Hotjar vs Microsoft Clarity vs FullStory (2026)
Hotjar's legal merger into Contentsquare completed July 2025. The free plan improved dramatically (up to 200,000 sessions/month), but the paid structure is actually more modular than before — heatmaps and surveys are now separately-billed products, not one unified plan. Microsoft Clarity remains completely free with no limits. FullStory's free tier offers 30,000 sessions/month with 12-month data retention.
Find yourself first
Website owners
Wanting to understand where visitors click and drop off. All three cover this; the free tier gap between them is significant.
UX designers & CRO teams
Optimising conversion rates. FullStory's retroactive querying answers questions you didn't know to ask.
Product teams
Tracking user behaviour in web applications. All three provide session recordings and heatmaps.
Marketers collecting feedback
Alongside behavioural data. Hotjar's surveys are the standout — but now billed as a separate product.
Startups wanting free heatmaps
Before paying. Microsoft Clarity is free forever with zero session limits.
Teams confused by Hotjar's transition
The 2025–2026 Contentsquare merger genuinely changed how the product is billed — this page clarifies it.
"Unified" Growth plan is still modular
The 10-second answer
Hotjar (now Contentsquare)
Free plan improved (200K sessions/mo tracked, ~10K replays). Experience Analytics Growth ~$49/mo; Voice of Customer (surveys) is a separate ~$99/mo. Combined for both: ~$148/mo. Legacy Plus $39/mo still active for some accounts.
Free → $49/mo heatmaps → +$99/mo surveysMicrosoft Clarity
Completely free, unlimited sessions, forever. AI Copilot included. No surveys or funnels. 30-day data retention. Data processed by Microsoft.
$0 — always, no session capFullStory
Free tier (30,000 sessions/month, 12-month retention). Paid plans custom-priced. Retroactive DX Data querying, revenue attribution, StoryAI.
Free → Custom enterprise pricingMatch your situation
| Your situation | Best fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You need heatmaps and recordings at zero cost | Microsoft Clarity | Completely free — unlimited sessions, no paid tier needed, no session limits ever. |
| You want to ask users why they're leaving your site | Hotjar (Voice of Customer) | On-site surveys — but budget this as a separate ~$99/mo product, not bundled with heatmaps. |
| You need retroactive data querying — ask questions you didn't tag | FullStory | DX Data autocapture lets you query any historical user interaction retroactively. |
| You're on a budget and just need click and scroll data | Microsoft Clarity | Free forever — most of the core heatmap/recording value at zero cost. |
| You need 12+ months of historical session data on a free plan | FullStory | 12-month data retention on free tier — Clarity has 30 days, Hotjar free also 30 days. |
| You want both qualitative feedback and behavioural analytics | Hotjar (both products) | Budget ~$148/mo combined for Experience Analytics + Voice of Customer, not $49/mo. |
| You have a complex SaaS product and enterprise-level needs | FullStory | Revenue impact analysis, StoryAI, advanced session search — built for enterprise. |
| Confused by old Hotjar plans vs new Contentsquare plans | Confirm directly | Legacy and new plan structures may both be visible depending on signup path — verify before assuming. |
What will your setup actually cost?
Microsoft Clarity is free at any session volume. Hotjar charges separately for heatmaps and surveys. FullStory's free tier covers 30,000 sessions/month. Toggle whether you need surveys to see Hotjar's real combined cost.
Assumptions: Hotjar Experience Analytics (heatmaps/recordings) Growth ≈ $49/mo above the free 200K-session tier; Voice of Customer (surveys), if toggled on, adds a separate ≈ $99/mo. FullStory's paid tier is custom-priced (enterprise sales) — shown here as "Contact sales" beyond its 30K free sessions. Clarity has no paid tier at any volume. Verify current pricing directly, as Hotjar's structure is still migrating through 2026.
