Product onboarding is one of the most powerful growth levers a product team can have control over, yet most onboarding tools don’t _actually_ give you much control at all. Oh, the irony. Many companies spend significant time and money to build growth platforms from scratch in house, but that’s not feasible for every team. Along with my team, I have gone through _hundreds_ of product flows to analyze them for best practices. And in the process of building Frigade, while helping hundreds of teams implement, analyze, and iterate on their own onboarding flows, we’ve tried just about every tool out there. So yes, I have strong opinions about product onboarding software, including which ones are the best. Here’s what I’ll cover today: - Where other “best product onboarding software” lists fall short - How I evaluated this group of tools - Code-based tools for building product onboarding - No-code product onboarding software (aka, digital adoption platforms) - Emerging in-app product assistance tools - Common questions that I get about product onboarding tools ## The problem with other typical “best product onboarding software” lists It’s incredibly challenging to find unbiased reviews of these types of tools because most of the search results are filled with affiliate links. **But not this list.** My goal is to give you a no-BS, practical comparison of the best onboarding tools available today, not affiliate links. We received $0 dollars for any links or reviews of the tools below, and I’m not attempting to hard-sell you on anything. But I do mention Frigade, a platform we created ourselves. Although for good reason, which I’ll get to later. (And I wouldn’t be a good CTO if I _didn’t_ mention Frigade in this list.) Before you dig in, here’s what we considered during our evaluation. ## How my team and I evaluated these product onboarding tools Below, I’ve separated each tool by type of product onboarding software: code-based and no-code. Each tool was evaluated using four main criteria listed in the chart below. I included some questions about each of the evaluation criteria that I have for each tool. | Category | Considerations | |-----------------------|----------------| | **Flexibility** |

Can developers customize the experience to match your product’s UI, logic, and user segmentation needs?
Can PMs and non-technical teams (like product marketing or UX copywriters) contribute without friction?
Can designers ensure it doesn’t feel like a bolt-on experience?

| | **Control** |

Can your team use SDKs or APIs to manage targeting, logic, and flow state behind the scenes?
Can you version onboarding flows and release updates without disrupting user experience?
Can you self-host for security reasons?

| | **Performance Tracking** |

Can you measure what’s working and what’s not?
Does the tool offer meaningful analytics or just vanity metrics?
Can it plug into your data stack, product analytics platform, or event tracking system?

| | **Business Impact** |

How long does it take to implement or update onboarding flows?
Does the tool reduce or increase dev and design burden over time?
Does it help your team activate more users, faster?

| But here’s the thing: We don’t half-ass anything around here on our team, so this guide is incredibly comprehensive… which means it’s long and contains a lot of information. I promise you it’s _good_ information that you can use to make an excellent decision for you and your team, but if you need to skip around, use the table of contents on the righthand side. ## AI-native onboarding ### The Frigade Assistant I’ll mention the one we built first. **[The Frigade Assistant](https://frigade.com)** is an AI agent that learns your product and helps users in two complementary modes: - **On demand.** A user asks "how do I do X" and the Assistant walks them through it, fills forms on their behalf, and escalates to support with full context if needed. - **Proactive (Frigade Suggestions).** The Assistant also delivers AI-driven tours and contextual nudges on its own, personalized per user. Think of it as a tour that is dynamically generated for each individual based on what they are actually trying to do, not a static one authored once and shown to everyone. It adapts on two axes that flow-builder DAPs cannot: - **Adapts to the product.** When you ship a UX change, the Assistant re-learns the new flow on its own. Authored tours rot the moment your product evolves; the Assistant updates itself. - **Adapts to the user.** Each user gets guidance tailored to what they are trying to do right now, based on their behavior and intent. No more "every user sees the same generic checklist." This is the architecture difference that matters. Pendo, Userpilot, Chameleon, and Whatfix all give you a dashboard for authoring static onboarding flows that you have to keep updating forever. The Assistant is autonomous: maintenance burden goes to zero, and the experience gets *better* as your product evolves rather than worse. Used in production by SaaS teams who want autonomous in-product guidance instead of a maintenance-heavy library of authored flows. - **Code or no-code?** Connect once, no flows to author. The Assistant learns the product autonomously. - **Price/cost:** See [Frigade’s pricing](https://frigade.com/pricing) for current Engage and Assistant plans. - **Best for:** Product, support, and growth teams who are tired of authoring tours that go stale. Teams trying to deflect support tickets. Teams who want to give every user a personalized path through the product without authoring it by hand. What the Assistant gives you, in plain terms: - A user can ask "how do I do X" and the Assistant walks them through it, filling forms and clicking buttons on their behalf. - The Assistant proactively surfaces Frigade Suggestions and AI tours, personalized per user and timed to the right moment, so the user does not have to think to ask. - The Assistant detects when a user is friction-ing on a specific step and intervenes inline before they file a ticket. - When the Assistant cannot resolve something, it escalates to your support stack (Zendesk, Intercom) with the full context attached. - It adapts as the product changes. There is no flow library to keep updating. | Evaluation Criteria | Considerations | |-----------------------|----------------| | **Flexibility** | ✅ Adapts to any product workflow without authored configuration
✅ Per-user personalization based on behavior and intent
✅ Adapts automatically as the product evolves | | **Control** | ✅ Self-hostable
✅ White-label / theming so it feels native
✅ Audit trail of agent actions for compliance | | **Performance Tracking** | ✅ Surfaces friction points in real time
✅ Integrates with your analytics stack (Segment, Mixpanel, etc.)
