UXHeat vs Microsoft Clarity: AI Intelligence vs Unlimited Free
Microsoft Clarity is the ultimate value proposition in heatmap tools: it's completely free, forever, with unlimited usage. It's backed by Microsoft, it works well, and for many teams it's genuinely "good enough."
So why would anyone choose UXHeat, which has a free tier with limits and paid plans?
The answer: intelligence.
Clarity shows you data. UXHeat tells you what to do with it. This article explores when that intelligence is worth paying for, and when Clarity's unlimited free tier is the smarter choice.
Quick Comparison Table
| Feature | UXHeat | Microsoft Clarity | |---------|--------|-------------------| | Price | Free (5K sessions) / Paid plans | 100% Free | | Session Limit | 5K free, 500K+ paid | Unlimited | | AI Insights | Automatic recommendations | Copilot summaries | | Priority Scoring | Yes (conversion impact) | No | | Plain-English Fixes | Yes | No | | Setup Time | Under 1 minute | Under 5 minutes | | Data Retention | 90-365 days | 30 days | | Privacy Controls | GDPR-compliant | Limited | | Support | Team support | Community only | | Mobile App Support | Web only | Yes |
The Fundamental Trade-Off
Here's the core decision:
Microsoft Clarity gives you unlimited raw data at zero cost. You collect everything, you interpret everything, and you pay nothing.
UXHeat gives you less raw data (on free tier) but adds an intelligence layer that interprets the data for you and tells you what to fix.
Which is better depends on two factors:
- Your budget — Can you afford $19-49/month for paid plans?
- Your time — Do you have hours to spend interpreting data, or do you need quick answers?
For teams with no budget and plenty of time, Clarity wins. For teams with some budget and limited time, UXHeat wins.
Where UXHeat Beats Clarity
AI That Actually Tells You What's Wrong
Clarity has Copilot integration that generates session summaries. But these summaries describe what happened — "User scrolled, clicked, submitted form" — not what you should do about it.
UXHeat's AI goes further:
Clarity Copilot says: "User clicked search button multiple times, then left the page."
UXHeat says: "23 users rage-clicked your search button this week. Average click count: 4.2 before abandoning. The button appears unresponsive — check for JavaScript errors or add loading feedback. Estimated conversion impact: 15 lost searches per day."
The difference is actionability. Clarity tells you what happened. UXHeat tells you what's broken and how to fix it.
Priority Scoring
Clarity shows you rage clicks. UXHeat shows you rage clicks ranked by conversion impact.
A rage click on your checkout button is more urgent than a rage click on a footer link. Clarity treats them equally. UXHeat scores them by how close they are to revenue and surfaces the critical issues first.
This matters because you probably have limited time to fix things. Knowing what to fix first is often more valuable than knowing everything that's broken.
Longer Data Retention
Clarity keeps data for 30 days. UXHeat keeps data for 90 days (free) or 365 days (paid).
If you need to:
- Compare performance month-over-month
- Show stakeholders historical trends
- Revisit issues from last quarter
- Track seasonal patterns
You need more than 30 days of data. Clarity's retention is a hard constraint that affects many use cases.
Better Privacy Controls
Clarity has faced criticism for its data handling. It doesn't respect "Do Not Track" browser settings, there's no built-in way to delete individual user data under GDPR's "right to erasure," and Microsoft reserves rights to use your data for their own purposes.
UXHeat was built with privacy-first defaults:
- Respects Do Not Track signals
- GDPR-compliant data deletion
- No data sharing for other purposes
- Automatic PII detection and masking
If you're in a regulated industry or serving privacy-conscious users, Clarity's data practices may be a dealbreaker.
Actual Support
Clarity is free, which means support is limited to community forums and documentation. If something breaks or you need help, there's no one to contact for guaranteed assistance.
UXHeat provides actual support — email for free users, priority support for paid users. When you have a problem, you can talk to someone who can help.
Where Clarity Beats UXHeat
Unlimited Data at Zero Cost
If your primary constraint is budget and you have time to analyze data manually, Clarity is unbeatable. Unlimited sessions, unlimited heatmaps, unlimited projects — all free.
For agencies managing multiple clients, early-stage startups with no revenue, or side projects with minimal traffic, the price (free) can't be beat.
Mobile App Support
Clarity supports native mobile app analytics. UXHeat currently only supports web applications. If you have a mobile app and need heatmap-style analytics, Clarity is your only option between these two.
GA4 Integration
Clarity integrates directly with Google Analytics 4, letting you see behavioral context alongside your existing analytics data. This is valuable if GA4 is central to your analytics workflow.
Microsoft Ecosystem
If you're already using Power BI, Azure, and other Microsoft tools, Clarity fits naturally into your stack with built-in integrations.
Decision Framework: Which Should You Choose?
Choose Clarity If:
You have zero budget. Clarity is free, UXHeat's free tier has limits. If you need unlimited data and can't pay, Clarity is the only option.
