FullStory

Collect explicit product events and targeted debug snapshots with strong privacy controls

NOT REALLY · consider alternatives
price variesestimated build time closest consolation build: one sittingreplaced by 0 people

A consolation build is possible, but the paid product's decisive value sits outside a solo rebuild. For FullStory, collect explicit product events and targeted debug snapshots with strong privacy controls. The hard boundary is high-fidelity replay, privacy redaction, indexing, search, storage, and compliance, plus data pipeline reliability and analytical depth.

Build verification: not recorded. How we judge buildability

What you give up

  • high-fidelity replay, privacy redaction, indexing, search, storage, and compliance
  • identity stitching
  • session replay
  • warehouse connectors
  • high-volume global ingestion and support

Why people still pay

People still pay for FullStory because teams pay because analytics must keep collecting and remain trustworthy while the product changes underneath it. The recurring cost buys event schemas, bot filtering, identity, late data, retention, query cost, privacy, backups, and always-on ingestion, not just the visible interface.

Your build guide

The stack, security requirements, and agent rules for a focused replacement.

Before you start

  • Docker
  • ClickHouse
  • PostgreSQL
  • public HTTPS collector endpoint
  • site script access
01
Use Next.js 15, TypeScript, ClickHouse, PostgreSQL, and Docker Compose.
02
Model data sources, dated observations, derived metrics, and report snapshots; keep stable source IDs and timestamps.
03
Interface for this web and product analytics workflow: a local web page with input, progress, review, and export views.
engineering roadmap

Implementation plan

1

Phase 1, architecture and data

Use Next.js 15, TypeScript, ClickHouse, PostgreSQL, and Docker Compose. Model data sources, dated observations, derived metrics, and report snapshots; keep stable source IDs and timestamps.

2

Phase 2, implement

Create projects, API keys, environments, event names, and a documented event schema.

3

Phase 3, implement

Add retention controls, raw-event export, deletion, health checks, and backup instructions.

4

Phase 4, review and output

Collect explicit first-party product events and targeted debug snapshots with strong privacy controls, answer a small set of product questions, and retain raw data under the owner's control. Add retention controls, raw-event export, deletion, health checks, and backup instructions.

5

Phase 5, recovery and acceptance

Ingest idempotently, filter obvious bots, truncate IP data, and avoid fingerprinting. Verify this invariant with a saved fixture: A replayed batch cannot double-count events; missing or late data must be labelled in the report. State the practical limit: high-fidelity replay, privacy redaction, indexing, search, storage, and compliance.

the pro prompt
Build me a focused web and product analytics workflow for the personal core of FullStory. Requirements:

- Use Next.js 15, TypeScript, ClickHouse, PostgreSQL, and Docker Compose. Model data sources, dated observations, derived metrics, and report snapshots; keep stable source IDs and timestamps.
- Paid product context: Collect explicit product events and targeted debug snapshots with strong privacy controls. Build only this DIY scope: Collect explicit first-party product events and targeted debug snapshots with strong privacy controls, answer a small set of product questions, and retain raw data under the owner's control.
- For web and product analytics, define the event schema and a permitted first-party source.
- Ingest events with stable IDs, aggregate the requested metric, and retain raw rows for audit.
- Show a dated report with filters and CSV export.
- Use a local web page with input, progress, review, and export views. Required input or access: Docker; ClickHouse.
- Recovery: Ingest idempotently, filter obvious bots, truncate IP data, and avoid fingerprinting.
- Acceptance: with one labelled sample, show the input, saved intermediate state, and exported result; verify this invariant: A replayed batch cannot double-count events; missing or late data must be labelled in the report.
- Out of scope: high-fidelity replay, privacy redaction, indexing, search, storage, and compliance; identity stitching. Keep this a personal, inspectable workflow.
- Include a README with setup, a sample input, required keys or permissions, data location, and the supported scope.

$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter), copy the prompt or copy AGENTS.md · generated from this app's build plan

share on X ↗

Alternatives to building your own

PostHogEvents, replay and privacy controls on a generous free allowance, without FullStory's enterprise gravity.38kaug 2026open source↗OpenReplaySession replay with console, network and error context; the server bill and YAML are yours.12kaug 2026open source↗

no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real

FullStory pricing

planmonthlyannual (per mo)what you get
fullstoryfree$0/workspace$0/workspace30,000 sessions/month, 10 users, 12 months analytics retention, 12 months session-replay retention, and 5,000 server-side events/monthPermanent free plan; no credit card. A business email is required.
business——Contracted session volume; 500,000 server-side events/month includedQuote only; public plan page does not publish a session allowance or price.
advanced——Contracted session volume; 500,000 server-side events/month includedQuote only; additional server-side-event capacity can be purchased.
enterprise——Contracted session volume; 500,000 server-side events/month includedQuote only; higher server-side-event limits/overages are contract based.

free tier30,000 sessions/month, 10 users, 12 months data retention, and 5,000 server-side events/month

billingfree plan + custom paid contracts; monthly/annual terms are not published

hidden costsMobile, Multi-Org Management, Advantage Subscription, StoryAI, Guides and Surveys, Warehouse, Activation, and professional services are separately priced; capture pauses when a session limit is reached unless capacity is increased.

pricing sources checked 2026-08-12 · pricing source ↗

Questions about FullStory

Can you build your own FullStory with AI?

A full replacement is not the recommended project. A consolation build is possible, but the paid product's decisive value sits outside a solo rebuild. For FullStory, collect explicit product events and targeted debug snapshots with strong privacy controls. The hard boundary is high-fidelity replay, privacy redaction, indexing, search, storage, and compliance, plus data pipeline reliability and analytical depth.

What does the FullStory build prompt cover?

The prompt starts with this scope: Collect explicit first-party product events and targeted debug snapshots with strong privacy controls, answer a small set of product questions, and retain raw data under the owner's control. Full-product capabilities excluded from the comparison include: high-fidelity replay, privacy redaction, indexing, search, storage, and compliance; identity stitching; session replay. Follow the implementation plan and its prerequisites before expanding the build.

How do I use the prompt, AGENTS.md and agent skills?

Start with the FullStory prerequisites and stack, then copy the prompt into your coding agent. Save the project rules as AGENTS.md in the project root. Linked skills are optional packages or source instructions for specific tasks; review their current contents and install only those matching the chosen stack. A skill does not supply API credentials or verify the finished app.

How long will this FullStory project take?

The catalogue estimate is closest consolation build: one sitting for the limited scope. Setup, integration approvals, debugging, deployment and ongoing maintenance can add time. This is an estimate, not a delivery guarantee.

What would I give up by replacing FullStory?

high-fidelity replay, privacy redaction, indexing, search, storage, and compliance; identity stitching; session replay; warehouse connectors; high-volume global ingestion and support. People still pay for FullStory because teams pay because analytics must keep collecting and remain trustworthy while the product changes underneath it. The recurring cost buys event schemas, bot filtering, identity, late data, retention, query cost, privacy, backups, and always-on ingestion, not just the visible interface.

What can I use instead of building FullStory?

PostHog: Events, replay and privacy controls on a generous free allowance, without FullStory's enterprise gravity. OpenReplay: Session replay with console, network and error context; the server bill and YAML are yours. Check each option's license, hosting needs and feature limits.

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