As there are many product tour software out there, it’s such a difficult job to know what works for you.

So, what should you look for in your search, and which tools should make the cut?

This guide thoroughly explores all these, as well as the best product tour software for different budgetary needs and product management goals.

Product tour software comparison: From startups to enterprise solutions

The best product tour software for mid-market and enterprise businesses should offer advanced features (such as tour analytics, triggering options, and in-app surveys for user feedback collection).

They should also be easily scalable for a growing user base, integrate easily with existing marketing, CRM, and analytics tools, and effectively handle intricate workflows and dynamic processes.

Here are some of the top product tour software:

Software Best For Pricing Key Features G2 Rating Notable Strengths Limitations
Userpilot Mid-market SaaS companies $299/mo(annual subscription) No-code builder, multiple UI elements, A/B testing, analytics, triggering conditions, localization, resource center 4.6 Advanced user segmentation, real-time behavior triggers, extensive customization, AI-powered localization Higher price point for smaller companies
Appcues Mid-market and fast-growing companies $250/mo Customizable tours, in-app messages, user segmentation, analytics 4.6 Established platform, comprehensive feature set Only supports linear onboarding, limited features in basic plan
Pendo Enterprise companies Custom pricing No-code builder, product analytics, segmentation, feedback surveys 4.4 Advanced analytics, integrated solution Lack of linkage between analytics and guides, expensive (est. $20-25K/year)
Chameleon Mid-market and enterprise $279/mo Multiple UI elements, advanced segmentation, A/B testing, microsurveys 4.4 Flexibility, customization options More “low-code” than no-code, technical knowledge sometimes required
WalkMe Large enterprises with complex software Custom pricing Interactive tours, automation, enterprise security, analytics 4.5 Comprehensive DAP, robust security features Very expensive ($9-55K/year)
Whatfix Mid-market and enterprise with complex software Custom pricing Interactive guides, self-help content, performance support 4.6 Contextual guidance, knowledge base creation Low-code application requiring CSS knowledge, opaque pricing
UserGuiding Startups with limited budgets Basic: $69/mo Interactive guides, multiple UI patterns, segmentation, resource center 4.7 Affordable, feature-rich for its price Bugs and performance issues, requires technical knowledge
Intercom Product Tours Startups in Intercom ecosystem $99/mo add-on Guided tours, mobile carousels, automation, Intercom integrations 4.5 Seamless integration with Intercom tools Limited and basic features, CSS styling needed for customization
Userflow Startups needing advanced customization Startup: $240/mo<br>Pro: $680/mo<br>Enterprise: Custom Flow builder, event tracking, A/B testing, automated triggers 4.8 Complex flow builder with branching logic Builder doesn’t work directly on top of app, limited customization
Product Fruits Startups focusing on user feedback Core: $79/mo<br>Boost: $139/mo<br>Enterprise: Custom Onboarding solutions, banners, feedback collection, knowledge base 4.7 Feedback collection, roadmap features Basic product tours, clunky UX, basic resource center
Stonly Startups prioritizing self-service support Custom pricing In-app guides, knowledge base, decision trees, analytics 4.8 Budget-friendly knowledge base solution More of a CS tool than product adoption tool, confusing builder
Usetiful Startups with limited budgets Plus: $29/mo<br>Premium: $69/mo<br>Enterprise: Custom<br>Free: up to 2,000 assists/mo In-app guides, hotspots, checklists, knowledge base, segmentation 4.7 Very affordable, easy to set up New tool with limited features, fewer customization options
Userlane Startups training internal teams Custom pricing Interactive guides, checklists, learning paths, analytics 4.7 Easy setup, gamification elements New tool with limited features and functionality

Product Tour Software #1: Userpilot

Product tours are an effective way to show new users what a product can do and reduce the time-to-value (TTV) for them. Userpilot lets you build advanced product tours, set contextual triggers, and target specific audiences, all without writing a single line of code.

