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FullStory alternatives

13 tools we tested head to head against FullStory, ranked — and what each one actually does differently.

last reviewed 4 aug 2026 · from our best 14 session replay tools ·list curated by Onur Ozcanxin

first — what you'd be leaving

FullStory ranks #10 of 14 in our session replay tools testing. form privacy masks inputs, textareas and selects on every account by default; radio and checkbox aren't captured at all..

68/100

sensible masking defaults and a generous free tier, attached to pricing you cannot see until you ask.

why people look for an alternative
  • no published pricing above the free tier
  • eu data residency not confirmed anywhere on the site
  • masking scope for custom input components needs manual verification
  • consent integration and vendor data use both unverified

stay with FullStory if form privacy on by default across all accounts is the thing you care about most — nothing below beats it on that.

the short version
best alternativeMicrosoft Clarityteams that want the safest possible default and cannot rely on developers configuring anything.88/100
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  1. 1

    Microsoft Clarity

    #1 in session replay tools · input masking you are not allowed to switch off, free, with no traffic limit — and a business model worth understanding.

    88/100

    verdictthe only tool here where a careless install is still a safe install, because the masking is not yours to disable.

    Microsoft Clarity vs FullStory
     FullStoryMicrosoft Clarity
    pricefree to 30k sessions/mofree
    free tieryesyes
    masking defaultinput, textarea, select, contenteditableall input boxes, always
    opt-in or outopt-outneither — cannot be disabled
    cost at 100k sessionsquoted — not published$0
    eu hostingunverifiedeu contracting via microsoft ireland
    free tier30,000 sessions/moentirely free, unlimited

    switch forteams that want the safest possible default and cannot rely on developers configuring anything.

    pros
    • +input masking cannot be disabled by anyone, including admins
    • +free with no traffic limit at any volume
    • +native consent api plus cmp support; consent enforced for eea/uk/swiss traffic
    • +capture sdk is open source under mit
    cons
    • funded by feeding microsoft advertising — a conflict to weigh, not ignore
    • retention period is not published
    • google consent mode support still listed as coming soon
    • no paid tier means no commercial leverage if priorities change
  2. 2

    Contentsquare

    #2 in session replay tools · redacts emails, tokens and card numbers in the browser, before anything is sent.

    86/100

    verdictthe strongest technical privacy posture of the mainstream commercial tools, and its free tier swallows this page's entire benchmark.

    Contentsquare vs FullStory
     FullStoryContentsquare
    pricefree to 30k sessions/mofree to 200k sessions/mo
    free tieryesyes
    masking defaultinput, textarea, select, contenteditableinputs not captured; pii redacted in browser
    opt-in or outopt-outopt-out
    cost at 100k sessionsquoted — not published$0 — inside free tier
    eu hostingunverifiedyes; residency options on enterprise
    free tier30,000 sessions/mo200,000 sessions/mo

    switch forteams that want masking to happen before data leaves the browser rather than after it arrives.

    pros
    • +redaction happens client-side, before transmission
    • +input values not captured by default; all-pages masking on by default
    • +200,000 free sessions a month
    • +eu data centres, iso 27701 as controller and processor
    cons
    • mid-merger with hotjar — pricing and backend both in flux
    • retention windows not stated in any single primary doc
    • consent-gating default unverified
    • pro and enterprise pricing requires a sales conversation
  3. 3

    PostHog

    #3 in session replay tools · masks all inputs by default, hosts in the eu on every plan including free, and you can self-host the mit core.

    84/100

    verdictthe best combination of correct defaults, real eu hosting and an escape hatch, if you can live with an enterprise carve-out in the licence.

    PostHog vs FullStory
     FullStoryPostHog
    pricefree to 30k sessions/mo$272.50/mo at 100k sessions
    free tieryesyes
    masking defaultinput, textarea, select, contenteditableall inputs masked
    opt-in or outopt-outopt-out
    cost at 100k sessionsquoted — not published$272.50
    eu hostingunverifiedyes — all plans, frankfurt
    free tier30,000 sessions/mo5,000 recordings/mo

    switch forengineering teams that want a safe default, eu hosting and the option to run it themselves.

    pros
    • +`maskAllInputs: true` by default, with the reasoning documented
    • +eu region on every plan including free
    • +per-recording pricing you can compute in advance
    • +mit-licensed core is genuinely self-hostable
    cons
    • `ee/` directory is proprietary — the open core is not the full product
    • free-plan retention capped at 1 year until billing is attached
    • consent-gating behaviour undocumented
    • mobile replay billed separately at double the entry rate
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  4. 4

    Quantum Metric

    #4 in session replay tools · pii is encrypted at capture with a key only you hold — quantum metric cannot decrypt its own customers' data.

