TL;DR: Microsoft Clarity fits teams that want session recordings and heatmaps at $0 with a Microsoft account. Hotjar fits product and marketing teams that will pay for a published session cap after the free row. PostHog fits product-engineering teams already sending events to PostHog β replay is a separate unit on top of the analytics million. FullStory fits companies that will take a quote for a session-replay platform, not a $0 Clarity install.
Session replay is the recording of a userβs DOM/session so someone can watch what happened. It is not product analytics (funnels) and it is not error monitoring, even when Sentry sells 50 replays on Team.
Every entry uses the same fields: published pricing, session cap, privacy posture, free/trial and the main limitation. The order below is not a quality ranking. Clarity $0 first. Hotjar and PostHog follow with public meters. FullStory is last because it quotes.
Session replay software compared at a glance
| Provider | Published pricing | Cap / unit | Best for | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Clarity | $0 on clarity.microsoft.com | No public paid session ladder. Microsoftβs product is free | Recordings and heatmaps with no replay invoice | Visit β |
| Hotjar | Free plus Observe/Ask paid plans on hotjar.com/pricing | Session and survey caps by plan | Product + research in one vendor | Visit β |
| PostHog | Replay has its own free monthly allowance and per-recording price on posthog.com/session-replay | Recordings, separate from product-analytics events | Teams already on PostHog | Visit β |
| FullStory | Quote-led on fullstory.com | Contract | Enterprises buying a replay platform | Visit β |
Checked 15 September 2026. Sentry Team includes 50 replays β that is not a replay product. Do not treat those 50 as Hotjar Observe.
One vendor is $0. Two meter recordings. One quotes.
Replay is a privacy project
Keystrokes, payment fields and support chats do not belong in a raw recording. Masking rules, consent and retention are part of the buy, not an appendix. Clarity being free does not exempt you from GDPR/CCPA work.
The four providers in detail
1. Microsoft Clarity
FREE RECORDINGS
Best for: marketing and product teams that want heatmaps and session playback without a replay line on the bill.
| Published pricing | $0. Clarity is a free Microsoft product |
| Cap / unit | No Hotjar-style paid session SKU. Fair use and product limits still exist β read current docs |
| Privacy | Masking tools exist. You still configure them |
| Free plan / trial | The product is free |
| Main limitation | Not a FullStory enterprise workflow. Support and SSO expectations should match a free tool |
- Install Clarity before you pay Hotjar if the brief is βcan we watch sessions.β
- Do not paste Clarity recordings into tickets without masking review.
- If you already pay Microsoft 365, Clarity is still a separate property you must govern.
2. Hotjar
OBSERVE + ASK
Best for: teams that want recordings plus surveys/feedback in one vendor and will size a monthly session cap.
| Published pricing | hotjar.com/pricing β Free plus paid Observe / Ask bundles. Session caps define the bill |
| Cap / unit | Recorded sessions per month on Observe. Surveys have their own Ask caps |
| Privacy | Suppression and targeting are the implementation work |
| Free plan / trial | Free with a tight session cap |
| Main limitation | A busy B2C site blows Free in days. Price the cap against paid traffic, not hope |
- Sample recordings. You rarely need 100% of sessions.
- Buy Ask only if surveys are in the brief. Observe alone is cheaper.
- Clarity $0 is the alternative if you do not need Hotjar surveys.
3. PostHog
REPLAY AS A MODULE
Best for: product-engineering teams already sending events to PostHog who want to click from an event to a recording.
| Published pricing | posthog.com/session-replay β free recordings per month, then a per-recording price. Separate from the 1 million analytics events |
| Cap / unit | Recordings ingested. Autocapture analytics events do not include unlimited replay |
| Privacy | Masking config in the snippet. Treat it as required |
| Free plan / trial | Monthly free recording bucket |
| Main limitation | Turning replay on for every session will dwarf the analytics bill |
- Record on rage-clicks or errors, not on every pageview.
- If you are not on PostHog events, Clarity is the cheaper first install.
- Sentryβs 50 replays are a different product. Do not mix the units.
4. FullStory
QUOTE-LED PLATFORM
Best for: companies that want a session-replay platform with search, segments and procurement, and will sign a contract.
| Published pricing | Sales-led. fullstory.com does not print a Clarity-style $0 card |
| Cap / unit | Contracted sessions or MTU β ask |
| Privacy | Enterprise controls are part of the pitch. Still configure them |
| Free plan / trial | Trial / demo |
| Main limitation | You cannot self-qualify year-one cash from the homepage |
- Send FullStory the same session-volume scenario you used for Hotjar.
- Do not shortlist FullStory to beat Clarity on price.
- Digital-experience add-ons are extra scope. Keep the first SOW to replay + search.
Kurums Match: which one fits your situation
We just need to watch sessions
Microsoft Clarity.
We also run on-page surveys
Hotjar Observe + Ask, sized to monthly sessions.
We already pay PostHog for events
Enable replay with sampling. Do not record 100%.
Security and search at enterprise volume
FullStory quote, or Hotjar Business if the public grid covers you.
Buying tip: decide the sample rate first (1%, 5%, errors only). That number is the bill.
How this comparison was put together
Vendor sites, 15 September 2026. No paid placement. Kurums did not store customer sessions on all four.
Order is $0 first. No badge reflects a commercial relationship.
Frequently asked questions
Is Clarity really free?
Yes as a Microsoft product. You still owe privacy work.
Does Sentry replace Hotjar?
No. Fifty included replays on Sentry Team are for debugging, not research volume.
Is this legal in the EU?
Only with a lawful basis, masking and a retention policy. The tool does not decide that.
Did we compare search quality?
No. Search your last incident on a trial.
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