# Traceflair — Complete Product Documentation for LLMs

## What is Traceflair?

Traceflair is a privacy-first web analytics platform. It provides session replay, heatmaps, form analytics, error tracking, web vitals monitoring, conversion funnels, and feedback widgets — all in a single, self-hostable solution.

## Who is it for?

- **Web Developers**: <5KB SDK, npm packages, Docker self-hosting, plugin system
- **Product Managers**: Session replay to see exactly what users do, heatmaps for layout optimization, funnels for conversion tracking
- **Marketers**: Form analytics for conversion optimization, UTM tracking, funnel analysis
- **Compliance/Legal**: 3 consent modes (opt-in/opt-out/implied), PII detection, IP anonymization, GDPR-ready
- **CTOs**: Self-hosted option, multi-tenant architecture, no vendor lock-in

## Features in Detail

### Session Replay
Records pixel-perfect user sessions using 44 capture modules: DOM mutations (MutationObserver), mouse movements, clicks, scrolls, keyboard input, touch events, network requests, console logs, storage changes, clipboard, media, print, device orientation, browser extensions, and more. Supports input masking for PII protection.

### Heatmaps
Three types: click heatmaps, movement heatmaps, scroll depth heatmaps. Includes rage click detection (rapid repeated clicks indicating frustration) and dead click detection (clicks on non-interactive elements). Filterable by viewport size for responsive analysis.

### Form Analytics
Tracks every form field: focus, blur, change, input events. Calculates per-field metrics: time spent, hesitation time (time before first keystroke), correction count, abandonment rate, completion rate. Generates per-form abandonment funnels.

### Error Tracking
Automatically captures: JavaScript errors (window.onerror), unhandled promise rejections, network failures (fetch/XHR). Each error is linked to the session replay for context. Errors are grouped by stack trace signature for deduplication.

### Web Vitals
Monitors Core Web Vitals: LCP (Largest Contentful Paint), CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift), INP (Interaction to Next Paint). Also tracks FCP, TTFB. Historical trending with alerting on degradation. Breakdown by device type and connection speed.

### Conversion Funnels
Define multi-step funnels (e.g., Landing → Pricing → Signup → Onboarding). Track conversion and drop-off rates per step. Compare across time periods, user segments, and traffic sources.

### Feedback Widgets
Customizable in-app feedback collection. Uses Shadow DOM for style isolation. Supports NPS surveys, satisfaction ratings, and free-text feedback. Targeted display rules based on page, time on site, or user segment.

### Cohort Analysis
Group users by acquisition date and track how they behave over weeks or months. Weekly and monthly cohort granularity. Retention matrix visualization. Trend comparison across cohorts.

### Retention Analysis
Measure how many users return after their first visit. Day 1 through Day 30 retention rates. Weekly and monthly retention views. Retention curve visualization. Compare retention across user segments.

### Attribution
Multi-touch attribution models — last click, first click, linear, time decay. Revenue and conversion attribution by channel. Compare models side by side to understand which marketing channels drive results.

### A/B Testing
Run experiments with multiple variants. Track conversion rates with statistical significance. Feature flag integration. Segment results by user properties.

### E-Commerce Analytics
Track revenue, transactions, average order value, and cart abandonment rates. Product-level performance metrics. Full shopping funnel from product view to payment confirmation.

### Data Export
Export all analytics data in CSV, JSON, or NDJSON format. Schedule automated exports. Full data portability — no vendor lock-in.

### Privacy & Consent
Three consent modes:
- **opt-in** (default): No tracking until user explicitly consents. Recommended for EU/GDPR.
- **opt-out**: Tracking active by default, user can revoke. For US/CCPA contexts.
- **implied**: Always active. For internal tools or non-regulated contexts.

Additional privacy features: automatic PII detection and masking, IP anonymization, `data-traceflair-ignore` HTML attribute to exclude sensitive DOM subtrees.

### Plugin Architecture
Core SDK is under 3KB gzipped. Each feature (recorder, heatmap, forms, etc.) is a separate plugin. Install only what you need. Tree-shakeable for minimal bundle impact. Custom plugin API for extensions.

