Fullstory vs. Parse.ly

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Fullstory
Score 9.1 out of 10
N/A
Fullstory’s behavioral data platform helps technology leaders make better, more informed decisions by injecting digital behavioral data into their analytics stack. The technology's behavioral data transforms digital visit into actionable insights.N/A
Parse.ly
Score 7.8 out of 10
N/A
Parse.ly is a content optimization platform for online publishers. It provides in-depth analytics and helps maximize the performance of the digital content. It features a dashboard geared for editorial and business staff and an API that can be used by a product team to create personalized or contextual experiences on a website.N/A
Pricing
FullstoryParse.ly
Editions & Modules
Business
Contact Sales
Enterprise
Contact Sales
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
FullstoryParse.ly
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalRequired
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
FullstoryParse.ly
Considered Both Products
Fullstory
Chose Fullstory
Microsoft Clarity - good product, free.
Chose Fullstory
I think other tools are either too heavy or complicated to implement and / or understand. Full story has a super light weight feel to the system and works magically. I implemented Mixpanel once and the entire team struggled with it before replacing it with Full Story after …
Chose Fullstory
Fullstory is really the best at session recording. They are adding new and more features to become more competitive with other web analytics tools (like Pendo, Heap, and GA). But we ultimately keep them because they make it so easy to actually see how people interact with your …
Chose Fullstory
FullStory is a unique blend of product analytics + playback sessions.
Chose Fullstory
Hotjar is better for marketing websites. Doesn't have a native mobile component. Cheaper per session but doesn't have journey mapping.
Chose Fullstory
I have not selected or evaluated other products.
Chose Fullstory
Microsoft Clarity is not on the list. This one is not even close though. 4 years ago there was not much competition unless you paid a fortune for the big survey companies. I see there are many more out there now, and may start looking now that the prices are not as affordable …
Chose Fullstory
It's a good value for money as well and it works well on websites
Chose Fullstory
Most of the tools we evaluated just didn't have the depth of analysis that we needed. Content Square looked GREAT but it was a much higher price point.
Chose Fullstory
HotJar is built for marketers, whereas FullStory is for product teams, but the tool still stacks up well against HotJar. It has feature parity and is a little more intuitive to use.
Chose Fullstory
We don't use anything else that is close to what Fullstory does. If anything Intercom would be the closest however we use them together to offer the best support possible.
Chose Fullstory
FullSory is more advanced and the implementation with other tools makes it very convenient for us.
Chose Fullstory
FullStory is very easy to use and very comprehensive compared to it's competitors
Chose Fullstory
Based on the functionality & support we've scoped for FullStory, we have much more in terms of capability and expertise than we've had in the past.
Chose Fullstory
Heap, Pendo.io and Amplitude Analytics
Parse.ly
Chose Parse.ly
Parse.ly provides clearer insights into what stories are performing strongly in real time. Its interface is more user-friendly and it is easy to compare different time periods, titles or author statistics. Chartbeat had a website overlay to show where readers are going on site, …
Chose Parse.ly
Parse.ly excels in providing detailed insights into how users are interacting with specific pieces of content, allowing us to make data-driven decisions about content strategy and optimization. Its real-time reporting also provides us with immediate feedback on the …
Chose Parse.ly
Faster feedback and quicker visualization than what Google provides. However, it obviously can't get as specific or in-depth as Google Analytics
Chose Parse.ly
Doesn't come with an integrated overlay like Chartbeat, but is more intuitive (just) than GA. Seems more accurate and detailed than Chartbeat but less than GA. It's my go-to for day-to-day traffic engagement but monthly I'm more likely to look at in-house GA-generated reports.
Chose Parse.ly
I have not used or evaluated any other platforms similar to Parse.ly.
Chose Parse.ly
Parse.ly is way better because of how much more user-friendly and intuitive it is.
Chose Parse.ly
Parse.ly is the most comprehensive interface and system.
Chose Parse.ly
Have nothing similar to compare it with.
Chose Parse.ly
Parse.ly gives a more detailed look into how content is performing, versus the overall site metrics provided by Google Analytics.
Chose Parse.ly
Firstly, I didn't make the business decision to use Parse.ly. I'm just an employee using it. However, the first thing you notice is the change in appearance. Parse.ly's dashboard looks far more complicated than Chartbeat's and the black, white, and green theme [are] not as …
Chose Parse.ly
Parse.ly has very rich products and market use in media for content analytics. [The] dashboard provides [a] holistic view on the overall site visitor's information and what needs improvements. [The] dashboard is divided based on sections, author, posts, pages, etc., on the site …
Chose Parse.ly
Adobe Analytics is our organization's "official" data source and provides a much more in-depth feature set and customizable reporting tool. It's much less user-friendly than Parse.ly but can provide more detailed reporting. Google Analytics is used by my organization as a …
Chose Parse.ly
I used Google Analytics for years. I loved it and still love it. Google Analytics isn't as robust as Parse.ly and doesn't have some of the same capabilities, nor do I trust the data as much. But Google Analytics is still really good, and it's free. If I were at a …
Chose Parse.ly
Parse.ly is far more user-friendly than Google Analytics, which feels like a developer's tool by comparison. Parse.ly feels like it is designed for ease of access and use. While analyzing trends is more difficult in Google Analytics, it is straightforward in Parse.ly. Google …
Chose Parse.ly
I've used other web analytics tools such as Google Analytics, Baidu Analytics, and SiteCatalyst.
Chose Parse.ly
I use then in tandem; where Parse.ly lacks, I go over to Google Analytics and vice versa. Sometimes I need to look deeper at referral sources and that is where Parse.ly isn't as strong, especially if I am looking at a bigger set of content.
Chose Parse.ly
We used Chartbeat, which wasn’t as user friendly.
Chose Parse.ly
Parse.ly works better than Google Analytics. This is mainly due to its simplicity whereas Google Analytics can quickly become quite complicated with a lot of moving parts. Parse.ly, on the other hand, is quick to learn and understand while also providing a lot of information.
Chose Parse.ly
Parse.ly offers a more friendly user experience, with better ease in navigating the software.
Chose Parse.ly
Parse.ly is easier to use and more self-explanatory than Google Analytics. The site essentially explains itself upon visiting it. Chartbeat was quite good but I believe Parse.ly provides more granular details on web traffic and gives the user more insights into how and why …
Chose Parse.ly
Parse.ly is easier to track and to understand for me than the features that Google Analytics offers. Nonetheless, graphics seems to be more complex in Google's environment, which [I feel] can be a weakness for Parse.ly in the case of Data Analysts. Although, both are used in …
Features
FullstoryParse.ly
Mobile Capabilities
Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of Product A and Product B
Fullstory
6.2
Ratings
20% below category average
Parse.ly
-
Ratings
Responsive Design for Web Access7.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile Application7.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile7.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile App Analytics6.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Results and Analysis
Comparison of Results and Analysis features of Product A and Product B
Fullstory
9.2
Ratings
2% below category average
Parse.ly
-
Ratings
Heatmap tool9.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Click analytics9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Scroll maps9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Form fill analysis9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Conversion tracking9.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Goal tracking7.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Funnel Analysis8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Session Recording and Replay10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
