Heatmaps and session replay
Hotjar vs Microsoft Clarity: which should you use in 2026?
Updated
Key takeaways: Hotjar vs Microsoft Clarity
Pick Hotjar if…
- You need on-page surveys, feedback widgets and interview recruiting next to replay and heatmaps.
- You want 13 months of data access (Growth plan) rather than Clarity's 30-day recordings.
- You want EU-hosted data by default for EU customers.
- You need journey analysis, zone-based heatmaps and impact quantification for a CRO program.
Pick Microsoft Clarity if…
- Budget is zero: Clarity is free with no traffic limits, no sampling and unlimited projects.
- You want rage-click and dead-click detection plus Copilot AI summaries of sessions out of the box.
- You run ads through Microsoft Advertising or want a quick Google Analytics integration.
- Your team is small and wants something learnable in an afternoon.
Hotjar vs Microsoft Clarity at a glance
Facts from each vendor's public pages, checked October 2026.
| Feature | Hotjar | Microsoft Clarity |
|---|---|---|
| Owner | HotjarContentsquare (Hotjar merged into the Contentsquare Group in 2025) | Microsoft ClarityMicrosoft |
| New sign-ups | HotjarNew users sign up on Contentsquare; existing Hotjar accounts can still log in | Microsoft ClarityOpen to anyone |
| Price | HotjarFree plan; Growth from $49/mo (7K sessions) — $69 at 10K, $409 at 100K; Pro and Enterprise custom | Microsoft ClarityFree forever; no paid tier |
| Pricing unit | HotjarMonthly sessions, with a separate replay allowance | Microsoft ClarityNone — up to 100K recorded sessions per project per day |
| Free plan limits | Hotjar200K sessions, 10K replays, 1 project per month | Microsoft ClarityNo traffic limits; heatmaps cover up to 100K pageviews each |
| Recording retention | Hotjar1 month by default for replays; 13 months data access on Growth | Microsoft Clarity30 days; favorited recordings and a sample kept up to 9 months |
| Surveys & feedback | HotjarYes (Voice of Customer, priced separately — 100 responses/mo free) | Microsoft ClarityNo |
| AI features | HotjarSense chat, AI summaries (Growth) | Microsoft ClarityCopilot summaries and chat |
| Hosting / data location | HotjarEU customers hosted in the EU, US customers in the US | Microsoft ClarityMicrosoft Azure; EU–US transfers under SCCs |
| Cookies / consent | HotjarFirst-party cookies (_cs_id 13 months, _cs_s); no cookieless mode | Microsoft ClarityFirst-party _clck, _clsk plus Microsoft cookies (incl. MUID); consent signals enforced for EEA/UK/CH since Oct 31, 2025 |
| Data export / API | HotjarData feeds and integrations on upper tiers | Microsoft ClarityData Export API: 10 requests/project/day, last 1–3 days, 1,000 rows |
| Learning curve | HotjarModerate — a full experience-analytics suite | Microsoft ClarityEasy |
Hotjar vs Clarity: privacy, GDPR and consent
Neither tool is cookie-free, so in the EU both generally belong behind a consent banner. The bigger difference is who controls the data. Contentsquare acts as a processor for your site, hosts EU customers in the EU by default, and holds EU–US Data Privacy Framework and ISO 27701 certifications. It leaves the consent decision to you, and for France recommends collecting consent unless its "Exemption Mode" is enabled.
Microsoft describes Clarity as "GDPR-compliant as a data controller" — Microsoft, not just you, controls what's collected. Clarity also sets Microsoft cookies such as MUID, which Microsoft uses for advertising. Since October 31, 2025 Clarity enforces consent signals for visitors from the EEA, UK and Switzerland: you pass them through its Consent API v2 (separate ad_storage and analytics_storage) or a supported consent manager. Without consent, Clarity sets no cookies and sessions are fragmented, so replays and journeys lose continuity.
Both mask form inputs and let you mask more elements. Clarity may not be used on sites aimed at under-18s, and deleting one person's data means deleting the whole project — worth knowing before you handle access requests.
