project per day—numbers that 99% of websites will never hit.
Rage Click and Dead Click Detection
Clarity automatically identifies and flags "rage clicks" (rapid, frustrated clicking) and "dead clicks" (clicking on non-interactive elements). These insights surface immediately without any configuration, helping you spot UX problems that users won't tell you about directly.
AI-Powered Insights with Copilot
Microsoft has integrated their Copilot AI into Clarity, automatically generating natural language summaries of user sessions. Instead of watching hours of recordings, you can get AI-generated takeaways about what users struggled with and where they got stuck.
Mobile App Support
Unlike Hotjar, which only works on websites, Clarity supports mobile app analytics. If you have both a website and mobile app, Clarity can track user behavior across both.
Google Analytics 4 Integration
Clarity integrates directly with GA4, adding behavioral context to your existing analytics. You can see session recordings linked to specific GA4 segments and metrics.
Microsoft Clarity Limitations
No Surveys or Feedback Tools
Clarity is purely observational. You can see what users do, but you can't ask them why. There's no way to deploy surveys, feedback widgets, or collect qualitative data from users.
30-Day Data Retention
Session recordings and heatmap data are only kept for 30 days. If you need to reference user behavior from months ago, you're out of luck. Hotjar retains data for up to a year.
Limited Privacy Controls
This is where Clarity has drawn criticism. It doesn't respect "Do Not Track" browser settings, and there's no built-in way to delete individual user data if someone requests it under GDPR's "right to erasure." Microsoft also reserves the right to use your data for their own purposes.
No Customer Support
With a free tool, you get free support—meaning community forums and help documentation. If something breaks or you need help, there's no one to call or email for guaranteed assistance.
Industry Restrictions
Clarity cannot be used on healthcare, financial services, or government-related websites due to data handling concerns.
Hotjar: The Premium Experience
Hotjar has been the industry standard for user behavior analytics since 2014. Now part of Contentsquare, it offers a more comprehensive (and more expensive) approach to understanding your users. For details on pricing tiers, see our Hotjar pricing breakdown.
What Hotjar Does Well
Surveys and User Feedback
Hotjar's biggest advantage over Clarity is the ability to ask users questions directly. You can deploy:
- On-page surveys that pop up after specific actions
- Feedback widgets that let users rate pages
- NPS (Net Promoter Score) surveys
- User interview scheduling and recruiting
This qualitative data is invaluable. Heatmaps show you what users do; surveys tell you why.
Longer Data Retention
Hotjar retains session recordings and analytics data for up to 365 days, compared to Clarity's 30 days. This matters for seasonal businesses, long-term trend analysis, and referencing historical user behavior.
Advanced Heatmap Features
Hotjar's heatmaps include move maps (tracking mouse movement), which can be integrated with eye-tracking research data. You also get more granular segmentation options to filter heatmaps by device, traffic source, or custom properties.
Funnels and Conversion Tracking
Paid Hotjar plans include funnel analysis, letting you visualize where users drop off in multi-step processes like checkout flows or signup forms. Clarity doesn't offer any funnel capabilities.
Privacy-First Design
Hotjar has built its reputation on privacy compliance. They offer robust consent management, automatic PII masking, GDPR/CCPA compliance tools, and respect Do Not Track signals. For companies in regulated industries, this matters.
Dedicated Support
Even free Hotjar users get access to a support team. Paid users get priority support with faster response times.
Hotjar Limitations
Cost Adds Up Quickly
Hotjar's free tier is limited to 35 sessions per day—enough to get a taste, but not enough for serious analysis. Once you upgrade:
- Plus: $32/month (100 sessions/day)
- Business: $80/month (500 sessions/day)
- Scale: $171/month (unlimited)
For a medium-traffic site needing unlimited recordings, you're looking at $2,000+/year.
No Mobile App Support
Hotjar only works on websites and web applications. If you have a native mobile app, you'll need a separate tool for mobile analytics.
Separate Product Pricing
Hotjar now bundles three products (Observe, Ask, Engage) with separate pricing tiers. Getting access to all features at the highest tier can cost $500+/month.
When Microsoft Clarity Is Enough
Choose Clarity if you:
Have a limited budget or no budget
Clarity delivers 80% of what Hotjar offers at 0% of the cost. For bootstrapped startups, small businesses, or side projects, the price (free) can't be beaten.
Just need basic heatmaps and recordings
If your goal is simply to see where people click and watch how they navigate, Clarity does this perfectly well. You don't need to pay for features you won't use.
Want mobile app analytics
Clarity supports mobile apps; Hotjar doesn't. If mobile analytics matters, Clarity is your only option between these two.
