If you’re running a B2B SaaS product, you know how hard it is to really understand what users are doing inside your app. Session recording tools promise a kind of x-ray vision into user behavior, but picking the right one isn’t as simple as grabbing the flashiest product off a list. This guide is for product managers, UX folks, and SaaS teams who want real answers—not just a shiny features checklist.
Let’s break down how to actually choose a session recording tool that fits your B2B SaaS needs, using Smartlook as our baseline, and see how it stacks up against other top contenders.
1. Get Clear On Why You Actually Need Session Recording
Don’t buy tools for their own sake. Figure out your real needs first. Ask:
- What questions can’t we answer now? (“Why are users dropping off on onboarding step 2?”)
- Who will use this tool, and how technical are they? (Are you helping product managers, designers, or engineers?)
- What’s our traffic and data privacy situation? (Do you have sensitive B2B data or a high volume of enterprise users?)
Pro tip: If you only want basic funnel analysis or heatmaps, you might not need full-blown session replay. Sometimes, simpler analytics tools or built-in product tracking do the trick.
2. Know the Core Features That Actually Matter
There’s a ton of feature bloat in this space. Here’s what’s genuinely useful for B2B SaaS teams:
- Reliable session replays: Can you actually watch users struggle, or is the playback choppy and full of gaps?
- Event-based filtering: Can you jump to sessions where a bug or rage click happened, or do you have to slog through hours of video?
- Segmentation: Can you filter by account, user type, or plan? B2B teams need this more than B2C does.
- Integrations: Does it play nice with your stack (e.g., Segment, Amplitude, Jira)?
- Collaboration: Can you share sessions easily, comment, or tag teammates?
- Privacy controls: Can you mask sensitive fields, respect GDPR, and avoid recording stuff you shouldn’t see?
- Performance: Does it slow your app down for users?
Ignore: AI “insights” that are just click maps in disguise, or fancy dashboards you’ll never look at after week one.
3. Compare Smartlook to the Usual Suspects
Let’s get real about how Smartlook stacks up against other popular choices: FullStory, Hotjar, and LogRocket.
Smartlook
Where it shines: - Solid session replays with event-based filtering. - Flexible pricing for mid-sized SaaS teams, without forcing you into enterprise contracts. - Decent integrations and privacy options. - Good at tracking both websites and web apps (not just marketing sites).
Where it falls short: - Some users say the UI feels a bit clunky compared to slicker competitors. - No advanced error tracking (leave that to LogRocket or Sentry). - Event setup can be fiddly if you want really granular tracking.
FullStory
Where it shines: - Best-in-class session replay and powerful search/filtering. - Serious segmentation options for B2B (user IDs, orgs, custom properties). - Integrates well with product analytics and support tools. - Polished UI—fast and easy to use.
Where it falls short: - Expensive, especially for larger teams or higher traffic. - Enterprise-focused: their sales process is... a process. - Can be overkill if you don’t need all the bells and whistles.
Hotjar
Where it shines: - Super simple to set up and use. - Great for quick feedback (surveys, polls). - Affordable for basic needs.
Where it falls short: - Mostly focused on marketing sites, not complex SaaS products. - Limited filtering and segmentation for B2B use cases. - Session replays can be laggy with lots of in-app interactions.
LogRocket
Where it shines: - Deep technical visibility (console logs, network requests, error tracking). - Strong filtering and debugging tools for engineering teams. - Good for catching bugs in production.
Where it falls short: - Technical—non-engineers may struggle to get value. - Can feel heavy-handed if you just want to watch user flows, not debug code. - Pricing can jump quickly as usage grows.
4. Don’t Get Distracted By Shiny Extras
Vendors love to pile on features you’ll never use. Here’s what to skip:
- AI “session summaries”: Usually generic and miss the context you care about.
- Heatmaps: Sometimes helpful, but for web apps with dynamic content, they’re often inaccurate.
- Built-in surveys: Handy for B2C, but B2B SaaS teams usually get better feedback talking to actual users.
- Mobile SDKs: Only matters if you have a mobile app—don’t pay for what you won’t use.
Focus on: Speed, reliability, privacy, and whether your whole team can use it—not just one analytics nerd.
5. Put Privacy and Security First
If you’re in B2B SaaS, your users expect you to take security seriously.
- Field masking: Make sure sensitive data (passwords, credit cards, emails) is never recorded.
- User opt-out: You should be able to let users opt out of tracking if they ask.
- Data hosting: Know where your data lives (EU or US), especially if you have enterprise clients.
- Access controls: Not every teammate should see every session—basic user permissions matter.
Smartlook, FullStory, and LogRocket all let you mask data, but you have to configure it right. Don’t just trust defaults.
6. Test With Real Data—Not Just a Demo
Don’t trust the sales deck. Most tools look great with a canned demo, but the cracks show with your messy, real-world app.
- Run a trial on your staging or production site. See how the tool impacts speed, and how easy (or not) it is to find useful sessions.
- Get feedback from actual users: Product managers, designers, QA, and support. Can they figure it out without a training course?
- Check your browser’s dev tools: Is the tool adding seconds to load times? Does it break anything?
- Review privacy logs: Make sure nothing sensitive sneaks through.
Pro tip: Don’t just install and forget it. Schedule time a week in to review what you’ve actually learned from the tool.
7. Watch Out For Hidden Costs and Gotchas
The sticker price is rarely the whole story. Especially for B2B SaaS, the devil’s in the details.
- Session limits: Are you paying for “recorded” or “watched” sessions? Some tools only charge when you view a session.
- Data retention: How long can you access old recordings—30 days, 90, or a year? That matters for tracking long sales cycles.
- Integrations: Sometimes you pay extra for the integrations you actually need.
- Contract lock-ins: Can you scale up/down easily, or are you stuck with annual commitments?
Nobody likes surprises on their next invoice.
8. Make a Shortlist and Actually Use the Tools
Once you’ve cut the hype and compared your real needs, make a shortlist—ideally two or three options. Set up a quick bake-off:
- Install each tool on a test environment.
- Try to answer one or two real questions (“What’s causing user drop-off on feature X?”).
- Get feedback from at least two roles (PM, designer, engineer).
- Timebox your trial—don’t let it drag out for months.
Pro tip: If you can’t get value from a tool in the first week, it probably won’t suddenly become more useful next quarter.
Wrapping Up: Don’t Overthink It
You don’t need the “perfect” session recording tool. You need something your team will actually use, that answers the questions you care about, and doesn’t make your legal team panic.
Start simple. Get it in front of real users. Iterate if you need to. And remember: the best insights usually come from watching a few sessions together and talking about them, not from dashboard surfing.
Good luck—and don’t get dazzled by the demo videos.