If you've just been tasked with creating interactive product tours for your product, deciding on the best tool can be tricky. That's hardly a surprise, as there are lots of product tour software out there.

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.

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 $249/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.

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).

What are the product tour software options for mid-market and enterprises?

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 contenders:

Userpilot

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Best for: Mid-market SaaS companies that want to improve user onboarding, drive product adoption, and collect user feedback.

Pricing: Starter starts at $249/month, Growth at $799/month, and the Enterprise Plan has customizable pricing. A 14-day free trial is also available.

Product tour features: No-code builder, multiple UI elements (tooltips, spotlights, banners, etc.), A/B testing, engagement analytics, triggering conditions, localization, a resource center for self-service support, etc.

G2 Rating: 4.6

Userpilot is a product growth platform that emphasizes user onboarding and product adoption. It lets you build advanced product tours, set contextual triggers, and target specific audiences.

Let's explore some of its key features in more detail:

• No-code WYSIWYG builder: Userpilot's no-code editor works as a visual what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) editor. You can see exactly what your flow will look like while building it.
• Multiple UI elements: The flow builder offers a variety of UI patterns, including modals, slideouts, tooltips, hotspots, checklists, driven actions (for behavior-driven flows), microsurveys, etc.
• Triggering conditions: Userpilot offers a combination of audience and action-based trigger conditions. Its advanced user segmentation features enable you to trigger product tours for only specific users. However, you can also trigger product tours based on real-time user behavior—when certain events are completed.
• Native design customization: Use the same fonts, colors, icons, and overall design language as your product. Thanks to Userpilot's extensive customization options, you can seamlessly integrate your tour into your product.
• Multi-language support: Userpilot offers AI-powered localization services, enabling you to translate your tooltips and flows into the language of your target audience.
• A/B Testing and Analytics: Test variations of your onboarding flow to see which one best resonates with users. Userpilot also offers event auto-capture, session replay, analytics dashboards, and other tools for user behavior insights.

Appcues

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

Pricing: Start starts at $250/month for 1,000 monthly active users, Grow at $1,000/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 also heavily limit the number of events, user segments, checklists, and messages in the Essentials plan. This means you'll have to pay at least $1,000/month to truly enjoy Appcues.

Pendo

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.

Chameleon

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.

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

Whatfix

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:

• Self-help content: Create knowledge bases and self-service resources for users to access on demand.
• Contextual guidance: Provide contextual help and support to users anywhere they need it within your application.

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.

What are the product tour software options for early SaaS and startups?

If you're an early-stage SaaS company or startup, your priorities are most likely different. Indeed, budget considerations are likely just as important as the availability of core onboarding features.

You may also be concerned about future scalability, flexibility, and ease of use… all of which have been considered for this list.

UserGuiding

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.

Intercom product tours

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.

Userflow

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 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.

Stonly

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."

Usetiful

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.

Userlane

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!

Product tour software FAQs

What is a product tour?

A product tour is a step-by-step guide that shows users how to use your product's features and extract its value. It's a guided walkthrough within the app itself and can either be interactive or linear.

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.

How to make a product tour?

Making a successful product tour requires a few steps:

1. Define your goals for the tour.
2. Identify your audience and outline the key steps they take in your product.
3. Choose the ideal software that fits your needs and budget.
4. Create a tour with good visuals, interactive elements, and clear, concise copy.
5. Customize and brand the tour so it feels like a part of your product.
6. Collect engagement data and feedback and act on them to improve the tour.