Comparison

Hotjar (now Contentsquare) vs Microsoft Clarity

Hotjar (now Contentsquare) and Microsoft Clarity both land on Worth it.
hotjar.com
Buy if you run an SMB site and want heatmaps, session replay, and surveys free up to 200k sessions/month . signups now go through Contentsquare.
Read the full report
clarity.microsoft.com
Buy it if you run a website and want free heatmaps and session replays . there is no price barrier and setup is simple.
Read the full report
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Hotjar (now Contentsquare) versus Microsoft Clarity| Compare | Hotjar (now Contentsquare) | Microsoft Clarity |
|---|
| Verdict | Worth it | Worth it |
|---|
| Best for | SMB product and marketing teams | SMB and ecommerce sites on a budget |
|---|
| Who it's not for | Anyone wanting standalone Hotjar . new accounts are forced onto Contentsquare | Teams wanting quantitative analytics, not just qualitative replays |
|---|
| Privacy | A 2024 OAuth+XSS account-takeover flaw and two WordPress plugin XSS CVEs; no active breach reported. | Microsoft-backed product; one fixed WordPress plugin XSS (CVE-2021-33850) and ongoing privacy/consent obligations. |
|---|
| Public sentiment | Independent comparisons praise the free entry point but flag the free plan's data limits as a scaling constraint. | Users widely praise Clarity as an easy, genuinely free behavioral analytics layer, with gripes about limited integrations and no SEO benefit. |
|---|
| Biggest gotcha | July 2024 OAuth+XSS flaw let attackers steal credentials from users clicking malicious links | GDPR: set up consent management before recording EU visitors |
|---|
Pick Hotjar (now Contentsquare) when
- SMB product and marketing teams
- Landing-page conversion optimization
- Budget UX research on the free tier
- Sites under 200k monthly sessions
When Hotjar (now Contentsquare) is not a fit
- Anyone wanting standalone Hotjar . new accounts are forced onto Contentsquare
- Security-strict orgs . 2024 OAuth/XSS account-takeover flaw is a red flag
- Privacy-tight teams uncomfortable recording real user sessions
- Buyers who need published, predictable paid pricing . tiers aren't shown
Pick Microsoft Clarity when
- SMB and ecommerce sites on a budget
- Marketers debugging UX and conversion drop-offs
- VC-backed startups (free via Microsoft for Startups)
When Microsoft Clarity is not a fit
- Teams wanting quantitative analytics, not just qualitative replays
- Buyers needing built-in A/B testing or funnel reports
- Sites unwilling to add cookie-consent banners for EU visitors
- Anyone expecting paid-tier support or an SLA on a free product
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