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Databases · head to head

Apache Pinot vs FullStory

Apache Pinot logo

Apache Pinot

Databases

Real-time distributed OLAP datastore for analytics

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
FullStory logo

FullStory

E-Commerce

Digital experience intelligence platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Apache Pinot self-hosted and distributed, so running it means operating a cluster rather than consuming a service; FullStory free tier limited to 30,000 sessions per month, no 5,000+ monthly active user sites
  • They diverge on capability: Apache Pinot covers Real-time Analytics, FullStory covers Session replay.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Apache Pinot and FullStory actually diverge.

Attributes where Apache Pinot and FullStory differ
AttributeApache PinotFullStory
Pricing modelopen-sourcequote
PlatformsLinux, Docker, KubernetesWeb, Mobile
CategoryDatabasesE-Commerce
Founded19992014

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Apache Pinot

  • Real-time Analytics
  • Column-oriented
  • Distributed Processing
  • SQL Support
  • Pluggable Indexing
  • Star-tree Index
  • Upsert Support
  • Kafka

Only in FullStory

  • Session replay
  • Heatmaps
  • Conversion funnels
  • User journey mapping
  • Error tracking
  • Frustration signals
  • Search functionality
  • Custom events

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Apache Pinot

  • Sub-second analytics queries on freshly ingested datanot FullStory
  • User-facing dashboards inside a productnot FullStory
  • Real-time metrics at high ingest ratesnot FullStory
  • Petabyte-scale analytics as run at LinkedIn and Ubernot FullStory

FullStory

  • User experience analysisnot Apache Pinot
  • Bug reproductionnot Apache Pinot
  • Conversion optimizationnot Apache Pinot
  • Customer supportnot Apache Pinot
  • Product developmentnot Apache Pinot

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Apache Pinot

  • Self-hosted and distributed, so running it means operating a cluster rather than consuming a service
  • Managed hosting comes from third parties such as StarTree rather than from the project
  • Built for user-facing real-time OLAP, so it is not a general purpose database

FullStory

  • Free tier limited to 30,000 sessions per month, no 5,000+ monthly active user sites
  • Personal email addresses cannot be used for signup; business email domain required
  • Paid plan pricing not publicly listed, requires sales contact for quotes
  • Free plan has no email support, only community-based assistance
  • Mobile app analytics requires a separate add-on purchase

Pricing, plan by plan

Apache Pinot

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Real-time analytics
    • SQL queries
    • Horizontal scaling

FullStory

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1,000 sessions/month
    • 14-day data retention
    • Basic analytics
  • Business$undefined/month
    • Custom sessions
    • 3-month retention
    • Advanced analytics
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Unlimited sessions
    • Custom retention
    • Advanced privacy controls

Which should you pick?

Choose Apache Pinot if

  • You need real-time analytics.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes.
  • You also want column-oriented.
Apache Pinot review

Choose FullStory if

  • You need session replay.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want heatmaps.
FullStory review

Questions people ask

Is Apache Pinot or FullStory better?
Neither clearly leads. Apache Pinot starts at Free and FullStory at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Apache Pinot or FullStory?
Apache Pinot starts at Free and FullStory at Free.
Does Apache Pinot or FullStory run on more platforms?
Apache Pinot runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes. FullStory runs on Web, Mobile.
Can I use Apache Pinot for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Apache Pinot best used for?
Apache Pinot is most often used for sub-second analytics queries on freshly ingested data, user-facing dashboards inside a product, real-time metrics at high ingest rates, petabyte-scale analytics as run at linkedin and uber. Of those, sub-second analytics queries on freshly ingested data and user-facing dashboards inside a product are not what FullStory is typically brought in for.
What can Apache Pinot do that FullStory cannot?
Apache Pinot covers Real-time Analytics, Column-oriented, Distributed Processing, SQL Support. FullStory covers Session replay, Heatmaps, Conversion funnels, User journey mapping.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Apache Pinot: How much does Apache Pinot cost?

Apache Pinot is free and open-source. It is provided under the Apache License, which allows free use, modification, and distribution.

Source
FullStory: What does FullStory's free tier include?

30,000 sessions per month, 10 user seats, 5,000 server-side events per month, 1 year of session replay retention, and 1 year of product analytics retention. Session capture pauses when you exceed the monthly limit, though existing sessions remain accessible.

Source
Apache Pinot: Is Apache Pinot free for commercial use?

Yes. Apache Pinot is licensed under the Apache License, which explicitly permits commercial use at no cost.

Source
FullStory: What features are excluded from the free plan?

Dashboards, configurable form privacy, Go-Live functionality, Streams, client-side rate hooks, mobile app analytics, and StoryAI are not available on the free tier. Email support is also unavailable; only community-based help is provided.

Source
Apache Pinot: Can I run Apache Pinot locally or with Docker?

Yes. Apache Pinot offers a Docker quickstart and free downloads of the latest version (1.5.1 at the time of the page). You are responsible for hosting and infrastructure.

Source
FullStory: Can I use a personal email to sign up for FullStory's free plan?

No. FullStory requires a business email domain for signup; personal email services like Gmail cannot be used for free plan registration.

Source
Apache Pinot: Are there restrictions on how I can use Apache Pinot?

The Apache License permits unrestricted use, but requires retention of license notices and statements. No usage limits or feature restrictions are enforced.

Source
FullStory: How does FullStory integrate with Slack?

FullStory's Slack integration allows individual users to send noteworthy sessions to Slack channels. Advanced and Enterprise plans can configure Alerts to receive notifications in Slack when user metrics exceed defined thresholds.

Source
FullStory: What analytics platforms does FullStory integrate with?

FullStory integrates with Segment, Mixpanel, Adobe Analytics, Google Analytics, Salesforce, HubSpot, and others. These integrations allow you to attach FullStory session URLs to events in your analytics platform for cross-platform correlation.

Source
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