The information in this article has been reviewed and is accurate as of May 2025.
Finding the right product experience platform isn’t just about features, it’s about getting real value for your money. If you’re investing in a tool to drive feature adoption, onboard users faster, and collect feedback, you want to be sure it’s worth the cost.
But Pendo’s pricing structure reveals a different story. According to Vendr, paid plans can start at $15,900 per year and exceed $100,000 for enterprises. Therefore, it’s completely reasonable to step back and evaluate whether the investment aligns with your team’s needs or if you’re overpaying for features you don’t need.
So, is Pendo really the best choice for product growth? Or is there a more practical alternative that offers the same price advantage with more flexibility?
In this blog post, we’ll break down Pendo’s pricing structure, expose its hidden costs, and compare it to a better alternative: Userpilot.
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What is Pendo?
Pendo is a software that helps businesses understand user behavior, collect feedback, and drive feature adoption. It combines in-app guidance, analytics, event tracking, and customer feedback tools to optimize how users interact with your software.
What can you do with Pendo?
- Onboard new users effectively. Use in-app guides, walkthroughs, and tooltips to help users get started.
- Analyze user behavior. Track new feature adoption, retention rates, and engagement trends to guide decision-making.
- Collect user feedback. Via the Pendo Feedback add-on, NPS surveys (which require the Pulse tier or an add-on purchase), and Pendo session replays to gather insights.
- Personalize user experiences. Segment audiences and deliver targeted in-app messages based on behavior.
- Support product growth initiatives. Leverage cross-app executive dashboards and journey orchestration to refine engagement strategies.
- Enhance mobile experiences. Provide in-app messaging and analytics for mobile apps.
How much does Pendo cost?
Let’s talk numbers.
Pendo’s pricing is far from budget-friendly. According to data from Vendr, the paid plan starts at $15,900 annually, but real-world costs are much higher. On average, mid-sized teams spend about $47,330 annually, but enterprise customers may pay up to $140,000.
That’s a hefty bill! Especially when competitors like Userpilot offer similar product adoption and analytics features at a fraction of the cost with transparent, upfront pricing.
But the cost isn’t the only concern. Pendo’s pricing model comes with a few key challenges, as expressed by Pendo users:
- High upfront costs. Some startups were quoted $30,000 annually for basic plans or even $85,000+ for more advanced use cases.
- Opaque pricing. Since Pendo doesn’t publicly list detailed pricing, teams typically need to go through sales conversations to receive a custom quote.
- Multi-year contracts for discounts and annual price hikes. Many businesses must commit to multi-year contracts to lock in lower rates at auto-renewal. Those who don’t may see annual price increases ranging from 5-10%, with some cases reported as high as 20%, depending on their agreement.
- Limited integration support on Pendo’s Base tier. Teams that rely on multiple tools may find the single integration in the Base plan restrictive—Core and above unlock additional or unlimited integrations.
Now, let’s break down what Pendo offers in each pricing plan and whether the cost aligns with the value you’re getting.
What pricing plans does Pendo offer?
Pendo offers five plans: one free option and four paid tiers: Base, Core, Pulse, and Ultimate. Each upgrade unlocks additional features but also comes with a significant price increase.
Free: Includes retroactive product analytics, in-app guides, and roadmaps for up to 500 monthly active users.
Base: This plan is ideal for companies just starting with product analytics and in-app guides. It includes custom monthly active users (MAUs) and one integration.
Core: This plan, aimed at organizations that need deeper insights, adds session replays, allowing teams to see how users interact with their product in real time. It builds on the Base plan’s foundation but provides more visibility into user behavior.
Pulse: This plan, designed for teams optimizing research and development, introduces white-labeled NPS surveys and product discovery tools. It helps businesses collect and analyze user feedback to refine their product strategy.
Ultimate: This is the most advanced tier, which includes the Pro edition of in-app guides, journey orchestration, and data synchronization. It’s built for enterprises needing full-scale product analytics and automation.
Pendo doesn’t list its pricing, but according to reports, costs rise significantly across these tiers. Contact their sales team if you want to know exactly what you’ll be paying.
So, with all these plans, what’s the real experience of using Pendo? Let’s break down the pros and cons next.
What are the pros and cons of using Pendo?
Choosing the right product analytics platform isn’t just about features. It’s about whether it delivers real value for the cost. While Pendo offers strong analytics, in-app guidance, and feedback tools, users have mixed experiences with pricing, ease of use, and data accuracy.
Pros of using Pendo
Pendo combines product analytics and in-app messaging, allowing teams to track user behavior, onboard users, and collect feedback (all in one platform).
- Comprehensive analytics: Its behavioral analytics capabilities allow teams to track feature adoption, while retroactive product analytics help uncover past user trends.
- In-app messaging and onboarding: Businesses can use walkthroughs, tooltips, and banners to guide users without developer involvement, improving activation rates.
