HEATPOINTS VS MICROSOFT CLARITY
Keep Clarity. It's free. Add what it can't see.
TL;DR
We won't pretend to beat free: Microsoft Clarity is the best session-replay deal in existence. But it's blind before launch, it needs a script and traffic, and since October 2025 it requires a consent banner in Europe. Heatpoints is the other half: predictive attention heatmaps on any image or mockup in about a second, plus a contrast lens that shows what the eye skips. Free, no account, zero tracking, zero banner. Run both.
SINCE OCTOBER 31, 2025, WHAT EACH TOOL ASKS OF YOUR VISITORS
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We and our partners use cookies to record your session…
The analysis runs on OUR servers, against YOUR image.
No script. No cookies. Nothing to click.
Not rivals. Two halves of the loop.
| CRITERION | MICROSOFT CLARITY | HEATPOINTS |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, unlimited, unbeatable | Free, no account (Pro for ad-makers coming soon) |
| Sees | What real visitors did | What a first-time eye will do |
| Works before launch | — | Yes: mockups, screenshots, AI-generated pages |
| Needs a script on your site | Yes | No |
| EEA consent banner | Required since 10/2025 | Not needed, visitors never tracked |
| Session replay | Best-in-class, free | — |
| Contrast lens (what the eye skips) | — | Included |
| Real-time overlay while you browse | — | Chrome extension, works behind logins |
| Design-tool heatmaps | — | Figma plugin, over any frame |
THE SETUP WE ACTUALLY RECOMMEND
1) Before launch: drop the image into Heatpoints, read the heatmap and the contrast lens, fix the weak zones. 2) After launch: let Clarity record at volume, it's free. 3) Keep the Chrome extension on while you browse to spot-check attention on any live page. Prediction first, real behavior second, one loop.
FAQ
Is Microsoft Clarity really free?
Yes, genuinely free and unlimited for session replay and real-user heatmaps. Nobody beats that, including us. The costs are elsewhere: a tracking script, real traffic, and since October 31, 2025, a required consent signal for EEA/UK/Swiss visitors.
Does Microsoft Clarity require cookie consent?
In the EEA, yes: since October 31, 2025 Microsoft requires sites to send a consent signal for Clarity to process data from European visitors, which in practice means a consent banner. A predictive analysis like Heatpoints runs on our servers against your image: your visitors are never tracked, so there's nothing to consent to.
Can Clarity analyze a page before launch?
No, structurally. Clarity needs real visitors to record. It cannot say anything about a mockup, a screenshot or a page an AI just generated. That's the entire gap predictive attention fills: drop any image and get an AI attention heatmap in about a second, with zero traffic.
Should I use Clarity or Heatpoints?
Both, honestly. Heatpoints before launch: predict and fix, then Clarity after launch for replay at volume. Heatpoints is free with no account, so there's nothing to lose by keeping Clarity and adding prediction on top.
Clarity can't see your next page. We can.
Free, instant, no account needed.