Skip to content

Side-by-side comparison · SEO & Analytics

Microsoft Clarity vs Mixpanel vs Profound

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

Profound

3.7

Free to start

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: Marketing teams at mid-sized and large brands, and agencies, who need detailed tracking of how AI assistants talk about them.

Overview

AttributeMicrosoft ClarityMixpanelProfound
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.Shows how often ChatGPT, Gemini and other AI assistants mention and recommend your brand.
Pricing modelFreeFreemiumPaid
Starting priceFreeFirst 1M events freeSee website
Free plan Yes Yes No
Works with Claude Code Yes Yes No

Rating breakdown

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

AttributeMicrosoft ClarityMixpanelProfound
Overall rating4.3Winner4.13.7
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
4.5
3.5
3.5
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.0
4.5
4.5
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
2.0
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.

AttributeMicrosoft ClarityMixpanelProfound
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes No
Mobile app– No 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 No Yes 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– Yes Yes
Learns your brand or style No––
Works in many languages Yes Yes Yes
Capabilities score5/ 177/ 176/ 17

Pricing

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

AttributeMicrosoft ClarityMixpanelProfound
Plans

FreeOur pick

Free

Every website and online store.

FreeOur pick

Free

Early-stage apps.

Trial

Free for 7 days

Seeing what AI says about you before talking to sales.

Growth

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

Growing apps that need cohorts and alerts.

Agency Growth

Custom

Agencies managing several client brands.

Enterprise

Custom

Large companies.

EnterpriseOur pick

Custom

Large brands.

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.Run the free 7-day trial to see how AI assistants describe you. If you're a larger brand or agency with a real budget, talk to sales about Enterprise. Small businesses will get more for their money from Peec AI or SE Ranking.

Key features

AttributeMicrosoft ClarityMixpanelProfound
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
  • Answer engine tracking
  • Citations
  • Prompt Volumes
  • Agent Analytics
  • Agents and AI Marketer
  • ChatGPT Shopping

Pros and cons

AttributeMicrosoft ClarityMixpanelProfound
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
  • Tracks up to nine AI engines daily
  • Strong citation and competitor reports
  • Prompt Volumes shows what people ask AI
  • AI crawler analytics included
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
  • No published prices since the self-serve plans were dropped
  • Expensive for small businesses
  • The trial covers only three engines and 50 prompts
  • API and exports are Enterprise only

Who each one is for

AttributeMicrosoft ClarityMixpanelProfound
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
  • Tracking brand mentions across many AI assistants
  • Seeing which sources AI cites in your category
  • Large brands and agencies with a budget
  • Spotting which AI bots crawl your site
You'll find it used by
  • Store owners
  • Marketers
  • Product teams
  • Agencies
  • Product teams
  • Founders
  • Growth marketers
  • SaaS companies
  • Enterprise marketers
  • Agencies
  • SEO teams
  • Brand managers

Questions people ask

Which is better, Microsoft Clarity, Mixpanel or Profound?

Microsoft Clarity scores highest overall in our ratings (Microsoft Clarity 4.3/5, Mixpanel 4.1/5 and Profound 3.7/5). 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. Profound is best for tracking brand mentions across many AI assistants and seeing which sources AI cites in your category.

Which is cheaper, Microsoft Clarity, Mixpanel or Profound?

Microsoft Clarity: It's free to use. Mixpanel: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at First 1M events free. Profound: Pricing isn't published; check the vendor's site for a quote.

Which is easier to use, Microsoft Clarity, Mixpanel or Profound?

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.