{"id":235833,"date":"2024-09-05T21:15:28","date_gmt":"2024-09-05T21:15:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/fullstory-autocapture\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T10:29:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T10:29:17","slug":"fullstory-autocapture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/fullstory-autocapture\/","title":{"rendered":"Fullstory Autocapture: Feature Overview + an Alternative"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wondering if Fullstory autocapture is the right solution for your product analytics<\/a> needs?<\/p>\n

This article will help you find out! Read on as we explore the pros and cons of this feature and why you might need an alternative.<\/p>\n

What is Fullstory autocapture?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Fullstory autocapture is an AI-powered feature that lets you automatically track user clicks<\/a>, scrolls, mouse movements, form submissions, and other interactions on your website or web application.<\/p>\n

Fullstory itself is a comprehensive product analytics<\/a> and digital experience intelligence tool with other features like session replays, heatmaps<\/a>, and frustration signals that empower you to understand user behavior, identify pain points<\/a>, and deliver perfect digital experiences.<\/p>\n

Which types of digital experience data does it log?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Fullstory tracks three types of behavioral data<\/a>: core events, transient events, and long tail events.<\/p>\n

\"3-Types-of-Digital-Experience-Data\"<\/picture>
Fullstory digital experience data types.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Let\u2019s go over each of them in more detail.<\/p>\n

Core events and properties<\/strong><\/h3>\n

These are the fundamental interactions that define the user’s experience on a website or app and directly contribute to business KPIs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Core user events<\/a> typically include actions like clicks, page loads, form submissions, and hovers. Properties, on the other hand, provide context and details surrounding these events, such as the element that users clicked, the page URL, or the input values in a form.<\/p>\n

For example, a user clicking the “Start Free Trial” button on your landing page<\/a> would be a core event because it directly ties to your product goals. The specific button’s ID, the plan selected (if applicable), and the referral source (e.g., organic search, social media) would be associated properties.<\/p>\n

In general, around 80% of core events are typically captured through intentional instrumentation, while the remaining 20% are automatically recorded.<\/p>\n

Transient events<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As the name suggests, transient events are temporal interactions that occur within your platform. This data type is often seasonal or tied to a specific phase of your product.<\/p>\n

For example, new feature adoption<\/a> is transient because it loses importance after a majority of your users have interacted with and adopted the new feature. The same is true for limited-time in-app messages and offers.<\/p>\n

Since transient events change so often, only about 20% of them are typically instrumented. But that’s where Fullstory\u2019s autocapture comes in\u2014it helps you track the data points you didn’t know you needed, and you can use retroactive analysis<\/a> to update your metrics even after the event has ended.<\/p>\n

The long tail<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This data type refers to the variety of less frequent or unique events and properties that occur across the user journey<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You typically don’t track these manually because they can be extremely time-consuming to measure, but long tail events are the unknown unknowns that will grant you rich insights into user intent\u2014especially when paired with core events.<\/p>\n

Examples of long-tail events are rage clicks, navigation flows<\/a>, rare interactions with specific elements, actions triggered by unique combinations of events, performance logs, and so on.<\/p>\n

How does Fullstory autocapture work?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Fullstory autocapture works by keeping a close eye on the Document Object Model (DOM), which is your platform’s underlying structure or blueprint.<\/p>\n

As users interact with your tool\u2014clicking buttons, scrolling, and filling out forms\u2014the DOM is constantly updated to reflect these changes. Fullstory continuously monitors these DOM updates to create a comprehensive record of user behavior<\/a> and the context in which it happens.<\/p>\n

This approach allows Fullstory to go beyond simple auto-tracking<\/a> and provide detailed session replays, heatmaps, and analytics, to help you uncover nuanced insights.<\/p>\n

What are the benefits of Fullstory autocapture?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In general, the feature helps you\u2026<\/p>\n

Maintain behavioral data integrity<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Autocapture adapts to your evolving platform needs, unlike manual instrumentation, which can break due to code changes or updates.<\/p>\n

If a button’s ID changes or a page flow is adjusted, Fullstory autocapture continues to track user interactions without missing a beat. This helps you avoid data discrepancies<\/a> even in the face of constant product iterations.<\/p>\n

Gain a complete understanding of your user experience<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Instead of relying solely on pre-defined events<\/a>, Fullstory records the complete spectrum of user interactions, including those you might not have anticipated.<\/p>\n

This empowers you to answer unexpected questions, map customer journeys<\/a>, build accurate conversion paths<\/a>, and ultimately deliver positive user experiences<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Uncover hidden interaction insights<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Traditional instrumentation requires you to anticipate every question and manually tag events in advance, leading to delays and potential blind spots in your customer analytics<\/a>. Fullstory autocapture removes this limitation, allowing you to explore user behavior retroactively and gather insights without the need for upfront planning.<\/p>\n

Moreover, the platform allows non-technical users to add custom events<\/a> directly within the platform, further enhancing your ability to track and analyze behavioral data without relying on developers.<\/p>\n

This democratization of data collection and analysis<\/a> ensures that everyone on your team can contribute to gathering user insights and driving product improvements<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Pair quantitative and qualitative data<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The platform lets you easily combine autocaptured data with session replays to understand the \u201cwhy\u201d behind user activity<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For example, quantitative metrics might show a high bounce rate on a specific landing page. By watching session replays of users who left quickly, you could uncover qualitative insights<\/a>\u2014perhaps a confusing layout, slow loading times, or irrelevant content\u2014that explain the quantitative data<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Why you may need a Fullstory alternative?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

While Fullstory is a powerful tool for understanding user behavior, there are specific scenarios where its features may not be the ideal fit for your needs. Here’s why:<\/p>\n