- Collect customer feedback: Pendo helps businesses collect user feedback and monitor customer feedback through NPS surveys, session replays, and feedback collection tools.
- Cross-app analytics: Larger teams benefit from cross-app executive dashboards, giving them a holistic view of engagement across multiple products.
Cons of using Pendo
However, while Pendo is great for feature and digital adoption, users have reported challenges with reporting accuracy and customization.
- Steep learning curve: Setting up event tracking and guides can take time, and some teams struggle with manual tagging and data extraction.
- Limited customization: While Pendo offers pre-built templates, its in-app guides lack deep UI customization, making it harder to match branding needs.
- Reporting & data quality issues: Some users find inconsistencies in visit numbers and say pulling accurate data in one view is difficult. Others mention survey export limitations, requiring additional work to make sense of feedback.
For teams that prioritize ease of use, affordability, and reliable reporting, Pendo’s cost and complexity can be a major drawback.
If you’re evaluating Pendo’s pricing and value, you might wonder if a better alternative offers the same features without the hefty price tag.
Userpilot: A more cost-effective alternative to Pendo
Yes, there’s a better alternative: Userpilot. You get the same must-have features: product analytics, in-app guidance, and feedback collection, but with more control, easier customization, and a price tag that won’t make your finance team panic.
Why should you choose Userpilot over Pendo?
Both Userpilot and Pendo offer strong onboarding and product adoption features, but they cater to different needs. If you’re looking for more customization, pricing transparency, and an easier transition, Userpilot might be a better fit. Let’s break down what makes it a better alternative.
1. More control over customization
Pendo provides solid onboarding and analytics, but has limitations when it comes to UI branding and guide triggers. If flexibility is a priority, Userpilot allows you to fully customize your onboarding flows and user interactions, without relying on developers.
2. Transparent pricing with no hidden fees
Userpilot offers transparent pricing with flexible plans, giving businesses more control over their budget.
For instance, Cuvama, a value-selling platform, pricing played a huge role in their decision to switch. They found themselves paying for features they didn’t need, and moving to Userpilot helped them cut costs while keeping the core functionality they required.
“High price was one of the decision criteria to move from Pendo because we were paying lots, and we were not using it.”
— Leyre Iniguez, Customer Experience Lead, Cuvama
3. Easier migration with contract buyout
Switching platforms can be a hassle, but Userpilot helps ease the transition by offering a contract buyout option for Pendo users (terms apply). This makes it easier to switch without worrying about sunk costs.
How much does Userpilot cost?
Unlike Pendo, Userpilot offers transparent, upfront pricing, no hidden fees, and no surprises. You get the same in-app guidance, product analytics, and product feedback surveys at a fraction of the cost.
- Starter plan: At $249/month, this plan is perfect for smaller teams looking for essential user engagement tools, NPS surveys, and analytics for up to 2,000 monthly active users.
- Growth plan: Priced at $799/month, this is ideal for scaling teams that need advanced analytics, custom MAUs, and deeper user insights with in-app surveys and content localization.
- Enterprise plan: Custom pricing for large organizations that need premium integrations, security features, and priority support.
Userpilot is significantly more affordable than Pendo’s Base plan, which starts at around $15,900 annually, according to Vendr. For more insights, visit Userpilot’s pricing page.
What do users say about Userpilot?
Userpilot users love its ease of use, flexibility, and impact on user engagement. Unlike Pendo, which often requires engineering support and long setup times, Userpilot makes creating in-app experiences simple and effective (without the hassle).
On G2, many users highlight how Userpilot’s no-code setup and intuitive interface make building user onboarding flows and product tours easy. One reviewer put it best:
For companies switching from Pendo, the benefits go beyond just ease of use. Shelterluv, a CRM solution for animal shelters, moved to reduce their team’s workload and improve customer support.
“In support and onboarding, Userpilot has been a time saver and has reduced the workload of a lot of the agents because we’re able to use in-app messaging to share information at scale.”
— Matthew Brown, Senior Customer Solutions Manager, Shelterluv
Whether saving time, increasing adoption, or providing a smoother onboarding experience, Userpilot is helping product teams deliver better product experiences with no complexity.
Looking for a Pendo alternative?
At the end of the day, why overpay for Pendo when you can get the same features, better customization, and no contract stress with Userpilot?
If you’re considering making the switch, Userpilot even buys out your existing Pendo contract (terms apply), making upgrading easier than ever.
Stop overpaying for unnecessary features. Switch to Userpilot today for more control, better customization, and a pricing model that works for you. Book your demo now.
DISCLAIMER: Userpilot strives to provide accurate information to help businesses determine the best solution for their particular needs. Due to the dynamic nature of the industry, the features offered by Userpilot and others often change over time. The statements made in this article are accurate to the best of Userpilot’s knowledge as of its publication/most recent update on May 9, 2025.
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