Hotjar vs Microsoft Clarity pricing at three traffic levels
Clarity's price is simple: $0 at any volume. Hotjar's plans are now Contentsquare Experience Analytics plans, priced by monthly sessions. Monthly prices as of October 2026:
| Monthly traffic | 10K sessions/mo | 100K sessions/mo | 1M sessions/mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotjar | 10K sessions/mo: $0 on Free (10K replays) or $69 on Growth | 100K sessions/mo: $0 on Free (10K replays) or $409 on Growth | 1M sessions/mo: Pro — custom price |
| Microsoft Clarity | 10K sessions/mo: $0 | 100K sessions/mo: $0 | 1M sessions/mo: $0 (recording capped at 100K sessions/project/day) |
Contentsquare prices are read from its pricing page; a yearly-billing toggle advertises 20% savings and we couldn't confirm whether listed figures are the monthly or annual rate. Surveys are priced separately on Contentsquare (Growth from $99 for 500 responses). EU buyers are billed in EUR.
Setting up Hotjar vs Clarity
Both install with one script tag, a Google Tag Manager template, or a plugin for platforms like WordPress and Shopify. Clarity is usually recording within minutes and needs no configuration — heatmaps, rage clicks and dead clicks appear automatically. It also has mobile SDKs for Android, iOS, Flutter and React Native.
Hotjar/Contentsquare takes a little longer because there's more to set up: surveys and feedback widgets, funnels and journeys, and team projects. If you're an existing Hotjar customer, expect to move to the Contentsquare platform — Contentsquare says existing users can still log in to Hotjar, but the long-term home is Contentsquare.
Who each one is for
Clarity is the default for founders, small marketing teams and agencies that want to watch real sessions and spot UX problems without a budget line. Hotjar/Contentsquare suits CRO and UX research teams that want qualitative feedback (surveys, widgets) and longer data access, and companies that want the vendor to act strictly as a processor with EU hosting.
Switching between Hotjar and Clarity
There's no import path in either direction — recordings and heatmaps don't transfer. Most teams run both scripts in parallel for a few weeks, re-create key heatmaps and funnels, then remove the old tag. Export survey responses from Hotjar before cancelling, since Clarity has no survey equivalent.
Hotjar vs Microsoft Clarity: frequently asked questions
Is Microsoft Clarity really free?
Yes. Microsoft says Clarity is "a free service forever" with no traffic limits or paid upgrade. Practical caps still apply: up to 100,000 recorded sessions per project per day and 30-day recording retention.
Can I still sign up for Hotjar?
Not as a new Hotjar account. As of October 2026 Hotjar's site says new users sign up on Contentsquare instead; existing Hotjar users can still log in.
Does Microsoft Clarity need a cookie banner?
In the EU, generally yes. Clarity sets first-party and Microsoft cookies, and since October 31, 2025 it enforces consent signals for visitors from the EEA, UK and Switzerland via its Consent API or a supported consent manager.
Is Hotjar better than Clarity?
Hotjar is better if you need surveys, feedback widgets, longer data access and journey analysis; Clarity is better if you want free heatmaps and replays with AI summaries. For pure heatmaps and recordings on a small site, Clarity covers most needs.
How long does Clarity keep recordings?
Thirty days. Favorited recordings and a random sample are kept for up to nine months.
Can I use Hotjar and Clarity together?
Yes, technically — they don't conflict. But each adds a script and cookies that need consent in the EU, so most teams choose one.
Do Hotjar or Clarity show where visitors came from or what they bought?
Only partly. Both show referrers on sessions, and Contentsquare Pro adds revenue goals, but neither attributes Stripe or Paddle payments to traffic sources; that's a job for a web analytics tool with revenue attribution.
Sources and methodology
Prices and features were checked on each vendor's public pages in October 2026. Vendors change plans often — confirm on the official pricing page before you buy. VisitTrack publishes this comparison and competes with some of these tools; we have no affiliate relationship with either vendor.
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