{"id":251060,"date":"2024-11-29T18:43:12","date_gmt":"2024-11-29T18:43:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/amplitude-session-replay\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T10:47:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T10:47:54","slug":"amplitude-session-replay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/amplitude-session-replay\/","title":{"rendered":"Amplitude Session Replay: A Detailed Review (+Better Alternative)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Considering the Amplitude session replay feature and wondering if it\u2019s the right tool for your business? Then, you are in the right place!<\/p>\n

This article dives deep into Amplitude’s session replay<\/a>, exploring its characteristics, use cases, and limitations. We also reveal an alternative tool with even more expansive features and excellent value for money.<\/p>\n

What is the session replay feature in Amplitude?<\/h2>\n

Amplitude\u2019s Session Replay feature captures every click<\/a>, scroll, hover, and form fill, enabling you to see exactly what a user did during a session and how.<\/p>\n

These recordings provide valuable insights into user behavior<\/a>, helping you spot user journey patterns, diagnose issues, and improve conversions.<\/p>\n

\"Amplitude<\/picture>
Amplitude Session Replay.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Amplitude’s session replays are currently available for web applications, including traditional websites, single-page applications (SPAs), and mobile web apps. Raw replay data is stored for 30 days<\/strong> by default but can be extended to 12 months by purchasing extra retention time.<\/p>\n

You can get started with them using the Amplitude Session Replay SDK as a browser plugin or as a standalone SDK.<\/p>\n

Key features of Amplitude session replay<\/h2>\n

Amplitude session replay offers a powerful suite of features to help you gain deeper insights into user behavior and optimize your product experience<\/a>. Some of its key features include:<\/p>\n

User session viewing controls<\/h3>\n

Amplitude offers robust controls to help you efficiently find and review user sessions. There are three key ways to go about this:<\/p>\n

1. View session replay from user look-up<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The User Look-Up feature helps you locate specific product users using their user ID, device ID, or other user properties (if you’re unsure who the specific user is).<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve found them, the profile view provides a centralized view of their activities. This makes it a great place to review a specific user’s recordings following a complaint.<\/p>\n

Once you find their profile, you can locate the right session in the event stream and click play to watch it.<\/p>\n

2. View session replay from a chart<\/strong><\/h4>\n

You can also view session replays from Amplitude charts. This is particularly useful when reviewing the insights from a chart. It helps you connect the dots back to specific user activities<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Viewing replays from a chart is also straightforward. Open the relevant chart > Open the microscope > Select “View User Streams” > Locate the streams with a session replay box > Click “Play Session.”<\/em><\/p>\n

\"session<\/picture>
Amplitude session replay from a chart.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The feature is available in event segmentation charts, funnel analysis conversion charts, and user journey map visualizations<\/a>.<\/p>\n

3. View from homepage<\/strong><\/h4>\n

If you aren’t looking for anything specific, you can view session replays directly from the homepage. The Session Replay widget on the homepage shows up to 100 sessions captured over the last seven days.<\/p>\n

For each session, the start time, user ID, country, and session length are displayed. Once you’ve seen the session you want to review, click “Play” to start watching.<\/p>\n

Search and filtering<\/h3>\n

Amplitude’s Session Replay feature also contains some search and filtering functionality, allowing you to locate user sessions that fit certain criteria.<\/p>\n

On the Session Replays<\/em> page, which has the complete list of session replays, you can click the calendar icon to find sessions within a specific period (a week, month, three months, or even a custom date).<\/p>\n

You can also filter sessions by cohorts<\/a>, user properties, event properties, and session duration<\/a>. And, you can combine these filters to narrow your search further.<\/p>\n

\"amplitude<\/picture>
Search and filtering options on Amplitude’s session replay page.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Privacy settings<\/h3>\n

When it comes to data management, your company’s legal exposure varies from one jurisdiction to the next. As a result, you have to be extra careful when complying with data privacy and security requirements.<\/p>\n

Amplitude’s Session Replay feature enables you to specify which user data is displayed during a replay. It then masks the data you specify in all sessions, preventing Amplitude from collecting it.<\/p>\n

You can choose from different masking levels:<\/p>\n