Best Appcues Alternatives in 2025: 8 Tools Compared

Appcues is one of the original user onboarding platforms, and for good reason—it's powerful, mature, and trusted by companies like Atlassian and HubSpot.

But it's not the right fit for everyone.

Maybe the $249/month starting price is too steep. Maybe you're tired of writing CSS selectors and filing engineering tickets for simple changes. Or maybe you want AI-powered workflows that didn't exist when Appcues was built.

Whatever your reason, here's an honest look at the best Appcues alternatives in 2025.

Quick Comparison

| Tool | Starting Price | Best For | AI Features | Setup Time | |------|----------------|----------|-------------|------------| | Jelliflow | $99/mo | Speed + AI workflows | Yes (AI generation) | 10 minutes | | Userpilot | $249/mo | Product analytics | Limited | Hours | | Pendo | Free-$500+/mo | Enterprise analytics | Limited | Days | | UserGuiding | $89/mo | Budget-conscious | No | Hours | | Chameleon | $279/mo | Deep customization | No | Hours | | WalkMe | Custom | Enterprise DAP | Limited | Days-weeks | | Product Fruits | $79/mo | Simple onboarding | No | Hours | | Whatfix | Custom | Employee training | Limited | Days |

1. Jelliflow

Best for: Teams that want AI-powered onboarding without CSS selectors

Jelliflow takes a fundamentally different approach to onboarding creation. Instead of manually building flows with drag-and-drop editors and CSS selectors, you record your user journey with a Chrome extension and AI generates the entire onboarding automatically.

What Makes It Different

• No CSS selectors needed: The Chrome extension automatically generates stable selectors that work with Tailwind, React, Vue, and dynamic class names
• AI-powered creation: Record once, AI builds tooltips, modals, checklists, and banners
• "Jelli" AI assistant: Chat with AI to refine flows ("make this copy friendlier", "add a tooltip here")
• 10-minute setup: One line of code to install, record your journey, publish instantly
• PM independence: Product managers can build and ship without engineering help

Pricing

• 14-Day Trial: Full Pro features free
• Starter: $99/month (2,500 MAUs)
• Pro: $299/month (10,000 MAUs)
• Business: $799/month (50,000 MAUs)

Pros

• Fastest time-to-value in the market
• No CSS selector writing or maintenance
• AI generates flows from recordings
• Product managers don't need engineering help
• Built-in A/B testing

Cons

• Newer platform, fewer integrations than Appcues
• Enterprise features like SSO still being added
• Smaller community and third-party resources

Best For

Teams that want to move fast. If you're tired of writing CSS selectors, waiting for engineering bandwidth, or spending days on flows that could take minutes, Jelliflow is worth trying.

Try Jelliflow free for 14 days →

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2. Userpilot

Best for: Mid-market SaaS companies wanting onboarding + analytics

Userpilot combines user onboarding with product analytics, making it a good choice if you want both capabilities in one tool. It's positioned as a more feature-rich alternative to Appcues with similar pricing.

Key Features

• In-app experiences (flows, tooltips, modals, checklists)
• Product analytics and user tracking
• Feature adoption tracking
• NPS and surveys
• Segmentation and targeting

Pricing

• Starter: $249/month (2,000 MAUs)
• Growth: $499/month (10,000 MAUs)
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

Pros

• Strong product analytics built-in
• Good segmentation capabilities
• Comprehensive feature set
• Regular product updates

Cons

• Similar pricing to Appcues
• Still requires manual CSS selector work
• Can feel complex for simple use cases
• Setup takes hours to days

Best For

Teams that want onboarding and analytics in one platform and don't mind the enterprise price point.

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3. Pendo

Best for: Enterprises prioritizing product analytics over onboarding

Pendo is primarily a product analytics platform with onboarding features. If analytics is your main goal and onboarding is secondary, Pendo might be a good fit.

Key Features

• Deep product analytics and user tracking
• In-app guides and walkthroughs
• Feature adoption metrics
• Roadmap management
• NPS surveys

Pricing

• Free: Up to 500 MAUs (limited features)
• Growth: Custom pricing (typically $500+/month)
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

Pros

• Free tier available for small teams
• Industry-leading product analytics
• Strong enterprise features
• Good for product-led growth metrics

Cons

• Onboarding is secondary to analytics
• Complex setup and learning curve
• Expensive at scale
• Manual CSS selectors required

Best For

Product teams at larger companies who need deep analytics and can treat onboarding as a nice-to-have rather than the core use case.

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4. UserGuiding

Best for: Budget-conscious teams wanting simplicity

UserGuiding is one of the most affordable options in the market. It offers a straightforward interface for building product tours without the complexity of enterprise tools.