The numbers that matter
~10K actually replayable (5% sampled)
heatmaps + surveys are separate products
unlimited sessions — no session cap ever
best free tier data retention in comparison
only 30-day history — no historical analysis
2021 acquisition, 2025 full integration
Three tools, three philosophies
Hotjar (Contentsquare) — Feedback, Now Priced Modularly
Free → $49/mo (heatmaps) + $99/mo (surveys)Heatmaps, session recordings, and user surveys — now under Contentsquare, but billed as separate product lines.
- Only tool here with genuine on-site survey and feedback capability
- Free plan dramatically improved — 200,000 sessions/month tracked
- New Attention Maps, Error Monitoring, Funnels added post-merger
- AI Copilot-style "Sense" insights available on Growth tier and above
- 30-day money-back guarantee on paid plans
- Free plan itself includes heatmaps + recordings + surveys + funnels combined
- Heatmaps and surveys are SEPARATE paid products — not unified as marketing suggests
- Combined cost for both is ~$148/mo, not the headline $49/mo
- Legacy and new plan structures coexist — genuinely confusing to evaluate
- 200K "sessions" is a tracking figure — only ~5% sampled for full replay (~10K/mo)
- Invoice billing can cost 20% more than in-app card/PayPal payment for the same plan
Microsoft Clarity — Free, Unlimited, and Surprisingly Good
$0 — alwaysUnlimited free heatmaps and session recordings — forever, no limits, AI Copilot included.
- Completely free — unlimited sessions regardless of traffic
- Rage click and dead click detection out of the box
- AI Copilot for instant session insights and summaries
- Google Analytics integration for combined view
- Lightweight script — minimal performance impact
- No session limits — suitable even for high-traffic sites
- Data processed by Microsoft — privacy consideration for GDPR
- 30-day data retention only — no historical analysis
- No on-site surveys or user feedback widgets
- No funnel analysis, A/B testing, or event tracking
FullStory — When You Need to Ask Questions You Didn't Plan For
Free (30K/mo) → Custom enterpriseEnterprise digital experience intelligence — retroactive data querying, 12-month free retention.
- DX Data autocapture — retroactively query any user interaction
- 12-month data retention on free tier — best in comparison
- StoryAI for automatic session summaries and friction signals
- Revenue impact analysis — tie UX friction to lost deals
- HubSpot and Salesforce integration for revenue attribution
- Advanced session search — find specific behaviours instantly
- Paid plans require enterprise sales call — no published pricing
- Significant overkill for small and mid-market websites
- Steeper learning curve — built for data-mature teams
- No on-site surveys on standard plans
Strengths at a glance
| Criteria | Hotjar | Microsoft Clarity | FullStory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surveys + feedback | Best — but separate $99/mo product | Not available | Limited guides only |
| Free plan (tracked sessions) | 200K/mo (~10K replayable) | Unlimited | 30,000/mo |
| Pricing clarity 2026 | Confusing — modular, in transition | Simple — always free | Custom — sales call needed |
| Free data retention | 30 days | 30 days | 12 months — best here |
| Entry paid price (heatmaps only) | ~$49/mo | $0 — no paid tier | Custom — sales required |
| Retroactive querying | No | No | Best — DX Data unique |
🟢 STRONG · 🟠 ACCEPTABLE WITH CAVEATS · 🔴 WEAK / WATCH OUT
Feature by feature
| Feature | Hotjar | Microsoft Clarity | FullStory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan sessions | ✓ Up to 200K/mo tracked (~10K replayable) | ✓ Unlimited — no cap ever | ⚡ 30,000/month |
| Free data retention | ⚡ 30 days | ⚡ 30 days | ✓ 12 months — best here |
| Heatmaps | ✓ Click, move, scroll | ✓ Click, scroll, rage/dead clicks | ✓ Click, scroll, advanced |
| Session recordings | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes — unlimited | ✓ Yes — advanced search |
| On-site surveys | ✓ Best in class — separate ~$99/mo product | ✗ No | ⚡ Limited guides/surveys |
| Feedback widgets | ✓ Yes (Voice of Customer) | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| Retroactive querying | ✗ No | ✗ No | ✓ DX Data — unique to FullStory |
| AI features | ⚡ Sense AI insights on Growth+ | ✓ AI Copilot — session summaries | ✓ StoryAI — advanced summaries |
| Entry paid price | Growth ~$49/mo (heatmaps only) | ✓ Free — no paid tier | Custom — enterprise sales |
Every plan, verified
Hotjar's transition to Contentsquare's platform is the biggest pricing change in this comparison — and the modular structure is more complex than "unified," despite marketing framing. Cross-checked against official Contentsquare help docs and multiple independent 2026 pricing trackers.
