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Software · head to head

Brightspot vs FullStory

Brightspot logo

Brightspot

Software

The headless CMS for digital publishers and media companies

From
On request
Rated
-
FullStory logo

FullStory

Software

Digital experience intelligence platform

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only FullStory has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Brightspot pricing is not published and requires a demo; FullStory free tier limited to 30,000 sessions per month, no 5,000+ monthly active user sites
  • They diverge on capability: Brightspot covers Headless CMS, FullStory covers Session replay.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Brightspot and FullStory actually diverge.

Attributes where Brightspot and FullStory differ
AttributeBrightspotFullStory
Starting priceOn requestFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Mobile, HeadlessWeb, Mobile
Founded20062014

Identical on both: pricing model (quote), 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 Brightspot

  • Headless CMS
  • API-first architecture
  • Content modeling
  • Publishing workflow
  • Asset management
  • Content versioning
  • User permissions
  • Scheduling

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.

Brightspot

  • Headless or hybrid CMS for large editorial operationsnot FullStory
  • Publishing across web, apps and syndication from one content storenot FullStory
  • Content operations for newsrooms and broadcastersnot FullStory
  • Managing large media libraries alongside articlesnot FullStory

FullStory

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

Where each one falls short

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

Brightspot

  • Pricing is not published and requires a demo
  • Aimed at enterprise media and publishing organisations rather than smaller sites

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

Brightspot

On request
  • Enterprise$undefined/custom
    • Headless CMS
    • Multi-site management
    • Omnichannel publishing

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 Brightspot if

  • You need headless cms.
  • You work on Web, Mobile, Headless.
  • You also want api-first architecture.

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 Brightspot or FullStory better?
Neither clearly leads. Brightspot starts at On request and FullStory at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Brightspot or FullStory?
FullStory has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Brightspot and Free for FullStory.
Does Brightspot or FullStory run on more platforms?
Brightspot runs on Web, Mobile, Headless. FullStory runs on Web, Mobile.
Can I use FullStory for free?
Yes. FullStory has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Brightspot starts at On request.
What is Brightspot best used for?
Brightspot is most often used for headless or hybrid cms for large editorial operations, publishing across web, apps and syndication from one content store, content operations for newsrooms and broadcasters, managing large media libraries alongside articles. Of those, headless or hybrid cms for large editorial operations and publishing across web, apps and syndication from one content store are not what FullStory is typically brought in for.
What can Brightspot do that FullStory cannot?
Brightspot covers Headless CMS, API-first architecture, Content modeling, Publishing workflow. 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.

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

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