FullStory

What is FullStory?

FullStory is a digital experience intelligence platform that captures every user interaction on websites and applications, enabling teams to understand user behavior through session replay, heatmaps, and analytics. Founded in 2014 by former Google engineers Scott Voigt, Bruce Johnson, and Joel Webber, FullStory pioneered the concept of recording every click, scroll, and interaction without requiring explicit event instrumentation. The platform helps product, UX, engineering, and support teams see exactly what users experience.

What distinguishes FullStory is its automatic data capture approach. Unlike traditional analytics requiring teams to define and instrument specific events, FullStory records everything users do, enabling retroactive analysis of behaviors that were not anticipated during implementation. This comprehensive capture means teams can investigate any user interaction, discover unexpected behaviors, and answer questions that emerge later without waiting for new instrumentation.

FullStory serves thousands of companies seeking to understand their digital experiences at scale. The platform combines qualitative insights from session replays with quantitative metrics from behavioral analytics, providing both the what and the why of user behavior. From identifying conversion blockers to debugging user-reported issues, FullStory enables teams to see their products through users eyes.

Key Features

• Session Replay: Watch pixel-perfect recordings of user sessions including clicks, scrolls, navigation, and form interactions to understand experiences.
• Autocapture: Automatically record all user interactions without manual event instrumentation, enabling retroactive analysis of any behavior.
• Heatmaps: Visualize where users click, scroll, and engage on pages to identify popular elements and ignored content.
• Rage Clicks Detection: Automatically identify frustrated users repeatedly clicking unresponsive elements indicating UX problems.
• Error Tracking: Capture JavaScript errors correlated with user sessions to understand error context and impact.
• Frustration Signals: AI-powered detection of user frustration indicators beyond rage clicks including dead clicks and error encounters.
• Conversion Funnels: Build and analyze conversion funnels with ability to watch sessions of users who dropped off.
• Segmentation: Create user segments based on behaviors, attributes, or events for targeted analysis.
• Search and Filtering: Powerful search capabilities to find sessions matching specific criteria, behaviors, or page interactions.
• Privacy Controls: Comprehensive data masking, exclusion rules, and privacy-by-design features for compliant session recording.

Recent Updates and Improvements

FullStory continues enhancing its platform with AI capabilities, improved analytics, and expanded enterprise features.

• AI Insights: Automated surface of important patterns, anomalies, and opportunities from session data without manual analysis.
• Product Analytics: Expanded quantitative analytics capabilities complementing qualitative session replay.
• Mobile App Support: Enhanced native mobile session replay for iOS and Android applications.
• Data Direct: Export comprehensive interaction data to data warehouses for custom analysis and integration.
• Performance Monitoring: Track page load times and performance metrics correlated with user experience.
• Improved Search: Faster, more powerful session search with natural language capabilities.
• Collaboration: Better sharing, annotation, and team workflow features for collaborative analysis.
• Privacy Enhancements: Additional controls for data retention, masking, and compliance with evolving regulations.

System Requirements

Web Implementation

• JavaScript snippet added to web pages
• Works with any web framework
• Modern browsers supported for recording
• No server-side requirements

Mobile SDKs

• iOS: iOS 12.0 or later
• Android: API 21 or later
• React Native supported

FullStory Platform

• Access via modern web browser
• Chrome recommended for best replay experience
• Internet connection required

How to Get Started with FullStory

Implementation

1. Create FullStory account and project
2. Add JavaScript snippet to your website
3. Configure privacy settings
4. Verify data collection
5. Start watching sessions

# Basic JavaScript installation
# Add to head of your web pages

<script>
window['_fs_host'] = 'fullstory.com';
window['_fs_script'] = 'edge.fullstory.com/s/fs.js';
window['_fs_org'] = 'YOUR_ORG_ID';
window['_fs_namespace'] = 'FS';
(function(m,n,e,t,l,o,g,y){
    if (e in m) {if(m.console && m.console.log) { m.console.log('FullStory namespace conflict.'); return;}}
    g=m[e]=function(a,b,s){g.q?g.q.push([a,b,s]):g._api(a,b,s);};g.q=[];
    // ... snippet continues
})
</script>

User Identification

# Identify logged-in users
FS.identify('user-123', {
    displayName: 'Jane Doe',
    email: 'jane@example.com',
    plan_name: 'Premium',
    signup_date: '2024-01-15'
});

# Track custom events
FS.event('Purchase Completed', {
    product_id: 'SKU-456',
    amount: 99.99,
    currency: 'USD'
});

# Set page-level properties
FS.setVars('page', {
    pageName: 'Product Details',
    productCategory: 'Electronics'
});

Privacy Configuration

# Exclude sensitive elements
# Add fs-exclude class or data attribute
<input type="password" class="fs-exclude">
<div data-fs-exclude>Sensitive content</div>

