Comparison
StoreMetrics vs datafa.st: Session stitching
By Rob Sannazzaro, founder of StoreMetrics · Last updated August 2026 · Prices verified August 2026
datafa.st and StoreMetrics are the two tools in this category that treat revenue attribution as a first-class feature rather than an afterthought. They are legitimately close rivals. The differences come down to attribution depth (StoreMetrics stitches orders at the session level via cart attributes; datafa.st stitches by email and customer ID), live visitor visibility, bot detection, and data retention behavior after trial expiry. This comparison is written by StoreMetrics. We compete directly with datafa.st and have tried to represent their product accurately from public documentation.
Attribution method: session vs. email
Both tools connect Shopify orders and Stripe charges to traffic sources. The difference is how they match an order to a visit. datafa.st stitches by email address and Shopify customer ID: when an order comes in, it looks for a visitor record with a matching email. This works well for logged-in customers. StoreMetrics injects a session token into the Shopify cart via cart attributes at the moment of add-to-cart, so the order carries the session ID through checkout regardless of whether the customer logs in. When no cart attribute is present, StoreMetrics falls back to email matching. The cart-attribute approach means StoreMetrics can attribute guest checkouts that do not share an email before purchase.
Live visitor feed
datafa.st is built primarily around revenue dashboards and source attribution. It does not have a live per-visitor feed showing each current session in real time. StoreMetrics shows every active visitor as a live row: their current page, referrer, device, country, and any revenue they have generated. This is the core difference in product philosophy: datafa.st is analytics you review, StoreMetrics is a live operational view you can watch.
Bot detection
StoreMetrics runs a multi-layer bot detection system: script-level fingerprinting, behavioral scoring for suspicious patterns (rapid pageviews, rotating IPs with identical fingerprints), and regular IP-range sweeps to retroactively convict bot traffic. This matters for Shopify stores because bot traffic inflates your session counts and corrupts conversion rate calculations. datafa.st uses standard bot filtering. Their public documentation does not describe a behavioral sweep mechanism.
Data retention and trial terms
When the datafa.st trial ends without payment, data collected during the trial is deleted after 7 days. The dashboard is also locked when you exceed your event quota. StoreMetrics does not delete data at trial expiry and does not stop collecting. Your data accumulates through the trial and into paid plans without interruption. If you start tracking in October and pay in November, you have October data. With datafa.st, if you do not pay before the trial deletion window, you lose the trial period.
Who datafa.st is best for
Builders and indie founders who want revenue attribution focused on Shopify, Stripe, and LemonSqueezy, and primarily care about source-level revenue dashboards rather than live visitor sessions. datafa.st is built by Marc Lou and is well-regarded in the indie maker community for its focus on revenue analytics.
Who StoreMetrics is best for
Store owners who want both live session visibility and revenue attribution in the same tool, need session-level stitching for guest checkouts, and want data to persist through trial expiry. StoreMetrics is the choice when the live feed matters as much as the revenue reports.
Frequently asked questions
Can I import data from datafa.st into StoreMetrics?
StoreMetrics has a datafa.st import feature. You can pull your historical data across so you do not start from zero when switching.
Does datafa.st support LemonSqueezy?
Yes. datafa.st supports LemonSqueezy as a revenue source. StoreMetrics currently supports Shopify and Stripe; LemonSqueezy attribution is not available in StoreMetrics today.
What does session-level attribution mean in practice?
When a visitor adds a product to their cart, StoreMetrics writes the current session ID into the Shopify cart as a cart attribute. When the order is placed, the session ID travels with the order data through Shopify's webhook. StoreMetrics reads it and links the order to exactly that session and referrer. This works even when the customer checks out as a guest with an email you have never seen before.
datafa.st locks the dashboard on overage. What does StoreMetrics do?
StoreMetrics does not lock the dashboard on overage. There is one plan at $19/mo with no event cap restrictions that would lock you out. Data keeps collecting and displaying.
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