Here are the Userpilot features that you can use to build a product tour for your users on web applications:

  • Flow builder: Userpilot’s no-code flow builder has a variety of UI patterns to choose from, such as modals, slideouts, tooltips, and driven actions. All UI patterns are available for use regardless of which Userpilot plan you’re on. All you need to do is install the Chrome extension. 
  • Contextual triggers: Userpilot lets you set triggers for your flows to ensure that they appear at the most contextual moments. Flows could be triggered when users land on a specific page or when a tracked event occurs. There are also manual triggering options that you can tinker with.
 Userpilot's contextual triggers
Userpilot’s contextual triggers to show flows based on user behaviors
  • Audience targeting: Userpilot’s audience targeting setting lets you set the conditions needed for a flow to show up for a specific user. You can use these settings to create flows that target a specific segment or exclude certain users from seeing a flow if certain conditions are met.

flow settings userpilot

We have also released our features for building onboarding experiences on mobile. You can now create engaging mobile flows with slideouts and carousels. You can also set up push notifications for off-app engagement and gather feedback through mobile surveys.

userpilot mobile carousel
Userpilot’s mobile experience builder.

Pros of building your interactive product tours with Userpilot

  • You create interactive product tours with Userpilot directly on top of your app, mimicking your users’ behavior as you do it. This is (in my opinion) the most intuitive way of building user onboarding without code:
userpilot UI patterns
Userpilot’s UI patterns to build a product tour.
  • You can build branched and fully interactive walkthroughs/product guides. Using our unique Driven Actions system, you can set event-based triggers for different elements of the tour. For example, you can require a user to complete a text field or go to another page in your app before moving on. This turns a passive tour into something much more interactive and conducive to learning, which minimizes Time To First Value. In this way, Userpilot is highly focused on helping you drive user activation.
  • Userpilot is one of only two tools on the market that offer real-time, event-based triggering of the onboarding flows. This means you can react to your user behavior in real-time!
  • We have a visual WYSIWYG builder with a comprehensive range of UX elements including native tooltips, hotspots, checklists, welcome screens, modals, microsurveys, slideouts, resource centers, and more
  • To take your product tour to the next level, we also have a range of segmentation and personalization options. For users who have different use cases, you can build different experiences that are relevant to them
  • You can supercharge your product growth with actionable insights from Trend analysis, spot drop-offs, and improve trial-to-paid conversion rate with Funnels, and understand the impact of your efforts better with Cohort Analysis.
funnel-analysis
Track conversions with Userpilot’s funnel report.
A/B test onboarding flows using Userpilot.
  • Plus, Userpilot has 14 survey templates to choose from that help you collect both qualitative and quantitative feedback from your users. These include customer satisfaction benchmarks like CSAT or CES surveys and open-ended questions about specific features.
Userpilot survey templates
Survey templates in Userpilot
  • Userpilot has a wide range of one-click integrations, both with analytics tools (Amplitude, Heap, Mixpanel, Google Analytics), CRMs (Hubspot, Salesforce, etc.), and webhooks.
  • It offers excellent value for money, with all features being available without any limitations in all plans.
  • Get a free demo of Userpilot to see how it can drive your SaaS product growth.

Cons of Userpilot

  • It’s not suitable for employee onboarding on third-party apps such as Salesforce or Hubspot.

RELATED: In our last blog, we showed you what you need to do to build awesome product tours and walkthroughs. Check it out if you’re looking for more tips on creating your next product tour!

Userpilot pricing

Userpilot’s transparent pricing ranges from $299/month (billed annually) on the entry-level end to an Enterprise tier for larger companies.
Furthermore, Userpilot’s entry-level plan includes access to all UI patterns and should include everything that most mid-market SaaS businesses need to get started.

Userpilot has three paid plans to choose from:

  • Starter: The entry-level Starter plan starts at $299/month and includes features like segmentation, product analytics, reporting, user engagement, NPS feedback, and customization.
  • Growth: The Growth plan starts at $799/month and includes features like resource centers, advanced event-based triggers, unlimited feature tagging, AI-powered content localization, EU hosting options, and a dedicated customer success manager.
  • Enterprise: The Enterprise plan uses custom pricing and includes all the features from Starter + Growth, plus custom roles/permissions, access to premium integrations, priority support, custom contract, SLA, SAML SSO, activity logs, security audit, and compliance (SOC 2/GDPR).
Userpilot pricing plans breakdown.
Userpilot pricing plans breakdown.

