AnyReplay vs FullStory
AnyReplay vs FullStory
AnyReplay and FullStory compared: enterprise search across sessions versus translated replay, React Native element-tree recording and in-browser masking.
Updated · 5 min read
FullStory sits at the enterprise end of digital experience analytics, generally known for capturing everything by default and letting analysts search, segment and quantify across every session. AnyReplay is a smaller, sharper tool: session replay for web and React Native, with on-demand translation so a reviewer can watch any user in their own language, and masking that never records a password or a payment field.
The useful question is not which one records more, but who will be watching and why: an analytics team quantifying friction across millions of sessions, or a support engineer trying to understand one session in a language they do not read.
What FullStory is known for
FullStory is generally known for enterprise digital experience analytics: autocapture of user interactions, indexed search across sessions, segments and funnels built on that data, and integrations with the wider analytics and support stack. It is a hosted service with a mature partner ecosystem. For plans, data limits and the current feature list, check their site for current pricing and limits.
Where AnyReplay is different
Translation is applied to the recording
AnyReplay extracts every string from the recorded rrweb event stream with its role, translates it, and writes the result back before replay. Seeking, restarts and later DOM mutations stay translated because the events themselves changed. Results are cached per organisation in a translation memory, so after a handful of sessions almost every interface string is already known and costs nothing. Organisation glossary terms, up to 200 of them, override the model, and a human correction is never sent back to a model.
React Native recorded as elements
The React Native SDK reads the tree React has committed and learns, for each host element, what it is, what it says and where it sits. The result is a wireframe with real text, so it is translatable and small: a first frame is a few kilobytes and an idle screen sends nothing. No native module or rebuild; it runs in Expo Go on SDK 52+. Limits: videos are boxes, FlatList records only rendered rows and custom native components appear as unknown boxes.
In-browser masking and a readable privacy model
AnyReplay masks typing by default; maskAllInputs: false records field values, maskAllTyping: true masks rich-text editors too, and masked values replay as asterisks, the original text never leaving the page. Passwords and payment fields are masked whatever you set; email and tel inputs follow maskAllInputs. ar-mask hides an element's text or a field's value, ar-block keeps an element out of the recording entirely, and requireConsent: true records nothing until your page grants consent. Retention defaults to 14 days per organisation and deleting a session deletes the recording. The privacy page and the guide to session replay under GDPR cover the rest.
A player that cannot run the recorded page
Script bodies are replaced with a placeholder at record time, rebuilt as <noscript> on replay, and the player iframe is sandboxed without allow-scripts. A test fails the build if that changes. For a security review this is a short, checkable answer to "can a recording execute code in my analysts' browsers".
Enterprise controls without an enterprise contract
Organisations are multi-tenant with five roles (owner, admin, moderator, member, viewer) behind a tested permission matrix; no role may grant a role at or above its own rank. Permission changes, deletions and key rotation land in an append-only audit trail. User identification is explicit: nothing is tied to a person unless your code calls identify. To keep the data in-house, the documented single-host deployment includes gpg-encrypted backups and a weekly restore-and-count check.
Side by side
| AnyReplay | FullStory | |
|---|---|---|
| Web recording | Yes, rrweb-based; SDK 34.8 KB gzip | Yes, autocapture-based recording |
| React Native recording | Yes, semantic element tree; no native module | Mobile SDKs generally known; check their docs |
| Session translation | On demand, with an organisation translation memory | Check their docs |
| Input masking | Every field masked by default; passwords and payment fields never recorded | Check their docs |
| Replay sandbox | Iframe without allow-scripts; script bodies never recorded | Check their docs |
| Self-hosting | Documented single-host deployment; encrypted, verified backups | Hosted service; check their docs |
| Free tier | Free plan: 1 project, 500 sessions per month | Check their site for current plans |
| Dashboard languages | English, Turkish, German, Spanish, French | Check their docs |
When FullStory is the better fit
- You need search and segmentation across all sessions, with funnels and conversion metrics built on that data. AnyReplay is replay, not product analytics.
- You have native iOS or Android apps that are not React Native. AnyReplay has no native SDK yet.
- You want replay that plugs into a large integration ecosystem.
- You want a fully managed enterprise vendor relationship rather than a self-hosting option.
When AnyReplay is the better fit
- Reviewers and users do not share a language and you need sessions readable, not just watchable.
- You ship a React Native app and want recordings that are small, semantic and masked on the device.
- Your privacy review wants an answer it can check: every field is masked by default, and passwords and payment fields are never recorded.
- You want the data on a host you control, with backups encrypted before upload and restored weekly.
Free plan: one project and 500 sessions a month; see the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
Does AnyReplay index and search across sessions like FullStory?
No. AnyReplay lists sessions per project with error, rage-click and page-count flags on each chunk, but it does not build a queryable index of every interaction. If cross-session search is your primary use, FullStory is the more appropriate tool.
What happens to translation when a string is missed?
The model returns indexed results, so a dropped item costs exactly one string, which stays in its original language. One translation job runs per session per target language; asking twice reuses the first.
Is AnyReplay suitable for a regulated industry?
The pieces are there: masking in the browser, passwords and payment fields never recorded, consent gating, retention enforced in the API, an append-only audit trail, Argon2id password hashing and refresh-token rotation with reuse detection. Whether it meets a specific regulation depends on how you configure and deploy it.
Is there a free tier?
AnyReplay offers a Free plan with 1 project and 500 sessions per month. FullStory's current plans and limits are on their site.
Weighing more than two options? FullStory alternatives describes the other tools teams usually shortlist and when each of them is the better choice.
FullStory is a trademark of its owner. AnyReplay is not affiliated with or endorsed by it. Feature descriptions are general and may be out of date; check their site for current details.