Frequently asked questions

Everything about the product, in one place. Contact us if something is missing.

Getting started

How do I install UsageStory on my site?

Create a project, then copy the one-line script tag from the project's Settings tab and paste it into your site's HTML head. It works on any site, not just SvelteKit. Data appears in the dashboard within seconds of the first pageview.

Do I need to change my code beyond the script tag?

No. Pageviews, referrers, devices, and session recordings all work from the tag alone, including navigation inside single-page apps. Calling identify() and track() is optional and only needed if you want to tie activity to your own user accounts or record specific actions.

Can I track several sites from one account?

Yes. Each site is its own project with its own write key, settings, and data. Projects are grouped into a workspace, and you can switch between them from the dashboard.

Why is my data not showing up?

The most common cause is the write key's origin allowlist: a key only accepts data from the origins listed on it, so add your domain in the project Settings tab. Bot traffic is also filtered out, which includes most headless browsers used for testing.

Session replay

What does a session recording actually capture?

A reconstruction of the page and the interactions on it: clicks, scrolls, navigation, and DOM changes. It is not a video of the screen and never touches the camera or microphone.

Are passwords and card numbers recorded?

No. Text typed into form fields is masked by default, so passwords, payment details, and message contents are never captured. You can also mark any element with data-replay="false" to exclude it from recordings entirely.

Can I turn recording off?

Yes, per project, with the Record session replays toggle in Settings. You can also exclude specific paths, such as admin areas, from both analytics and recording.

How long are recordings kept?

Thirty days by default, set per project. Older recordings are deleted automatically by a daily job. Pageview and event data is kept until you delete the project.

Privacy and data

Does UsageStory use cookies?

Not on your site. Visitor and session identifiers are random values kept in the browser's local and session storage, scoped to your site alone, so they cannot follow anyone across the web. The UsageStory dashboard itself uses one cookie to keep you signed in.

Do you store visitor IP addresses?

By default yes, and they are used to derive a country and to limit abuse. Each project has an IP anonymisation setting that truncates addresses before they are stored, so 41.81.240.73 becomes 41.81.240.0 and no full address is ever kept. Country still resolves correctly with it on.

Who owns the data I collect?

You do. For visitor data you are the controller and UsageStory is the processor, meaning we only handle it on your instructions. We never sell it, and we do not use it to train models. See the Data Processing Agreement for the full terms.

Where is the data stored?

On servers in London, United Kingdom. Encrypted backups are held off-site. The full sub-processor list is in the Data Processing Agreement.

How do I delete data?

Deleting a project removes its pageviews, events, and recordings from the live database immediately. Individual recordings can be deleted from the Replays tab. Deleted data can persist in encrypted backups until those age out, within about five weeks.

Pricing and account

What does UsageStory cost?

UsageStory is free while in beta. Paid plans will come later, and you will be told before anything starts costing money.

I forgot my password. What now?

Use the Forgot link on the sign-in page. We email you a link that lets you set a new password; it lasts one hour and works once.

Can I add my team?

Team members in your workspace can be given owner, admin, member, or viewer roles, and see only your workspace's projects. Invite-by-email is still being built; contact us in the meantime.