Software Alternatives & Startups

Microsoft Clarity VS CloudLinux

Compare Microsoft Clarity VS CloudLinux and see what are their differences

Microsoft Clarity

Website analytics powered by machine learning πŸ“Š

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Open source
CloudLinux

Making Linux secure, stable, and profitable for thousands of hosting providers and data centers worldwide.

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Open source
Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, Microsoft Clarity seems to be more popular. It has been mentioned 37 times since March 2021.

social mentions
37 vs 0
Web Analytics popularity
100% vs 0%

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

Microsoft Clarity
CloudLinux
Website clarity.microsoft.com cloudlinux.com
Pricing
Open source
Open source
Company Startup from the United States β€”
Listed in

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Microsoft Clarity 6 features
CloudLinux 5 features
  • Cost
    Microsoft Clarity is free to use, which makes it a cost-effective solution for businesses of all sizes.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The platform offers an intuitive and easy-to-use interface, making it accessible even for users who are not particularly tech-savvy.
  • Heatmaps
    Clarity provides heatmaps that give a visual representation of user interactions on your website, helping you understand user behavior at a glance.
  • Session Replay
    The session replay feature allows you to watch recordings of user sessions, providing detailed insights into how users navigate your site.
  • GDPR Compliance
    Clarity is designed to be GDPR compliant, ensuring that user data is handled in accordance with regulations.
  • Integration with Tools
    It integrates well with other Microsoft products and various third-party tools, enhancing its functionality and ease of use within a broader software ecosystem.

Possible disadvantages

  • Advanced Features Limitation
    Compared to some other analytics tools, Clarity may lack some advanced features like detailed conversion tracking or advanced segmentation.
  • Data Delay
    There can be a delay in data processing and updates, which might be a drawback for businesses that require real-time analytics.
  • Limited Customization
    Customization options for how data is collected and displayed can be somewhat limited, potentially restricting how specific insights are gathered.
  • Resource Intensive
    Session replays and detailed heatmaps can be resource-intensive, which might slow down the performance of the analytics dashboard on lower-spec systems.
  • No A/B Testing
    As of now, Clarity does not offer built-in A/B testing capabilities, which are useful for optimizing different versions of web pages.
  • Data Retention
    The platform might have limited data retention policies, which could be a concern for businesses that need long-term data storage.
  • Enhanced Server Stability
    CloudLinux uses its lightweight virtualization technology (LVE) to isolate each tenant on a shared hosting server, preventing any single user from consuming excessive resources and crashing the server for everyone else. This ensures consistent uptime and performance.
  • Improved Security with HardenedPHP and KernelCare
    CloudLinux offers HardenedPHP, which patches old and unsupported PHP versions against known vulnerabilities, and KernelCare, which provides live kernel patching without requiring server reboots. These features significantly enhance server security posture.
  • Resource Limit Management
    Administrators can set granular resource limits (CPU, memory, I/O, number of processes, etc.) per user account using LVE Manager. This makes it easy to manage shared hosting environments and ensure fair resource distribution among tenants.
  • CageFS File System Virtualization
    CageFS creates a virtualized file system for each user, preventing them from seeing other users on the server, viewing sensitive configuration files, or exploiting server vulnerabilities. This adds an important layer of isolation and security.
  • Wide Compatibility with Hosting Panels
    CloudLinux integrates seamlessly with popular hosting control panels such as cPanel, Plesk, and DirectAdmin, making it straightforward for hosting providers to adopt without overhauling their existing infrastructure or workflows.

Possible disadvantages

  • Additional Licensing Cost
    CloudLinux requires a paid monthly or annual license on top of the base server cost. For smaller hosting providers or individual server owners, this additional expense can add up and may not always be justifiable compared to free alternatives.
  • Limited to CentOS/RHEL-Based Systems
    CloudLinux is built on top of RHEL/CentOS and does not support other Linux distributions like Ubuntu or Debian. This limits its adoption for hosting providers who prefer or already run non-RHEL-based environments.
  • Learning Curve for Configuration
    While CloudLinux provides powerful resource management tools, properly configuring LVE limits, CageFS, PHP Selector, and other features requires a solid understanding of the platform. Misconfiguration can lead to users being unnecessarily restricted or resources being poorly allocated.
  • Potential Performance Overhead
    The additional layers of virtualization, resource monitoring, and file system isolation introduced by CloudLinux can impose a slight performance overhead on the server compared to running a bare, unmodified Linux distribution without these controls.
  • Dependency on CloudLinux Ecosystem
    Adopting CloudLinux means relying on their ecosystem for kernel updates, PHP patches, and security fixes. If the company experiences delays in releasing patches or changes its pricing/licensing model, hosting providers may find themselves locked into a dependency that is difficult to migrate away from.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