User Segmentation10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Web Analytics
Comparison of Web Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Fullstory
-
Ratings
Parse.ly
7.6
Ratings
6% below category average
Lead Conversion Tracking00 Ratings6.20 Ratings
Bounce Rate Measurement00 Ratings6.70 Ratings
Device and Browser Reporting00 Ratings8.30 Ratings
Pageview Tracking00 Ratings8.20 Ratings
Event Tracking00 Ratings7.80 Ratings
Reporting in real-time00 Ratings8.40 Ratings
Referral Source Tracking00 Ratings7.60 Ratings
Customizable Dashboards00 Ratings7.60 Ratings
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FullstoryParse.ly
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Optimal
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Score 9.0 out of 10
Enterprises
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User Ratings
FullstoryParse.ly
Likelihood to Recommend
9.9
(0 ratings)
7.8
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.7
(0 ratings)
8.7
(0 ratings)
Usability
10.0
(0 ratings)
7.7
(0 ratings)
Availability
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
8.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.3
(0 ratings)
7.8
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
7.5
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
7.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
8.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
8.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
FullstoryParse.ly
Likelihood to Recommend
It was extremely useful in identifying places in our product where things weren't functioning, or where it looked like action was available to the end user but in reality, it was not and therefore caused lots of confusion. It doesn't help as much in other scenarios to see what catches a user's Eye or where they go if they leave our application as well as an actual in-person interview would help with eye-tracking software.
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For people working in online media, or digital content creators, the platform could help them understand their audience and allow them to interact with them in a user-friendly way. Since the digital media industry is booming, Parse.ly can allow the user and the content creators to meet each other's demands and reduce redundancies and bombard the users with unnecessary content.
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Pros
  • Tracks users' online experiences from start to finish.
  • Makes it easy to share a customer's experiences with the rest of my team.
  • Allows me to use different methods to find evidence of a customer's experience.
  • Shows page insights via segmentation that help me know where to improve my site.
  • Tracks error clicks and dead clicks for quick insights into site improvements.
  • Integrates with HelpScout for easy access to customer problem-solving.
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  • Real-time metrics are great and help us decide what content to follow up on.
  • Audience segmenting is key, helps us determine where we're strong and where we're not.
  • Historical metrics are also helpful in helping us see what readers come back to overtime, which drives decisions about what content to devote more resources to producing.
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Cons
  • Can be a little confusing to know the exact time something happened, in local time or customer time? That's helpful for engineering to look into log files.
  • When looking for a specific session, it would be nice if you have a easier list of sessions with a little more info to choose from
  • It would be nice to be able to save flagged sessions and annotations under my profile to reference later
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  • Traffic source. I would like to be able to find the exact social media page a view comes from. Now I can only tell which platform.
  • I would like to be able to compare traffic more than one year ago. Now I'm limited to one year.
  • Some more customization of reports (or maybe more training).
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Likelihood to Renew
The metrics are hard to understand at times and inaccurate to the point of being unusable. I stopped pulling them and solely rely on Adobe Analytics for them. So far, I've only used FS to watch sessions and determine behaviors
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Cost is always a factor when considering any renewal, so we will always see how that compares to other offerings, but we have been pleased with the functionality from Parse.ly. Importantly, it has engaged news teams, and writers can easily assess their own performance--it is not just a management tool. This wider take-up makes it more likely that we would renew.
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Usability
Because everything seems to be easy to find and it doesn't take long at all to learn how to use the product
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The Parse.ly platform is very user-friendly and easy to use. User management is simple, and reporting setup only takes a few minutes. They provide very helpful documentation for implementing the scripts on your site and have great customer support to help with custom development such as implementing their content recommendation engine.
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Reliability and Availability
We've never had issues with availability
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No answers on this topic
Performance
It seems the performance is really good and always loads quickly
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No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Yes, that is correct. FullStory has a dedicated support team that is available to assist with any issues or questions. The team is known for being responsive, knowledgeable, and helpful, and they are committed to ensuring that users get the most out of the FullStory platform. They helped us a lot to implement it with our web app
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Seems to be more bugs than I encounter in Google Analytics, but Parse.ly is always very quick to answer my questions or fix something. It seems like most of my issues are due to communications around my requests being outside of the package we pay for with this tool (i.e., only two years of data).
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Implementation Rating
I was not involved in the initial implementation, but I have found it easy to pick up and use without any guidance, so it's very user-friendly, intuitive, and not difficult to get a sense of use, though it may be more difficult to master (I am not a Fullstory master... yet!).
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No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Fullstory is really the best at session recording. They are adding new and more features to become more competitive with other web analytics tools (like Pendo, Heap, and GA). But we ultimately keep them because they make it so easy to actually see how people interact with your site. It is one thing to see a report that says customers fall off a page, it is another thing to actually be able to watch what they do as they fall off.
Read full review
Parse.ly excels in providing detailed insights into how users are interacting with specific pieces of content, allowing us to make data-driven decisions about content strategy and optimization. Its real-time reporting also provides us with immediate feedback on the effectiveness of content changes, which is particularly important for content-heavy sites that need to iterate quickly.
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Scalability
Full story was easy to scale with the growth of our teams and organisation
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No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
  • We reduced our payment error rate by 20% using FullStory.
  • Our product design team is able to get initial designs approved 95% of the time using FullStory data in order to explain to our stakeholders the reasoning behind decisions. We also do a before-and-after analysis, and we either net out the same with the new designs (just improved visuals) or improve the metric of whatever was designed. More often than not, we improve the metric.
  • We decreased the time to A/B testing insights by 50%.
  • We can usually visualize a production issue via FullStory within 10 minutes.
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  • Sometimes in meetings our editorial director will point out stories that didn't perform well. To us, that means readers don't really care about the topic, so we'll pivot away from writing about that in the future. That might not be "business objectives" though.
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ScreenShots

