Softwr

Software · head to head

Avalara vs FullStory

Avalara logo

Avalara

Software

Tax compliance done right

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
FullStory logo

FullStory

Software

Digital experience intelligence platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only FullStory has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Avalara plans start at $699 per state per year, so multi-state sellers multiply that figure rather than paying one subscription; FullStory free tier limited to 30,000 sessions per month, no 5,000+ monthly active user sites
  • They diverge on capability: Avalara covers Tax calculation, FullStory covers Session replay.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Avalara and FullStory actually diverge.

Attributes where Avalara and FullStory differ
AttributeAvalaraFullStory
Starting price$29/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, ApiWeb, Mobile
Founded20042014

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Avalara

  • Tax calculation
  • Returns filing
  • Exemption management
  • Document management
  • Real-time rates
  • QuickBooks
  • NetSuite
  • Shopify

Only in FullStory

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

Both cover

  • GDPR

What people use each for

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

Avalara

  • Real-time sales tax calculation at checkoutnot FullStory
  • Multi-state and multi-jurisdiction tax determinationnot FullStory
  • VAT, lodging, communications and excise tax calculationnot FullStory
  • Feeding tax results into an ERP or ecommerce platform through the APInot FullStory

FullStory

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

Where each one falls short

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

Avalara

  • Plans start at $699 per state per year, so multi-state sellers multiply that figure rather than paying one subscription
  • Billed by transaction, where one API call is one transaction, so cost tracks invoice volume
  • The free option is limited to the Streamlined Sales Tax programme, in up to 25 states and only for qualifying businesses

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

Avalara

$29/month
  • AvaTax$50/month
    • Tax calculation
    • Exemption certificates
    • Returns filing

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 Avalara if

  • You need tax calculation.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want returns filing.
Avalara 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 Avalara or FullStory better?
Neither clearly leads. Avalara starts at $29/month and FullStory at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Avalara or FullStory?
FullStory has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for Avalara and Free for FullStory.
Does Avalara or FullStory run on more platforms?
Avalara runs on Web, Api. FullStory runs on Web, Mobile.
Can I use FullStory for free?
Yes. FullStory has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Avalara starts at $29/month.
What is Avalara best used for?
Avalara is most often used for real-time sales tax calculation at checkout, multi-state and multi-jurisdiction tax determination, vat, lodging, communications and excise tax calculation, feeding tax results into an erp or ecommerce platform through the api. Of those, real-time sales tax calculation at checkout and multi-state and multi-jurisdiction tax determination are not what FullStory is typically brought in for.
What can Avalara do that FullStory cannot?
Avalara covers Tax calculation, Returns filing, Exemption management, Document management. FullStory covers Session replay, Heatmaps, Conversion funnels, User journey mapping. Both handle GDPR.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
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
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
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
Share

Related pages

More on Avalara

More on FullStory

Keep looking

Other head to heads