In short
Faintrail is an alternative to Microsoft Clarity for businesses that want to choose where visitors' recordings are kept, and to collect less. Clarity is free with no traffic limits, stores data in Microsoft's Azure cloud, keeps most recordings for 30 days, and since 31 October 2025 waits for consent from visitors in the EEA, UK and Switzerland. Faintrail keeps recordings in the region you choose (the EU, the UK or the US), never records typed text, and lets you download visits as a text file for an AI assistant. Clarity has heatmaps; Faintrail does not.
What changed on 31 October 2025
From 31 October 2025, Clarity waits for a valid consent signal before it sets cookies for visitors from the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland. Microsoft's FAQ says that without consent, Clarity limits what it collects in those regions. If you use Clarity there, check that your cookie banner passes the visitor's answer on.
Why choose Faintrail instead
- You choose where recordings live. Clarity stores data in Microsoft's Azure cloud, and its FAQ says "Microsoft/Clarity has access to the data". With Faintrail, you pick a server in the EU, the UK or the US, and visits are never sold or shared.
- Typed text is never recorded. Clarity hides what's typed into input boxes in every mode; Faintrail does too, and also never records a page you mark private.
- Read a visit in seconds. Each visit has a plain-words log beside the replay, with problems marked.
- Choose your own AI. Clarity's Copilot answers questions inside Clarity. Faintrail gives you a text file of the visits you pick, so you can see exactly what an AI is given.
Faintrail and Clarity side by side
| Faintrail | Microsoft Clarity | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | No prices yet | Free, no traffic limits |
| Watch recorded visits | Yes | Yes |
| Heatmaps | No | Yes |
| A plain-words log of every visit, to read or download | Yes | AI summaries (Copilot) |
| Where recordings are kept | Hosted by Faintrail, in the EU, the UK or the US: you choose | Microsoft Azure; EU customers contract with Microsoft Ireland; Microsoft has access |
| How long they're kept | Replays 30 days and logs 90 days by default, up to a year if you choose | 30 days; favourites and a random sample up to 9 months |
| Typed text | Never recorded | Masked in every mode |
| Cookies | None; in "record unless they say no" mode it keeps a visit number in the browser's storage, which privacy rules can treat like a cookie | Sets cookies; in the EEA, UK and Switzerland only after consent |
Sources, checked 15 November 2026: Clarity FAQ; Clarity consent mode; Clarity masking; clarity.microsoft.com.
For downloads, set-up and the rest, see Microsoft Clarity vs Faintrail.
When Clarity is the better choice
If you want heatmaps, unlimited traffic and nothing to pay, Clarity is hard to beat. Faintrail is for when where the data lives matters more than the price.
Questions people ask
Is Microsoft Clarity really free?
Yes. Microsoft says Clarity is "a free service forever" with no traffic limits. It's paid for in a different way: the data is stored in Microsoft's cloud, and Microsoft has access to it.
Is Microsoft Clarity GDPR compliant?
That depends on how it's set up on your site, not only on Clarity. Since 31 October 2025 Clarity waits for consent from visitors in the EEA, UK and Switzerland, and EU customers contract with Microsoft Ireland. We don't judge another company's compliance; check Microsoft's terms and ask your privacy adviser.
Who can see Microsoft Clarity data?
Your team, and Microsoft: Clarity's FAQ says "Microsoft/Clarity has access to the data." Faintrail keeps recordings in the region you choose, and never sells or shares them.
How long does Clarity keep recordings?
30 days from the time of recording, according to Clarity's FAQ; favourite recordings and a random sample are kept for up to 9 months. Faintrail keeps replays for 30 days and logs for 90 by default, up to a year if you choose.
Can I run Faintrail and Clarity together?
Yes. They're separate scripts, so you can keep Clarity's heatmaps while you try Faintrail's recordings and logs.