Key Features

• Product tours and walkthroughs
• Onboarding checklists
• Hotspots and tooltips
• NPS surveys
• Knowledge base / resource center

Pricing

• Basic: $89/month (2,500 MAUs)
• Professional: $389/month (20,000 MAUs)
• Corporate: Custom pricing

Pros

• More affordable than Appcues
• Simple, intuitive interface
• Good documentation and support
• Quick to get started

Cons

• No AI-powered features
• Manual CSS selector work required
• Less sophisticated than enterprise tools
• Limited analytics depth

Best For

Teams on a budget who want basic onboarding without the complexity or cost of Appcues.

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5. Chameleon

Best for: Teams wanting deep customization

Chameleon focuses on customizable in-app experiences. If you need pixel-perfect control over your onboarding UI, Chameleon offers more styling flexibility than most alternatives.

Key Features

• Highly customizable tours and tooltips
• Microsurveys
• Launchers (in-app widgets)
• Advanced targeting
• A/B testing

Pricing

• Startup: $279/month (2,000 MAUs)
• Growth: $999/month (10,000 MAUs)
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

Pros

• Excellent customization options
• Strong design flexibility
• Good targeting capabilities
• Active product development

Cons

• More expensive than some alternatives
• Requires CSS/design knowledge for best results
• Manual selector work needed
• Steeper learning curve

Best For

Design-focused teams that need pixel-perfect onboarding experiences and have the time to customize.

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6. WalkMe

Best for: Enterprise digital adoption (employee + customer)

WalkMe is an enterprise digital adoption platform (DAP) used for both customer onboarding and employee training. It's overkill for most startups but powerful for large organizations.

Key Features

• Comprehensive digital adoption platform
• Employee and customer onboarding
• Workflow automation
• Analytics and insights
• Enterprise integrations

Pricing

• Custom pricing only (typically $10,000+/year)

Pros

• Most comprehensive DAP on the market
• Works for employee and customer use cases
• Enterprise-grade security and compliance
• Strong professional services

Cons

• Very expensive
• Complex setup (weeks to months)
• Overkill for simple use cases
• Requires dedicated resources

Best For

Large enterprises with complex digital adoption needs across multiple applications and user types.

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7. Product Fruits

Best for: Simple, budget-friendly onboarding

Product Fruits offers a straightforward onboarding solution at a lower price point. It's a good choice for teams that need basic functionality without enterprise complexity.

Key Features

• Product tours and walkthroughs
• Tooltips and hints
• Onboarding checklists
• Announcements
• Knowledge base

Pricing

• Core: $79/month (1,500 MAUs)
• Boost: $139/month (5,000 MAUs)
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

Pros

• Affordable pricing
• Simple to set up and use
• Good for basic onboarding needs
• Active product development

Cons

• Limited analytics capabilities
• No AI features
• No A/B testing in basic plans
• Manual CSS selector work required

Best For

Teams that need basic, affordable onboarding and don't require advanced analytics or AI features.

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8. Whatfix

Best for: Employee training and enterprise DAP

Whatfix is another enterprise digital adoption platform, similar to WalkMe. It's primarily used for employee training and internal application adoption.

Key Features

• In-app guidance for employees
• Interactive walkthroughs
• Self-service support
• Analytics and reporting
• Multi-platform support

Pricing

• Custom pricing only (enterprise)

Pros

• Strong employee training features
• Multi-platform support (desktop, web, mobile)
• Good for complex internal applications
• Enterprise security features

Cons

• Primarily for employee onboarding, not customer
• Expensive and complex
• Long implementation timeline
• Overkill for SaaS customer onboarding

Best For

Enterprises focused on employee digital adoption and internal application training.

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How to Choose the Right Alternative

If speed is your priority → Jelliflow

Jelliflow's AI-powered recording means you can go from signup to live onboarding in 10 minutes. No CSS selectors, no engineering tickets, no weeks of setup.

If you need analytics + onboarding → Userpilot or Pendo

Both combine onboarding with product analytics. Pendo is stronger on analytics; Userpilot is more balanced.

If budget is tight → UserGuiding or Product Fruits

Both offer solid basic onboarding at lower price points than Appcues.

If you're an enterprise → WalkMe or Whatfix

For large organizations with complex needs across multiple applications and user types.

If design matters most → Chameleon

For teams that need pixel-perfect customization of their onboarding UI.

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The Bottom Line

Appcues is a solid platform, but it's not the only option. The right alternative depends on what matters most to your team:

• Speed and AI: Jelliflow
• Analytics focus: Pendo or Userpilot
• Budget: UserGuiding or Product Fruits
• Enterprise scale: WalkMe or Whatfix
• Customization: Chameleon

The best advice? Try before you commit. Most tools offer free trials, and you'll quickly learn which workflow fits your team.

Ready to try the fastest way to build onboarding? Start your free 14-day Jelliflow trial →