Try Userpilot and Take Your Product Tours to the Next Level

Product Tour Software #2: Appcues

Appcues’s product tour builder
Appcues’s product tour builder.

Best for: Mid-market and fast-growing companies that want to create onboarding flows quickly and drive product adoption.

Pricing: Start starts at $300/month for 1,000 monthly active users, Grow at $750/month, and the Scale Plan has customizable pricing. A 14-day free trial is available.

Product tour features: Customizable product tours and walkthroughs, in-app messages, user segmentation, analytics, etc.

G2 Rating: 4.6

Appcues has been around for years in the product onboarding space, offering a comprehensive range of user onboarding, in-app engagement, and product tour features. These features include:

  • Customizable tours: Create product tours without code to reduce users’ time to value and get them to their “Aha!” moment.
  • In-app messages: Allows you to communicate important information to users wherever they are in your application.
  • Analytics: Test different onboarding experiences and measure their effectiveness using Appcues’ click-tracking feature.
  • User segmentation: Create different user groups/segments and deliver targeted messages and experiences.

Unlike Userpilot, though, Appcues only supports linear onboarding. This means their flows are neither engaging nor interactive. While this is good for basic products, it is insufficient for complex products.

Appcues’ Essentials plan restricts events, user segments, checklists, and messages. You’d pay at least $950/month with Appcues for what Userpilot includes at just $799 (for 5k users), plus no analytics features besides basic ones for the flows.

Product Tour Software #3: Pendo

Pendo’s Visual Design Studio
Pendo’s Visual Design Studio.

Best for: Enterprise companies that prioritize data-driven decision-making and want to understand how users interact with their products.

Pricing: Custom pricing for its Base, Core, Pulse, and Ultimate plans. Offers a full-featured free plan for up to 500 monthly active users.

Product tour features: No-code builder, product analytics, segmentation & targeting, feedback surveys, etc.

G2 Rating: 4.4

Pendo is a comprehensive product experience platform that offers product tours, user feedback, and product analytics in one integrated solution.

It caters primarily to enterprise users and is renowned for its advanced analytics features. Its most notable features include:

  • Pendo Guides: Create interactive product tours and guides to onboard new users and drive feature adoption.
  • Analytics and Reporting: Pendo’s analytics allows businesses to track user behavior, identify areas for improvement, and measure the impact of product tours.
  • Product planning: Collect and prioritize customer feedback by linking it to product roadmaps.

Perhaps Pendo’s biggest flaw, however, is the lack of linkage between its different layers. For example, you can’t target users segmented by in-app events with the in-app guides you’ve built.

Similarly, you can’t trigger product tours or in-app messages based on in-app events. This means that a bunch of your Pendo analytics insights are NOT actionable.

There’s also something to be said about Pendo’s pricing system. You’ll have to request a custom quote for all pricing categories. Even then, reviews say these prices aren’t cheap, starting at around $20-$25,000/year.

Product Tour Software #4: Chameleon

Chameleon’s functionalities for building product tours
Chameleon’s functionalities for building product tours.

Best for: Mid-market and enterprise companies that want to create highly personalized user experiences and drive product adoption.

Pricing: Startup starts at $279/month for 2,000 monthly tracked users, Growth at $1500/month, and the Enterprise Plan has customizable pricing. There’s also a free “HelpBar” plan for in-product search.

Product tour features: Multiple UI elements, advanced segmentation and personalization, A/B testing, microsurveys, etc.

G2 Rating: 4.4

Chameleon is a product adoption platform that helps businesses guide users with targeted product tours, in-app messages, and user segmentation.

