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Software · head to head

FullStory vs PocketBase

FullStory logo

FullStory

Software

Digital experience intelligence platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
PocketBase logo

PocketBase

Software

Open-source backend with REST API, real-time subscriptions and Admin UI

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: FullStory free tier limited to 30,000 sessions per month, no 5,000+ monthly active user sites; PocketBase not recommended for production critical applications until reaching v1.0.0
  • They diverge on capability: FullStory covers Session replay, PocketBase covers REST API.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which FullStory and PocketBase actually diverge.

Attributes where FullStory and PocketBase differ
AttributeFullStoryPocketBase
Pricing modelquoteUnknown
PlatformsWeb, MobileLinux, Windows, macOS, FreeBSD
Founded20142021

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 FullStory

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

Only in PocketBase

  • REST API
  • Real-time subscriptions
  • Admin UI
  • SQLite
  • Webhooks
  • File storage
  • Go support
  • Docker support

What people use each for

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

FullStory

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

PocketBase

  • Embedded realtime database with REST APInot FullStory
  • Backend-as-a-service for single-file deploymentsnot FullStory
  • Rapid application development with email/OAuth2 authenticationnot FullStory
  • File storage and media attachment managementnot FullStory
  • Lightweight alternative to Firebase or traditional backend infrastructurenot FullStory
  • Go and JavaScript customisable application frameworknot FullStory

Where each one falls short

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

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

PocketBase

  • Not recommended for production critical applications until reaching v1.0.0
  • Full backward compatibility not guaranteed before v1.0.0 (breaking changes possible with version updates)
  • Pull requests for new features are disabled due to spam concerns (feature contributions limited)

Pricing, plan by plan

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

PocketBase

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the PocketBase review.

Which should you pick?

Choose FullStory if

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

Choose PocketBase if

  • You need rest api.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, macOS, FreeBSD.
  • You also want real-time subscriptions.
PocketBase review

Questions people ask

Is FullStory or PocketBase better?
Neither clearly leads. FullStory starts at Free and PocketBase at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, FullStory or PocketBase?
FullStory starts at Free and PocketBase at Free.
Does FullStory or PocketBase run on more platforms?
FullStory runs on Web, Mobile. PocketBase runs on Linux, Windows, macOS, FreeBSD.
Can I use FullStory for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is FullStory best used for?
FullStory is most often used for user experience analysis, bug reproduction, conversion optimization, customer support. Of those, user experience analysis and bug reproduction are not what PocketBase is typically brought in for.
What can FullStory do that PocketBase cannot?
FullStory covers Session replay, Heatmaps, Conversion funnels, User journey mapping. PocketBase covers REST API, Real-time subscriptions, Admin UI, SQLite.

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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