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Side-by-side comparison · SEO & Analytics

Microsoft Clarity 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

DetailsVisit

Profound

3.7

Free to start

DetailsVisit

Comparing 2 tools. Add one more if you like.

At a glance

Microsoft Clarity4.3
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.

Profound3.7

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 ClarityProfound
In one lineFree heatmaps and session replays that show where visitors get stuck.Shows how often ChatGPT, Gemini and other AI assistants mention and recommend your brand.
Pricing modelFreePaid
Starting priceFreeSee website
Free plan Yes No
Works with Claude Code Yes No

Rating breakdown

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

AttributeMicrosoft ClarityProfound
Overall rating4.3Winner3.7
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
4.5
3.5
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.0
4.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
4.0
4.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
5.0
2.0
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
4.0
4.0

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

AttributeMicrosoft ClarityProfound
Access & platform
Free plan Yes No
Mobile app– No
Desktop app No No
Browser extension No No
API access Yes Yes
Teams & business
Team workspace Yes Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO No Yes
Connects to other apps Yes Yes
Open source or self-hosted No No
AI abilities
Works with your files No No
Understands images No–
Makes images No No
Makes video No No
Writes code No No
Runs agents or automations– Yes
Learns your brand or style No–
Works in many languages Yes Yes
Capabilities score5/ 176/ 17

Pricing

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

AttributeMicrosoft ClarityProfound
Plans

FreeOur pick

Free

Every website and online store.

Trial

Free for 7 days

Seeing what AI says about you before talking to sales.

Agency Growth

Custom

Agencies managing several client brands.

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.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 ClarityProfound
Standout features
  • Session recordings
  • Heatmaps
  • Copilot
  • Smart events and funnels
  • AI visibility
  • MCP server
  • Answer engine tracking
  • Citations
  • Prompt Volumes
  • Agent Analytics
  • Agents and AI Marketer
  • ChatGPT Shopping

Pros and cons

AttributeMicrosoft ClarityProfound
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
  • 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
  • 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 ClarityProfound
Best for
  • Finding checkout drop-offs
  • Watching real user sessions
  • Scroll and click heatmaps
  • Spotting broken buttons
  • 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
  • Enterprise marketers
  • Agencies
  • SEO teams
  • Brand managers

Questions people ask

Which is better, Microsoft Clarity or Profound?

Microsoft Clarity scores highest overall in our ratings (Microsoft Clarity 4.3/5 and Profound 3.7/5). Microsoft Clarity is best for finding checkout drop-offs and watching real user sessions. 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 or Profound?

Microsoft Clarity: It's free to use. Profound: Pricing isn't published; check the vendor's site for a quote.

Which is easier to use, Microsoft Clarity 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.

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