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Side-by-side comparison · SEO & Analytics

Google Analytics vs Microsoft Clarity vs Mixpanel

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

Google Analytics

4.0

Free to start

Best overall

Microsoft Clarity

4.3

Free to start

Mixpanel

4.1

From First 1M events free

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

Pick it if: Every business with a website that wants to know how many people visit, where they come from and what turns them into customers.

Best overallEasiest 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: Founders and product teams with an app or SaaS who want to understand which users stick around and why.

Overview

AttributeGoogle AnalyticsMicrosoft ClarityMixpanel
In one lineGoogle's free website analytics: who visits, where they came from and what they do.Free heatmaps and session replays that show where visitors get stuck.Product analytics where you ask questions about your users in your own words.
Pricing modelFreeFreeFreemium
Starting priceFreeFreeFirst 1M events free
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Works with Claude Code Yes Yes Yes

Rating breakdown

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

AttributeGoogle AnalyticsMicrosoft ClarityMixpanel
Overall rating4.04.3Winner4.1
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
3.0
4.5
3.5
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.
4.0
4.0
4.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
5.0
5.0
4.0
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
3.5
4.0
4.0

Feature comparison

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

AttributeGoogle AnalyticsMicrosoft ClarityMixpanel
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Mobile app Yes– No
Desktop app No No No
Browser extension No No No
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 No
Understands images– No–
Makes images No No No
Makes video No No No
Writes code No No No
Runs agents or automations No– Yes
Learns your brand or style– No–
Works in many languages Yes Yes Yes
Capabilities score7/ 175/ 177/ 17

Pricing

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

AttributeGoogle AnalyticsMicrosoft ClarityMixpanel
Plans

Google AnalyticsOur pick

Free

Almost every business.

FreeOur pick

Free

Every website and online store.

FreeOur pick

Free

Early-stage apps.

Analytics 360

Custom

Very large sites with huge traffic.

Growth

First 1M events free, then from $140/mo ($100 billed yearly)

Growing apps that need cohorts and alerts.

Enterprise

Custom

Large companies.

Which plan to pickUse the free version. Analytics 360 is only for very large companies that hit the free limits. Set data retention to 14 months in the admin settings when you set it up, since the default is shorter.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 on Free. It covers most small apps, and you get unlimited seats. Growth makes sense when you need saved cohorts, alerts or more than a million events. Young startups should check the Startup Program, which gives a year free.

Key features

AttributeGoogle AnalyticsMicrosoft ClarityMixpanel
Standout features
  • Traffic reports
  • Conversions
  • Google Ads link
  • Analytics Advisor
  • Explorations
  • Official MCP server
  • Session recordings
  • Heatmaps
  • Copilot
  • Smart events and funnels
  • AI visibility
  • MCP server
  • Funnels and retention
  • Mixpanel Agent
  • Session replay
  • Experiments and feature flags
  • MCP server

Pros and cons

AttributeGoogle AnalyticsMicrosoft ClarityMixpanel
Pros
  • Free with no visitor limits for almost every business
  • Ties traffic to sales and links straight to Google Ads
  • Gemini-powered Analytics Advisor answers questions
  • Official MCP server for Claude
  • Works with almost every website platform
  • 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
  • Generous free plan with unlimited seats
  • Strong funnels, retention and cohorts
  • AI agent and MCP server on every plan
  • Replays, testing and flags built in
Cons
  • GA4's menus and reports are confusing
  • Setting up conversions properly takes work
  • Cookie consent and ad blockers mean it undercounts visitors
  • Google uses the data in its own products, which some businesses dislike
  • 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
  • Needs tracking planned and added before it's useful
  • Pricing climbs fast past a few million events
  • Less suited to simple website traffic reports
  • Alerts and saved cohorts need Growth

Who each one is for

AttributeGoogle AnalyticsMicrosoft ClarityMixpanel
Best for
  • Counting website visitors and where they came from
  • Seeing which ads and channels lead to sales
  • Tracking forms, bookings and purchases
  • Free reporting for any size of site
  • Finding checkout drop-offs
  • Watching real user sessions
  • Scroll and click heatmaps
  • Spotting broken buttons
  • Funnels and retention for apps
  • Asking questions about user behaviour in your own words
  • Comparing groups of customers
  • Teams that want unlimited seats on a free plan
You'll find it used by
  • Small businesses
  • Marketers
  • Agencies
  • Online stores
  • Large companies
  • Store owners
  • Marketers
  • Product teams
  • Agencies
  • Product teams
  • Founders
  • Growth marketers
  • SaaS companies

Questions people ask

Which is better, Google Analytics, Microsoft Clarity or Mixpanel?

Microsoft Clarity scores highest overall in our ratings (Google Analytics 4.0/5, Microsoft Clarity 4.3/5 and Mixpanel 4.1/5). Google Analytics is best for counting website visitors and where they came from and seeing which ads and channels lead to sales. Microsoft Clarity is best for finding checkout drop-offs and watching real user sessions. Mixpanel is best for funnels and retention for apps and asking questions about user behaviour in your own words.

Which is cheaper, Google Analytics, Microsoft Clarity or Mixpanel?

Google Analytics: It's free to use. Microsoft Clarity: It's free to use. Mixpanel: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at First 1M events free.

Which is easier to use, Google Analytics, Microsoft Clarity or Mixpanel?

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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