When it comes to understanding what people are doing on your website, Microsoft Clarity and HotJar are the tools you’ll hear about most often.
While both promise to give you insights into your visitors’ behaviour, there are some key differences in what they offer and how they do it.
If you’re not sure which is the right one to choose, we’re here to break it down.
What is Microsoft Clarity?
Microsoft Clarity is a free tool that helps you figure out what’s frustrating people on your site. Here are the main features it offers:
- Session recordings to watch how people are scrolling, clicking and moving around.
- Heatmaps to see which parts of your pages get attention and which don’t.
- Frustration insights, such as rage clicks (repeated clicks in one spot) or dead clicks (clicks on non-interactive elements).
One of the standout features? Clarity gives you pretty much unlimited session recordings and heatmaps, which is great if you’re you’re working with high volumes of traffic.
What about HotJar?
HotJar has been a go-to for understanding user behaviour for years. It not only shows what users are doing but also helps you ask them why. Its key features include:
- Session recordings and heatmaps (similar to Clarity).
- Surveys and feedback forms to directly ask visitors what they think about your site.
- Funnels to track where users drop off in your sales process.
- Form analysis to pinpoint which fields in your forms might be causing issues.
HotJar’s free plan includes 35 daily session recordings and three heatmaps, but their paid plans offer a lot more.
What’s the difference?
Clarity and HotJar both help you understand user behaviour, but of course, there are some differences.
Key features
- Clarity focuses on identifying issues like frustration points. It’s simple and free, so it’s perfect for spotting any issues quickly.
- HotJar takes things further by combining behaviour tracking with user feedback tools. If you want to look further into user opinions or optimise forms, it’s a great option.
- HotJar can only be used on websites and web applications, whereas Clarity can be used on mobile apps.
- HotJar offers native integration with collaboration tools such as Teams and JIRA.
- Clarity integrates with analytics and CRMs like GA4 and Hubspot for free.
Pricing
- Clarity is completely free with no limits on data.
- HotJar’s free plan is more restrictive, but their paid plans (starting at £26+ month) offer extra tools, insights and data.
Usability
- Clarity is beginner-friendly with a clean and simple interface.
- HotJar’s dashboard offers more features, so it can feel a bit overwhelming at first.
Privacy
Both tools comply with GDPR and other data regulations, but HotJar allows for more customisation, like consent banners and additional privacy settings. By using Clarity, you’re also giving Microsoft rights to you and your customer’s data.
Pros and cons - at a glance
Here’s a quick comparison to help you decide.
Microsoft Clarity
Pros
- Free with unlimited session recordings and heatmaps.
- Easy to set up and use.
- Excellent for identifying frustration points.
Cons
- Lacks tools for user feedback like surveys.
- Doesn’t offer form analytics or funnel tracking.
HotJar
Pros
- Comprehensive feature set, including surveys and form analysis.
- Great for collecting direct feedback from users.
Cons
- The free plan is limited to 35 daily sessions and three heatmaps.
- Paid plans may be a large expense for small businesses.
Which one is right for you?
Choosing between Clarity and HotJar depends on your business goals.
Clarity is a great option if you need detailed insights for free.
But if you need deeper insights, HotJar is worth the investment. Especially if you want to directly ask users what they think or optimise forms and funnels.
For example, if you notice visitors leaving your checkout page, Clarity can show you where they’re clicking and scrolling.
HotJar, on the other hand, can show you this but also help you ask those visitors why they didn’t complete their purchase.
A final thought…
Both offer free plans, so we recommend trying them out to see which one fits your needs better, or use them side-by-side to test them out.
Every website is different, and the right tool for you depends on how you want to improve your visitors’ experience.
Whether you’re just getting started with Microsoft Clarity or HotJar, or you’ve been using them for a while and want deeper insights, get in touch with Ascensor’s data science experts.