DynoWeb vs Smartlook
Read this one first: Smartlook is being retired. Its own site states End of Sale from 31 May 2026 — no new subscriptions — with renewals stopping 31 August 2026, support ending 31 August 2027, and the platform decommissioned on 30 September 2027, at which point remaining customer data is deleted. The product is folding into Splunk Observability Cloud, and existing subscriptions are not automatically transitioned. So this is not really a buying comparison. If you are on Smartlook, you are moving somewhere regardless; this page is about whether DynoWeb is the right landing spot for the storefront half.
What each product is actually for
DynoWeb
DynoWeb is conversion rate optimization built for one platform. It reads your storefront as a store — products, variants, cart, checkout, order value — and every insight it surfaces comes attached to a change you can preview and apply, with the revenue delta measured afterwards.
Smartlook
Smartlook's own line was 'combine session recordings with event-based analytics' — session recordings, event tracking, funnels, heatmaps, behavior flows and crash reports across 'your mobile app or website', with native app analytics as a first-class surface rather than an afterthought. That app coverage was its genuine strength, and it is the part DynoWeb does not replace. Smartlook is now in wind-down: no new plans since 31 May 2026, and full decommissioning on 30 September 2027.
DynoWeb and Smartlook, dimension by dimension
These are descriptions, not scores. Several rows below are places where Smartlook does something DynoWeb does not, and they are marked as such.
| Dimension | DynoWeb | Smartlook |
|---|---|---|
| What it is built for | DynoWebShopify conversion rate optimization | SmartlookSession analytics across apps and websites |
| Native mobile apps | DynoWebStorefront only | SmartlookFirst-class app recording and analytics |
| Crash reporting | DynoWebStorefront errors, not app crashes | SmartlookCrash reports tied to recordings |
| Analytics model | DynoWebCommerce events, prebuilt for a store | SmartlookEvents you define, then funnel on |
| Commerce data model | DynoWebProducts, variants, cart, checkout, order value | SmartlookGeneric events and funnels |
| Heatmaps | DynoWebClick, scroll and rage-click, per template | SmartlookClick and scroll overview |
| From insight to change | DynoWebSuggested fix you preview and apply | SmartlookYou take findings to your own workflow |
| Revenue attribution | DynoWebBefore-and-after delta per applied change | SmartlookFunnel conversion, not per-change attribution |
| Setup for a store | DynoWebShopify app install, commerce events ready | SmartlookInstall, then define the events that matter |
| Typical owner | DynoWebStore owner or ecommerce lead | SmartlookProduct or engineering team |
This comparison reflects each product's publicly stated positioning and our own reading of it. Products change, plans change, and vendors ship. Check each vendor's own site before you decide, and treat anything here that contradicts them as out of date rather than authoritative.
Last reviewed .
Who each tool is genuinely best for
Smartlook is the better choice for a real set of teams. If you are one of them, we would rather you knew now than after a trial.
Choose DynoWeb if
- Merchants whose storefront is the business, not one surface of several
- Stores that want commerce events prebuilt rather than defined by hand
- Teams that need each change tied back to revenue
- Anyone who wants the fix applied, not a recording to interpret
Choose Smartlook if
- Existing Smartlook customers, for as long as support runs — there is no way to start now
- Teams whose native mobile app is the priority: DynoWeb does not cover apps at all, so Splunk's Digital Experience Analytics or another app-capable tool is the honest destination
- Anyone who needs crash reporting alongside behaviour, which DynoWeb does not do
Moving off Smartlook
The deadline is real and worth putting in a calendar: support ends 31 August 2027 and the platform is decommissioned on 30 September 2027, with remaining data deleted. Export anything you need before then. Splunk is the vendor's own successor path, but subscriptions do not carry over automatically, so nobody gets migrated by default. If your storefront is the part that matters, DynoWeb covers it; if a native app is in scope, it does not, and you should not pick it for that.
- Export the recordings, funnels and event data you actually rely on. After 30 September 2027 it is gone.
- Split your needs in two: storefront behaviour, and everything else (native app, crash reporting).
- For the storefront half, install DynoWeb from the Shopify App Store and give it a full traffic cycle.
- For a native app or crash reporting, look at Splunk's Digital Experience Analytics or another app-capable tool — DynoWeb has nothing to offer there and would be the wrong choice.
- Do not leave this to 2027. Running the replacement alongside Smartlook while it still works is how you find the gaps cheaply.
DynoWeb vs Smartlook, answered
Is Smartlook shutting down?
Yes. Smartlook's own site states End of Sale from 31 May 2026, with no new subscriptions sold; renewals and expansions stop 31 August 2026; support ends 31 August 2027; and the platform is decommissioned on 30 September 2027, when remaining customer data is deleted. It is being folded into Splunk Observability Cloud.
Can I still sign up for Smartlook?
No. New paid plans stopped being sold on 31 May 2026. If you are comparing tools to buy today, Smartlook is not an option and any comparison presenting it as one is out of date.
Will my Smartlook subscription move to Splunk automatically?
No. Smartlook states that existing subscriptions are not automatically transitioned to the Splunk product. Migrating is something you have to arrange, which is why it is worth deciding on a destination well before the 2027 dates rather than after.
Is DynoWeb a good replacement for Smartlook?
For the storefront half, yes — replay, heatmaps and funnels with a commerce data model on top. For the native mobile app and crash reporting Smartlook covered, no. DynoWeb does not touch apps at all, so if that was why you used Smartlook, look at Splunk's Digital Experience Analytics or another app-capable tool instead.
The parts of DynoWeb this comparison touches
Stop guessing. Fix it and see the money.
Install DynoWeb, run it alongside whatever you have now, and compare the two on your own storefront rather than on a table.