| Tier | Hotjar (Contentsquare) | Microsoft Clarity | FullStory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Up to 200K sessions/mo tracked (~10K replayable), heatmaps + recordings + surveys + funnels included · 30-day retention | ✓ Unlimited sessions · no cap · 30-day retention | 30,000 sessions/mo · ✓ 12-month retention |
| Entry paid (heatmaps) | Experience Analytics Growth ≈ $49/mo (annual, in-app card/PayPal) — invoice billing may run higher | ✓ No paid tier — always free | Custom — enterprise sales call required |
| Surveys (separate product) | Voice of Customer Growth ≈ $99/mo — NOT bundled with heatmaps | ✗ Not offered at any tier | ⚡ Limited guides only, no dedicated survey tier |
| Combined heatmaps + surveys | ≈ $148/mo — correcting the "unified $49/mo" claim | N/A | N/A |
| Legacy plans (may still apply) | Plus ~$39/mo · Business ~$99/mo · Scale ~$213/mo — some new signups may still see these | N/A | N/A |
| Product Analytics (3rd product) | Custom pricing at all tiers | N/A | N/A |
| Higher tiers | Pro custom · Enterprise custom | N/A | Enterprise custom — typically $200+/mo starting estimate |
| Watch out for | Confirm which product(s) you're being quoted — Experience Analytics, Voice of Customer, and Product Analytics bill independently. Invoice payment may cost ~20% more than card/PayPal for the same plan. | 30-day retention is the key limitation. Microsoft can change pricing terms. EU GDPR data residency concern for some teams. | Free tier 30K sessions/mo may be enough for many teams. Paid plans require a full enterprise sales process — no self-serve upgrade. |
Choose by fit
Choose Hotjar if…
- You need to survey users directly on your site (budget it as a separate ~$99/mo line item)
- You want feedback widgets for real-time user sentiment
- Your UX research combines qualitative and behavioural data
- You've confirmed which specific product(s) you're being quoted
- You're comfortable with some structural confusion during the ongoing 2026 migration
Choose Microsoft Clarity if…
- Budget is zero and you need heatmaps and recordings
- You have high traffic and can't afford per-session pricing
- 30-day data retention is sufficient for your needs
- Microsoft data practices are acceptable in your context
- You want to validate whether behaviour analytics is worth investing in
Choose FullStory if…
- You have a complex SaaS product with a dedicated analytics team
- You need retroactive data querying beyond what you tracked
- You need 12-month historical retention without paying
- You want to tie UX friction to revenue impact via HubSpot/Salesforce
- Enterprise compliance and security requirements apply
Match the tool to your job
Zero budget heatmaps
Microsoft ClarityFree forever, unlimited sessions, AI Copilot — no session cap.
On-site user surveys
HotjarBest survey tool here — budget ~$99/mo separately from heatmaps.
12-month free data retention
FullStory12 months on free tier vs 30 days for Hotjar and Clarity.
Retroactive data querying
FullStoryDX Data — query any historical interaction you didn't tag in advance.
High-traffic site (free)
Microsoft ClarityNo session caps — 1M+ monthly visitors, still completely free.
