happenstance vs FullStory

Skip the setup.
Start tracking now.

FullStory captures everything visually. Happenstance captures everything as structured data — lighter, faster, and more actionable.

Happenstance

Zero-config

  1. 1 Add one script tag to your site
  2. 2 Done. Every interaction tracked as structured events.
~30 seconds

FullStory

Traditional setup

  1. 1 Contact FullStory sales for pricing
  2. 2 Create account and organization
  3. 3 Install FullStory SDK snippet
  4. 4 Configure privacy settings and element masking
  5. 5 Set up custom events for specific tracking
  6. 6 Build segments and funnels
  7. 7 Wait for session recordings to populate
Hours to days

FullStory is a digital experience intelligence platform that records every user session. It captures clicks, scrolls, and page transitions visually. But that comprehensive recording comes with trade-offs — a heavy script (~70KB), privacy concerns with visual recording, and enterprise pricing that requires a sales call. Happenstance captures the same interactions as structured data events in a ~8KB script.

Feature Comparison

FeatureHappenstanceFullStory
Automatic event capture
Zero-config setup
Session recordings
Click tracking
Form tracking
Error tracking
Funnel analysis
Lightweight script~8KB~70KB
Privacy-friendly
No cookies
Transparent pricing$10/moContact sales

Why teams switch

Teams explore alternatives to FullStory because of script weight impact on performance, privacy concerns around recording user sessions, and opaque enterprise pricing. Happenstance gives you the event data without the visual recording overhead — lighter, faster, and more privacy-friendly.

How to migrate from FullStory

  1. 1 Add the Happenstance script tag — structured event capture starts immediately.
  2. 2 Compare the automatically discovered events with FullStory's captured interactions.
  3. 3 Decide if you still need session recordings or if structured data is sufficient.
  4. 4 Remove the FullStory SDK to improve page load performance.
  5. 5 Save on both cost and page weight.

Who should use what

Choose Happenstance if...

You want automatic event tracking in a lightweight, privacy-friendly package. Perfect for teams who need data, not video recordings.

Choose FullStory if...

You need visual session replay for UX research, or your team relies on watching real user sessions to diagnose issues.

Integration Code

Happenstance (complete setup)

<script src="https://happenstance.click/v1/track.js"></script>

FullStory (just initialization)

// FullStory SDK
FS.init({ orgId: 'YOUR_ORG' });

// Custom events:
FS.event('Button Clicked', {
  button_name: 'Add to Cart',
  page: '/products'
});
// + ~70KB script weight

FullStory is ideal for UX teams who need session replay and visual analysis. Happenstance is for product teams who need structured event data — faster, lighter, and with transparent pricing.

Start tracking in 30 seconds

No signup. No configuration. Just add one script tag and see your analytics instantly.

Get your script tag

Also considering alternatives?