FullStory vs rrweb: What are the differences?

Introduction

When considering technologies for recording and analyzing user interactions on a website, FullStory and rrweb are two popular options. While both tools serve similar purposes, there are key differences between the two that make each suitable for different use cases.

1. Data Collection: FullStory captures user interactions in real-time and provides playback capabilities to analyze the entire session flow, including page transitions and interactions. In contrast, rrweb focuses on recording DOM events, such as mouse movements, clicks, and keystrokes, for a granular view of user behavior.

2. Integration with Analytics Tools: FullStory offers seamless integration with various analytics platforms, allowing for a holistic analysis of user behavior alongside other website metrics. On the other hand, rrweb provides raw event data that can be exported and integrated with analytics tools separately, requiring additional processing for comprehensive insights.

3. Privacy and Compliance: FullStory offers features like masking sensitive data and compliance with privacy regulations to ensure user data protection. In comparison, rrweb focuses on capturing detailed user interactions without built-in privacy protection mechanisms, requiring additional measures to maintain compliance with data privacy laws.

4. Playback Capabilities: FullStory provides advanced features for replaying user sessions, such as search functionality and heatmaps, to visualize user behavior patterns effectively. In contrast, rrweb focuses primarily on capturing raw interaction data, leaving the analysis and visualization of user behavior to be handled by external tools or custom implementations.

5. Real-time Monitoring: FullStory enables real-time monitoring of user sessions, allowing for immediate insights into user behavior and issues on a website. Conversely, rrweb's data collection approach may require post-session analysis, limiting its real-time monitoring capabilities compared to FullStory.

6. Customization and Extensibility: FullStory offers a range of customization options and integrations with third-party tools to enhance user experience tracking and analysis. Conversely, rrweb's lightweight and open-source nature allows for easier customization and extension but may require more development effort for advanced functionality compared to FullStory.

In Summary, FullStory and rrweb differ in data collection methods, integration capabilities, privacy features, playback options, real-time monitoring, and customization offerings, making each tool suitable for unique user tracking and analysis requirements.