Exploring Microsoft Clarity for Deeper Insights in Digital Strategy

In the digital analytics, most brands and agencies are familiar with Hotjar for user behavior analysis, but Microsoft Clarity is rapidly becoming a strong competitor. We’ve recently installed Clarity for some of our clients, from eCommerce and hospitality to property marketing, to test its capabilities side-by-side with Hotjar. But what’s Clarity bringing to the table, and have you tried it yet?

Why Microsoft Clarity? What It Offers Beyond Hotjar

Clarity shares core features with Hotjar—session recordings and heatmaps—but there are some interesting distinctions. With no limit on session recordings or heatmap data (a free feature at the moment), Clarity provides a great opportunity for businesses handling large traffic volumes. For our clients in eCommerce, for instance, Clarity allows us to observe high visitor counts without restricting page views or session lengths, which is a valuable addition during traffic surges like Black Friday or seasonal property listings.

However, Clarity’s potential limitations include the absence of feedback tools, surveys, and user interview features that Hotjar offers. This makes Hotjar more complete when it comes to connecting qualitative and quantitative insights—ideal for those who want direct customer feedback.

Privacy Trade-Offs: A Consideration for All Industries

Privacy is another area where Clarity diverges from Hotjar. When using Clarity, it’s worth remembering that Microsoft’s terms allow them to use your site’s data for model training, user profiling, and even case studies. It’s a non-issue for some, but it’s a potential deal-breaker for clients in regulated industries. Unlike Hotjar, which emphasizes privacy-first analytics with strict GDPR compliance and zero user profiling, Clarity’s data policy can raise flags in sectors like healthcare, finance, and government.

Session Recordings and Heatmaps: Which Tool Does It Better?

Clarity’s heatmap and session replay tools are solid, with some interesting features like dead-click tracking and real-time session observation. Dead-click tracking is a particular bonus in Clarity, helping us spot frustrations and navigation blockers on eCommerce sites. While Hotjar’s heatmaps can combine click, move, and scroll data in one view, Clarity offers side-by-side heatmap comparisons and a Chrome extension that overlays click data directly onto your live site.

For our property marketing clients, real-time sessions help us gauge visitor interest in certain property listings and make fast adjustments to improve on-page engagement. Hotjar, however, allows us to access recordings with a unique frustration score—a helpful addition for diagnosing user pain points more quickly.

Data Retention and Budget Considerations

In terms of data retention, Clarity holds onto session data for 30 days, with the option to tag or favorite recordings to save them for longer. Hotjar’s free plan limits sessions to 35 per day but stores recordings for up to a year. So, Clarity offers an almost unlimited free option, but if Microsoft decides to introduce fees in the future, the benefit might change. Hotjar, on the other hand, guarantees a free forever plan, making it a more predictable long-term solution.

For brands in eCommerce, hospitality, and property, Clarity can be a smart, cost-effective choice to enhance your website experience without the upfront cost of a premium analytics tool. Real-time observation and extensive page view allowances can reveal granular behaviors, helping us optimize site navigation or tailor specific conversion points. However, if you’re looking for a deeper qualitative analysis—feedback, surveys, or audience sentiment—Hotjar’s privacy-first approach and all-in-one feedback features are still unrivaled.

So, have you tried Microsoft Clarity yet? If not, it’s worth exploring to see if it aligns with your needs and data policies. Whether you’re in a high-traffic period or looking to understand user behavior on a granular level, having the right tool for the job makes all the difference.

‍