It’s known for its flexibility and customization options, with various useful features, including:

  • Visual builder: Chameleon’s visual builder offers a variety of UX elements (tooltips, hotspots, beacons, etc.) that help businesses create complicated walkthroughs.
  • Advanced personalization: Chameleon offers advanced targeting options through segmentation and event-based triggers – although these are not as customizable as, say, Userpilot offers.
  • A/B testing: Chameleon provides tools for testing different onboarding strategies and measuring their impact. However, these are only available from the Growth plan and above.

It’s important to note, though, that Chameleon is more of a “low-code” tool than a no-code one. As a result, creating product tours can sometimes require expensive technical knowledge.

Product Tour Software #5: Walkme

Build a smart walk-thru in WalkMe
Build a smart walk-thru in WalkMe.

Best for: Large enterprises with complex software applications and diverse user needs.

Pricing: The WalkMe Digital Adoption Platform is available at custom pricing.

Product tour features: Interactive product tours, automation, enterprise-grade security, analytics & reporting, etc.

G2 Rating: 4.5

A truly recognizable name in the product tour world, WalkMe is a comprehensive digital adoption platform (DAP) that provides a wide range of features, including interactive walkthroughs, on-screen guidance, automation, and analytics.

Its key features include:

  • Interactive walkthroughs and On-screen guidance: Create step-by-step guides that overlay your application or third-party software for employee onboarding, like Salesforce or HubSpot.
  • Automation: WalkMe can automate tasks within applications, such as data entry tasks, data validation, cross-application workflows, etc.
  • Security & Compliance: WalkMe offers robust enterprise-grade security features and compliance certifications to meet the needs of large organizations.
  • Analytics: Provides detailed insights into engagement with the guides as well as A/B testing support.

Now, WalkMe is great if money isn’t an issue. With its bespoke pricing reported to range between $9,000 and $55,000/year (even its “startup plans” start from about $12,000/year!), it is a rather expensive tool to own.

RELATED: [Case Study] How Touchright Software saved hours of dev time after switching from WalkMe to Userpilot

Product Tour Software #6: Whatfix

Whatfix visual editor
Whatfix visual editor.

Best for: Mid-market and enterprise companies with complex software applications that need comprehensive user training and support.

Pricing: Standard, Premium, and Enterprise plans are all available at custom pricing.

Product tour features: Interactive guides and walkthroughs, self-help content and knowledge bases, performance support, etc.

G2 Rating: 4.6

Whatfix has a lot of great functionality, including the ability to create the kind of product tours that we believe are essential to driving user activation. Other notable features include:

Note, however, that Whatfix is a “low-code” application. Without CSS knowledge, you’ll struggle to customize your in-app experiences properly. Its pricing is also completely bespoke and opaque.

Looking for an Advanced No-Code Product Tour Software? Try Userpilot

Product Tour Software #7: UserGuiding

Userguiding’s guide builder
UserGuiding’s guide builder.

Best for: Startups with limited budgets and technical resources who need to create basic product tours, tooltips, and hotspots quickly.

Pricing: Basic starts at $69/month for 1,000 MAUs, Professional at $199/month, and Corporate Plan has customizable pricing. A 14-day free trial is available.

Product tour features: Interactive guides, multiple UI patterns, segmentation, resource center, etc.

G2 Rating: 4.7

UserGuiding is a lower-cost, entry-level product adoption tool offering a range of features to help companies onboard new customers and boost product/feature adoption.

It excels at helping users build simple user onboarding experiences at low prices. Its key features include:

  • No-code builder: UserGuiding’s no-code builder features UI patterns like hotspots, tooltips, modals, and checklists.
  • Segmentation: It offers basic features to help you segment users and reach target different groups with a tailored user onboarding experience.
  • Extra features: Despite its low cost, UserGuiding boasts features like surveys, a resource center, and analytics to track user engagement.

Despite being feature-rich for its price, UserGuiding still suffers from bugs and performance issues. It also requires technical knowledge to get the best out of it, without offering many customization options.

Product Tour Software #8: Intercom product tours

Intercom’s product tour builder
Intercom’s product tour builder.

