Microsoft Clarity

Overview

Microsoft Clarity is a behavior analytics tool for teams that want to understand how people use websites and mobile apps. Its mix of heatmaps, session recordings and interaction signals makes it particularly useful for finding friction in a product journey.

The trade-off is time: recordings are retained for 30 days, which may be short for teams revisiting behavior over a longer cycle.

Key features

Heatmaps and session recordings

Click, scroll, area and conversion heatmaps show where users interact, how far they move through a page, where they drop off and where they focus. Session recordings add individual journeys to those aggregate views. Rage-click and dead-click insights help point teams toward frustrating or ineffective interactions, rather than leaving them to infer every problem from a heatmap alone.

Mobile capture

The SDK supports Android, iOS, Flutter and React Native, extending Clarity beyond websites. Microsoft describes its low-code setup as having minimal performance or bandwidth impact, a practical fit for teams that want mobile behavior data without adding a heavier integration burden.

AI and connected tools

Clarity includes AI summaries, AI chat, AI visibility and brand agents. Its AI chat also provides product guidance, while an MCP server and live browser extension offer additional ways to work with the product. Google Analytics integration connects behavior data with analytics, making Clarity more useful alongside an existing measurement workflow than as a replacement for it.

Privacy and scale

Microsoft says it will not share user data with third parties and presents Clarity as GDPR and CCPA ready. It is used by more than 2 million sites and apps globally. Those assurances and reach are useful context for adoption, though the 30-day recording window remains a constraint for longer-term review.

Pricing

Clarity's Free plan costs nothing and includes unlimited heatmaps, websites and team members, with no traffic limits. All features are available at no cost, and Clarity is described as free forever. That removes the common need to trade team access or traffic volume for a lower tier; no monthly session limit is stated.

The Free forever plan is also described as providing all features at no cost and no traffic limits, with custom pricing not applicable. For individuals and teams that need behavior analytics without a usage ceiling, the free offer is unusually broad. The meaningful limitation is retention: session recordings last 30 days, so teams needing a longer replay history should consider another tool.

Platforms

Clarity is available on Android, iOS and as an extension. Its mobile SDK also supports Flutter and React Native, covering cross-platform app development as well as native mobile apps.

Who it's for

Clarity suits product, marketing and UX teams seeking heatmaps, recordings and interaction signals across web and mobile without budgeting for traffic or team growth. Google Analytics integration is especially relevant for teams that want to connect behavior observation with analytics. It is less suitable when a project depends on keeping recordings for longer than 30 days.

Pros and cons

• Pro: No-cost access includes all features, unlimited heatmaps, websites and team members, and no traffic limits, so growing usage does not trigger a stated traffic cap.
• Pro: Heatmaps, recordings, rage-click and dead-click insights combine broad patterns with clues to specific interface friction.
• Pro: Android, iOS, Flutter and React Native support gives mobile teams a route to capture behavior beyond the web.
• Con: Recordings are retained for only 30 days, limiting how far back teams can revisit individual user journeys.

Alternatives

For a broader shortlist, browse heatmap and session replay tools, session recording software, session replay software or mobile app analytics software.

• Crazy Egg is worth considering for web-focused teams that want web analytics, instant heatmaps, conversion analytics and website surveys in its free plan.
• Fullstory may suit teams for whom a longer replay history matters: its free plan includes one year of session replay retention, alongside 30,000 sessions and 10 user seats.
• Zoho PageSense is an option for teams that can work within a free plan capped at 5,000 monthly tracked users, one project, one month of data retention and five goals.
• OpenReplay fits teams seeking an on-premises, self-managed option, with storage and retention under their control and community support.
• Matomo offers a free Community plan with unlimited users and hits for teams looking for an alternative analytics platform.
• UXCam may fit app teams whose needs stay within its free allowance of 3,000 sessions per month and two app keys.
• Inspectlet is a web-only alternative with a free allowance of 2,500 recorded sessions per month across up to three websites.
• Mouseflow is an option for smaller web projects that can stay within 500 sessions per month, one website project, one conversion funnel and one month of data retention.

Verdict

Clarity is a strong choice for teams that want full-featured behavior analytics across web and mobile without traffic, website or team-member limits. Its combination of heatmaps, recordings and interaction insights is compelling at no cost. Look elsewhere if a 30-day recording window is too short for the way your team reviews user behavior.