✅ Tracks intents, completions, escalations | | **Business Impact** | ✅ Zero flow-maintenance burden compared to flow-builder DAPs
✅ Replaces a chunk of authored support hours with autonomous resolution
✅ Adapts as the product changes, so guidance does not rot | If you also need authored surfaces for the small set of cases where they make sense (a billing banner, a one-time launch announcement), Frigade ships a code-first React component library you can use alongside the Assistant. But for the bulk of "help users get value from the product," the Assistant is the headline. ## Code-based ### Chameleon Chameleon.io is what I’d considered a low-code product onboarding software platform, and not a fully code-based flexible solution. It offers product tours, tooltips, surveys, and launchers, and allows your team to guide users without extensive engineering effort. ![chameleon dashboard for users.png](/uploads/chameleon_dashboard_for_users_3f02756fed.png) - **Code or no-code?** Low-code. - **Price/cost:** Chameleon's pricing is based on Monthly Tracked Users (MTUs) and starts at $279 per month. For fuller features (like A/B testing), you likely will spend $18K a year. Check [Chameleon’s pricing page](https://www.chameleon.io/plans) for the most current info. - **Best for:** Mid-sized to large companies who want to improve adoption with in-app experiences. While some public product reviews note “there is limited control over the UI” and “setting up segments is very difficult,” Chameleon has [4.4 out of 5 stars via G2](https://www.g2.com/products/chameleon/reviews#reviews) and [4.5 out of 5 stars with Product Hunt.](https://www.producthunt.com/products/chameleon/reviews) ![Chameleon product review.png](/uploads/Chameleon_product_review_f5fe7b76d5.png) Based on my own product onboarding software criteria, here’s Chameleon’s scorecard: | Evaluation Criteria | Considerations | |-----------------------|----------------| | **Flexibility** | ✅ Devs can lightly customize to align with the product's UI
✅ Non-tech teams can create and manage in-app experiences
❌ Full customization not possible; some elements seem non-native | | **Control** | ✅ Offers control over styling and layout, including custom CSS
✅ Versioning of flows to update without disrupting user experience
❌ Does not support self-hosting | | **Performance Tracking** | ✅ Includes analytics of in-app experiences
✅ Integrates with analytics platforms
❌ Issues with integrations, like Mixpanel, Hubspot | | **Business Impact** | ✅ Efficient implementation time due to low-code
✅ Reports of significantly reduced support tickets ([source](https://www.chameleon.io/use-cases/reduce-support-tickets))
❌ Requires dev support but doesn’t offer flexible customization of other code-based platforms | ### Open-source Libraries: Reactour and React Joyride It would be a miss on my part, especially in the code-based product onboarding software portion of this list, if I didn’t mention a few open-source libraries. Both [Reactour](https://github.com/elrumordelaluz/reactour) and [React Joyride ](https://github.com/gilbarbara/react-joyride)are open-source, code-based libraries designed to help you create guided tours and walkthroughs within React applications. - **Code or no-code?** It’s code-based and requires heavy dev support. - **Price/Cost:** Free and open-source under the MIT license. - **Best for:** Teams looking for a fully customizable and dev-friendly solution for product tours within React applications. Both Reactour and React Joyride are strong options in a few ways: As open-source libraries, they allow for extensive customization options, including the ability to tailor the appearance and behavior of tours to match the application's design. And for me, that’s paramount. Both libraries are also actively maintained, so I’m willing to recommend them. There are a few cons, though, including the fact that going this route means your team will rely on heavy internal dev maintenance. Plus, they offer less guidance and support than an out-of-the-box option. And as one [Redditor](https://www.reddit.com/r/reactjs/comments/vyftdx/library_that_highlights_different_buttons_and/) mentioned regarding Reactour, “It worked well but the API to use it is a bit cumbersome—felt like a weird mix of class-based and FP.” While one [React Joyride user on Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/react/comments/1jwrmaa/react_joyride_made_my_app_more_fun_and_kept_users/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) shared it increased their user engagement time. This is to be expected, as going from zero onboarding flows to any is always a smart idea. Here’s my scorecard for open-source library options like Reactour and React Joyride: | Evaluation Criteria | Considerations | |-----------------------|----------------| | **Flexibility** | ✅ Devs can customize tours to align with the product's UI
