Smartlook
Skip
Confidence: Medium
New buyers should not start with Smartlook: Cisco has put it into end-of-sale, so there is no future to build on.
Comparison
Smartlook vs Microsoft Clarity
Smartlook lands on Skip, and Microsoft Clarity lands on Worth it.
Microsoft Clarity
Worth it
Confidence: High
Buy it if you run a website and want free heatmaps and session replays . there is no price barrier and setup is simple.
| Compare | Smartlook | Microsoft Clarity |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Skip | Worth it |
| Best for | Existing customers finishing their term | SMB and ecommerce sites on a budget |
| Who it's not for | New buyers . Cisco end-of-sale means no vendor future | Teams wanting quantitative analytics, not just qualitative replays |
| Privacy | Cisco-owned with DPA and security page; not HIPAA compliant; product is in end-of-sale.⁵ | Microsoft-backed product; one fixed WordPress plugin XSS (CVE-2021-33850) and ongoing privacy/consent obligations. |
| Public sentiment | Users praise Smartlook's ease of use and CRO value, but its 3.7/5 G2 rating trails Hotjar.³ | Users widely praise Clarity as an easy, genuinely free behavioral analytics layer, with gripes about limited integrations and no SEO benefit.14 |
| Biggest gotcha | Cisco end-of-sale forces migration; commit to a successor tool instead⁷ | GDPR: set up consent management before recording EU visitors |
Pick Smartlook when
- Existing customers finishing their term
- SaaS/e-commerce session-replay analysis
- Mobile app product teams
- CRO and UX troubleshooting
When Smartlook is not a fit
- New buyers . Cisco end-of-sale means no vendor future
- HIPAA-regulated health products . not compliant
- Teams wanting built-in A/B testing
- Anyone needing a long-term analytics commitment
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
Sources
- Smartlook vs Hotjar (2026)rfp.wikireview
- Smartlook Reviews . G2g2.comreview
- Smartlook Reviews & Ratings . TrustRadiustrustradius.comreview
review
- Product security page . Smartlooksmartlook.comsecurity
- Is Smartlook HIPAA compliant? . Pauboxpaubox.comsecurity
news
news
- Best Smartlook Alternatives for Session Recordingfullsession.ioreview
- Smartlook Revenue . Latkagetlatka.comnews
- Smartlook Personal Data Processing Agreementsmartlook.comofficial
- Mouseflow vs. Smartlookmouseflow.comreview
- Microsoft Clarity . official siteclarity.microsoft.comofficial
review
- Microsoft Clarity Reviews . Capterracapterra.comreview
- Microsoft Clarity Pros & Cons . Cypress Northcypressnorth.comreview