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Marketing · head to head

Microsoft Clarity vs Roxhill

Microsoft Clarity logo

Microsoft Clarity

Marketing

Free behaviour analytics tool with session recordings, heatmaps, and AI insights

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Roxhill logo

Roxhill

Marketing

UK-focused journalist database and media monitoring, founder-owned and annual only

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Microsoft Clarity has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Microsoft Clarity no paid tier means no premium support; enterprise SLAs and dedicated account management are unavailable; Roxhill the database is UK-centric by reviewers’ own account, with weak US, Australian and broader Asian journalist coverage, so any multi-market programme needs a second vendor and the single-vendor cost case disappears.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Microsoft Clarity and Roxhill actually diverge.

Attributes where Microsoft Clarity and Roxhill differ
AttributeMicrosoft ClarityRoxhill
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreequote
Free tierYesNo

Identical on both: platforms (Web, iOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Marketing).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Microsoft Clarity

Nothing recorded that Roxhill does not also cover.

Only in Roxhill

  • Journalist database
  • Journalist profiles
  • Media lists and distribution
  • Media requests and alerts
  • Media monitoring
  • Bespoke newsletters
  • Historical search
  • Journalist Assistant

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Microsoft Clarity

  • SaaS product teams identifying checkout and signup funnel frictionnot Roxhill
  • E-commerce sites optimising product discovery and purchase flowsnot Roxhill
  • Content websites understanding reading patterns and article engagementnot Roxhill
  • Mobile app teams (iOS/Android) analysing user journey and drop-off pointsnot Roxhill
  • B2B platforms optimising onboarding and feature discoverynot Roxhill
  • Agencies and consultants providing UX analysis to clients free of chargenot Roxhill

Roxhill

  • A UK in-house press office that needs journalist contacts with current pitching preferences rather than a scraped byline list.not Microsoft Clarity
  • An agency tracking forward features across UK trade and consumer titles to place clients into planned coverage months ahead.not Microsoft Clarity
  • A communications team monitoring named spokespeople and measuring their share of voice against competitors in UK media.not Microsoft Clarity
  • A UK public sector body procuring through G-Cloud that needs EEA-hosted media monitoring with a published framework price band.not Microsoft Clarity

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Microsoft Clarity

  • No paid tier means no premium support; enterprise SLAs and dedicated account management are unavailable
  • Dependency on JavaScript tracking; websites with strict CSP (content security policy) may struggle with integration
  • Session replay is limited to browser-based interactions; native app behaviour in web wrappers is not captured
  • AI Chat and summaries require adequate session volume; low-traffic sites lack sufficient data for meaningful pattern detection
  • Privacy masking is automatic but lacks granular configuration; custom masking rules for proprietary data require workarounds

Roxhill

  • The database is UK-centric by reviewers’ own account, with weak US, Australian and broader Asian journalist coverage, so any multi-market programme needs a second vendor and the single-vendor cost case disappears.
  • Contact records go stale: reviewers report old email addresses and phone numbers, distribution bounces, and there is no self-serve verification step before you send.
  • At roughly 200,000 to 300,000 journalists it is far smaller than the million-plus figures Cision and Prowly claim, with repeated complaints about thin trade, academic and journal coverage.
  • Selling is annual only with no monthly plan and a trial functionally restricted to around two weeks, so you cannot genuinely pilot before a twelve-month commitment, which is a poor fit for project or retainer agency work.
  • Licence bands are 1, 3 and 5 seats, and extra logins, workspaces, smart folders, historical search, share of voice and the spokespeople platform are all chargeable add-ons, so a team of eight to fifteen pays well above any headline band.
  • Search behaviour is described as counter-intuitive and sometimes returns implausibly few results, which means a null result cannot be trusted and lists need manual cross-checking.
  • Monitoring accuracy takes time to settle after switching, so coverage is missed in the first weeks after a cutover, which is a real gap risk if you time the migration badly.

Pricing, plan by plan

Microsoft Clarity

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Microsoft Clarity review.

Roxhill

On request
  • Core$undefined/year
    • 1 licence
    • Standard database access
    • Journalist Assistant
  • Boutique$undefined/year
    • 3 licences
    • Adds press release distribution
    • 3 workspaces, 6 smart folders, 10 spokespeople, 3 newsletters
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • 5 licences
    • 5 workspaces, 10 smart folders, 5 newsletters
    • Spokespeople platform
  • Premium$undefined/year
    • Everything in Enterprise
    • Insights analysis and bespoke reporting
    • Competitor share of voice

Which should you pick?

Choose Microsoft Clarity if

  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
Microsoft Clarity review

Choose Roxhill if

  • You need journalist database.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want journalist profiles.
Roxhill review

Questions people ask

Is Microsoft Clarity or Roxhill better?
Neither clearly leads. Microsoft Clarity starts at Free and Roxhill at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Microsoft Clarity or Roxhill?
Microsoft Clarity has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Microsoft Clarity and On request for Roxhill.
Does Microsoft Clarity or Roxhill run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Microsoft Clarity for free?
Yes. Microsoft Clarity has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Roxhill starts at On request.
What is Microsoft Clarity best used for?
Microsoft Clarity is most often used for saas product teams identifying checkout and signup funnel friction, e-commerce sites optimising product discovery and purchase flows, content websites understanding reading patterns and article engagement, mobile app teams (ios/android) analysing user journey and drop-off points. Of those, saas product teams identifying checkout and signup funnel friction and e-commerce sites optimising product discovery and purchase flows are not what Roxhill is typically brought in for.
What can Microsoft Clarity do that Roxhill cannot?
Roxhill covers Journalist database, Journalist profiles, Media lists and distribution, Media requests and alerts.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Microsoft Clarity: Is Microsoft Clarity truly free?

Yes. Microsoft Clarity is completely free with no traffic limits, no paid tier, and no restrictions based on session volume. It integrates with web properties via a single tracking snippet.

Source
Roxhill: How much does Roxhill cost?

Not published on the vendor site, but the UK G-Cloud 14 listing discloses £6,450 to £25,000 per instance per year. Use that as your anchor.

Microsoft Clarity: Does Clarity comply with GDPR and CCPA?

Yes. Clarity automatically masks sensitive form field data before transmission and supports privacy-by-default configuration. EU and California data residency options are available.

Source
Roxhill: Is Roxhill owned by Cision or Access Intelligence?

No. Companies House shows a single individual holding over 75% of shares and no corporate PSC. It is founder-controlled and unfunded. Note the founder previously sold Gorkana to Cision, so ask for a change-of-control clause.

Microsoft Clarity: Can Clarity track mobile apps?

Yes. Clarity provides native SDKs for iOS and Android, as well as support for React Native and Flutter apps.

Source
Roxhill: Is it usable for US or APAC media relations?

Not well. Reviewers describe US, Australian and Asian coverage as materially weaker than UK. Budget for a second database.

Roxhill: Can I buy monthly?

No. Contracts are annual, sales-gated, with a trial of around two weeks.

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