Software · head to head
AWS API Gateway vs FullStory

AWS API Gateway
Software
Fully managed API gateway service for creating and managing APIs at scale
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: AWS API Gateway rEST APIs cost $3.50 per million calls against $1.00 for HTTP APIs, so the older and more featureful type is three and a half times dearer; FullStory free tier limited to 30,000 sessions per month, no 5,000+ monthly active user sites
- They diverge on capability: AWS API Gateway covers REST APIs, FullStory covers Session replay.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which AWS API Gateway and FullStory actually diverge.
| Attribute | AWS API Gateway | FullStory |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | usage-based | quote |
| Platforms | AWS Cloud | Web, Mobile |
| Founded | 2006 | 2014 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 AWS API Gateway
- REST APIs
- WebSocket APIs
- HTTP APIs
- Lambda
- EC2
- DynamoDB
- CloudWatch
- IAM
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.
AWS API Gateway
- Fronting Lambda functions with an HTTP endpointnot FullStory
- REST and HTTP API management with throttling and keysnot FullStory
- WebSocket APIs for real-time clientsnot FullStory
- Private APIs reachable only inside a VPCnot FullStory
- Publishing a developer portal for API consumersnot FullStory
FullStory
- User experience analysisnot AWS API Gateway
- Bug reproductionnot AWS API Gateway
- Conversion optimizationnot AWS API Gateway
- Customer supportnot AWS API Gateway
- Product developmentnot AWS API Gateway
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
AWS API Gateway
- REST APIs cost $3.50 per million calls against $1.00 for HTTP APIs, so the older and more featureful type is three and a half times dearer
- Data transfer out is charged at $0.09 per GB on top of request pricing
- WebSocket APIs bill connection minutes as well as messages, at $0.25 per million minutes
- Private APIs avoid data transfer charges but incur AWS PrivateLink costs instead
- The developer portal is $125 a month, with additional portal products at $12.50 each
- The free tier lasts 12 months rather than being ongoing
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
AWS API Gateway
Free- Free TierFree
- 1M requests per month
- Basic API management
- Pay-as-you-go$3.5/per 1M requests
- Unlimited requests
- HTTP APIs
- REST APIs
FullStory
Free- FreeFree
- 1,000 sessions/month
- 14-day data retention
- Basic analytics
- Business$undefined/month
- Custom sessions
- 3-month retention
- Advanced analytics
- Enterprise$undefined/month
- Unlimited sessions
- Custom retention
- Advanced privacy controls
Which should you pick?
Choose AWS API Gateway if
- You need rest apis.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on AWS Cloud.
- You also want websocket apis.
Choose FullStory if
- You need session replay.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Mobile.
- You also want heatmaps.
Questions people ask
- Is AWS API Gateway or FullStory better?
- Neither clearly leads. AWS API Gateway 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, AWS API Gateway or FullStory?
- AWS API Gateway starts at Free and FullStory at Free.
- Does AWS API Gateway or FullStory run on more platforms?
- AWS API Gateway runs on AWS Cloud. FullStory runs on Web, Mobile.
- Can I use AWS API Gateway for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is AWS API Gateway best used for?
- AWS API Gateway is most often used for fronting lambda functions with an http endpoint, rest and http api management with throttling and keys, websocket apis for real-time clients, private apis reachable only inside a vpc. Of those, fronting lambda functions with an http endpoint and rest and http api management with throttling and keys are not what FullStory is typically brought in for.
- What can AWS API Gateway do that FullStory cannot?
- AWS API Gateway covers REST APIs, WebSocket APIs, HTTP APIs, Lambda. FullStory covers Session replay, Heatmaps, Conversion funnels, User journey mapping.
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.
SourceFullStory: 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.
SourceFullStory: 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.
SourceFullStory: 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.
SourceFullStory: 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.
SourceRelated pages
More on AWS API Gateway
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