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Side-by-side comparison · SEO & Analytics

Frase vs Microsoft Clarity vs SE Ranking

Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.

Frase

4.0

From $49/mo

Best overall

Microsoft Clarity

4.3

Free to start

SE Ranking

4.1

From $129/mo

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

Pick it if: Small marketing teams, freelancers and agencies who write SEO content and want research, briefs and drafts in one place.

Best overallBest valueEasiest to use

Pick it if: Store owners and marketers who want to know why visitors aren't converting, without paying for it.

Pick it if: Small businesses, freelancers and agencies who want a full SEO toolkit with AI search tracking for less than the big names.

Overview

AttributeFraseMicrosoft ClaritySE Ranking
In one lineResearches, briefs and drafts SEO articles, and tracks if AI search cites you.Free heatmaps and session replays that show where visitors get stuck.A cheaper all-in-one SEO tool that also tracks your brand in AI search answers.
Pricing modelPaidFreePaid
Starting price$49/moFree$129/mo
Free plan No Yes No
Works with Claude Code Yes Yes Yes

Rating breakdown

Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.

AttributeFraseMicrosoft ClaritySE Ranking
Overall rating4.04.3Winner4.1
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
4.0
4.5
4.0
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.5
4.0
4.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
3.5
4.0
3.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
4.0
5.0
4.5
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
4.0
4.0
4.0

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

AttributeFraseMicrosoft ClaritySE Ranking
Access & platform
Free plan No Yes No
Mobile app–– No
Desktop app– No No
Browser extension– No Yes
API access Yes Yes Yes
Teams & business
Team workspace Yes Yes Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO Yes No Yes
Connects to other apps Yes Yes Yes
Open source or self-hosted No No No
AI abilities
Works with your files– No No
Understands images– No–
Makes images No No No
Makes video No No No
Writes code No No No
Runs agents or automations Yes– No
Learns your brand or style Yes No–
Works in many languages Yes Yes Yes
Capabilities score7/ 175/ 176/ 17

Pricing

Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.

AttributeFraseMicrosoft ClaritySE Ranking
Plans

Starter

$49/mo, or $39/mo billed yearly

One person writing a few articles a month.

FreeOur pick

Free

Every website and online store.

CoreOur pick

$129/mo, or $103.20/mo billed yearly

Small businesses and freelancers.

ProfessionalOur pick

$129/mo, or $103/mo billed yearly

Small teams publishing weekly.

Growth

$279/mo, or $223.20/mo billed yearly

Agencies and teams with many sites.

Scale

$299/mo, or $239/mo billed yearly

Agencies running several sites.

Enterprise

Custom

Large teams.

Enterprise

Custom

Large teams needing white-label and SSO.

Which plan to pickProfessional is the plan most teams settle on, because Starter's 10 articles a month runs out quickly. Try the 7-day trial on two or three real articles before paying.There's one plan and it's free. Microsoft says it's free forever with no traffic limits. Install the tracking code through Shopify, WordPress or Google Tag Manager and it starts recording within minutes.Start the 14-day free trial. Core covers most small businesses and freelancers, and paying yearly saves 20%. Agencies should look at Growth plus the $69 a month Agency Pack for white-label reports and client seats.

Key features

AttributeFraseMicrosoft ClaritySE Ranking
Standout features
  • Search result research and briefs
  • AI drafting in your voice
  • Content scoring
  • Content Guard
  • AI visibility tracking
  • API, MCP and CLI
  • Session recordings
  • Heatmaps
  • Copilot
  • Smart events and funnels
  • AI visibility
  • MCP server
  • Daily rank tracking
  • Keyword and competitor research
  • Website audit
  • AI visibility
  • Content tools
  • API and MCP

Pros and cons

AttributeFraseMicrosoft ClaritySE Ranking
Pros
  • Fast, thorough content briefs
  • Cheaper than Clearscope and Surfer at the entry level
  • Covers Google and AI search in one tool
  • API, MCP and CLI on every plan
  • Completely free with no traffic or team limits
  • Session replays and heatmaps that match the paid tools
  • Copilot turns piles of recordings into plain findings
  • Easy installs for Shopify, WordPress and Tag Manager
  • MCP server for Claude
  • Much cheaper than Ahrefs or Semrush for similar features
  • AI visibility tracking on every plan
  • API and MCP access included
  • Strong white-label reports for agencies
  • 14-day trial without a card
Cons
  • AI drafts need editing to sound human and be accurate
  • Starter limits are tight
  • Rebuilt in 2026, so the newer features have little track record
  • Past complaints about slow replies on billing issues
  • Your visitor data goes to Microsoft, which some businesses won't accept
  • Recordings keep for 30 days, so you can't go back far
  • The interface is rougher than Hotjar and filters take some learning
  • Can slow a page slightly if it's already heavy with scripts
  • Smaller keyword and backlink data than the biggest suites
  • Extra seats, keywords and locations cost more
  • No cheap entry plan any more
  • Deeper AI tracking in SE Visible is a separate subscription

Who each one is for

AttributeFraseMicrosoft ClaritySE Ranking
Best for
  • Building SEO content briefs fast
  • Drafting articles from a brief
  • Answering the questions searchers ask
  • Tracking citations in AI search
  • Finding checkout drop-offs
  • Watching real user sessions
  • Scroll and click heatmaps
  • Spotting broken buttons
  • Daily rank tracking on a budget
  • Agencies needing white-label client reports
  • Tracking your brand in AI answers alongside Google
  • All-round SEO for small businesses
You'll find it used by
  • Content marketers
  • SEO freelancers
  • Agencies
  • Small business owners
  • B2B software teams
  • Store owners
  • Marketers
  • Product teams
  • Agencies
  • Agencies
  • Freelancers
  • Small businesses
  • In-house marketers

Questions people ask

Which is better, Frase, Microsoft Clarity or SE Ranking?

Microsoft Clarity scores highest overall in our ratings (Frase 4.0/5, Microsoft Clarity 4.3/5 and SE Ranking 4.1/5). Frase is best for Building SEO content briefs fast and drafting articles from a brief. Microsoft Clarity is best for finding checkout drop-offs and watching real user sessions. SE Ranking is best for daily rank tracking on a budget and agencies needing white-label client reports.

Which is cheaper, Frase, Microsoft Clarity or SE Ranking?

Frase: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $49/mo. Microsoft Clarity: It's free to use. SE Ranking: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $129/mo.

Which is easier to use, Frase, Microsoft Clarity or SE Ranking?

Microsoft Clarity rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Store owners and marketers who want to know why visitors aren't converting, without paying for it.

How we compare

Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.

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