✅ Designers can ensure the onboarding elements integrate with existing design
❌ Non-technical teams will require dev assistance and iterations on copy require dev support | | **Control** | ✅ Full control over styles and layout via your design system
❌ No hosted platform; Requires custom backend
❌ Built-in version control to safely launch updates | | **Performance Tracking** | ❌ Native analytics in the dashboard
❌ Offers custom event tracking
❌ Tracks completions, conversions, step-level performance | | **Business Impact** | ✅ Implementation time is relatively short for teams familiar with React with reusable components.
❌ Low long-term dev maintenance compared to fully building in-house
❌ Non-tech teams can manage copy or targeting via the dashboard | ## No-code digital adoption platforms Ready to tackle the best tools for product onboarding that don’t require any code? **First, I need to be honest with you:** I’m biased in that I believe code-based tools are the way to go. However, I’ve used no-code tools in the past myself, and there are some instances where it might be the best fit for a particular team or product. I’m covering the following six tools, in no certain order: - UserGuiding - Whatfix - Userpilot - Pendo - Appcues - Userflow Also, keep in mind this class of tools are digital adoption platforms which can be used to develop product onboarding flows, but specific product onboarding software tools do exist and can better serve that use case. (You know, like [Frigade.](https://frigade.com/) Hint, hint.) ### UserGuiding It’s likely you’ve heard of UserGuiding before, and perhaps you’ve even checked it out yourself. It’s a popular one. It’s a digital adoption platform built for product teams who want to ship onboarding flows fast without touching code. This platform is a popular choice for teams looking to launch onboarding quickly without relying on engineering. ![Userguiding platform image.png](/uploads/Userguiding_platform_image_2de4e387f9.png) - **Code or No Code?** No-code - **Price/Cost:** Plans are based on the number of MAUs. Starter plans begin at $174 month for up to 2,000 MAUs. However, check the pricing page for the most current information. - **Best for:** Startups and small to mid-sized businesses that needs a solution that requires no developer involvement. Overall, fans of UserGuiding find it easy to use and affordable. It also includes a fairly comprehensive feature set to encourage product adoption. But the customization is limited. It sits on top of your product interface, so it can feel disjointed or annoying to users. And it doesn’t support native mobile apps. ProductHunt reviewers give the platform [4.5/5 stars,](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1za3KSXOKD80INqDJjVGTCr4IkcXhRLk3/view?usp=drive_link) while G2 reviews come in at [4.7/5 stars,](https://www.g2.com/products/userguiding/reviews#reviews) but some reviewers caution the product isn’t as practical as it seems and they have to rely on manual workarounds on occasion. ![UserGuiding Product Hunt reviews.png](/uploads/User_Guiding_Product_Hunt_reviews_88f55dbd09.png) | Evaluation Criteria | Considerations | |-----------------------|----------------| | **Flexibility** | ❌ Developers can fully customize the experience
❌ Design feels seamless and natural inside the app, not like an overlay
✅ Not tied to specific coding frameworks and requires little dev support | | **Control** | ❌ Supports optional self-hosting in your own secure cloud or data center
❌ Full control over styles and layout via your design system (although available on higher tiered plans)
❌ Built-in version control to safely launch updates | | **Performance Tracking** | ✅ Includes built-in analytics in the dashboard
✅ Supports integration with analytics platforms for performance tracking
⚠️ Advanced funnel tracking might require other tools | | **Business Impact** | ✅ Low long-term dev maintenance compared to fully building in-house; fast to implement
✅ Non-tech teams can manage copy or targeting
✅ Enhances user activation and retention through onboarding experiences | ### Whatfix Whatfix is a digital adoption and product onboarding platform that is positioned to serve enterprise-level organizations. ![whatfix UI platform.png](/uploads/whatfix_UI_platform_c63500c6b8.png) It does your standard in-app guidance and self-help resources for users, while equipping your team to create interactive walkthroughs, tooltips, and task lists without coding. And it offers a robust analytics dashboard. - **Code or No Code?