Frequently asked questions
Consent and privacy
Does Whence record visitors who decline cookies?
No. By default, a visitor who declines is never recorded, their contact details are never read, and nothing about them is sent to your ad platforms. The only exception is a setting you turn on yourself, Record even when a visitor declines, and even then nothing is sent to your ad platforms without marketing consent. On Shopify, Whence reads Shopify’s cookie banner and any consent app connected to it; elsewhere, Google Consent Mode, Cookiebot and OneTrust. See Which banner.
Why does Whence show fewer visits than my store analytics?
Mostly because of consent: visitors who decline are not recorded. Your own excluded visits, “Do Not Track” browsers and pages you chose to leave alone also do not count. See No visits recorded.
Does Whence see what visitors type?
Not in recordings. Whatever visitors type is hidden in their browser before anything is sent, and this cannot be turned off. Separately, if you turn on Link visits to the people behind them, Whence keeps the email, phone number and name a visitor types in a form after they allow statistics. Passwords and card numbers are never read. See Identity capture.
Where is my data stored?
The database runs in Frankfurt, Germany, and recordings are stored by Cloudflare in a bucket restricted to the European Union. Whence does not sell visitor data and does not combine data from different stores. Full details are in the privacy notice .
Tracking
Do ad blockers stop Whence?
Much less than a third-party tool. On Shopify, the tracker and everything it sends go through your store’s own domain, at /apps/whence, so blockers do not cut it the way they cut a third-party address. See First-party tracking.
Does Safari forget returning visitors?
Safari forgets a visitor after 7 days unless your store’s own server sets the identifier. On Shopify, Whence uses the identifier Shopify’s servers set, so returning visitors are still recognized. The Install screen shows “Visitors recognized over 7 days”.
Do I need Shopify?
No. Whence also installs on WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Webflow, Squarespace, Wix, Magento, through Google Tag Manager or Segment, or on any site with a code block. One difference: outside Shopify, purchases reach your ad platforms through the browser pixel only. See Install guides.
What counts as a visit?
One visit by one person. If they come back tomorrow, that is a second visit. Pages within a visit do not count extra.
Plans
Is there a free trial?
Yes: one month free on every account, with Connect unlocked and no card. If you have not picked a paid plan by the end, the account moves to the Free plan by itself and nothing is deleted. See When the free month ends.
Is there a free plan?
Yes: 500 visits a month, 30 days of history, 1 store, 1 person. It includes replay, sources and failure signals, with no AI and no ad platform connections.
How much do paid plans cost?
From $29 a month for See at 5,000 visits. Yearly billing saves 20 percent. See Plans and prices.
What happens if I go over my visits?
You get a warning at 80 percent. At 100 percent, recording pauses until the 1st, or until you move up a plan. You are never billed for extra visits.
Do I pay per team member?
No. Each plan includes a number of people: 3 on See, 10 on Connect, 50 on Decide. See Roles.
Languages
Which languages does Whence speak?
The app, the Shopify app, emails and the help center are in English, French, Spanish, Italian and German. Each person picks their own language in the account menu, under Language. See Languages.
Still have a question?
Write to contact@usewhence.com. See Contact support.