    81/100

    verdictthe only architecture here where the vendor is structurally unable to read your users' data, sold in the least transparent way.

    Quantum Metric vs FullStory
     FullStoryQuantum Metric
    pricefree to 30k sessions/moquoted
    free tieryesno
    masking defaultinput, textarea, select, contenteditableautomatic pii and pci blocking
    opt-in or outopt-outopt-out
    cost at 100k sessionsquoted — not publishedquoted — not published
    eu hostingunverifiedunverified
    free tier30,000 sessions/monone

    switch forregulated enterprises that need a privacy guarantee stronger than a vendor's promise to mask.

    pros
    • +customer-held encryption key — vendor cannot decrypt pii
    • +blocks health data, card details, cvv, passwords and otps automatically
    • +admin review ui for flagged pii and false positives
    • +built for regulated industries rather than retrofitted
    cons
    • no public pricing, no free tier, no trial
    • retention and data residency undocumented
    • consent integration unverified
    • sales-led only — no way to evaluate without a contract conversation
  5. 5

    Datadog RUM

    #5 in session replay tools · `mask` is the default privacy level, and password, email, tel and card fields stay masked whatever you set.

    78/100

    verdictthe strongest non-overridable masking floor in the category, wrapped in the hardest pricing to forecast.

    Datadog RUM vs FullStory
     FullStoryDatadog RUM
    pricefree to 30k sessions/mo~$2.50 per 1,000 replayed sessions
    free tieryesno
    masking defaultinput, textarea, select, contenteditable`mask` — strictest level
    opt-in or outopt-outopt-out, with a floor you can't lower
    cost at 100k sessionsquoted — not publishedcomponentised — see note
    eu hostingunverifiedyes — datadoghq.eu, frankfurt
    free tier30,000 sessions/motrial only

    switch forteams already running datadog who want replay correlated with apm, logs and infrastructure.

    pros
    • +`mask` applied when no privacy level is specified
    • +password, email, tel and card autocomplete fields masked at every level
    • +eu region in frankfurt for all paying customers
    • +replay correlated with apm, logs and infrastructure
    cons
    • three separate meters make cost forecasting genuinely hard
    • per-tier rates not confirmable on datadog's own pricing page
    • consent-integration mechanics undocumented
    • no free tier for replay
  6. 6

    Sentry Session Replay

    #6 in session replay tools · masks all text and all inputs by default, with an eu region available even on the free plan.

    76/100

    verdictcorrect defaults and eu hosting on every plan, let down by pricing we could not verify from the vendor.

    Sentry Session Replay vs FullStory
     FullStorySentry Session Replay
    pricefree to 30k sessions/mo~$300–350/mo at 100k replays
    free tieryesyes
    masking defaultinput, textarea, select, contenteditableall text and all inputs
    opt-in or outopt-outopt-out
    cost at 100k sessionsquoted — not published~$300–350 (approximate)
    eu hostingunverifiedyes — all plans, frankfurt
    free tier30,000 sessions/mo50 replays/mo

    switch forengineering teams already using sentry for errors who want the replay attached to the exception.

    pros
    • +`maskAllText` and `maskAllInputs` both true by default
    • +eu region in frankfurt on every plan, including free
    • +replays automatically linked to the triggering error
    • +5,000 free replays a month for the first three months
    cons
    • per-replay overage rate not confirmable on sentry's own page
    • self-hosted server licence unverified — likely bsl, not open source
    • 30-day retention on free, fixed at ingestion time
    • consent integration undocumented
  7. 7

    Hotjar

    #7 in session replay tools · suppresses typed input by default and auto-detects names, addresses and card numbers — but no longer exists as its own product.

    74/100

    verdictgenuinely good privacy defaults on a product that is being dissolved into its acquirer.

