For most UK accounting firm websites, Microsoft Clarity is the right starting point: it is completely free, has no session recording limits, and meets UK GDPR requirements when configured correctly. Hotjar is the stronger choice if you need user surveys, feedback widgets, or funnel analysis alongside heatmaps, but it costs from around $32 per month once you exceed the free tier's daily limit of 35 sessions.
Both tools show you where visitors click, how far they scroll, and where they drop off on key pages like your services or contact page. That data helps you identify why enquiries are not converting and fix the problems. This guide compares Hotjar and Microsoft Clarity specifically for accounting firm websites, covering pricing, data retention, UK GDPR compliance, and which tool suits which type of practice.
What heatmap tools do and why accounting websites benefit
A heatmap tool overlays colour-coded data on your web pages to show where visitors click, move their mouse, and stop scrolling. Session recordings capture individual browsing sessions as replays, so you can watch a visitor move through your site in real time, see where they hesitate, and identify exactly where they leave.
For an accounting firm website, this matters most on a handful of high-value pages. Your services page, your contact or enquiry form, and any pricing or fee guide pages are the places where a visitor either converts to an enquiry or leaves. If your contact form has a low submission rate, a heatmap will quickly reveal whether visitors are not finding it, are abandoning it halfway through, or are clicking a button that does not work as expected.
Unlike Google Analytics 4, which tells you that a page has a high exit rate, heatmap tools tell you where on that page visitors are leaving and what they did before they left. The two tools complement each other rather than compete.
Microsoft Clarity
Microsoft Clarity is a free heatmap and session recording tool with no limits on the number of sessions it records. There is no paid tier and no credit card required. It was released publicly in 2020 and is now one of the most widely used heatmap tools globally.
Key features include click heatmaps, scroll heatmaps, and session recordings. Clarity also flags sessions automatically using behaviour filters, including rage clicks (where a visitor clicks the same element repeatedly, suggesting frustration), dead clicks (clicks on non-interactive elements), and quick backs (where a visitor lands on a page and immediately returns to the previous page). These filters make it quick to find problem sessions without watching hours of recordings.
Data is retained for 30 days. That is a meaningful limitation compared to Hotjar, which retains data for 365 days on paid plans. If you want to compare behaviour during tax season against the rest of the year, Clarity's 30-day window does not support that kind of analysis.
Clarity integrates natively with Google Analytics 4, which allows you to cross-reference heatmap sessions with GA4 traffic data. It does not connect with CRM platforms, Slack, or other marketing tools natively.
On G2, Clarity holds a rating of 4.4 out of 5 from 15 reviews (figures vary, verify current data).
Clarity and UK GDPR
From 31 October 2025, Microsoft Clarity enforces consent requirements for visitors from the UK, EEA, and Switzerland. Clarity will not record sessions or generate heatmap data until a visitor has consented via your cookie banner. You need to implement the Clarity Consent API to pass consent status to the tool, or use a consent management platform (CMP) that integrates with Clarity directly.
Clarity also includes built-in data masking: by default, it masks all text inputs so that sensitive information such as names, addresses, and financial data entered into forms is not captured in session recordings. IP anonymisation is enabled by default. These features reduce the compliance burden for accounting firms handling client financial data.
Hotjar
Hotjar offers heatmaps, session recordings, and a broader suite of qualitative research tools including on-site surveys, feedback widgets, and funnel analysis. The free plan allows 35 session recordings per day and unlimited heatmaps. Paid plans start from around $32 to $39 per month (USD pricing, billed monthly; verify current pricing) and remove the daily session limit.
In July 2025, Hotjar was acquired by Contentsquare, a digital experience analytics platform. Hotjar continues to operate as a separate product under the Contentsquare group, but the acquisition may affect pricing, roadmap, and integration strategy over time.
Compared to Clarity, Hotjar's main advantages are its broader feature set and longer data retention. Session recordings are kept for 365 days on paid plans, which allows year-on-year comparisons. Hotjar integrates with over 100 tools including Slack, HubSpot, Segment, and other marketing platforms, which matters if you want heatmap insights to feed directly into your CRM or team notifications.
The on-site survey feature is particularly useful for accounting firms running a website redesign or testing a new services page: you can ask visitors directly why they did not submit an enquiry, or prompt existing clients to rate a specific page. Clarity does not include surveys or feedback widgets.
On G2, Hotjar holds a rating of 4.3 out of 5 from over 260 reviews (figures vary, verify current data).
Hotjar and UK GDPR
Hotjar operates under UK GDPR and PECR as an analytics and behavioural tracking tool. Like Clarity, it requires prior user consent before session recording begins. Hotjar provides a consent opt-out mechanism and supports integration with consent management platforms. Its data processing agreement is available for review before onboarding client-facing website data.
