Both FullStory and Google Analytics are highly customizable, which makes it difficult to compare them apples to apples. This guide will help you understand common reasons why your numbers may differ.
To understand discrepancies between FullStory and Google Analytics, start by looking at a small data set (i.e. user sessions captured on a specific date). Then, ask yourself the following questions as you compare data:
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- Are you comparing numbers for the same exact time period using the same time zone? Note that FullStory’s UI shows data based on your browser’s timezone whereas the User List Export or Data Export use UTC.
- Are the same pages being tracked within both FullStory and Google Analytics?
Tip: To get a snapshot of the URLs you are capturing into FullStory, build a Dashboard Dimensionality card like this one. - Are you blocking capturing by IP address, location or user agent within FullStory, but tracking these sessions within Google Analytics? Check your FullStory settings under Settings > Data Capture and Privacy > Data Capture.
- Have you made any changes to how and where you’re deploying the FullStory data capture script? For example, do you have custom firing rules in your tag manager or have you leveraged our FS.shutdown API to prevent capturing from initializing under certain logic?
- Are you comparing the same data points? Here are some examples of what could cause discrepancies between your data:
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- Comparing the number of sessions vs. users
- Comparing the number of users vs. new users
- Comparing the number of sessions vs. entrance pages
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It’s also important to note that unique users in FullStory and Google Analytics can be defined differently if you’re leveraging the FS.identify API to recognize a user across browsers and devices.
These guiding questions should help you identify the cause of any data discrepancies; however, please Contact Support if you're still experiencing any trouble.