** Primarily no-code, with options for custom code to extend functionality. - **Price/Cost:** Whatfix [pricing estimates](https://whatfix.com/pricing/) are gated by a demo. And to be honest, the pricing page is a bit unclear. However, [Vendr](https://www.vendr.com/marketplace/whatfix) estimates an average annual cost of $23,750. - **Best For:** Overall, in my opinion, Whatfix might be a good choice for mid to large enterprise orgs that need a low-code to no-code solution for both employee and customer onboarding across software ecosystems. As far as how users feel about Whatfix, ProductHunt reviewers give [5/5 stars](https://www.producthunt.com/products/whatfix/reviews) and G2 reviews come in at [4.6/5 stars.](https://www.g2.com/products/whatfix/reviews#reviews) ![Whatfix producthunt reviews.png](/uploads/Whatfix_producthunt_reviews_c3b9529765.png) One of Whatfix’s biggest strengths is the analytics platform and that it’s compatible across web, desktop, and mobile applications. But it has its limitations. Some folks report some trouble with [ease of customization](https://www.infotech.com/software-reviews/products/whatfix) and that the integrations [can be buggy.](https://www.g2.com/products/whatfix/reviews/whatfix-review-9968775) And despite Whatfix being in the no-code family of product onboarding software and adoption tools, [one G2 reviewer](https://www.g2.com/products/whatfix/reviews/whatfix-review-4197957) explains “the tool itself is challenging for the less technical people to use, as you need to know the CSS classes to show flows and steps.” | Evaluation Criteria | Considerations | |-----------------------|----------------| | **Flexibility** | ❌ Developers can fully customize the experience
✅ Designers can ensure the onboarding elements align with the existing design
✅ Not tied to specific coding frameworks and requires little dev support | | **Control** | ❌ Supports optional self-hosting in your own secure cloud or data center
❌ Full control over styles and layout via your design system (although available on higher tiered plans)
❌ Built-in version control to safely launch updates | | **Performance Tracking** | ✅ Includes built-in analytics in the dashboard
✅ Supports integration with analytics platforms for performance tracking
⚠️ Advanced funnel tracking might require other tools | | **Business Impact** | ✅ Low long-term dev maintenance compared to fully building in-house; fast to implement
✅ Non-tech teams can manage copy or targeting
✅ Enhances user activation and retention through onboarding experiences | ### UserPilot If you’ve been in the product world for any length of time, it’s likely you’ve heard of UserPilot. ![userpilot interface.png](/uploads/userpilot_interface_c5eca4825b.png) Similar to UserGuiding, it enables product teams to create interactive walkthroughs, tooltips, checklists, and surveys without relying on engineering resources. - **Code or no-code?** No-code - **Price/cost:** Plans start at $249/month for up to 2,000 monthly active users (MAUs). The growth plan starts at $799/month and includes additional features like product analytics and in-app surveys. But check the [pricing page](https://userpilot.com/pricing/) to see current costs. - **Best for:** Small to mid-size SaaS companies that need a no-code option for user onboarding, analytics, and feedback. Overall, ProductHunt reviewers give it a [4.8/5 stars,](https://www.producthunt.com/products/userpilot-analytics/reviews) while G2 reviewers give it [4.6/5 stars.](https://www.g2.com/products/userpilot/reviews#reviews) ![Userpilot producthunt reviews.png](/uploads/Userpilot_producthunt_reviews_779f69e739.png) Userpilot is strong in offering onboarding flows, product analytics, session replays, and user feedback tools in _one_ platform that doesn’t require extensive engineering support. However, some users report that certain features, like event tracking filters, can be confusing and may require time to master. And customization options are limited, especially for the price point. As Heather F. pointed out in [her G2 review,](https://www.g2.com/products/userpilot/reviews/userpilot-review-10923423) “I wish [it had] more customization options to better align with our brand's design system.” But lack of customization is to be expected with no-code tools, unfortunately. | Evaluation Criteria | Considerations | |-----------------------|----------------| | **Flexibility** | ❌ Developers can fully customize the experience
❌ Design feels seamless and natural inside the app, not like an overlay
✅ Not tied to specific coding frameworks and requires little dev support | | **Control** | ❌ Supports optional self-hosting in your own secure cloud or data center
❌ Full control over styles and layout via your design system (although available on higher tiered plans)
❌ Built-in version control to safely launch updates | | **Performance Tracking** | ✅ Includes built-in analytics in the dashboard
✅ Supports integration with analytics platforms for performance tracking
⚠️ Advanced funnel tracking might require other tools | | **Business Impact** | ✅ Low long-term dev maintenance compared to fully building in-house; fast to implement
✅ Non-tech teams can manage copy or targeting
