Clarity is free replay. That is the whole product.
Microsoft Clarity gives you heatmaps and session recordings at $0. It is popular because it is free and because watching a cursor feels like insight. Cookie Free Analytics will not record anyone.
Cookie Free Analytics
Microsoft Clarity
Price
from €4, hobby free
Free
Job
Pageviews + sources + goals
Replay + heatmaps
Cookies
No
Yes, typical replay
Hosted
Frankfurt + Ireland
Microsoft
Consent in the EU
Not for this script
Treat as non-essential
What they actually are
Clarity is a behavior tool: rage clicks, heatmaps, recordings. It uses cookies / identifiers in the usual Microsoft way. Lawyers in the EU treat it like analytics-plus-replay, because it is. The price is the data.
When to pick them
You need to see a form break on mobile and you have consent for replay. Fine. Use it with a banner, or don’t use it.
When to pick us
You wanted a count, not a film of the visitor. You do not want Microsoft on the brochure site. You do not want to explain recordings to a DPO.
The honest bit
Replay answers questions we cannot. We will not add it. If the question is “where do they rage-click”, Clarity or Hotjar. If the question is “did they arrive”, us.
Questions
Is Cookie Free Analytics a Microsoft Clarity alternative?
Not for recordings. Yes if you installed Clarity because it was the free GA alternative and you only needed traffic numbers.