UX research + behavioural
Hotjar (both products)Budget ~$148/mo combined for heatmaps + surveys.
Revenue attribution from UX
FullStoryHubSpot + Salesforce integration connects UX friction to pipeline impact.
Startup / side project
Microsoft ClarityStart free, validate value, upgrade only when budget exists.
Use all three together
Clarity + Hotjar + FullStoryMany teams run all three: Clarity for volume, Hotjar for surveys, FullStory for history.
What vendors won't lead with
💰 Hotjar — "unified" Growth is actually two bills
Experience Analytics (heatmaps/recordings) and Voice of Customer (surveys) are separately billed products, each with their own Growth tier (~$49/mo and ~$99/mo). If you need both, budget ~$148/month combined — not the $49/mo headline figure some marketing implies.
📊 Hotjar — 200K "sessions" isn't 200K replays
The free plan's 200,000 sessions/month is an analytics-tracking figure. Only about 5% of sessions are sampled for full replay, capped around 10,000 replays/month. If you need to watch most sessions, this free tier may deliver less than the headline number suggests.
🧾 Hotjar — invoice billing can cost more
The advertised annual discount on Growth applies specifically to in-app credit card or PayPal payment. Organisations using standard invoice-based purchasing may pay the full undiscounted rate — a real difference for finance teams used to invoice billing.
📆 Microsoft Clarity — 30-day data retention
Clarity only keeps 30 days of session data. If you need to investigate a conversion drop from six weeks ago, the data won't be there. FullStory's free tier (12-month retention) is better for teams needing historical context.
🔒 Microsoft Clarity — data processed by Microsoft
Clarity's terms allow Microsoft to use collected data for product improvement. For GDPR-regulated businesses, review the Data Processing Agreement before deploying — some EU legal teams flag US data residency as a compliance concern.
📞 FullStory — paid plans require enterprise sales
FullStory's paid plans require a sales call — no published pricing, no self-serve upgrade. Budget estimates suggest $200+/month as a starting point, scaling with session volume.
Quick answers
Yes. Microsoft Clarity is completely free with no session limits, no paid tiers, and no announced plans to charge. It includes unlimited heatmaps, session recordings, rage click and dead click detection, and an AI Copilot for session insights. The trade-off is that data is processed by Microsoft — review their privacy terms if you handle sensitive user data.
No — this is a common misconception. Heatmaps/recordings (Experience Analytics) and surveys (Voice of Customer) are billed as separate products, each with their own Growth tier at roughly $49/month and $99/month respectively. A team wanting both should budget approximately $148/month combined, not $49.
Contentsquare originally acquired Hotjar in 2021. The two companies' legal entities fully merged as of July 1, 2025, with Hotjar's product now operating entirely under the Contentsquare platform. hotjar.com/pricing now redirects to Contentsquare's pricing page. The free tier improved significantly (up to 200,000 sessions/month tracked), while the paid structure became three separate product lines rather than one simpler plan.
FullStory is best for enterprise teams with complex digital products who need retroactive data querying, advanced session search, and revenue impact analysis. Its DX Data layer captures all user interactions automatically, allowing you to ask questions about user behaviour you didn't think to track in advance. The free tier (30,000 sessions/month, 12-month data retention) is compelling for teams needing historical data beyond Clarity's 30-day limit.
Yes — many teams run both simultaneously. A common approach: use Clarity for unlimited free session recordings and heatmaps, then add Hotjar specifically for its survey capabilities when qualitative feedback is needed. Be mindful of cumulative script load times and ensure your privacy policy discloses both tools as required by GDPR and CCPA.
Minimally. Clarity's tracking script loads asynchronously and most sites see under 100ms additional load time — one of the lightest tracking scripts in its category. For sites where Core Web Vitals affect SEO rankings, deploy through a tag manager with deferred loading to minimise any performance impact.
Ready to understand your users better?
All three offer free plans — start with Clarity if budget is zero, FullStory if you need 12-month history.