Microsoft Clarity
CloudLinux

Overall verdict

  • Microsoft Clarity is a strong choice for website analytics, particularly for businesses and individuals seeking an easy-to-use, no-cost tool with powerful features. Its ability to provide insights directly from user interactions without heavy resource demands makes it a competitive offering in its category.

Why this product is good

  • Microsoft Clarity is considered good due to its free-to-use model, user-friendly interface, and robust features that allow for in-depth analysis of user behavior and website performance. It offers heatmaps, session recordings, and insights that help in understanding user interactions, enabling website owners to identify usability issues and optimize their sites effectively.

Recommended for

    Microsoft Clarity is recommended for small to medium-sized businesses, marketing professionals, UX designers, and web developers who need to analyze user behavior without incurring costs. It's also suitable for anyone looking to supplement their existing analytics tools with a focus on user experience and interaction.

Overall verdict

  • CloudLinux is a well-regarded, mature Linux OS distribution and toolset specifically designed for shared hosting and multi-tenant server environments, offering strong isolation, resource management, and security features that make it a solid choice for hosting providers.

Why this product is good

  • Provides LVE (Lightweight Virtual Environment) technology for per-tenant resource isolation, preventing 'bad neighbor' effects on shared servers
  • Enhances server stability and security by isolating users so that one account's issues (crashes, resource spikes) don't affect others
  • Offers extended lifecycle support (longer than standard CentOS/RHEL support windows), which is valuable for legacy systems
  • Includes tools like CloudLinux OS Shield, Imunify360 integration, and hardened kernel options for improved security
  • Compatible with popular control panels like cPanel and Plesk, making it easy to integrate into existing hosting stacks
  • Backed by an established company with a long track record in the hosting industry and responsive support
  • Offers granular control over CPU, memory, I/O, and other resources per user account
  • Provides PHP Selector and multiple PHP version support, useful for hosting providers serving diverse client needs

Recommended for

  • Web hosting companies running shared or reseller hosting environments
  • Hosting providers needing to isolate customer accounts on the same physical server
  • Businesses requiring extended OS support lifecycles beyond standard RHEL/CentOS EOL dates
  • Enterprises using cPanel or Plesk that want tighter security and resource control
  • Hosting companies looking to reduce support tickets caused by noisy-neighbor resource contention
  • IT teams managing multi-tenant infrastructure who need governance and monitoring tools built into the OS layer

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Microsoft Clarity 0 videos + Add
CloudLinux 3 videos + Add

No Microsoft Clarity videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

When To Use Cloudlinux On Your Virtual Private Server (VPS)

More videos

  • - CloudLinux OS+ in a minute: Explore Features
  • - How CloudLinux Plans to Keep CentOS 6 Alive

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
Microsoft Clarity
CloudLinux
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%

User comments

Share your experience with using Microsoft Clarity and CloudLinux. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

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Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

Microsoft Clarity no reviews yet
CloudLinux no reviews yet

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We have no reviews of CloudLinux yet. Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

Microsoft Clarity 37 mentions
CloudLinux 0 mentions
  • Free monitoring and analytics for vibe coding (2026)
    Clarity is free heatmaps and session recordings. One script next to GA if you want rage-clicks. It is not Search Console and not Sentry. - Source: dev.to / 21 days ago
  • What 508 Users Taught a Tiny Startup About Its Own Product
    We're a small team, so that number means a lot to us. But the numbers that taught us the most weren't the flattering ones. This post walks through our first 30 days of data from Microsoft Clarity, what surprised us, and what we're fixing... - Source: dev.to / 22 days ago
  • Dutch governments builds alternative for Microsoft based on NixOS
    They already have the backbone for this with Microsoft Clarity: https://clarity.microsoft.com/ I was running a little mitmproxy network test on some baby-tracking apps to see what kind of data got sent back home and man, realizing that... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago

View more

Tracking CloudLinux since Mar 2021.

Alternatives to Microsoft Clarity and CloudLinux

When comparing Microsoft Clarity and CloudLinux, you can also consider the following products.