✅ Enhances user activation and retention through onboarding experiences | ### Pendo Another classic of the product world, Pendo is a platform that combines in-app guidance, user feedback, and product analytics to help with product adoption. ![Pendo User Platform.png](/uploads/Pendo_User_Platform_659733edfb.png) - **Code or no-code?** Primarily no-code, with options for custom code to extend functionality. - **Price/cost:** Unfortunately, Pendo’s pricing isn’t shared publicly. But as Reddit rumors would have it, even their starter plan pricing can be prohibitive for smaller orgs, with one user noting their plan was increasing from [$7K to $35K](https://www.reddit.com/r/UXDesign/comments/1agxrvz/alternatives_to_pendo/) per year. - Best for: Mid-sized to large enterprises seeking a no-code all-in-one for user onboarding, product analytics, and user feedback across larger software ecosystems. Some users report that the platform can be complex to set up, requires time to master advanced features, and still requires technical expertise when you need more customization. Which isn’t exactly ideal in a product onboarding software application… especially one that you likely chose for less internal maintenance. As Sam B. put it in his review, “I have a love/hate relationship with Pendo. It's neither an analytics tool nor a walkthrough tool, it's a hybrid. That's a cool idea in theory and I really like it, but it makes everything significantly more expensive out of the gate.” G2 reviewers score Pendo at[ 4.4/5 stars,](https://www.g2.com/products/pendo-io-pendo/reviews#reviews) while ProductHunt reviews give the platform [4.9/5 stars,](https://www.producthunt.com/products/pendo-platform/reviews) which is unusual as many of the Pendo ProductHunt reviews available did not provide a star rating at all. ![Pendo ProductHunt reviews.png](/uploads/Pendo_Product_Hunt_reviews_c84b632672.png) Here’s the thing: Pendo has been strong for years in offering robust product analytics, and that’s why it’s well-known. It also offers support for both mobile and desktop applications and doesn’t require much engineering support. However, there are plenty of Pendo alternatives now that offer more inclusive pricing or better experiences overall. | Evaluation Criteria | Considerations | |-----------------------|----------------| | **Flexibility** | ❌ Developers can fully customize the experience (but some customization is possible on higher tiered plans)
❌ Design feels seamless and natural inside the app, not like an overlay
✅ Not tied to specific coding frameworks and can require little dev support, based on use case | | **Control** | ❌ Supports optional self-hosting in your own secure cloud or data center
❌ Full control over styles and layout via your design system (although available on higher tiered plans)
❌ Built-in version control to safely launch updates | | **Performance Tracking** | ✅ Includes built-in analytics in the dashboard
✅ Supports integration with analytics platforms for performance tracking
⚠️ Advanced funnel tracking might require other tools, but basic tracking is offered | | **Business Impact** | ✅ Lower long-term dev maintenance compared to fully building in-house; fast to implement
⚠️ Non-tech teams can manage copy or targeting; but users complain about complexity
✅ Enhances user activation and retention through onboarding experiences | ### Appcues While users often stick with Pendo for the robust product analytics, [Appcues](https://www.appcues.com/home) is all about no-code onboarding flows, modals, and checklists that you can implement quickly. ![appcues user platform internal.png](/uploads/appcues_user_platform_internal_c62c9ddbd6.png) - **Code or no-code?** No-code. - **Price/cost:** The starter plan begins at $300 per month for up to 1,000 MAUs. If you want access to premium integrations and support, you’ll start at $750 per month for up to 1,000 MAUs. - **Best for:** SaaS companies seeking a no-code solution for user onboarding and feedback and a clean, simple UI. Most reviews note Appcues offers a fairly intuitive interface, allowing product teams to create and manage in-app experiences without coding. However, customization is limited. And one [G2 reviewer](https://www.g2.com/products/appcues/reviews/appcues-review-9093675) notes that Appcues “doesn't always work great, and we have to get creative to update flows and information to customers,” while Eirik F. on [ProductHunt](https://www.producthunt.com/products/appcues/reviews?rating=4) says it’s “a bit messy for simple usage.” which takes a bit of the ease out of the tool, for sure. Overall, reviewers on ProductHunt note [4.8/5 stars,](https://www.producthunt.com/products/appcues/reviews) while G2 reviews show [4.6/5 stars.](https://www.g2.com/products/appcues/reviews#reviews) ![appcues platformhunt reviews.png](/uploads/appcues_platformhunt_reviews_4b9efe60c4.png) Here’s how Appcues scores, based on my own criteria: | Evaluation Criteria | Considerations | |-----------------------|----------------| | **Flexibility** | ❌ Developers can fully customize the experience (but some customization is possible on higher tiered plans)
