Microsoft Clarity vs Google Analytics
They do different jobs. Google Analytics counts visits and where they came from, and reports on Google ads. Microsoft Clarity records visits and draws heatmaps, so you can watch what people did on a page. Both are free.[1][3] Most of the choice is which question you need answered.
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Microsoft Clarity and Google Analytics, side by side
| Compared on | Microsoft Clarity | Google Analytics |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free: “a free service forever”, with no traffic limits[1] | Free: Google says it gives the tools “free of charge”[3] |
| Recordings and heatmaps | Recordings of up to 100,000 visits a day per project, heatmaps, rage clicks, dead clicks and excessive scrolling[1] | Not listed: neither appears on Google’s Analytics features list[4] |
| Funnels | Supported: its FAQ answers “Does Clarity support funnels?” with yes[1] | Open and closed funnels in Explorations[4] |
| Sampling | Its FAQ says “No sampling”; a heat map is limited to up to 100,000 page views[1] | May sample when a report needs more than 10 million recorded actions (Google calls them events) in a standard property[6] |
| How long data is kept | Recordings 30 days; favorites and a random sample up to 9 months[1] | 2 or 14 months for explorations and funnel reports, in a standard property[5] |
| Ads and exports | Not covered by the pages we cite | Google Ads, Display & Video 360 and Search Ads 360 reporting, and export to BigQuery[4] |
| Apps | An SDK for Android, iOS, Flutter and React Native[2] | Measures apps as well as websites[3] |
Microsoft Clarity and Google Analytics facts as of 22 October 2026, from their own pages; each number in brackets links to the source below.
When Google Analytics is the better choice
Pick Google Analytics if you buy Google ads: it reports on Google Ads, Display & Video 360 and Search Ads 360 campaigns and compares attribution models across them.[4] It is also the one for raw data in BigQuery for your own analysis.[4] It tells you how many people came and from where. It does not show you a visit play back.[4]
When Microsoft Clarity is the better choice
Pick Clarity if you want to watch what people did on a page at no cost: Microsoft says it is free forever, with no traffic limits, and records up to 100,000 visits (it calls them sessions) per project per day.[1] It is also the choice for recordings from mobile apps, with an SDK for Android, iOS, Flutter and React Native.[2]
Running both, and where Convertlyft fits
You do not have to choose: they are separate tags, so one site can load both, one for where visitors came from and one for what they did. What neither joins up for you is the step between: which page lost people, what broke there, and what to change.
That is the job Convertlyft does, for one website. Every visit is recorded, on every plan, up to a safety limit of 50,000 new recordings per site per day. Recording pauses once you pass twice your plan’s visits and starts again on the 1st. Funnel steps link to the recorded visits that reached them, JavaScript errors are grouped into issues, Core Web Vitals come from real visits, and What to do names one change, with the evidence behind it. Its line runs beside the GA4 tag and does not change it. Convertlyft has no Google Ads connection and reads one website per workspace, so keep Google Analytics for ads and Clarity for apps if you need them.
More detail on each: our Google Analytics alternative and Microsoft Clarity alternative pages, and heatmaps and visit recordings in Convertlyft.
Questions
Is Microsoft Clarity the same as Google Analytics?
No. Clarity records visits and draws heatmaps; Google's features list for Analytics does not include recordings or heatmaps.[1][4] Google Analytics reports on Google Ads campaigns and compares attribution models, and exports to BigQuery.[4]
Is Microsoft Clarity really free?
Microsoft's FAQ says Clarity is a free service forever, and that you never meet traffic limits or have to upgrade to a paid version.[1]
Does Google Analytics have heatmaps or recordings?
Not on Google's own features list for Analytics, which names neither recordings (session replays) nor heatmaps.[4]
Can I use Microsoft Clarity and Google Analytics together?
They are separate tags, so one site can load both. Each answers its own question: Google Analytics how many came and from where, Clarity what they did on the page.
Sources
- Microsoft Learn, “Clarity FAQ”, learn.microsoft.com/en-us/clarity/faq, as of 22 October 2026.
- Microsoft Clarity home page, clarity.microsoft.com, as of 22 October 2026.
- Google Marketing Platform, Analytics overview, marketingplatform.google.com/about/analytics/, as of 22 October 2026.
- Google Marketing Platform, Analytics features list, marketingplatform.google.com/about/analytics/features/, as of 22 October 2026.
- Google Analytics Help, “Data retention”, support.google.com/analytics/answer/7667196, as of 22 October 2026.
- Google Analytics Help, “About data sampling”, support.google.com/analytics/answer/13331292, as of 22 October 2026.
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