Best for: Startups already invested in the Intercom ecosystem wishing to combine onboarding with customer support and communication.

Pricing: Available as an add-on for $99/month.

Product tour features: Guided tours, mobile carousels (tours for mobile apps), automation, Intercom integrations, etc.

G2 Rating: 4.5

You’re probably already familiar with Intercom, the conversational marketing and engagement platform. Well, they also have an add-on called Proactive Support Plus (formerly Intercom Product Tours).

If you’re already on an Intercom plan and are wary of adding more tools to your stack, the add-on provides features like:

  • In-app tours and messages: Create and deliver in-app tours, messages, and announcements within your application.
  • Good extras: In addition to its basic tour features, the add-on helps you create surveys, checklists, and push notifications.
  • Intercom integration: Seamless integration with Intercom’s other communications tools (Intercom messenger, live chat, email, etc.).

Unfortunately, Intercom’s product tours are limited and basic at best – decent customization requires CSS styling, it only supports linear tours, and the pricing can add up quickly as you pay for both a regular plan and an add-on.

Product Tour Software #9: Userflow

Userflow’s welcome modal
Userflow’s welcome modal for building product tours.

Best for: Startups that prioritize a polished user experience and need more advanced customization options for their tours and flows.

Pricing: Startup starts at $240/month for 3,000 MAUs, Pro at $680/month, and the Enterprise Plan has customizable pricing. A 14-day free trial is available.

Product tour features: Flow builder, event tracking, A/B testing, automated triggers, etc.

G2 Rating: 4.8

Userflow is a lower-end product tour builder with a rather user-friendly interface and simplified analytics. It’s ideal for creating highly customizable and visually appealing flows.

Notable features include:

  • Flow builder: Userflow’s drag-and-drop builder allows you to create complex product experiences with branches and conditional logic.
  • Customization: Userflow provides customization options with branding elements, visual design, etc.
  • Data collection: Userflow’s analytics and feedback tools enable users to track user behavior and make data-driven improvements to product tours.
  • Event tracking: Track user actions and how they complete individual tasks. You can also trigger product tours based on user actions.

As great as Userflow’s builder is, it’s also one of its biggest drawbacks for two reasons: First, you don’t build directly on top of your app, which can be confusing and counterintuitive. The builder’s customization options are also limited compared to some other tools out there.

Product Tour Software #10: Product Fruits

product tour software - productfruits
Product Tour Software: Product Fruits.

Best for: Startups that want to continuously iterate on their product and incorporate user feedback into their development process.

Pricing: Core starts at $79/month for 1,500 users, Boost at $139/month, and the Enterprise Plan has customizable pricing. A 14-day free trial is available.

Product tour features: Onboarding solutions, announcement banners, feedback collection, knowledge base, etc.

G2 Rating: 4.7

Product Fruits is a platform designed to tackle issues related to software adoption. It boasts impressive features like:

  • Feedback collection: Collect user feedback across the user journey with in-app surveys, polls, and feedback boards.
  • Banners: Share important updates and announcements within your application.
  • Roadmap features: Boost user retention by sharing your product roadmap with users and gathering feedback.

Unfortunately, Product Fruits is basic at best. Its product tours are linear, UX is clunky, and resource center and checklist features are basic.

Product Tour Software #11: Stonly

stonly builder
Stonly Builder.

Best for: Startups who prioritize self-service support and need to create help content.

Pricing: Bespoke pricing for both the Small Business and Enterprise plans.

Product tour features: In-app guides, knowledge base, decision trees, integrated analytics, etc.

G2 Rating: 4.8

Stonly positions itself as a budget-friendly alternative to its more expensive competitors. In fact, it’s more of a CS tool for building knowledge bases than a product adoption tool for onboarding.

Similarly to Intercom Product Tours, Stonly’s tour builder feels like a makeshift add-on to the Knowledge Bases rather than a fully-fledged product (compared to its competitors like Userpilot or Appcues).

