Microsoft Clarity

Microsoft Clarity is a free behaviour analytics tool for websites. It records anonymised user sessions, generates heatmaps of clicks and scrolling, and highlights moments of frustration, helping site owners see how real visitors interact with their pages. Its headline feature is the price: Clarity is completely free, with no traffic limits and no paid tier. Competing tools typically sample sessions or charge more as traffic grows, so Clarity has become a common first choice for small businesses, startups, marketers and designers who want qualitative insight without a budget. Microsoft uses aggregated, anonymised data to improve its products and does not sell it, according to its documentation. The feature set covers the essentials of behaviour analytics. Session recordings replay what users did, including mouse movement, clicks and scrolling. Heatmaps show where people click and how far they scroll on each page. Clarity automatically flags signals such as rage clicks, where users repeatedly click something in frustration, dead clicks on elements that do nothing, excessive scrolling and quick backs, which point to usability problems. Filters and segments let you find sessions from particular sources, devices or pages, and Copilot features summarise recordings and insights in plain language. Integration with Google Analytics lets users jump from GA segments to matching recordings. Installation is a single script, and the tool masks sensitive content by default to reduce privacy risk, though site owners remain responsible for consent requirements in their jurisdiction. The trade-offs are depth and customisation compared with commercial platforms: there are fewer advanced analysis features, survey tools and integrations, and support is community-based rather than contractual. Alternatives include Hotjar, which adds surveys and feedback widgets; FullStory and Contentsquare for enterprise digital experience analytics; PostHog and LogRocket for session replay combined with product analytics or debugging; Mouseflow and Lucky Orange for similar small-business tools; and Smartlook for mobile app recordings. Choose Microsoft Clarity when you want heatmaps and session recordings at no cost. Choose a paid tool when you need surveys, deeper analysis or enterprise support.