Skip to content

Side-by-side comparison · SEO & Analytics

Microsoft Clarity vs Mixpanel 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.

Best overall

Microsoft Clarity

4.3

Free to start

Mixpanel

4.1

From First 1M events free

PostHog

4.2

From $0/mo base

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

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

Pick it if: Founders and product teams with a web app or SaaS who want analytics, replays and testing in one tool.

Overview

AttributeMicrosoft ClarityMixpanelPostHog
In one lineFree heatmaps and session replays that show where visitors get stuck.Product analytics where you ask questions about your users in your own words.Product analytics, session replays, A/B tests and surveys in one tool, with an AI analyst.
Pricing modelFreeFreemiumFreemium
Starting priceFreeFirst 1M events free$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.

AttributeMicrosoft ClarityMixpanelPostHog
Overall rating4.3Winner4.14.2
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
4.5
3.5
3.0
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.0
4.5
5.0
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
4.0
4.5
4.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
5.0
4.0
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.

AttributeMicrosoft ClarityMixpanelPostHog
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Mobile app– No 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 No Yes 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– Yes Yes
Learns your brand or style No––
Works in many languages Yes Yes Yes
Capabilities score5/ 177/ 1710/ 17

Pricing

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

AttributeMicrosoft ClarityMixpanelPostHog
Plans

FreeOur pick

Free

Every website and online store.

FreeOur pick

Free

Early-stage apps.

Free

Free

Small apps and getting started.

Growth

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

Growing apps that need cohorts and alerts.

Pay as you goOur pick

$0/mo base, then per use

Growing apps that outgrow the free limits.

Enterprise

Custom

Large companies.

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 pickThere'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.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

AttributeMicrosoft ClarityMixpanelPostHog
Standout features
  • 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
  • Product analytics
  • Session replay
  • A/B tests and feature flags
  • Surveys
  • PostHog AI
  • MCP server and wizard

Pros and cons

AttributeMicrosoft ClarityMixpanelPostHog
Pros
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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

AttributeMicrosoft ClarityMixpanelPostHog
Best for
  • 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
  • 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
  • Store owners
  • Marketers
  • Product teams
  • Agencies
  • Product teams
  • Founders
  • Growth marketers
  • SaaS companies
  • Founders
  • Product teams
  • Developers
  • SaaS companies

Questions people ask

Which is better, Microsoft Clarity, Mixpanel or PostHog?

Microsoft Clarity scores highest overall in our ratings (Microsoft Clarity 4.3/5, Mixpanel 4.1/5 and PostHog 4.2/5). 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. PostHog is best for seeing how people use your app and finding where sign-ups and checkouts drop off.

Which is cheaper, Microsoft Clarity, Mixpanel or PostHog?

Microsoft Clarity: It's free to use. Mixpanel: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at First 1M events free. PostHog: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $0/mo base.

Which is easier to use, Microsoft Clarity, Mixpanel 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.

Swap in another tool

More tools from SEO & Analytics in the library.