Hotjar vs Microsoft Clarity
Updated October 2026 · AppBreakup editorial
Hotjar
The heatmap and session recording tool for websites, now merged into Contentsquare.
Microsoft Clarity
Free session recordings and heatmaps from Microsoft, with no traffic limits and AI summaries.
The short answer
Hotjar and Microsoft Clarity both show what visitors do on a website through heatmaps and session recordings. Clarity is free with no traffic limits, which makes it the easy choice for small sites and agencies. Hotjar has been merged into Contentsquare, so choosing it now means choosing Contentsquare's plans, which add surveys and feedback tools. The biggest difference is price and product status: free and standalone versus a paid tier of a larger platform.
Hotjar or Microsoft Clarity: our take
For years Hotjar was the default way for marketers and small businesses to see heatmaps, recordings and on-site survey results. It was acquired by Contentsquare, and in 2025 the two products were merged into one platform. Hotjar's site now points to Contentsquare, where heatmaps, session replay, surveys and feedback continue. Contentsquare's plans start with a free tier covering 200k monthly sessions and move up through Growth and Pro to Enterprise. Anyone signing up new will be a Contentsquare customer, and the roadmap follows that company's priorities.
Clarity is Microsoft's behaviour analytics tool for websites and mobile apps. It gives you session recordings, click and scroll heatmaps, dashboards of rage clicks, dead clicks and quick backs, and AI-written summaries of sessions. It is free forever, with no traffic limits and no sampling, and it integrates with Google Analytics and Microsoft Ads. The trade-offs are fewer segmentation and funnel options than paid tools, limited recording retention unless you mark sessions as favourites, and data handled under Microsoft's own terms, which some privacy-focused teams avoid.
Choose Clarity if you run a small or mid-sized site, or manage many client sites, and want recordings and heatmaps at no cost. Stay with Hotjar on Contentsquare if you already rely on its surveys and feedback widgets, or need more segmentation and support than a free tool offers. If you dislike where the merger is heading, it is worth comparing other heatmap and replay tools before committing.
Which should you pick?
Choose Hotjar if…
- Existing Hotjar users deciding whether to stay on Contentsquare or move
- Heatmaps, replay and surveys continue inside Contentsquare
- Free tier still available after the merger
Choose Microsoft Clarity if…
- Small sites and agencies that want free heatmaps and recordings without limits
- Free with no traffic caps or upsell
- Recordings, heatmaps and frustration metrics out of the box
About each app
What is Hotjar?
Hotjar made heatmaps, session recordings and on-site feedback surveys affordable for small businesses and marketers, and for years it was the default answer for seeing what visitors actually do on a page. It was acquired by Contentsquare, and in 2025 the two products were merged: Hotjar's site now points to Contentsquare, where heatmaps, recordings (called session replay), surveys and feedback live on in a combined platform. Former Hotjar users get Contentsquare's plans, which start with a free tier covering a monthly session allowance and move up through Growth and Pro to Enterprise. People still search for Hotjar by name, so it is listed here, but anyone setting up something new will sign up to Contentsquare. If the merger brought changes you do not want, the alternatives below cover the same heatmap and replay ground, including free and self-hosted options. It worked on any website through a JavaScript snippet.
What is Microsoft Clarity?
Clarity is Microsoft's behaviour analytics tool for websites and mobile apps. Add the tracking code and you get session recordings, click and scroll heatmaps, dashboards of rage clicks, dead clicks and quick backs, and AI-written summaries of sessions and trends. Its main appeal is the price: it is free, with no traffic limits or paid tier, which makes it popular with small businesses, agencies and anyone who outgrew a free plan elsewhere. It integrates with Google Analytics and Microsoft Ads, and offers SDKs for Android, iOS, React Native and Flutter as well as the web. The trade-offs are that it is less configurable than paid tools, has fewer funnel and segmentation features, keeps recordings for a limited time unless you mark them as favourites, and Microsoft uses the data under its own terms, which some privacy-focused teams avoid. It runs in the browser.
Side by side
| Attribute | Hotjar | Microsoft Clarity |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan + paid | Free |
| Open source | No | No |
| Self-hostable | No | No |
| Platforms | Web | Web |
| Best for | Existing Hotjar users deciding whether to stay on Contentsquare or move | Small sites and agencies that want free heatmaps and recordings without limits |
| Status | Acquired | Active |
Hotjar vs Microsoft Clarity pricing
Hotjar: free plan + paid
- Free plan: 200k monthly sessions source
Microsoft Clarity: free
We couldn't verify Microsoft Clarity's plan details on its own site yet, so we don't list them.
Platforms
| Platform | Hotjar | Microsoft Clarity |
|---|---|---|
| Web |
Hotjar facts
3 of 3 verified- Status
- Part of Contentsquare
- Checked Oct 25, 2026hotjar.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “Chevron Hotjar is now part of Contentsquare.”
- Merger
- Merged into one platform
- Checked Oct 25, 2026hotjar.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “The two platforms have merged into a single, more powerful experience intelligence platform.”
- Free plan
- 200k monthly sessions
- Checked Oct 25, 2026hotjar.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “200k monthly sessions $0 / forever”
Microsoft Clarity facts
4 of 4 verified- Pricing
- Free forever
- Checked Oct 25, 2026learn.microsoft.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “Clarity is a free service forever.”
- Traffic limits
- None
- Checked Oct 25, 2026learn.microsoft.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “You never encounter traffic limits or are compelled to upgrade to a paid version.”
- Sampling
- No sampling
- Checked Oct 25, 2026learn.microsoft.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “Also, there are no traffic limits on these sites.”
- Compliance
- GDPR and CCPA ready
- Checked Oct 25, 2026clarity.microsoft.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “Free forever 2M+ sites and apps globally GDPR & CCPA ready”
Pros and cons of Hotjar
- Heatmaps, replay and surveys continue inside Contentsquare
- Free tier still available after the merger
- Easy snippet install on any website
- No longer a standalone product
- Plans and interface now follow Contentsquare's roadmap
Pros and cons of Microsoft Clarity
- Free with no traffic caps or upsell
- Recordings, heatmaps and frustration metrics out of the box
- AI summaries of sessions and trends
- Fewer segmentation and funnel options than paid tools
- Limited recording retention
- Data handled under Microsoft's terms, which some teams avoid
Other apps to consider
PostHogInstead of Microsoft Clarity
Adds product analytics, flags and experiments to replay, with a free tier.
OpenReplayInstead of Microsoft Clarity
Self-host recordings if you don't want a third party holding session data.
Hotjar vs Microsoft Clarity: common questions
Is Hotjar better than Microsoft Clarity?
Hotjar and Microsoft Clarity both show what visitors do on a website through heatmaps and session recordings. Clarity is free with no traffic limits, which makes it the easy choice for small sites and agencies. Hotjar has been merged into Contentsquare, so choosing it now means choosing Contentsquare's plans, which add surveys and feedback tools. The biggest difference is price and product status: free and standalone versus a paid tier of a larger platform.
Is Hotjar free?
Hotjar has a free plan, with paid plans for more features. See its verified pricing facts above for current limits.
Is Microsoft Clarity free?
Yes, Microsoft Clarity is free.
Is Hotjar or Microsoft Clarity open source?
Neither is open source.
Which platforms do Hotjar and Microsoft Clarity support?
Hotjar: Web. Microsoft Clarity: Web.