microsoft-clarity vs crazy-egg
Microsoft Clarity vs Crazy Egg — features, pricing, and which to choose for your SEO workflow in 2026.
Quick Verdict
Microsoft Clarity and Crazy Egg both tackle user behavior analytics, but they serve different audiences and budgets. Clarity is Microsoft's free offering that democratizes heatmaps and session recordings, while Crazy Egg is an established premium platform with advanced optimization features. The core difference? Clarity gives you comprehensive insights at no cost, while Crazy Egg provides deeper testing capabilities for conversion optimization.
Most SEO professionals gravitate toward one based on budget constraints and optimization maturity. If you need basic user behavior data to improve engagement signals, Clarity delivers enterprise-level features without the enterprise price tag. If you're running systematic conversion tests and need advanced segmentation, Crazy Egg's paid features justify the investment.
Feature Comparison
Microsoft Clarity provides heatmaps, session recordings, and AI-powered insights that rival tools costing hundreds monthly. Its dead click detection, rage click identification, and scroll depth analytics give you clear signals about user frustration and engagement patterns. The session recordings are unlimited and high-quality, with smart filtering to surface problematic user journeys quickly. Crazy Egg counters with more sophisticated heatmap types including confetti maps that segment clicks by traffic source, and overlay reports showing click percentages. Its A/B testing functionality lets you test page variations directly, while Clarity only shows you what's happening on your current pages. Crazy Egg's snapshots feature also captures page states at different times, useful for tracking changes over time. The key difference is depth versus breadth. Clarity gives you comprehensive behavior data across your entire site with AI-driven insights about user experience issues. Crazy Egg focuses on conversion optimization with tools like form analytics, error tracking, and survey integration that help you act on the data you collect.
Pricing Comparison
Microsoft Clarity is completely free with no usage limits, user caps, or feature restrictions. You get unlimited heatmaps, session recordings, and full access to their AI insights dashboard. This makes it incredibly attractive for small businesses, agencies managing multiple clients, or enterprises wanting to test behavior analytics without budget approval. Crazy Egg starts at $49/month for 30,000 tracked users and includes basic heatmaps, recordings, and A/B testing. Their higher tiers at $99 and $249/month add more tracked users, additional team members, and advanced features like conversion funnels. While not expensive compared to enterprise analytics platforms, it's 588 times more expensive than Clarity's free tier.
Best For
Microsoft Clarity works best for SEO professionals who need user behavior insights to improve Core Web Vitals, reduce bounce rates, and optimize for engagement signals. It's ideal if you're just starting with behavior analytics, managing multiple client sites, or need comprehensive data without budget constraints. The AI insights particularly excel at identifying technical UX issues that impact SEO performance. Crazy Egg suits conversion-focused marketers who need to systematically test and optimize page elements. Choose it when you're running active A/B tests, need detailed click tracking by traffic segment, or want integrated tools for surveys and form optimization. It's better for mature optimization programs where the $49+ monthly cost drives measurable revenue improvements.
The Verdict
Microsoft Clarity wins for most SEO use cases due to its unbeatable price-to-value ratio and comprehensive feature set. Unless you specifically need A/B testing or advanced segmentation features, Clarity provides everything required to understand and improve user behavior on your site. Start with Clarity's free insights, then consider upgrading to Crazy Egg only when you need dedicated conversion testing tools that justify the monthly investment.