Don't need historical data
If you're focused on current optimization and don't need to look back more than 30 days, Clarity's retention limit won't affect you.
Use other Microsoft products
Clarity integrates well with Power BI and the Microsoft ecosystem. If you're already invested in Microsoft tools, Clarity fits naturally.
When to Pay for Hotjar
Choose Hotjar if you:
Need user feedback and surveys
This is Hotjar's killer feature. If you want to ask users questions—why they're leaving, what they're looking for, how satisfied they are—you need Hotjar. Clarity has zero feedback capabilities.
Require longer data retention
E-commerce sites with seasonal patterns, businesses that need to show historical data to stakeholders, or teams that want year-over-year comparisons need Hotjar's 365-day retention.
Work in a regulated industry
Healthcare, finance, and other regulated sectors need Hotjar's privacy controls. Clarity's data handling is too opaque for compliance-heavy environments.
Want funnel analysis
Understanding where users drop off in multi-step flows requires Hotjar's funnel feature. This is essential for optimizing checkout processes, signup flows, and onboarding sequences.
Need reliable support
If something goes wrong, Hotjar has a team you can contact. For businesses where downtime or missing data has real costs, this matters.
The Hybrid Approach: Use Both
Here's a secret: many teams use both tools simultaneously.
Use Clarity for:
- Unlimited session recordings for general monitoring
- Quick rage click and dead click identification
- AI-generated session summaries
- Cost-free team-wide access
Use Hotjar for:
- Targeted surveys after key interactions
- NPS tracking and user feedback
- Long-term data retention for important pages
- Funnel analysis for conversion optimization
This approach gives you Clarity's unlimited free recordings plus Hotjar's qualitative tools, often at a lower total cost than Hotjar's highest tier alone.
Real-World Recommendation by Use Case
Freelancers and Consultants
Recommendation: Microsoft Clarity
You're likely working across multiple client sites and need a scalable, free solution. Clarity's unlimited usage across unlimited projects makes it perfect for agency and consultant workflows.
Early-Stage Startups
Recommendation: Microsoft Clarity (start) → Hotjar (scale)
Start with Clarity to validate your product and identify major UX issues. Once you have paying customers and revenue, invest in Hotjar's survey tools to understand why users convert (or don't).
E-commerce Sites
Recommendation: Hotjar
The combination of surveys, funnel analysis, and longer data retention makes Hotjar worth the investment for e-commerce. Understanding why users abandon carts and tracking seasonal patterns requires Hotjar's feature set.
SaaS Products
Recommendation: Both (Hybrid Approach)
SaaS products need both quantitative and qualitative data. Use Clarity for always-on monitoring and Hotjar for targeted feedback at key moments like onboarding, feature launches, and churn risk points.
Blogs and Content Sites
Recommendation: Microsoft Clarity
Content sites typically need scroll depth analysis and basic engagement metrics. Clarity handles this perfectly without any cost.
Enterprise Companies
Recommendation: Hotjar (or FullStory/enterprise tools)
Large organizations need robust privacy controls, compliance documentation, SLAs, and dedicated support. Hotjar's enterprise tier or dedicated enterprise tools like FullStory are better fits.
FAQ
Is Microsoft Clarity really free forever?
Microsoft states Clarity is free, though their terms note they "may charge additional fees for features previously provided for free at any time." As of 2026, all features remain free with no announced changes.
Does Clarity slow down my website?
Clarity's tracking script is lightweight and loads asynchronously. Most sites see negligible performance impact (under 100ms load time addition). Hotjar's script is similarly optimized.
Can I use both Clarity and Hotjar on the same site?
Yes, many teams run both simultaneously. Just be mindful of cumulative script load times and ensure your privacy policy discloses both tools to users.
Which tool has better heatmaps?
Both offer quality heatmaps. Hotjar provides more segmentation options and move maps. Clarity offers unique dead click and error click heatmaps. For most use cases, they're functionally equivalent.
Is Hotjar worth the price?
It depends on your needs. If you need surveys, feedback tools, funnel analysis, or long data retention, Hotjar's value is clear. If you only need heatmaps and recordings, you're paying for features you won't use.
Conclusion
Microsoft Clarity is the right choice for most websites starting out with user behavior analytics. It's genuinely free, surprisingly powerful, and sufficient for identifying basic UX issues.
Hotjar is worth the investment when you need to understand the "why" behind user behavior through surveys and feedback, or when compliance, support, and long-term data retention matter to your business.
For many teams, the smartest approach is starting with Clarity and adding Hotjar's survey features only when you have specific questions to ask users.
Looking for a simpler alternative to both? UXHeat is launching soon with straightforward heatmap analytics designed for teams who want insights without complexity. Join the waitlist to get early access.