Hotjar vs Clarity: head-to-head comparison
The table below summarises the key differences for UK accounting firm websites.
- Price: Clarity is free with no limits. Hotjar's free plan caps recordings at 35 sessions per day; paid plans start from around $32 to $39 per month.
- Session recording limits: Clarity records all sessions with no daily cap. Hotjar's free plan caps at 35 per day.
- Data retention: Clarity retains data for 30 days. Hotjar retains data for 365 days on paid plans.
- Heatmaps: Both tools provide click and scroll heatmaps.
- Surveys and feedback: Hotjar includes on-site surveys and feedback widgets. Clarity does not.
- Funnel analysis: Hotjar includes basic funnel tracking. Clarity does not.
- Integrations: Clarity integrates with Google Analytics. Hotjar integrates with 100+ tools.
- UK GDPR consent enforcement: Both require consent before recording. Clarity enforces this via the Clarity Consent API from October 2025. Hotjar supports CMP integration.
- Data masking: Clarity masks text inputs by default. Hotjar requires manual configuration for masking.
- Rage click detection: Clarity includes this automatically. Hotjar requires manual setup.
Which tool suits your accounting firm?
The right choice depends on what you are trying to achieve and whether you are willing to pay for the additional features Hotjar offers.
Use Microsoft Clarity if you want to understand how visitors behave on your website without spending anything. It records every session, flags problem behaviour automatically, and meets UK GDPR requirements when the Clarity Consent API is implemented. For a small or medium accounting practice that wants heatmap and session recording data without a monthly subscription, Clarity is the logical choice. Its 30-day data retention is the main trade-off.
Use Hotjar if your practice is actively testing website changes, running a redesign project, or wants to collect visitor feedback through surveys. The 365-day data retention makes Hotjar better suited to practices that want to compare performance across different periods, such as before and after a website update, or between January and September to understand how tax season affects behaviour. If your team uses HubSpot or Slack and wants heatmap data to flow into those tools, Hotjar's integration depth is a significant advantage over Clarity.
For most sole traders and small accounting practices, starting with Clarity and adding Hotjar later if specific needs emerge is a cost-effective approach. There is no technical barrier to running both tools simultaneously if required, though you should ensure your cookie consent banner correctly declares both as non-essential analytics cookies requiring user consent.
If you are assessing analytics and behaviour tools as part of a wider marketing investment, our guide to marketing tools and analytics for accounting firms covers the full stack, from GA4 and Search Console to CRM software and scheduling tools.
Key Takeaways
- Microsoft Clarity is completely free with no session recording limits, making it the default starting point for UK accounting firm websites.
- Hotjar includes surveys, feedback widgets, and 365-day data retention not available in Clarity, but paid plans cost from around $32 to $39 per month once you exceed the free tier's 35 sessions per day.
- From 31 October 2025, Microsoft Clarity enforces consent for UK, EEA, and Switzerland visitors via the Clarity Consent API; Hotjar also requires prior consent under UK GDPR and PECR before recording sessions.
- Clarity masks text inputs by default, reducing the risk of capturing sensitive financial data in session recordings; Hotjar requires manual masking configuration.
- For practices wanting year-on-year behavioural comparisons or direct integration with CRM and marketing tools, Hotjar's paid plans justify the cost; for most small accounting firms, Clarity is sufficient.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Microsoft Clarity free for accounting firms?
Yes. Microsoft Clarity is completely free with no session recording limits, no paid tiers, and no credit card required. It includes heatmaps, session recordings, and automatic filters for rage clicks, dead clicks, and quick-back sessions. The main limitation is 30-day data retention, compared to 365 days on Hotjar's paid plans.
Do heatmap tools require cookie consent in the UK?
Yes. Both Hotjar and Microsoft Clarity use cookies or similar tracking technologies to record visitor behaviour, and under UK GDPR and PECR these are not strictly necessary cookies. They require prior user consent before they fire. From 31 October 2025, Microsoft Clarity enforces this for UK, EEA, and Switzerland visitors via the Clarity Consent API. Your cookie banner must offer a genuine accept or reject option and must actually block both tools before consent is given.
Can I use both Hotjar and Microsoft Clarity at the same time?
Yes, there is no technical barrier to running both tools simultaneously. Some practices run Clarity for its free unlimited recordings and Hotjar for its survey and feedback capabilities. You should declare both as non-essential analytics cookies in your cookie banner and ensure both tools are blocked until visitor consent is given. Running both also means more data to review, so it only makes sense if you have a specific use case for each tool.