FullStory is a session replay and digital experience analytics platform focused on understanding user behavior through video-like recordings, while Mixpanel is an event-based product analytics tool designed for tracking user interactions and funnel analysis. FullStory excels at qualitative insights; Mixpanel dominates quantitative event tracking.
FullStory vs Mixpanel — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Session replay and digital experience analytics platform with automatic user behavior capture
Advanced behavioral analytics platform focused on retention, engagement, and product-led growth metrics.
Primary Use Case. Data Collection Method. Starting Price (Annual). Session Replay Capability. Custom Events Tracked. Funnel Analysis Depth. Best For Team Size
Choose FullStory if you need to understand the 'why' behind user drops with session replay, visual heatmaps, and automatic issue detection without complex instrumentation. Choose Mixpanel if you're focused on quantitative funnel optimization, user segmentation, retention metrics, and building custom event-driven analytics at scale.
FullStory: Native, included in all plans | Mixpanel: Via third-party integrations
FullStory: Partial - Requires SDKs and setup | Mixpanel: N/A
FullStory: Yes - Dedicated engine for UX issues | Mixpanel: N/A
FullStory: Available via analytics module | Mixpanel: N/A
FullStory: Moderate (SDK integration required) | Mixpanel: 10-20 days
FullStory: $249 | Mixpanel: $999 (cloud)
FullStory: Not available | Mixpanel: N/A
FullStory: AI-enhanced with advanced debugging | Mixpanel: N/A
FullStory: No, requires third-party tools | Mixpanel: N/A
FullStory: 13 months enterprise | Mixpanel: N/A
FullStory: 150+ integrations | Mixpanel: N/A
FullStory: Dedicated account teams | Mixpanel: N/A
FullStory: SOC2, HIPAA, GDPR, CCPA, FedRAMP | Mixpanel: N/A
FullStory: No (requires integration) | Mixpanel: N/A
FullStory: Advanced AI-powered | Mixpanel: N/A
FullStory: Pixel-perfect 1:1 visual fidelity | Mixpanel: N/A
FullStory: Advanced anomaly detection and ML insights | Mixpanel: N/A
FullStory: 10-15 minutes | Mixpanel: N/A
FullStory: Included on all plans | Mixpanel: N/A
FullStory: SOC 2 Type II + HIPAA | Mixpanel: N/A
FullStory: Not applicable | Mixpanel: N/A
FullStory: Unlimited | Mixpanel: Not included
FullStory: 10 million | Mixpanel: 100 million
FullStory: 12 months | Mixpanel: 60 months (5 years)
FullStory: iOS + Android with replay | Mixpanel: iOS + Android (events only)
FullStory: Native included | Mixpanel: Not included
FullStory: 1-2 days | Mixpanel: 5-10 days
FullStory: 100M+ per month typical | Mixpanel: Unlimited on paid plans
FullStory: Automatic, no setup needed | Mixpanel: Manual setup required
FullStory: Basic funnel support | Mixpanel: Advanced multi-step funnels
FullStory: 3/10 (mostly automatic) | Mixpanel: 8/10 (event instrumentation)
FullStory: Standard segmentation | Mixpanel: Advanced behavioral cohorts
FullStory: 1,000 sessions | Mixpanel: N/A
FullStory: 1 type (session replay focused) | Mixpanel: N/A
FullStory: 365 days (with DOM capture) | Mixpanel: N/A
FullStory: 15-30 minutes | Mixpanel: N/A
FullStory: No, requires third-party | Mixpanel: N/A
FullStory: 2 (click, scroll) | Mixpanel: N/A
FullStory: Yes, with stack traces | Mixpanel: N/A
FullStory: 5 (HIPAA, SOC 2, GDPR, CCPA, ISO 27001) | Mixpanel: N/A
FullStory: $833/month (annual) | Mixpanel: $83/month (annual)
FullStory: Yes (native) | Mixpanel: Third-party integration only
FullStory: Automatic + manual | Mixpanel: Manual only
FullStory: Basic (conversion funnels) | Mixpanel: Advanced (retention, cohorts, attribution)
FullStory: Unlimited | Mixpanel: 1000 per minute
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: 500 per project
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: No (enterprise only)
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: No (requires add-on)
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: Limited (basic only)
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: Advanced with behavioral triggers and real-time updates
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: Manual code instrumentation
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: Yes (lookalike audiences)
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: No (requires separate integration)
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: iOS, Android, React Native, Flutter, Unity, Segment
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: Native with automatic retention curves, churn prediction, funnel cohorts
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: Limited; no built-in keyword tracking or organic search integration
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: $1,500 (average enterprise tier)
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: Free tier available (limited)
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: 25,000+ companies
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: Native SDK included
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: Manual event tracking (code-required)
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: Unlimited with branching
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: 140+ integrations
