Heatmap and session recording tools show where visitors click, how far they scroll and what they do before they leave. Microsoft Clarity is free with no traffic limits and keeps data for 30 days. Hotjar is now part of Contentsquare, whose free plan covers up to 200,000 sessions a month. Use them to find broken buttons, confusing pages and forms people abandon.
- Microsoft Clarity is free forever, with no traffic limits, and keeps recordings for 30 days.
- Hotjar has merged into Contentsquare. New Hotjar accounts can no longer be created.
- Start with rage clicks, dead clicks and quick backs. They point straight at broken or confusing parts of a page.
- Watch 10 to 20 recordings per key page, write down patterns, fix one thing, then measure.
What are heatmap and session recording tools?
Google Analytics tells you how many people visited a page and how many left. It does not tell you what they did while they were there. User behavior analytics tools fill that gap. They add a small script to your site and record how real visitors interact with each page.
| Feature | What it shows | Question it answers |
|---|---|---|
| Click map | Where people click or tap, as a color overlay | Are people clicking the button, or something that is not a link? |
| Scroll map | How far down the page visitors get | Does anyone see the form at the bottom? |
| Session recording | A replay of one visit: mouse, taps, scrolls, pages | Where exactly did this person get stuck? |
| Frustration signals | Rage clicks, dead clicks, quick backs, excessive scrolling | Which pages annoy people most? |
| Funnels | Drop-off between steps, like page to form to thank you | Which step loses the most people? |
Recordings are not video of the person. They are rebuilt from page events. Good tools mask what people type into form fields, so you see that someone filled in a field, not what they wrote.
Microsoft Clarity vs Hotjar: which should you use in 2026?
Most comparisons online are out of date, because the market changed. Hotjar is now part of Contentsquare, and new Hotjar accounts can no longer be opened. If you are starting today, the real choice is Microsoft Clarity or Contentsquare’s free plan.
| Microsoft Clarity | Contentsquare Free (formerly Hotjar) | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0, free forever | $0; paid Growth plan from $39/month |
| Traffic limit | No traffic limits | Up to 200,000 sessions a month |
| Session replays | Yes | Yes, captures 5% of sessions (max 10,000) |
| Data access | Up to 30 days | 1 month |
| Heatmaps | Click and scroll, on desktop, tablet and mobile | Basic heatmaps |
| Surveys and feedback | No | 100 survey responses a month |
| Funnels | Yes | Yes |
For most small business websites, Clarity is the easy starting point. It costs nothing, records every session, and connects to Google Analytics. Pick Contentsquare if you also want on-page surveys and feedback widgets, or if you plan to grow into its paid tools.
How to set up Microsoft Clarity
- 1Sign up at clarity.microsoft.com and create a project for your site.
- 2Install the tracking code. Clarity has direct setups for WordPress, Shopify, Wix and Google Tag Manager, or you can paste the script into your site’s head.
- 3Check masking. Content in input boxes is always masked. Choose a masking mode for the rest of the page in Settings.
- 4Connect Google Analytics so you can filter recordings by GA segments.
- 5If you get visitors from the EU, UK or Switzerland, pass consent through Clarity’s consent API or a supported consent banner.
- 6Wait a few days to collect data before drawing any conclusions.
Microsoft says the Clarity script loads asynchronously and does not slow your site. Still, check your page speed after installing any new script.
Which frustration signals should I look at first?
You do not have time to watch hundreds of recordings. Let the tool point you to the worst ones. Clarity flags four signals automatically.
| Signal | What it means | Usual fix |
|---|---|---|
| Rage clicks | Many fast clicks in the same spot | Make the element work, or make it look less clickable |
| Dead clicks | A click that gets no response | Link the image or text people expect to click |
| Quick backs | A visitor goes to a page and returns almost at once | Fix misleading menu labels or links |
| Excessive scrolling | Much more scrolling than normal for the page | Move key info higher, add clear headings |
Clarity also tags click errors, which are JavaScript errors that happen right after a click. On a lead form, a click error on the submit button can mean leads are silently lost.
How to use heatmaps to fix a landing page
Heatmaps are most useful on pages that get paid traffic, because every lost visitor there cost you money. Here is a simple routine.
- 1Pick one page that matters: your top ad landing page, or your contact page.
- 2Look at the mobile scroll map first. A large share of paid social traffic is on phones. Note where half of visitors have stopped scrolling.
- 3If your form or main call to action sits below that point, move it up or add a second call to action higher.
- 4Check the click map. Look for clicks on things that are not links, like photos, badges or bold text.
- 5Filter recordings to visitors who reached the form but did not submit. Watch 10 to 20 of them.
- 6Write down patterns, not single sessions. One confused person is noise. Six people stuck on the same field is a fix.
- 7Make one change, then compare conversion rate over the next two to four weeks.
Common problems recordings reveal
- A sticky header or chat widget covering the submit button on small phones.
- A phone number that is not tap-to-call on mobile.
- A dropdown or date picker that does not work on iPhone.
- Visitors scrolling up and down looking for prices or service areas.
- Form errors that only appear after submit, with no clear message.
- People clicking a photo of the team or a review badge, expecting more detail.
Which pages should I analyze first?
Not every page deserves your time. Start where traffic and money meet. A page with a thousand visits from ads and a weak conversion rate is worth far more attention than your About page.
| Page | Why it matters | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Top ad landing page | You pay for every visit | Scroll depth to the form, clicks on the main button |
| Contact or quote page | The last step before a lead | Form drop-off, field errors, click errors |
| Main service pages | Where organic visitors decide | Quick backs, clicks on prices and service areas |
| Home page on mobile | Often the first impression | Menu use, tap-to-call clicks, rage clicks |
Give each page its own short note: what you saw, how many recordings showed it, and what you changed. After a few months, that log becomes the most useful document you have about how customers use your site, and it makes your next redesign far less of a guess.
Can heatmaps replace A/B testing?
No. Heatmaps and recordings show you what to test. They do not prove a change works. For pages with enough traffic, run an A/B test. For small sites with a few hundred visits a month, make the change and compare conversion rate before and after, keeping in mind that seasons and ad changes also affect results.
Privacy rules for session recording
- Keep masking on for forms. Never unmask fields that may hold personal, health or payment data.
- Say in your privacy policy that you use behavior analytics tools and what they collect.
- Respect consent choices. For visitors in the EU, UK and Switzerland, Clarity requires a consent signal before setting cookies.
- Limit who on your team can watch recordings.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Microsoft says Clarity is free forever with no traffic limits and no paid upgrade. Recordings are kept for 30 days.
No new Hotjar accounts can be created. Hotjar has merged into Contentsquare, which offers a free plan with heatmaps, session replays and basic surveys.
Microsoft says the Clarity script is asynchronous and does not affect load speed. Any script adds some weight, so test page speed after installing.
Start with 10 to 20 recordings per key page, filtered to people who did not convert or who showed rage or dead clicks. Look for patterns, not single cases.
They are widely used, but you should mask form inputs, disclose the tools in your privacy policy and collect consent where the law requires it. Ask a lawyer about your specific case.