You have time to analyze. If you or your team can spend hours reviewing heatmaps and session recordings, Clarity's raw data is sufficient.
You need mobile app analytics. UXHeat doesn't support mobile apps. Clarity does.
You're in the Microsoft ecosystem. Power BI integration and Microsoft account login make Clarity easy if you're already a Microsoft shop.
Short-term data is enough. If you only care about the last 30 days, Clarity's retention limit won't affect you.
Choose UXHeat If:
You want insights, not just data. You don't have time to become a heatmap analyst. You want the tool to tell you what's broken.
You need longer data retention. Anything over 30 days requires UXHeat or another paid tool.
Privacy compliance matters. Regulated industries, EU users, privacy-conscious customers — Clarity's data practices may not meet your requirements.
You want support. When something goes wrong, you want to talk to someone.
You value prioritized insights. Knowing what to fix first is worth more than knowing everything at once.
Use Both Together
Here's a cost-effective strategy: run Clarity as your unlimited baseline data collection and UXHeat for AI-powered insights on your most important pages.
Clarity handles:
- Broad-coverage session recordings across your whole site
- Mobile app analytics
- Always-on monitoring you never have to pay for
UXHeat handles:
- AI-powered analysis of landing pages and conversion flows
- Priority scoring of issues by revenue impact
- Actionable recommendations for what to fix
This gives you unlimited data collection (Clarity) plus intelligent analysis where it matters most (UXHeat).
Pricing Comparison
| Usage Level | UXHeat | Clarity | |-------------|--------|---------| | Light (< 5K sessions/mo) | Free | Free | | Medium (5-25K sessions/mo) | $19/mo | Free | | High (25-100K sessions/mo) | $49/mo | Free | | Very High (100K+ sessions/mo) | $149/mo | Free |
The question isn't "is Clarity cheaper?" — it always is. The question is "is UXHeat's intelligence worth $19-149/month?" For teams where time is more constrained than budget, the answer is usually yes.
Real-World Scenarios
Scenario 1: Solo Founder, Zero Revenue
Context: You're building a product, have no revenue yet, and need to understand basic user behavior.
Recommendation: Start with Clarity. The price is right (free), and you can spend time analyzing data while you're building. Switch to UXHeat when you have revenue and your time becomes more valuable.
Scenario 2: Small SaaS, Limited Resources
Context: You have a SaaS product with paying customers. You're a small team and everyone is stretched thin. You need insights quickly.
Recommendation: UXHeat. The AI insights save you hours per week, and $19-49/month is a rounding error compared to the time value saved.
Scenario 3: Agency Managing Multiple Clients
Context: You manage 10+ client websites. Budget per client is limited, but you need to provide value.
Recommendation: Clarity for baseline monitoring across all clients (free, unlimited). UXHeat Pro or Business for your highest-value clients where AI recommendations can be sold back as consulting insights.
Scenario 4: E-commerce with Strong Conversion Focus
Context: Every percentage point of conversion rate matters. You need to know exactly what's hurting conversions and fix it fast.
Recommendation: UXHeat. The priority scoring by conversion impact directly addresses your need. Clarity's raw data requires too much interpretation time.
Scenario 5: Privacy-Regulated Industry
Context: You're in healthcare, finance, or serving EU customers with strict GDPR requirements.
Recommendation: UXHeat or a dedicated enterprise tool. Clarity's data practices have been criticized by privacy advocates, and the lack of granular data controls may not meet compliance requirements.
FAQ
Is Microsoft Clarity really free forever?
Microsoft states Clarity is free, though they note they "may charge additional fees for features previously provided for free at any time." As of 2026, everything remains free with no announced changes.
Can I migrate from Clarity to UXHeat?
Yes. Add the UXHeat script alongside Clarity, run both for a week to compare data, then remove Clarity if you prefer UXHeat. The migration takes 5 minutes.
Does UXHeat's free tier actually work?
Yes. 5,000 sessions/month is enough to deeply analyze 2-4 pages on a typical site. If you're a solo founder with a landing page, you may never need to pay.
Which has better heatmaps?
The heatmap visualizations are comparable. The difference is what happens after the visualization: Clarity shows you the map, UXHeat explains what it means.
Is Clarity really less private?
Clarity has faced documented criticism for not respecting DNT signals and having opaque data handling practices. Whether this matters depends on your users and regulatory requirements.
Conclusion
Microsoft Clarity is the right choice if your budget is zero and your time is flexible. It's a genuinely good free tool that does what it promises.
UXHeat is the right choice if you value your time and want a tool that tells you what to do, not just what happened. The AI intelligence layer transforms raw data into actionable recommendations.
For many teams, the smartest approach is using both: Clarity for unlimited baseline data, UXHeat for intelligent analysis of key pages.
Try UXHeat Free — No Credit Card Required
Learn more about our approach: How UXHeat's AI Insights Work, UXHeat Pricing Explained, or see the full Microsoft Clarity review.