Side-by-side comparison · SEO & Analytics
Microsoft Clarity vs Screaming Frog SEO Spider vs Semrush
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Pick it if: Store owners and marketers who want to know why visitors aren't converting, without paying for it.
Pick it if: Anyone who needs a thorough technical check of a site, especially before or after a redesign or migration.
Pick it if: Agencies and marketers who do both search ads and SEO and want one subscription for both.
Overview
| Attribute | Microsoft Clarity | Screaming Frog SEO Spider | Semrush |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Free heatmaps and session replays that show where visitors get stuck. | Crawls your whole site the way Google does and lists what's broken. | Keyword, competitor and ad research with a bigger toolbox and a bigger bill. |
| Pricing model | Free | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | Free | £199/user/yr | $139/mo |
| 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.
| Attribute | Microsoft Clarity | Screaming Frog SEO Spider | Semrush |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.3Winner | 4.0 | 3.9 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.5 | 2.5 | 3.5 |
| 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 | 4.0 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 5.0 | 4.5 | 3.0 |
| 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.
| Attribute | Microsoft Clarity | Screaming Frog SEO Spider | Semrush |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | – | No | Yes |
| Desktop app | No | Yes | No |
| Browser extension | No | No | Yes |
| API access | Yes | No | Yes |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | No | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | No | No | Yes |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | No | No |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | No | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | No | No | 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 | No | – |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 5/ 17 | 5/ 17 | 9/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Microsoft Clarity | Screaming Frog SEO Spider | Semrush |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | FreeOur pick Free Every website and online store. | Free Free Small sites and one-off checks. | Free Free A quick look before you commit. |
Paid licenceOur pick £199/user/yr Agencies and anyone with a site over 500 pages. | SEO $139/mo, or $117.33/mo billed yearly A business that wants classic SEO research without the AI extras. | ||
StarterOur pick $199/mo, or $165.17/mo billed yearly Marketers who want SEO plus AI visibility and the Claude connection. | |||
Pro+ $299/mo, or $248.17/mo billed yearly Agencies managing several clients. | |||
Advanced Custom Large teams and enterprise accounts. | |||
| Which plan to pick | There's one plan and it's free. Microsoft says it's free forever with no traffic limits. Install the tag through Shopify, WordPress or Google Tag Manager and it starts recording within minutes. | The free version is enough for most small businesses because it includes every feature and only caps the crawl at 500 pages. Buy a licence when your site or your clients' sites go past that. The price is listed in pounds with dollar and euro options at checkout. | The free account is only good for a look around. If you want the Claude connection and AI visibility tracking, Starter is the one; the SEO plan is cheaper but leaves both out. Budget for extra users too, which start at $45 a month each. |
Key features
| Attribute | Microsoft Clarity | Screaming Frog SEO Spider | Semrush |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standout features |
|
|
|
Pros and cons
| Attribute | Microsoft Clarity | Screaming Frog SEO Spider | Semrush |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pros |
|
|
|
| Cons |
|
|
|
Who each one is for
| Attribute | Microsoft Clarity | Screaming Frog SEO Spider | Semrush |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for |
|
|
|
| You'll find it used by |
|
|
|
Questions people ask
Which is better, Microsoft Clarity, Screaming Frog SEO Spider or Semrush?
Microsoft Clarity scores highest overall in our ratings (Microsoft Clarity 4.3/5, Screaming Frog SEO Spider 4.0/5 and Semrush 3.9/5). Microsoft Clarity is best for finding checkout drop-offs and watching real user sessions. Screaming Frog SEO Spider is best for finding broken links and checking redirects after a migration. Semrush is best for Competitor Google Ads research and keyword gap reports.
Which is cheaper, Microsoft Clarity, Screaming Frog SEO Spider or Semrush?
Microsoft Clarity: It's free to use. Screaming Frog SEO Spider: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at £199/user/yr. Semrush: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $139/mo.
Which is easier to use, Microsoft Clarity, Screaming Frog SEO Spider or Semrush?
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.
