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Side-by-side comparison · SEO & Analytics

Google Analytics vs Microsoft Clarity vs PostHog

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

PostHog

4.2

From $0/mo base

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 a web app or SaaS who want analytics, replays and testing in one tool.

Overview

AttributeGoogle AnalyticsMicrosoft ClarityPostHog
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, session replays, A/B tests and surveys in one tool, with an AI analyst.
Pricing modelFreeFreeFreemium
Starting priceFreeFree$0/mo base
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 ClarityPostHog
Overall rating4.04.3Winner4.2
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
3.0
4.5
3.0
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.
4.0
4.0
4.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
5.0
5.0
4.5
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 ClarityPostHog
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Mobile app Yes– No
Desktop app No No Yes
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 Yes
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 Yes
Runs agents or automations No– Yes
Learns your brand or style– No–
Works in many languages Yes Yes Yes
Capabilities score7/ 175/ 1710/ 17

Pricing

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

AttributeGoogle AnalyticsMicrosoft ClarityPostHog
Plans

Google AnalyticsOur pick

Free

Almost every business.

FreeOur pick

Free

Every website and online store.

Free

Free

Small apps and getting started.

Analytics 360

Custom

Very large sites with huge traffic.

Pay as you goOur pick

$0/mo base, then per use

Growing apps that outgrow the free limits.

Boost

$250/mo plus usage

Teams that need SSO enforcement or HIPAA.

Scale

$750/mo plus usage

Larger organisations.

Enterprise

$2,000/mo plus usage

Big 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 free. Add a card to move to pay as you go when you need more projects or longer history, and set billing limits on each product so nothing runs away. The platform packages only matter for compliance or big teams.

Key features

AttributeGoogle AnalyticsMicrosoft ClarityPostHog
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
  • Product analytics
  • Session replay
  • A/B tests and feature flags
  • Surveys
  • PostHog AI
  • MCP server and wizard

Pros and cons

AttributeGoogle AnalyticsMicrosoft ClarityPostHog
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
  • Huge free tier with no seat fees
  • Analytics, replays, testing and surveys in one tool
  • Clear, public per-use pricing
  • Open source core you can self-host
  • Strong AI assistant and Claude Code support
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
  • So many products and settings that it can overwhelm small teams
  • Overkill if you only want website visitor numbers
  • Usage bills need billing limits to stay predictable
  • Setup works best with a developer or Claude Code

Who each one is for

AttributeGoogle AnalyticsMicrosoft ClarityPostHog
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
  • Seeing how people use your app
  • Finding where sign-ups and checkouts drop off
  • A/B testing new features and pages
  • Replacing several separate analytics tools
You'll find it used by
  • Small businesses
  • Marketers
  • Agencies
  • Online stores
  • Large companies
  • Store owners
  • Marketers
  • Product teams
  • Agencies
  • Founders
  • Product teams
  • Developers
  • SaaS companies

Questions people ask

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

Microsoft Clarity scores highest overall in our ratings (Google Analytics 4.0/5, Microsoft Clarity 4.3/5 and PostHog 4.2/5). 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. PostHog is best for seeing how people use your app and finding where sign-ups and checkouts drop off.

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

Google Analytics: It's free to use. Microsoft Clarity: It's free to use. PostHog: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $0/mo base.

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

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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