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Side-by-side comparison · SEO & Analytics

Google Search Console vs Microsoft Clarity vs Similarweb

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

Google Search Console

4.0

Free to start

Best overall

Microsoft Clarity

4.3

Free to start

Similarweb

3.7

From About $125/mo

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

Pick it if: Anyone with a website. There's no reason not to set it up.

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: Marketers, founders and analysts who want to size up competitors and markets from the outside.

Overview

AttributeGoogle Search ConsoleMicrosoft ClaritySimilarweb
In one lineGoogle's free report on how your site shows up in search, AI results included.Free heatmaps and session replays that show where visitors get stuck.See roughly how much traffic any website gets and where it comes from.
Pricing modelFreeFreeFreemium
Starting priceFreeFreeAbout $125/mo
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Works with Claude Code Yes Yes No

Rating breakdown

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

AttributeGoogle Search ConsoleMicrosoft ClaritySimilarweb
Overall rating4.04.3Winner3.7
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.
3.0
4.0
4.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
4.5
4.0
3.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
5.0
5.0
2.5
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 Search ConsoleMicrosoft ClaritySimilarweb
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Mobile app No––
Desktop app No No–
Browser extension No No Yes
API access Yes Yes Yes
Teams & business
Team workspace Yes Yes Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO No 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 No–
Makes images No No–
Makes video No No–
Writes code No No–
Runs agents or automations No– Yes
Learns your brand or style No No–
Works in many languages Yes Yes No
Capabilities score5/ 175/ 177/ 17

Pricing

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

AttributeGoogle Search ConsoleMicrosoft ClaritySimilarweb
Plans

FreeOur pick

Free

Every website owner, with no exceptions.

FreeOur pick

Free

Every website and online store.

Free

Free

Quick checks on a big competitor.

StarterOur pick

About $125/mo billed yearly, $149 monthly

A founder or marketer tracking a handful of competitors.

Business packages

Custom, yearly contract

Teams that need SEO, ads or AI search data at depth.

Which plan to pickThere's only one plan and it costs nothing. Verify every site you own, including subdomains, and add your marketing person or agency as a user so they can see the data too.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.Use the free lookups first; for most small businesses they answer the question. Pay for Starter only if you check competitors every month, and get a quote before committing to a yearly package.

Key features

AttributeGoogle Search ConsoleMicrosoft ClaritySimilarweb
Standout features
  • Performance report
  • Indexing report
  • URL inspection
  • Issue alerts
  • Core Web Vitals
  • API access
  • Session recordings
  • Heatmaps
  • Copilot
  • Smart events and funnels
  • AI visibility
  • MCP server
  • Website traffic
  • Traffic channels
  • Referral sources
  • Keyword and ad research
  • AI traffic and visibility
  • AI agents and AI Studio

Pros and cons

AttributeGoogle Search ConsoleMicrosoft ClaritySimilarweb
Pros
  • Real data from Google rather than estimates
  • Completely free with no traffic or user limits
  • Catches indexing and mobile problems you'd never notice yourself
  • Shows when your pages appear in AI Overviews and AI Mode
  • An official API that Claude Code can read
  • 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
  • The quickest way to see any website's traffic and channel mix
  • Useful free lookups for large sites
  • Covers markets and competitors, not just SEO
  • Adds AI search traffic and visibility data
Cons
  • Only covers your own site, so no competitor research
  • Data lags by one to two days
  • The reports assume you know SEO terms like impressions and canonical
  • Query data is sampled and hides some long-tail searches for privacy
  • 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
  • Estimates are unreliable for small, local sites
  • Expensive beyond Starter, with prices only from sales
  • Higher packages need yearly contracts
  • Overlaps with Semrush and Ahrefs if you already pay for one

Who each one is for

AttributeGoogle Search ConsoleMicrosoft ClaritySimilarweb
Best for
  • Seeing which searches bring visitors
  • Finding indexing problems
  • Seeing when you appear in AI Overviews
  • Submitting sitemaps
  • Finding checkout drop-offs
  • Watching real user sessions
  • Scroll and click heatmaps
  • Spotting broken buttons
  • Checking a competitor's traffic and channels
  • Sizing up a market before you launch
  • Benchmarking your traffic share
  • Finding sites that send traffic to competitors
You'll find it used by
  • Business owners
  • Marketers
  • Agencies
  • Developers
  • Store owners
  • Marketers
  • Product teams
  • Agencies
  • Marketers
  • Founders
  • Market researchers
  • Investors
  • E-commerce brands

Questions people ask

Which is better, Google Search Console, Microsoft Clarity or Similarweb?

Microsoft Clarity scores highest overall in our ratings (Google Search Console 4.0/5, Microsoft Clarity 4.3/5 and Similarweb 3.7/5). Google Search Console is best for seeing which searches bring visitors and finding indexing problems. Microsoft Clarity is best for finding checkout drop-offs and watching real user sessions. Similarweb is best for checking a competitor's traffic and channels and sizing up a market before you launch.

Which is cheaper, Google Search Console, Microsoft Clarity or Similarweb?

Google Search Console: It's free to use. Microsoft Clarity: It's free to use. Similarweb: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at About $125/mo.

Which is easier to use, Google Search Console, Microsoft Clarity or Similarweb?

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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