Key features include:

  • In-app guides: Create in-app guides for employee training or user onboarding.
  • Knowledge base: Stonly enables you to build a searchable knowledge base with articles and FAQs.
  • Analytics: Track user behavior across the application and target users based on that data.

Ultimately, Stonly’s builder is extremely confusing and fairly code-heavy for a “no-code tool.”

Product Tour Software #12: Usetiful

Usetiful flows
Usetiful flows.

Best for: Startups with limited budgets who need a simple and effective solution for creating basic product tours and tooltips.

Pricing: Plus starts at $29/month for up to 5,000 assists/month, Premium at $69/month for up to 10,000 assists, and the Enterprise Plan has customizable pricing. A limited Free plan is also available for up to 2,000 assists/month.

Product tour features: In-app guides, hotspots, checklists, knowledge base, segmentation, etc.

G2 Rating: 4.7

Usetiful is an affordable and easy-to-use platform with a focus on core onboarding features. It’s renowned for being easy to set up with a user-friendly interface. Notable features include:

  • In-app tours: Quickly design step-by-step product tours to guide users to get value from your product.
  • Hotspots & checklists: Draw attention to important elements and help users track the progress of their onboarding process.

As of the time of writing this review, however, Usetiful is a fairly new tool. As a result, it’s not as feature-rich as the competition, with limitations in personalization, customization, and localization.

Product Tour Software #13: Userlane

Userlane Guides
Userlane Guides.

Best for: Startups that need to train internal teams on using complex software applications or have a very specific use case for highly structured, step-by-step guidance.

Pricing: Custom pricing is available for all users with no pricing categories.

Product tour features: Interactive guides, checklists, learning paths, analytics & reporting, etc.

G2 Rating: 4.7

Userlane is a code-free digital adoption platform that allows you to create in-app interactive content to guide new users and increase product adoption.

Its notable features include:

  • Ease of use: Setting up and implementing is incredibly simple. It’s also really easy to add gamification elements to your onboarding.
  • Analytics: Userlane tracks user behavior to help you identify and act on behavioral trends.
  • Learning paths: You can create structured learning paths for users to follow.

Similarly to Usetiful, however, Userlane is a fairly new tool. As a result, it’s still missing a ton of features and functions. Some UI patterns, like hotspots and tooltips, aren’t even as functional as you might expect.

Want to create personalized product tours hassle-free?

We’ve covered 13 product tour tools so far, with many more unmentioned. Ultimately, though, what you need is a tool that does what you need, offers great support, and provides great value for money.

Userpilot is a standout tool in that regard. It’s easy to use and packs a ton of features for onboarding, analytics, and feedback collection. Book a demo today and take it for a spin!

Looking for a Robust No-Code Product Tour Software? Try Userpilot

FAQ

What is product tour software?

Product tour software provides the tools for creating, deploying, and managing in-app guides. It typically comes with a visual no-code editor, interactive elements, and user segmentation features.

What are the best product tour software tools?

Product tour software is any tool used to build product guides to onboard new users. It helps new users navigate your product, leading to improved user activation, trial-to-paid conversion, and user retention rates.

So, which of the tools out there is best for you?

There are many factors to consider (we’ll get to these in a moment) before concluding, but budget is one of the biggest. So, we’ve organized the best tools we’ve found according to their budgetary fit.

The best product tour software tools for mid-market and enterprise SaaS companies include:

  • Userpilot – Starts at $299/month with a 14-day free trial.
  • Appcues – Starts at $250/month with a 14-day free trial.
  • Pendo – Offers custom pricing with a full-featured free plan for up to 500 MAUs.
  • Chameleon – Starts at $279/month with a free “HelpBar” plan.
  • WalkMe – Offers custom pricing.
  • Whatfix – Offers custom pricing for all plans.