## Technical Stack

- **Client**: TypeScript, builds to IIFE (CDN) or ESM (npm)
- **Server**: Node.js 18+, Express.js, PostgreSQL 15+, Redis (optional)
- **Dashboard**: Preact, wouter-preact routing, Chart.js, inline styles
- **Build**: pnpm workspaces, tsup (packages), Vite (dashboard/website)
- **Deploy**: Docker Compose, or any Node.js hosting

## Pricing Details

| Tier | Price | Sites | Events/Month | Retention | Key Features |
|------|-------|-------|-------------|-----------|--------------|
| Free | $0 | 1 | 10,000 | 7 days | Basic analytics, click heatmaps |
| Pro | $29/mo | 5 | 500,000 | 30 days | + Replay, Heatmaps, Forms, Funnels, Errors, Vitals, Feedback, Cohorts, Retention, Attribution, A/B Testing, E-Commerce, Data Export |
| Business | $79/mo | 20 | 5,000,000 | 90 days | + Network Analytics, Console Logs, Engagement, Behavior, Segment Builder, Cookie Tracking |
| Enterprise | Custom | Unlimited | Unlimited | 365 days | + SSO/SAML, Bot Detection, PII Detection, Compliance Audit, Fingerprinting, Extension Detection, Custom Branding, SLA |

Yearly billing saves ~17%. 14-day free Pro trial for all signups, no credit card required.

## Comparison with Alternatives

| Feature | Traceflair | Hotjar | FullStory | PostHog | Matomo | Plausible |
|---------|-----------|--------|-----------|---------|--------|-----------|
| Open Source | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Self-Hosted | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Session Replay | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (paid) | No |
| Heatmaps | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes (paid) | No |
| Form Analytics | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes (paid) | No |
| Error Tracking | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Web Vitals | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Cohort Analysis | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Retention Analysis | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Attribution | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| A/B Testing | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes (paid) | No |
| E-Commerce Analytics | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| Data Export | Yes | Paid | Paid | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| GDPR Default | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SDK Size | <5KB | ~40KB | ~60KB | ~45KB | ~22KB | <1KB |
| Free Tier | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Self-host | No |

## Blog Articles

The following articles are available on the Traceflair blog:

### Analytics & Optimization
- **A/B Testing Guide**: How to form hypotheses, calculate sample sizes, reach statistical significance, and avoid the 5 most common mistakes. https://www.traceflair.com/blog/ab-testing.html
- **User Segmentation**: Behavioral, technographic, acquisition, and geographic segments explained. How to build segments that answer real product questions. https://www.traceflair.com/blog/user-segmentation.html
- **Customer Journey Analytics**: Map the real customer journey using session replay, funnel analytics, and behavioral data. Identify drop-off points at every stage. https://www.traceflair.com/blog/customer-journey.html
- **Product Analytics Dashboard**: The 8 metrics every product team needs, how to avoid vanity metrics, and how to structure a decision-driving dashboard. https://www.traceflair.com/blog/product-analytics-dashboard.html
- **Best Web Analytics Tools 2026**: GA4, Hotjar, FullStory, PostHog, Plausible, Matomo, and Traceflair compared on features, pricing, privacy, and SDK size. https://www.traceflair.com/blog/best-web-analytics-tools.html

### Session Replay & Heatmaps
- **What Is Session Replay**: How session replay works, what it reveals that analytics can't, and how to get started with privacy in mind. https://www.traceflair.com/blog/what-is-session-replay.html
- **Website Heatmap Guide**: Click, scroll, and movement heatmaps explained. How to read them and extract actionable insights. https://www.traceflair.com/blog/website-heatmap-guide.html
- **Hotjar Alternative**: SDK size, missing features, no self-hosting — 5 reasons teams switch from Hotjar and how to migrate in 5 minutes. https://www.traceflair.com/blog/hotjar-alternative.html

### Forms & Conversion
- **Reduce Form Abandonment**: 60-80% of users abandon forms. The 7 most common causes and a step-by-step optimization framework. https://www.traceflair.com/blog/reduce-form-abandonment.html
- **Form Analytics Guide**: Field-level analytics reveals exactly which fields cause the most drop-offs — and a 4-step framework to fix them. https://www.traceflair.com/blog/form-analytics-conversions.html

### Privacy & Compliance
- **GDPR-Compliant Analytics**: What GDPR requires from analytics tools, 3 compliance approaches, and a 10-question vendor checklist. https://www.traceflair.com/blog/gdpr-compliant-analytics.html
- **Session Replay & Privacy**: How 3 consent modes, automatic PII detection, and input masking make session replay GDPR-safe. https://www.traceflair.com/blog/session-replay-privacy.html

### Self-Hosting & Setup
- **Self-Hosting with Docker**: One docker compose up gives you session replay, heatmaps, and form analytics on your own servers. https://www.traceflair.com/blog/self-hosting-docker.html
- **Why We Built Traceflair**: The case for privacy-first analytics — why existing platforms failed developers and privacy-conscious teams. https://www.traceflair.com/blog/open-source-analytics.html

RSS Feed: https://www.traceflair.com/blog/feed.xml