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: Predictive LTV + churn modeling
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: 0 (requires integration)
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: Unlimited custom properties
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: Requires developer involvement (120+ min)
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: 500+ integrations
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: No (add-on only)
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: Moderate setup required
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: Advanced (AI-assisted)
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: Not open-source
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: Yes (Mixpanel Experiments)
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: Churn prediction only
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: 3 team members
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: General product analytics + engagement
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: 500K tracked users/month
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: < 1 minute (real-time)
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: $999/month (Growth plan)
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: Single-event property-based cohorts
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: iOS, Android, React Native, Flutter, Unity
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: 100M (Standard plan)
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: No (cloud-only, Mixpanel owns infrastructure)
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: Yes (requires configuration)
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: Advanced (churn prediction, LTV forecasting)
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: 200+ advanced behavioral segments
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: Limited (requires integration)
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: No native support
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: 300+ segmentation properties
Setup Complexity for Non-Technical Users
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: 8 (Technical)
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: Advanced with churn prediction
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: Available with custom models
FullStory: N/A | Mixpanel: iOS, Android, React Native, Flutter, Web
How to choose between FullStory and Mixpanel
FullStory vs Mixpanel — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for FullStory vs Mixpanel. Contains 167 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
FullStory vs Mixpanel — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for FullStory vs Mixpanel.
Do I need developers to set up FullStory vs Mixpanel?
FullStory requires minimal developer involvement—the SDK is added once and captures all user behavior automatically. Mixpanel requires developers to instrument each custom event individually, making setup more complex but more flexible for custom product metrics.
Can FullStory replace Mixpanel for product analytics?
FullStory can supplement Mixpanel but not fully replace it. FullStory excels at qualitative analysis (why users drop off), while Mixpanel specializes in quantitative metrics (conversion rates, retention curves, user segmentation). Many teams use both together.
Which is better for tracking mobile apps?
Both support mobile (iOS/Android SDKs), but Mixpanel is more mature for mobile product analytics with better cohort and retention tracking. FullStory's mobile session replay is available but more limited than web. Mixpanel is typically preferred for mobile-first product teams.
FullStory charges per tracked user (starts ~$10K/year), so costs grow with user volume and session count. Mixpanel charges per event or by users tracked, with better economies of scale for high-volume events. Mixpanel is generally cheaper for large user bases; FullStory cheaper for smaller, high-engagement audiences.
FullStory has 50+ native integrations (Salesforce, Jira, Slack) focused on support and QA workflows. Mixpanel has 100+ integrations across marketing, CRM, and data warehouses (Segment, Zapier, SQL connectors). Mixpanel wins for data pipeline integration; FullStory wins for customer support workflows.
How to Choose Between FullStory and Mixpanel
Primary Use Case: FullStory has Session replay & user experience monitoring, while Mixpanel has Event-based product analytics & funnels.
Data Collection Method: FullStory has Automatic capture of user sessions with DOM recording, while Mixpanel has Custom event tracking with SDKs.
Starting Price (Annual): FullStory has $10,000/year (Pro plan), while Mixpanel has $999/year (Starter plan).
Session Replay Capability: FullStory has Native with heatmaps & rage clicks, while Mixpanel has Third-party integration required.
Custom Events Tracked: FullStory has Automatic (no setup required), while Mixpanel has Manual (requires implementation).
Funnel Analysis Depth: FullStory has Basic funnel visualization, while Mixpanel has Advanced with user cohorts & retention.
Best For Team Size: FullStory has Small to mid-size teams (5-50 people), while Mixpanel has Growth-stage and enterprise teams.