❌ Design feels seamless and natural inside the app, not like an overlay
✅ Not tied to specific coding frameworks and can require little dev support, based on use case | | **Control** | ❌ Supports optional self-hosting in your own secure cloud or data center
❌ Full control over styles and layout via your design system (although CSS customization on higher tiered plans)
❌ Built-in version control to safely launch updates | | **Performance Tracking** | ✅ Includes built-in analytics in the dashboard
✅ Supports integration with analytics platforms for performance tracking
⚠️ Advanced funnel tracking might require other tools, but basic tracking is offered | | **Business Impact** | ✅ Lower long-term dev maintenance compared to fully building in-house; fast to implement
✅ Non-tech teams can manage copy or targeting; users like the interface
✅ Enhances user activation and retention through onboarding experiences | ### UserFlow UserFlow is another option that’s similar to Appcues in that it has a clean, straightforward interface that feels user friendly. ![userflow platform interface.png](/uploads/userflow_platform_interface_2f9d26aaa8.png) - **Code or no-code?** No-code - **Price/cost:** One of the more price-friendly options, when billed annually, UserFlow’s basic plan starts at $240/month for up to 3,000 MAUs and $650/month for up to 10,000 MAUs and more advanced features and integrations. But check the [pricing page](https://www.userflow.com/pricing) for the most current information. - **Best for:** Similar to Appcues, UserFlow might be a good fit for SaaS companies seeking a no-code solution for user onboarding and feedback and a clean, simple UI and good integration options. Some of the stand-out strengths for UserFlow include a kanban-style builder that allows non-technical users to create and manage onboarding flows. It also offers access to a solid amount of integrations for the price point. However, people love Userflow, and the reviews say as much. G2 reviews show [4.8/5 stars,](https://www.g2.com/products/userflow/reviews#reviews) while ProductHunt gives a [5/5 star rating.](https://www.producthunt.com/products/userflow-2/reviews) But, again, these no-code options are limited in their customization abilities. UserFlow might offer a few more customizations than most, but it’s still not going to feel native to your product, as it sits on top of your platform. Juanita S. shared on G2 that “When creating flows, there are only 3 ways to personalize the experience: tool tip, bubble, and message. I want to find other ways to activate flows.” Since that review UserFlow has offered more features, but there are still reviews noting the need for increased product analytic capabilities. Here’s how they stack up overall: | Evaluation Criteria | Considerations | |-----------------------|----------------| | **Flexibility** | ❌ Developers can fully customize the experience (but some customization is possible with CSS)
❌ Design feels seamless and natural inside the app, not like an overlay
✅ Not tied to specific coding frameworks and can require little dev support, based on use case | | **Control** | ❌ Supports optional self-hosting in your own secure cloud or data center
❌ Full control over styles and layout via your design system (although CSS customization on higher tiered plans)
❌ Built-in version control to safely launch updates | | **Performance Tracking** | ⚠️ Includes built-in lightweight analytics, with reviews noting a weak spot
✅ Supports integration with analytics platforms for performance tracking
⚠️ Advanced funnel tracking requires other tools | | **Business Impact** | ✅ Lower long-term dev maintenance compared to fully building in-house; fast to implement
✅ Non-tech teams can manage copy or targeting; users like the interface
✅ Enhances user activation and retention through onboarding experiences | ## Emerging in-app product assistance tools If you made it this far in this guide, congratulations, you win the prize. 