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Side-by-side comparison · SEO & Analytics

Microsoft Clarity vs PostHog 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

PostHog

4.2

From $0/mo base

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.

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

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 ClarityPostHogSE Ranking
In one lineFree 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.A cheaper all-in-one SEO tool that also tracks your brand in AI search answers.
Pricing modelFreeFreemiumPaid
Starting priceFree$0/mo base$129/mo
Free plan Yes Yes No
Works with Claude Code Yes Yes Yes

Rating breakdown

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

AttributeMicrosoft ClarityPostHogSE Ranking
Overall rating4.3Winner4.24.1
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
4.5
3.0
4.0
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.0
5.0
4.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
4.0
4.5
3.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
5.0
4.5
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 ClarityPostHogSE Ranking
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes No
Mobile app– No No
Desktop app No Yes No
Browser extension No No Yes
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 Yes 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 Yes No
Runs agents or automations– Yes No
Learns your brand or style No––
Works in many languages Yes Yes Yes
Capabilities score5/ 1710/ 176/ 17

Pricing

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

AttributeMicrosoft ClarityPostHogSE Ranking
Plans

FreeOur pick

Free

Every website and online store.

Free

Free

Small apps and getting started.

CoreOur pick

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

Small businesses and freelancers.

Pay as you goOur pick

$0/mo base, then per use

Growing apps that outgrow the free limits.

Growth

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

Agencies and teams with many sites.

Boost

$250/mo plus usage

Teams that need SSO enforcement or HIPAA.

Enterprise

Custom

Large teams.

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 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.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 ClarityPostHogSE Ranking
Standout features
  • 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
  • Daily rank tracking
  • Keyword and competitor research
  • Website audit
  • AI visibility
  • Content tools
  • API and MCP

Pros and cons

AttributeMicrosoft ClarityPostHogSE 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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 ClarityPostHogSE Ranking
Best for
  • 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
  • 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
  • Founders
  • Product teams
  • Developers
  • SaaS companies
  • Agencies
  • Freelancers
  • Small businesses
  • In-house marketers

Questions people ask

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

Microsoft Clarity scores highest overall in our ratings (Microsoft Clarity 4.3/5, PostHog 4.2/5 and SE Ranking 4.1/5). 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. SE Ranking is best for daily rank tracking on a budget and agencies needing white-label client reports.

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

Microsoft Clarity: It's free to use. PostHog: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $0/mo base. SE Ranking: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $129/mo.

Which is easier to use, Microsoft Clarity, PostHog 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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