…and, here are the best product tour tools we’ve found for early SaaS products and startups:

  • Userguiding – Starts at $69/month with a 14-day free trial.
  • Intercom product tours – Available as an add-on to an Intercom plan for $99/month.
  • Userflow – Starts at $240/month with a 14-day free trial.
  • Product Fruits – Starts at $79/month with a 14-day free trial.
  • Stonly – Offers custom pricing for all plans.
  • Usetiful – Starts at $29/month with a limited free plan for up to 2,000 assists/month.
  • Userlane – Offers custom pricing.

Should you invest in product tour software?

Whether or not you need a product tour tool typically depends on how you answer these questions:

  1. What type of product do you have?
  2. Is your product easy to understand or is it complex?
  3. What is the size of your user base?
  4. Can product tours help resolve your product’s complexity?

Clearly, if your software is simple and intuitive, you won’t need a product tour. Similarly, if your product is complex and has a small user base, you can get by with one-on-one demos and support.

Unfortunately, even if your product is fairly complex and has a growing user base, a product tour may not help. This is especially true if the reason for this complexity is bad design.

Indeed, the best product tours are part of a well-designed product and onboarding process…

Now, if your answers to Questions 1, 2, & 4 above are ‘Yes,’ a product tour tool offers a ton of benefits:

  • First, by allowing you to create interactive product tours code-free, they give your product team (product managers and marketers) more control over the shape and look of your onboarding flow.
  • They free up engineering resources for what really matters – building and improving your product.
  • They save you millions in development costs for what they provide – onboarding guides, built-in analytics, an experimentation suite, code-free styling, roles & permissions, etc.
  • Some digital adoption platforms offer the option to build tours on top of third-party apps – to foster digital adoption for employee training.

What are the must-have features of product tour software?

If you’ve decided to get a product tour solution, here are some key features to watch out for:

Code-free product tour building and styling + easy installation

This is a no-brainer!

Since the main benefit of using a product guide tool is building your tours quickly without coding, you need to check if the tool is really code-free. It shouldn’t require tons of development resources for installation and implementation.

Triggering options

Everybody hates linear product tours (read more about the differences between linear and interactive walkthroughs here).

The difference is clear—interactive walkthroughs essentially “wait” for your user to take the required action before showing them the next step, while linear product tours only show a series of tooltips with a “next” button—often overwhelming your users.

A good product tour software should enable you to create both. It should also allow real-time, event-based triggering of the in-app experiences, enabling you to respond to users’ actions as they occur.

Usage and engagement analytics + sophisticated user segmentation

On the one hand, you need to know what your users are doing and be able to segment them, both by user attributes and behavior (in-app events), so that you can trigger the right product tours to the right user segments, and drive customer success.

The reason is simple: product guides are most effective when they are really relevant and personalized to the users’ role and JTBD, so segmentation capabilities are a must.

Also, to ensure your product guides are actually successful, you need to know how your users are engaging with them. So, as a minimum, you need analytics highlighting the completion rate of tour steps, engagement with standalone guides, and goal completion.

A/B testing

To ensure your product guides are actually successful, you need to be able to run experiments. This involves testing one version of your onboarding flow against another to see which one produces higher goal completion or conversion rates.

Unfortunately, only a few product tour tools offer this feature.

Roles & permissions + version control

If you’re a member of a larger product team, you should be able to use the tool collaboratively.

So, being able to invite your team members, create different roles and permissions, and see the previous versions of your onboarding flow (and revert any “unplanned” or unfortunate changes), is a big plus.

Integrations

The ability to push data to/from your product analytics tool (e.g. Amplitude, Mixpanel) or your CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot) is critical to your software functions.

You should be able to get relevant data into your product tour software solution and pass data from your onboarding flow to your CRM, email automation platforms, etc.

Pricing

Obviously, you don’t want to pay thousands of dollars for features you aren’t going to use.

On the other hand, though, there’s no point in saving $50 per month and getting saddled with a buggy, half-baked solution that doesn’t meet your technical and security requirements (you should aim for SOC-2 Type II certified tools).

 

About the author
Linh Khanh

Linh Khanh

Content Editor

I have a knack for content development and SEO copywriting. My experience expands to managing social media coordination and branding campaigns while working with micro-influencers for better brand promotion.

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