Appcues vs. Pendo:
Which Is Better for Your Product Growth?
Appcues and Pendo overlap on in-app onboarding and guidance; Appcues is favored for fast, no-code engagement while Pendo excels in deeper analytics and orchestration—Userpilot combines powerful engagement, built-in analytics, and surveys with better usability and value across all three.
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Join 1,000+ companies that are Accelerating Product Growth with Userpilot
| Feature | Appcues | Pendo | Userpilot |
|---|---|---|---|
| User Engagement & Onboarding | Modals, slideouts, tooltips, hotspots; standalone checklists; Launchpads; CSS for advanced styling; real-time triggers on higher tiers. | Banners, lightboxes, tooltips, walkthroughs; checklists via Resource Center; prebuilt templates; journey orchestration (upper tiers). | Full no-code layer (modals, tooltips, slideouts, hotspots, banners, standalone checklists); behavior-based triggers; advanced targeting; resource center with search. |
| Product Analytics | Flow/checklist analytics, goals; manual event tagging for depth. | Robust analytics: retroactive capture, funnels, paths, cohorts, journeys, session replay, AI insights. | Built-in analytics: funnels, paths, trends, cohorts, retention, time-to-value; autocapture for clicks/forms/inputs; custom dashboards. |
| User Feedback | NPS + simple in-app forms; segment follow-ups. | NPS/CSAT/polls (in-app + email), feedback portal (Validate/Listen), AI insights. | 14+ survey templates (NPS, CSAT, CES, churn, feature feedback) with branching logic, targeting, and reporting. |
| Integrations | Segment, HubSpot, Salesforce, GA, Amplitude/Mixpanel, Zapier, Slack, etc. | Broad enterprise catalog; many connectors/add-on gated. | All core integrations included; bi-directional data flows for common PLG stacks. |
| Pricing | From $300/mo (1K MAU) Essentials; Growth/Enterprise scale with MAU. | Free up to 500 MAU (branded); paid tiers are quote-based with add-ons. | Transparent tiers with more included features; strong value at Growth+. |
| Reviews | Loved for ease of use; analytics seen as basic. | Praised for analytics depth; notes on complexity/add-on costs. | High G2 ratings (Leader/Momentum badges) and customer love — 'We replaced two tools, launched faster, and finally see end-to-end product impact in one place.' |
| Support | Docs, community, success (tiered). | Enterprise-grade support; add-on services. | Dedicated migration services, solution architecture, and hands-on onboarding available. |
Userpilot: A Better Alternative to Appcues and Pendo
Why teams pick Userpilot: it’s easier for product/CS/marketing to ship in-app experiences quickly, measure impact with built-in analytics (no extra tools), collect feedback with rich surveys, and support users with a searchable resource center—without piling on expensive add-ons or engineering time.
| Category | Userpilot | Appcues / Pendo |
|---|---|---|
| Analytics | Funnels, paths, cohorts, retention, trends, TTV; custom dashboards & filters. | Appcues: basic, flow-level analytics. Pendo: advanced analytics & journeys. |
| Event Tracking | Autocapture (clicks, inputs, form submits) + custom events. | Appcues: manual tagging. Pendo: feature tagging + retroactive capture. |
| Surveys | 14+ templates with branching logic & targeting (NPS, CSAT, CES, churn, feature). | Appcues: NPS + simple forms. Pendo: NPS/CSAT/polls + Validate/Listen. |
| Resource Center | Full hub with categories & search; add docs, videos, news, surveys. | Appcues: Launchpads (no search/external content). Pendo: RC modules; no global search. |
| Engagement | Comprehensive no-code UI patterns; behavior-triggered flows. | Both offer strong patterns; Pendo adds orchestration in top tier. |
| Session Replay | Native session recording & replay. | Appcues: not available. Pendo: available on higher tiers/add-ons. |
| Segmentation | Unlimited by attributes, behavior, lifecycle stage, events. | Appcues: limited on lower tiers; unlimited higher. Pendo: advanced segments. |
| Mobile | iOS/Android flows, carousels, push, mobile analytics. | Both support mobile guides/analytics; depth varies by tier. |
| Customization | Powerful no-code editor; optional CSS for polish. | Appcues: strong no-code + CSS. Pendo: deeper setup often required. |
| Pricing | More included per tier; lower TCO as you scale. | Appcues: starts at $300/mo (1K MAU). Pendo: opaque + add-ons. |
What Userpilot's Customers that Switched from Appcues or Pendo Say
Why teams pick Userpilot: it’s easier for product/CS/marketing to ship in-app experiences quickly, measure impact with built-in analytics (no extra tools), collect feedback with rich surveys, and support users with a searchable resource center—without piling on expensive add-ons or engineering time.
Bouwe Metz
Customer Journey Expert
1000+ Training Hours Saved with Userpilot
“Userpilot helps us reduce a lot of 1:1 onboarding calls. We never had such a high rate of trained people getting live on the first day.”
Leyre Iniguez
Customer Experience Lead
100% Built Without Developer Involvement
"Pendo was complicated to setup and maintain. Userpilot is easier to configure and to work with. I’m getting much more value.”
Moving from Appcues or Pendo?
Userpilot's Dedicated Migration Services
Our team handles the heavy lifting so you can switch without disruption
Streamline your transition to Userpilot:
- Like-for-like rebuilds of key flows, checklists, and surveys
- Event & segment mapping (including autocapture enablement)
- Analytics parity (dashboards, funnels, cohorts set up for you)
- Data & integration handover (HubSpot/Salesforce/Segment, etc.)
- Timeline-driven plan with QA, A/B validation, and rollout support
Appcues, Pendo, or a Better Alternative?
If you want a fast, no-code onboarding layer, Appcues works. If you need enterprise analytics and orchestration (and can manage complexity and add-ons), Pendo is strong. If you need the best balance of engagement, analytics, surveys, and usability—at a better price—choose Userpilot.