🏆 And your prize? A quick snapshot of the category that is quietly replacing the flow-builder DAPs we covered above: in-app AI agents. The flow-builder generation (Pendo, Userpilot, Chameleon, Whatfix) is fundamentally about *static* onboarding that someone on your team has to keep authoring and maintaining as the product evolves. AI agents are a different shape entirely. They learn your product autonomously and adapt to each individual user, so the experience gets better as your product changes instead of staling. A few worth keeping an eye on: - [the Frigade Assistant](https://frigade.com): My team and I built this one. It learns your product landscape and guides each user through whatever they are trying to do, in real time, with no authored flows to maintain. Adapts to product changes automatically and tailors guidance per user. - [Intercom’s AI agent:](https://www.intercom.com/drlp/ai-agent) Fin is Intercom’s AI agent, focused on frontline support deflection rather than in-product workflow guidance. - [Command.ai:](https://www.command.ai/) AI-guided nudges and support inside your product. The pattern across all of these is the same: the system learns the product instead of waiting for your team to author another tour. That is the meaningful architectural shift. ## Common questions about product onboarding tools If you're new to shopping around for product onboarding software, you might have some more questions after initially scanning this list. When I meet with other SMB leaders, here are some of the most frequently asked questions re: product onboarding tools: - What is the best onboarding software? - What does user onboarding software do? - What types of orgs need or benefit from product onboarding tools? - What are the pros of investing in user onboarding software? ### What’s the best onboarding software? The best product onboarding software isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s the one that helps your team actually reduce churn and deliver real-time value to new users without a mountain of custom code… but with the control and flexibility of code. But whether you go no-code or code-based, a top user onboarding software solution should offer you flexible templates, in-app messages, and onboarding checklists so you can build personalized onboarding experiences faster than your product manager or CTO can say MVP. Overall, the best user onboarding tools let you automate onboarding steps, segment users based on behavior, and trigger relevant pop-ups, notifications, or even SMS nudges _without_ bugging your devs every 5 minutes. They shouldn’t feel clunky, unnatural, or disjointed on top of your product. And they shouldn’t feel clunky or unnatural to your engineering and dev, design, or product marketing teams either. ### What does user onboarding software do? User onboarding software helps you welcome new users like a pro, minus the extra calendar time from your sales or support team. Product onboarding software guides your clients through their onboarding journey with step-by-step tutorials and interactives that respond to user behavior. Think of it as a GPS for your software, showing new customers exactly where to go and what to do next to get the most out of a software product. And if your user loses their way? That GPS system should naturally guide them back. A good onboarding tool should do more than show a few pop-ups. It should automate workflows, trigger smart in-app messages, and provide the analytics needed to help your team iterate. ### What types of orgs need or benefit from product onboarding tools? If your product has users, you probably need product onboarding tools. But if we’re getting specific: SaaS companies, especially those offering free plans, self-serve onboarding, or are low on internal team support, benefit the most. Buried tickets from support teams? Onboarding software helps you help users faster. Plus, if you and your product manager have goals to increase time to value and new feature adoption, all while reducing churn, proper onboarding flows aren’t just an added benefit… **they’re essential.** Releasing new features often? Onboarding checklists and in-app messages allow your team to highlight what’s new _without_ relying on a customer success team to hold everyone’s hand or unread product announcement notifications clogging up your users’ inbox. ### What are the pros of investing in user onboarding software? The benefits? Where do I even start? Here’s the quick version: - **Reduce churn:** Help new users reach that “aha” moment before they ghost you. - **Streamline the onboarding process:** Use templates, automation, and personalized content to accelerate time to value. - **Boost customer engagement:** Leverage tutorials, onboarding checklists, and in-app messages to keep users moving. - **Enable self-service:** From knowledge base links to interactive widgets, make it easy for users to find value and adopt features faster. - **Improve customer success outcomes:** Support teams can focus on escalations, not hand-holding every onboarding step. - **Drive feature adoption:** Highlight new features in real-time with contextual nudges. - **Better analytics:** Use heatmaps, user behavior tracking, and drop off metrics to optimize your onboarding journey. Interested in seeing how an AI agent that adapts to your product (instead of an authored flow you have to maintain) works in practice? [Book a Frigade demo](https://frigade.com/).

Pendo vs Userpilot vs Frigade: three generations of the same job