Side-by-side comparison · SEO & Analytics
Frase vs Microsoft Clarity vs Semrush
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
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.
Pick it if: Store owners and marketers who want to know why visitors aren't converting, without paying for it.
Pick it if: Agencies and marketers who do both search ads and SEO and want one subscription for both.
Overview
| Attribute | Frase | Microsoft Clarity | Semrush |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Researches, briefs and drafts SEO articles, and tracks if AI search cites you. | Free heatmaps and session replays that show where visitors get stuck. | Keyword, competitor and ad research with a bigger toolbox and a bigger bill. |
| Pricing model | Paid | Free | Freemium |
| Starting price | $49/mo | Free | $139/mo |
| Free plan | No | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Frase | Microsoft Clarity | Semrush |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.0 | 4.3Winner | 3.9 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.0 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 5.0 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.0 | 5.0 | 3.0 |
| 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.
| Attribute | Frase | Microsoft Clarity | Semrush |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | No | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | – | – | Yes |
| 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 | Yes |
| Understands images | – | No | 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 score | 7/ 17 | 5/ 17 | 9/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Frase | Microsoft Clarity | Semrush |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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. | Free Free A quick look before you commit. |
ProfessionalOur pick $129/mo, or $103/mo billed yearly Small teams publishing weekly. | SEO $139/mo, or $117.33/mo billed yearly A business that wants classic SEO research without the AI extras. | ||
Scale $299/mo, or $239/mo billed yearly Agencies running several sites. | StarterOur pick $199/mo, or $165.17/mo billed yearly Marketers who want SEO plus AI visibility and the Claude connection. | ||
Enterprise Custom Large teams needing white-label and SSO. | Pro+ $299/mo, or $248.17/mo billed yearly Agencies managing several clients. | ||
Advanced Custom Large teams and enterprise accounts. | |||
| Which plan to pick | Professional 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 tag through Shopify, WordPress or Google Tag Manager and it starts recording within minutes. | The free account is only good for a look around. If you want the Claude connection and AI visibility tracking, Starter is the one; the SEO plan is cheaper but leaves both out. Budget for extra users too, which start at $45 a month each. |
Key features
| Attribute | Frase | Microsoft Clarity | Semrush |
|---|---|---|---|
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Pros and cons
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Frase | Microsoft Clarity | Semrush |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Frase, Microsoft Clarity or Semrush?
Microsoft Clarity scores highest overall in our ratings (Frase 4.0/5, Microsoft Clarity 4.3/5 and Semrush 3.9/5). 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. Semrush is best for Competitor Google Ads research and keyword gap reports.
Which is cheaper, Frase, Microsoft Clarity or Semrush?
Frase: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $49/mo. Microsoft Clarity: It's free to use. Semrush: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $139/mo.
Which is easier to use, Frase, Microsoft Clarity or Semrush?
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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