# Mask text content
<span class="fs-mask">Credit Card: 4111...</span>

# Block recording of specific pages
FS.shutdown(); // Stop recording
FS.restart();  // Resume recording

# Configure consent
FS.consent(true);  // User consented
FS.consent(false); // User declined

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Automatic Capture: Record all interactions without defining events upfront, enabling retroactive analysis of any behavior.
• Session Replay Quality: High-fidelity recordings reproduce user experiences accurately for meaningful insights.
• Frustration Detection: AI-powered identification of rage clicks and frustration signals surfaces UX problems automatically.
• Powerful Search: Find specific sessions quickly based on behaviors, errors, pages, or user segments.
• Privacy Features: Comprehensive controls for masking, excluding, and managing sensitive data.
• Cross-Team Value: Product, UX, engineering, and support teams all benefit from session visibility.
• Error Context: See exactly what users experienced when errors occurred for faster debugging.

Cons

• Pricing: Enterprise pricing can be expensive, especially for high-traffic websites with many sessions.
• Data Volume: Comprehensive capture generates significant data that may overwhelm small teams.
• Privacy Concerns: Session recording requires careful privacy consideration and user consent management.
• Analysis Time: Watching session replays is time-consuming compared to quantitative metrics.
• Performance Impact: Recording script adds some overhead to page load and performance.

FullStory vs Alternatives

Who Should Use FullStory?

FullStory is ideal for:

• Product Teams: Groups seeking to understand user behavior and identify experience improvements through session observation.
• UX Researchers: Professionals conducting user research who need to see actual usage patterns at scale.
• Customer Support: Teams troubleshooting user issues who benefit from seeing exactly what customers experienced.
• Engineering Teams: Developers debugging front-end issues who need error context and reproduction steps.
• E-commerce Companies: Online retailers optimizing conversion funnels and checkout experiences.
• Enterprise Organizations: Large companies needing comprehensive digital experience intelligence with strong governance.

FullStory may not be ideal for:

• Small Businesses: Budget constraints may make enterprise pricing challenging for smaller organizations.
• Simple Websites: Basic informational sites may not need comprehensive session recording capabilities.
• Privacy-Restrictive Environments: Industries with strict recording limitations may face compliance challenges.
• Quantitative Focus: Teams primarily needing numbers over qualitative observation may prefer pure analytics tools.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does FullStory cost?

FullStory uses custom enterprise pricing based on monthly sessions recorded. They offer a free trial but do not publicly list prices. Costs typically range from hundreds to thousands of dollars monthly depending on traffic volume and features required. For accurate pricing, contact FullStory sales with your expected session volumes and needs.

Is FullStory GDPR compliant?

FullStory provides tools for GDPR compliance including consent management, data masking, user data deletion, and data processing agreements. However, compliance responsibility lies with implementation. You must configure privacy settings appropriately, obtain user consent where required, and mask sensitive data. FullStory offers documentation and best practices for privacy-compliant implementation.

How does FullStory differ from Hotjar?

FullStory offers more comprehensive autocapture, better session search, and stronger enterprise features. Hotjar provides more accessible pricing and includes feedback tools like surveys. FullStory excels at scale and technical depth; Hotjar suits smaller teams needing basic session replay and feedback. FullStory is typically chosen by larger organizations requiring advanced capabilities and governance.

Does FullStory slow down my website?

FullStory adds some performance overhead, though they optimize for minimal impact. The JavaScript loads asynchronously to avoid blocking page render. Actual impact depends on page complexity and implementation. Most sites see negligible user-facing performance difference. Use browser dev tools to measure specific impact on your site and optimize configuration if needed.

Can FullStory record mobile apps?

Yes, FullStory offers native SDKs for iOS and Android mobile applications providing session replay similar to web. Mobile recording captures touches, gestures, navigation, and screen content. Implementation requires SDK integration in your app code. Mobile session replay is valuable for understanding app user experience but requires appropriate privacy handling for app store compliance.

Final Verdict

FullStory sets the standard for digital experience intelligence, providing unmatched visibility into how users actually interact with websites and applications. The autocapture approach eliminates the guesswork of traditional analytics instrumentation, enabling teams to investigate any user behavior without advance planning. For organizations serious about understanding and improving digital experiences, FullStory delivers insights no other approach can match.

The platform particularly excels in enterprise environments where cross-functional teams benefit from session visibility. Product managers identify improvement opportunities, UX designers validate hypotheses, engineers debug issues with full context, and support teams understand customer problems instantly. This shared visibility transforms how organizations approach digital experience optimization.

While enterprise pricing and privacy considerations require careful evaluation, FullStory provides significant value for organizations where digital experience directly impacts business outcomes. The combination of qualitative session replay with quantitative analytics creates comprehensive understanding that drives meaningful improvements. For teams committed to truly understanding their users, FullStory remains the leader in digital experience intelligence.