    Hotjar vs FullStory
     FullStoryHotjar
    pricefree to 30k sessions/mofree to 200k sessions/mo
    free tieryesyes
    masking defaultinput, textarea, select, contenteditableinput suppressed; sensitive fields detected
    opt-in or outopt-outopt-out
    cost at 100k sessionsquoted — not published$0 — inside contentsquare free tier
    eu hostingunverifiedyes — ireland, aws eu-west-1
    free tier30,000 sessions/mo200,000 sessions/mo via contentsquare

    switch formarketing and ux teams who want heatmaps plus recordings and don't mind buying contentsquare to get them.

    pros
    • +input suppressed by default, not on request
    • +auto-detects names, addresses, phones, passwords and card numbers
    • +suppresses digit sequences by default without extra configuration
    • +eu storage in ireland, confirmed location
    cons
    • no longer a standalone product — folded into contentsquare
    • pricing page redirects; you evaluate the acquirer's plans
    • retention period unverified
    • consent-gating default unverified
  8. 8

    Highlight.io

    #8 in session replay tools · regex-matches emails, ssns, card numbers, addresses and ips anywhere on the page, not just in form fields.

    72/100

    verdictthe widest automatic pii detection of the open-source options, with no published rate at the volume this page compares.

    Highlight.io vs FullStory
     FullStoryHighlight.io
    pricefree to 30k sessions/mo$50/mo for 500 sessions
    free tieryesyes
    masking defaultinput, textarea, select, contenteditableall inputs plus regex pii in page text
    opt-in or outopt-outopt-out
    cost at 100k sessionsquoted — not publishedestimator only — not published
    eu hostingunverifiedself-hosted only
    free tier30,000 sessions/mo500 sessions/mo

    switch forteams who want pii caught wherever it appears on the page, including rendered text.

    pros
    • +regex pii detection covers emails, ssns, cards, phones, addresses and ips
    • +catches pii in rendered page text, not only in inputs
    • +apache 2.0 across most of the codebase
    • +free forever at 500 sessions with up to 15 seats
    cons
    • no published rate at 100k sessions — estimator or sales only
    • base paid tier covers only 500 sessions
    • no confirmed eu-hosted region; self-host for residency
    • consent integration undocumented
  9. 9

    Glassbox

    #9 in session replay tools · whitelist model — inputs are blocked until you allow them, sold entirely through sales.

    70/100

    verdictthe right default model for regulated industries, described almost entirely by people who aren't glassbox.

    Glassbox vs FullStory
     FullStoryGlassbox
    pricefree to 30k sessions/moquoted
    free tieryesno
    masking defaultinput, textarea, select, contenteditablewhitelist — all inputs blocked
    opt-in or outopt-outopt-out
    cost at 100k sessionsquoted — not publishedquoted — not published
    eu hostingunverifiedunverified
    free tier30,000 sessions/monone

    switch forbanks, insurers and healthcare providers who need iso 27701 certification on the vendor as well as the product.

    pros
    • +whitelist model — inputs blocked until explicitly allowed
    • +iso 27701 certified privacy management
    • +client-side and server-side masking across web and mobile
    • +built for hipaa, glba and pci environments
    cons
    • no public pricing whatsoever and no free trial
    • masking behaviour confirmed only through secondary sources
    • retention, residency and consent all undocumented
    • circulating cost estimates are unverifiable
  10. 10

    Mouseflow

    #11 in session replay tools · the clearest published price in the category — $319 a month lands exactly on 100,000 sessions.

    66/100

    verdicthonest, legible pricing and adequate masking, with the compliance documentation left blank.

    Mouseflow vs FullStory
     FullStoryMouseflow
    pricefree to 30k sessions/mo$319/mo at 100k sessions
    free tieryesyes
    masking defaultinput, textarea, select, contenteditablepassword, card and cvv fields
    opt-in or outopt-outopt-out
    cost at 100k sessionsquoted — not published$319
    eu hostingunverifiedunverified
    free tier30,000 sessions/mo500 sessions/mo

    switch forteams who want to know exactly what they will pay before they install anything.

    pros
    • +published rate card with session volumes — $319 at exactly 100k
    • +password, card number and cvv masked automatically
    • +visual privacy tool needs no developer
    • +14-day full-feature trial with no card
    cons
    • retention is fixed by tier, not configurable
    • no data residency information published
    • no consent-management integration documented
    • 12-month retention requires the $319 plan regardless of traffic
+ 3 more tested, not detailed here
we ranked 14 session replay tools in total. the 3 that didn't make this page are written up in the full ranking →

how these were compared

every tool on this page went through the same test as FullStory — same tasks, same order, scored the same way. the comparison tables are the figures from that testing, not vendor spec sheets.

the session replay tools test in full →
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