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Software · head to head

FullStory vs Principle

FullStory logo

FullStory

Software

Digital experience intelligence platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
P

Principle

Software

Animate your ideas, design better apps

From
$129/one-time
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only FullStory has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: FullStory free tier limited to 30,000 sessions per month, no 5,000+ monthly active user sites; Principle macOS only with no Windows or Linux editor available
  • They diverge on capability: FullStory covers Session replay, Principle covers Timeline-based animation.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which FullStory and Principle actually diverge.

Attributes where FullStory and Principle differ
AttributeFullStoryPrinciple
Starting priceFree$129/one-time
Pricing modelquoteUnknown
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, MobilemacOS
Founded20142015

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 FullStory

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

Only in Principle

  • Timeline-based animation
  • Interactive prototypes
  • Touch gestures
  • Component reuse
  • Video export
  • Sketch import
  • Figma import
  • Driver animations

What people use each for

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

FullStory

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

Principle

  • Mobile app prototypesnot FullStory
  • Micro-interactionsnot FullStory
  • Animation designnot FullStory
  • User flow designnot FullStory
  • Gesture-based interfacesnot 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

Principle

  • macOS only with no Windows or Linux editor available
  • No vector morphing capability for complex shape transformations
  • Limited asset creation tools; cannot create vectors or shapes directly within Principle
  • Sketch import flattens certain properties including paths, fills, borders, masks, blur effects, and text layers
  • Limited variable support, logical loops, and data input capabilities compared to tools like ProtoPie or Origami

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

Principle

$129/one-time
  • License$129/one-time
    • One year of upgrades
    • Full access to all features
  • Upgrade License$99/year
    • Annual renewal for ongoing upgrades

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 Principle if

  • You need timeline-based animation.
  • You work on macOS.
  • You also want interactive prototypes.
Principle review

Questions people ask

Is FullStory or Principle better?
Neither clearly leads. FullStory starts at Free and Principle at $129/one-time, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, FullStory or Principle?
FullStory has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for FullStory and $129/one-time for Principle.
Does FullStory or Principle run on more platforms?
FullStory runs on Web, Mobile. Principle runs on macOS.
Can I use FullStory for free?
Yes. FullStory has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Principle starts at $129/one-time.
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 Principle is typically brought in for.
What can FullStory do that Principle cannot?
FullStory covers Session replay, Heatmaps, Conversion funnels, User journey mapping. Principle covers Timeline-based animation, Interactive prototypes, Touch gestures, Component reuse.

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
Principle: Does Principle run on Windows or Linux?

No. Principle is macOS only and runs on Intel and Apple Silicon Macs. There is no Windows or Linux editor available; however, prototypes can be shared and viewed on any platform via web link.

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
Principle: What is the cost of Principle?

Principle costs $129 for a one-time purchase with 1 year of upgrades included. After 1 year, upgrade licenses cost $99/year. A 14-day free trial is available with all features included.

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
Principle: Can I import designs from Figma or Sketch into Principle?

Yes. Principle supports importing designs from Figma and Sketch with intelligent merging of re-imported files. Some Sketch properties such as paths, fills, borders, blur effects, masks, and text layers are flattened upon import.

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
Principle: How do I share Principle prototypes with others?

Prototypes can be shared via web link with one click (File > Export > Share to Web). Recipients can view and interact with prototypes in any browser on any platform: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, or iOS. No installation required.

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
Principle: Can I create vector shapes and morphing animations in Principle?

Principle does not support vector morphing, where vector objects transform into other vector shapes. It also has limited asset creation capabilities and editing is restricted to basic operations like scale and rotate.

Source
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