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Side-by-side comparison · SEO & Analytics

Microsoft Clarity vs Moz vs SE Ranking

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

Moz

3.9

From $49/mo

SE Ranking

4.1

From $129/mo

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.

Moz3.9

Pick it if: Small businesses, freelancers and in-house marketers who want a friendlier, cheaper SEO toolkit than Ahrefs or Semrush.

Pick it if: Small businesses, freelancers and agencies who want a full SEO toolkit with AI search tracking for less than the big names.

Overview

AttributeMicrosoft ClarityMozSE Ranking
In one lineFree heatmaps and session replays that show where visitors get stuck.A long-running SEO toolkit for keywords, links and rankings, known for Domain Authority.A cheaper all-in-one SEO tool that also tracks your brand in AI search answers.
Pricing modelFreePaidPaid
Starting priceFree$49/mo$129/mo
Free plan Yes No No
Works with Claude Code Yes Yes Yes

Rating breakdown

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

AttributeMicrosoft ClarityMozSE Ranking
Overall rating4.3Winner3.94.1
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
4.5
4.0
4.0
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.0
4.0
4.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
4.0
4.0
3.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
5.0
3.5
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 ClarityMozSE Ranking
Access & platform
Free plan Yes No No
Mobile app– No No
Desktop app No No No
Browser extension No Yes Yes
API access Yes Yes Yes
Teams & business
Team workspace Yes Yes Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO 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 No
Learns your brand or style No––
Works in many languages Yes Yes Yes
Capabilities score5/ 175/ 176/ 17

Pricing

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

AttributeMicrosoft ClarityMozSE Ranking
Plans

FreeOur pick

Free

Every website and online store.

Starter

$49/mo

A single small site.

CoreOur pick

$129/mo, or $103.20/mo billed yearly

Small businesses and freelancers.

StandardOur pick

$99/mo

Small businesses doing regular SEO.

Growth

$279/mo, or $223.20/mo billed yearly

Agencies and teams with many sites.

Medium

$179/mo

In-house teams and freelancers with several sites.

Enterprise

Custom

Large teams.

Large

$299/mo

Agencies.

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.Try the free MozBar and Domain Authority checks first. If you want rank tracking and site audits for one business, Standard is the sensible plan, and paying yearly saves about 20%. Plan limits change often, so compare them on Moz's pricing page before you buy.Start the 14-day free trial. Core covers most small businesses and freelancers, and paying yearly saves 20%. Agencies should look at Growth plus the $69 a month Agency Pack for white-label reports and client seats.

Key features

AttributeMicrosoft ClarityMozSE Ranking
Standout features
  • Session recordings
  • Heatmaps
  • Copilot
  • Smart events and funnels
  • AI visibility
  • MCP server
  • Keyword Explorer
  • Link Explorer
  • Rank tracking
  • Site Crawl
  • AI visibility
  • MozBar and free tools
  • Daily rank tracking
  • Keyword and competitor research
  • Website audit
  • AI visibility
  • Content tools
  • API and MCP

Pros and cons

AttributeMicrosoft ClarityMozSE Ranking
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
  • Friendlier and easier to learn than the big suites
  • Domain Authority is an industry-standard score
  • Useful free MozBar and checks
  • Excellent free SEO learning material
  • Much cheaper than Ahrefs or Semrush for similar features
  • AI visibility tracking on every plan
  • API and MCP access included
  • Strong white-label reports for agencies
  • 14-day trial without a card
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
  • Smaller keyword and backlink data than Ahrefs or Semrush
  • The Starter plan's limits are tight
  • The API and its MCP server are a separate paid product
  • Fewer new features than rivals in recent years
  • Smaller keyword and backlink data than the biggest suites
  • Extra seats, keywords and locations cost more
  • No cheap entry plan any more
  • Deeper AI tracking in SE Visible is a separate subscription

Who each one is for

AttributeMicrosoft ClarityMozSE Ranking
Best for
  • Finding checkout drop-offs
  • Watching real user sessions
  • Scroll and click heatmaps
  • Spotting broken buttons
  • Checking Domain Authority and backlinks
  • Keyword research for beginners
  • Tracking Google rankings for a small site
  • Learning SEO with good guides
  • Daily rank tracking on a budget
  • Agencies needing white-label client reports
  • Tracking your brand in AI answers alongside Google
  • All-round SEO for small businesses
You'll find it used by
  • Store owners
  • Marketers
  • Product teams
  • Agencies
  • Small businesses
  • Freelancers
  • In-house marketers
  • Agencies
  • Agencies
  • Freelancers
  • Small businesses
  • In-house marketers

Questions people ask

Which is better, Microsoft Clarity, Moz or SE Ranking?

Microsoft Clarity scores highest overall in our ratings (Microsoft Clarity 4.3/5, Moz 3.9/5 and SE Ranking 4.1/5). Microsoft Clarity is best for finding checkout drop-offs and watching real user sessions. Moz is best for Checking Domain Authority and backlinks and keyword research for beginners. SE Ranking is best for daily rank tracking on a budget and agencies needing white-label client reports.

Which is cheaper, Microsoft Clarity, Moz or SE Ranking?

Microsoft Clarity: It's free to use. Moz: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $49/mo. SE Ranking: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $129/mo.

Which is easier to use, Microsoft Clarity, Moz or SE Ranking?

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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