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Session replay platform

Microsoft Clarity

A free website session replay and heatmap service with documented masking, consent behavior, and fixed retention periods.

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Editorial verdict

Choose Microsoft Clarity when a free website replay signal is useful and the site's consent, masking, URL, retention, and platform constraints are acceptable.910

Best for

  • Public websites needing no-cost replay and heatmaps
  • Teams accepting a 30-day standard playback window
  • Sites able to configure masking and consent behavior
910

Not ideal for

  • Sensitive product DOM or state
  • Private or self-hosted deployment
  • Long standard playback retention or contractual support requirements
910
Main trade-off

No subscription fee removes procurement cost, but not consent, masking, retention, access, or platform trade-offs.910

Product boundary

Whether a free website replay and heatmap signal is sufficient when Clarity's consent behavior, masking, URL capture, fixed retention, and managed-platform limits are acceptable.

This Tool covers Microsoft Clarity recordings and heatmaps. It does not replace product analytics, error monitoring, private deployment, or a customer-specific legal review.910

For: Public websites seeking a no-subscription qualitative replay signal and able to accept Clarity's consent, retention, and platform boundaries

  • The site handles sensitive DOM or URL data
  • Longer standard replay retention is required
  • Consent behavior prevents useful session continuity

Why teams consider Microsoft Clarity

  • No subscription feeMicrosoft documents Clarity as free without traffic limits or a paid upgrade.910
  • Replay and heatmapsRecordings reconstruct DOM state and user actions for qualitative review.910
  • Documented retentionPlayback and labeled sessions have explicit retention periods.910

Pricing

Clarity is documented as free with no traffic limit and no paid upgrade; its fixed product, support, consent, and retention boundaries remain part of the decision.10

Website replay

Free

Verified 2026-07-25: Clarity is free, has no traffic limit, and does not require a paid upgrade.10

Playback retention
30 days10
Labeled or favorited sessions
9 months10
Consent effect
Missing consent can fragment sessions and reduce replay continuity10
Pricing checked View official pricing

Microsoft Clarity vs alternatives

LogRocket

Choose when
Choose it when frontend debugging context is the main use case.
Avoid when
Avoid it when network, console, and state capture create unacceptable scope.
Compared with Microsoft Clarity
A distinct replay operating model with different privacy, retention, deployment, and pricing constraints.1

Fullstory

Choose when
Choose it when enterprise digital-experience workflows are primary.
Avoid when
Avoid it when transparent self-serve pricing or self-hosting is required.
Compared with Microsoft Clarity
A distinct replay operating model with different privacy, retention, deployment, and pricing constraints.5

PostHog

Choose when
Choose it when replay should share product analytics identity and event context.
Avoid when
Avoid it when replay must be isolated from the analytics suite.
Compared with Microsoft Clarity
A distinct replay operating model with different privacy, retention, deployment, and pricing constraints.12

OpenReplay

Choose when
Choose it when self-hosting or dedicated deployment control is decisive.
Avoid when
Avoid it when the team cannot own infrastructure or license review.
Compared with Microsoft Clarity
A distinct replay operating model with different privacy, retention, deployment, and pricing constraints.15

Resources and sources

Official product, privacy, retention, and pricing sources

  • LogRocket Session Replay
    Open
  • LogRocket privacy
    Open
  • LogRocket data collected
    Open
  • LogRocket pricing
    Open
  • Getting started with Fullstory Session Replay
    Open
  • Fullstory Private by Default
    Open
  • Fullstory plan retention
    Open
  • Choosing a Fullstory plan type
    Open
  • Microsoft Clarity recordings
    Open
  • Microsoft Clarity FAQ
    Open
  • Microsoft Clarity data retention
    Open
  • PostHog Session Replay
    Open
  • PostHog replay privacy controls
    Open
  • PostHog pricing
    Open
  • OpenReplay documentation
    Open
  • OpenReplay sanitize data
    Open
  • OpenReplay pricing
    Open
  • OpenReplay license
    Open

Related tasks

  1. 1
    LogRocket Session Replay

    LogRocket · Accessed Official

  2. 2
    LogRocket privacy

    LogRocket · Accessed Official

  3. 3
    LogRocket data collected

    LogRocket · Accessed Official

  4. 4
    LogRocket pricing

    LogRocket · Accessed Official

  5. 5
    Getting started with Fullstory Session Replay

    Fullstory · Accessed Official

  6. 6
    Fullstory Private by Default

    Fullstory · Accessed Official

  7. 7
    Fullstory plan retention

    Fullstory · Accessed Official

  8. 8
    Choosing a Fullstory plan type

    Fullstory · Accessed Official

  9. 9
    Microsoft Clarity recordings

    Microsoft · Accessed Official

  10. 10
    Microsoft Clarity FAQ

    Microsoft · Accessed Official

  11. 11
    Microsoft Clarity data retention

    Microsoft · Accessed Official

  12. 12
    PostHog Session Replay

    PostHog · Accessed Official

  13. 13
    PostHog replay privacy controls

    PostHog · Accessed Official

  14. 14
    PostHog pricing

    PostHog · Accessed Official

  15. 15
    OpenReplay documentation

    OpenReplay · Accessed Official

  16. 16
    OpenReplay sanitize data

    OpenReplay · Accessed Official

  17. 17
    OpenReplay pricing

    OpenReplay · Accessed Official

  18. 18
    OpenReplay license

    OpenReplay · Accessed Official