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
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.
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.
Structured comparison data for FullStory vs Mixpanel with 167 attributes.
Setup Complexity for Non-Technical Users
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.