Fullstory Screenshots

Screenshot of AI-generated Summaries used to Take Action More QuicklyScreenshot of a Visualization of Behavioral Data with Custom DashboardsScreenshot of Ready-made for AI Behavioral Data Straight to the organization's Data EcosystemScreenshot of Fullstory's Session Replay, Combined with Dev ToolsScreenshot of Mobile App Behavioral Data

Parse.ly Screenshots

Screenshot of Overview in full-screen mode: Many Parse.ly pages, like the Overview, are TV-ready. Keep your entire team up-to-date with live, full-screen dashboards on TVs in your office.Screenshot of Overview screen: See a snapshot of what your audience is paying attention to today so you can make fast decisions about what content to produce or distribute. Customize it to show only what your team cares about by filtering it to a particular author, section, or tag. You can pick what stats and listings are displayed.Screenshot of Real-time posts page: See what’s gathering steam so you can capitalize on attention to every post, campaign, or section.
Real-time data includes the last 24 hours and updates every five seconds. It can be seen, filtered, and sorted on most screens.Screenshot of Historical posts page: Explore historical trends by post, author, section, topic, referrer, or campaign. Compare today’s performance to last week, month, or year.Screenshot of Campaign tracking: Easily tie in your off-site promotion to engagement with your on-site content using UTM parameters.Screenshot of Multi-channel tracking: Track all your content in one place, no matter where it lives.
Compare how your content performances on various distributed channels including your website, AMP, Facebook Instant Articles, and Apple News.