Session replay and heatmaps · October 2026 Edition
Microsoft Clarity vs Smartlook
Zero of fourteen models named Microsoft Clarity first on the direct prompt; one named Smartlook. Microsoft Clarity was named by fourteen of the fourteen models and Smartlook by twelve and Microsoft Clarity carries 59 labels and Smartlook 17, so the shares are not directly comparable.
By Microsoft, Vancouver, Canada, founded 1975. Named in five categories this edition.
Named in two categories this edition.
First-choice share33%2%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate20%29%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#1#8A position in a field of 10; printed, not drawn.
Labels5917A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, Microsoft Clarity reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.Hotjar was named alongside these two in ten of the fourteen direct answers. Microsoft Clarity vs Hotjar · Microsoft Clarity vs Fullstory · Microsoft Clarity vs PostHog
Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category; every quote names the model and the prompt it came from. Both figures come from the session replay and heatmaps page.
By framing
How many of the fourteen models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
Microsoft ClarityFirst choices, of fourteen modelsSmartlook
Direct011 against Microsoft Clarity
Paraphrase40
Comparative70
Budget-constrained140
Scale-constrained102 against Microsoft Clarity
Negative209 against Microsoft Clarity · 5 against Smartlook
Bars are first choices, 0 to 14 each sideModels that argued againstA model can name both, so the two sides of a row do not sum to fourteen.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where Microsoft Clarity and Smartlook stood in it.
| Model | Direct | Paraphrase | Comparative | Budget-constrained | Scale-constrained | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | | | | | ||
| GPT-5.4 mini | | | ||||
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | | | | | | |
| Perplexity Sonar | | | ||||
| Grok 4.1 Fast | | | | | | |
| Mistral Small | | | ||||
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | | | | | | |
| Llama 4 Maverick | | | ||||
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | | | | | ||
| Kimi K2 | | | | | | |
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | | | | | ||
| MiniMax M2.5 | | | | | ||
| GPT-6 Luna | | | | | ||
| Muse Glimmer 30B | | | | | |
Microsoft Clarity Smartlook first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Microsoft Clarity on the left and Smartlook on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where Microsoft Clarity and Smartlook stood in it.
Smartlook first, Microsoft Clarity not the choice
1 of 14 modelsMicrosoft Clarity was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Llama 4 MaverickSmartlook alternatives: Adobe Analytics, Fullstory
Neither was the first choice, one was named
5 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.Grok 4.1 FastHotjar alternatives: LogRocket, Microsoft Clarity, Mouseflow
DeepSeek V4 FlashPostHog alternatives: Hotjar, LogRocket, Microsoft Clarity, Mouseflow
Kimi K2Hotjar alternatives: LogRocket, Mouseflow, Smartlook
GLM 4.7 FlashXHotjar alternatives: Crazy Egg, Fullstory, Microsoft Clarity, Mouseflow
Muse Glimmer 30BFullstory alternatives: Contentsquare, Heap, Hotjar, Microsoft Clarity, PostHog, VWO
Neither was named
8 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.Claude Haiku 4.5Mouseflow alternatives: Hotjar
GPT-5.4 miniContentsquare, Mouseflow alternatives: LogRocket
Gemini 3.5 FlashPendo alternatives: LogRocket, Mouseflow, PostHog
Perplexity SonarFullstory alternatives: Hotjar, LogRocket
Mistral SmallHotjar, Lucky Orange alternatives: Fullstory, PostHog, UXCam
Qwen 3.7 FlashHotjar alternatives: LogRocket, Matomo
MiniMax M2.5Mixpanel alternatives: Fullstory, PostHog, UXCam
GPT-6 LunaPostHog alternatives: Fullstory, Hotjar
Bold names in an answer are the products the judge labeled a first choice; a model naming several gives each of them that label. The full answer text for every row is in the record.
By buyer segment
The same question asked on behalf of a different buyer. Each standing is computed within its segment and they are never added together. The figures above are the mid-market standing, which is the one the category orders by.
Small business
Microsoft Clarity leads by seventy points.
Microsoft Clarity70%#1 of 10Smartlook0%#6 of 10Mid-marketThe figures above
Microsoft Clarity leads by thirty-one points.
Microsoft Clarity33%#1 of 10Smartlook2%#8 of 10Enterprise
Microsoft Clarity leads by nine points.
Microsoft Clarity9%#4 of 12Smartlook0%#11 of 12What the models said about Microsoft Clarity
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.
“Both Hotjar (now part of Contentsquare) and Microsoft Clarity are consent-agnostic by default: paste the snippet in and they start recording on the first pageview.” Muse Glimmer 30B · negative prompt · hard negative
“"Free" but with a substantial tracking footprint that privacy teams should scrutinize; starts recording immediately without waiting for consent” Kimi K2 · negative prompt · hard negative
“"Free" option with aggressive tracking... Limited default redaction; privacy teams flag its footprint. US-hosted; consent bypass risks in EU.” Grok 4.1 Fast · negative prompt · hard negative
“Microsoft Clarity is the best free option for behaviour analytics, with unlimited session recordings and heatmaps and no paid tier required.” Muse Glimmer 30B · paraphrase prompt · first choice
“Microsoft Clarity delivers unlimited session replays and heatmaps at no cost, making it a favorite for startups and high-traffic sites.” Muse Glimmer 30B · comparative prompt · first choice
“The best session replay and heatmap tool for a company with a limited budget is Microsoft Clarity, as it is free with no session cap.” Llama 4 Maverick · budget prompt · first choice
What the models said about Smartlook
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.
“avoid or exercise extreme caution with Hotjar, FullStory, Mouseflow, LogRocket, and Smartlook” Mistral Small · negative prompt · hard negative
“Listed together with Hotjar and FullStory as tools selling the legitimate interest no-consent narrative.” Muse Glimmer 30B · negative prompt · soft negative
“Microsoft Clarity, Hotjar, FullStory, Mouseflow, LogRocket, and Smartlook all share common issues” Kimi K2 · negative prompt · soft negative
“Smartlook is a popular choice for mid-market companies, offering session replay and product analytics for web and mobile apps.” Llama 4 Maverick · direct prompt · first choice
“Smartlook is budget-friendly with the best mobile app recording in the mid-market, with a generous free tier of 1,500 sessions a month” Claude Haiku 4.5 · budget prompt · alternative
“Other budget-friendly options include Smartlook, which offers the best mobile app recording in the mid-market.” Llama 4 Maverick · budget prompt · alternative
Also compared
Microsoft Clarity vs HotjarMicrosoft Clarity vs FullstoryMicrosoft Clarity vs PostHogMicrosoft Clarity vs MouseflowMicrosoft Clarity vs LogRocketMicrosoft Clarity vs ContentsquareHotjar vs SmartlookFullstory vs SmartlookPostHog vs SmartlookMouseflow vs SmartlookLogRocket vs SmartlookContentsquare vs SmartlookAll twenty-eight head-to-head pages and the full session replay standing
Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category, each against each. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.