So you’re picking a product onboarding tool for your SaaS. There’s Userflow, plus a dozen other options, all promising faster adoption and happier users. The feature lists blur together. The marketing claims are over the top. How do you actually compare these tools, avoid getting burned, and pick what’s right for your team—not just what the sales guy says?
This guide is for product managers, founders, or anyone tasked with making onboarding work (without spending six months and blowing the budget). We’ll break down a step-by-step process to compare Userflow with other onboarding platforms, focusing on what moves the needle, what’s just noise, and the gotchas people don’t mention until you’re knee-deep in a contract.
1. Get Clear on Your Actual Needs (Not Their Features)
Before you dive into vendor websites, step back. Fancy checklists don’t matter if you’re not sure what you need.
Ask yourself: - Are you onboarding brand-new users, upselling features, or both? - Do you want tooltips and tours, or more advanced stuff like in-app surveys, NPS, or checklists? - Are you a developer-heavy team, or do you want product/marketing folks to run onboarding without code? - How many users do you realistically expect in the next year? - Do you need localization, analytics, or integrations with your existing tools (like Intercom, HubSpot, or Segment)?
Pro tip: Write these down. It’s easy to get distracted by slick demos and “AI-driven engagement” pitches.
2. Shortlist the Real Contenders
Let’s be honest: there are dozens of onboarding tools, but only a handful are worth serious consideration for SaaS.
The usual suspects: - Userflow: Known for its no-code builder, quick setup, and generous pricing for small teams. - Appcues: A big name with lots of features and integrations. Pricey for startups. - Pendo: Heavyweight tool with analytics and product feedback. Best for enterprise. - WalkMe: Enterprise-focused, complex, and usually overkill for smaller SaaS. - Userpilot: Good balance of usability and features. Popular with mid-market SaaS. - Whatfix, Usetiful, Chameleon, Apty: Niche players, worth a look if you have unique requirements.
How to shortlist: - Skip anything that doesn’t fit your company size or budget. - Filter based on your technical resources—if you don’t have devs on call, avoid tools that require heavy code. - Look for honest user reviews (G2, Capterra, Reddit). Ignore anything that sounds like a paid testimonial.
3. Focus on What Actually Matters
Every onboarding tool claims to do everything. Here’s what actually makes a difference for most SaaS teams:
a. Ease of Setup and Use
- Can a non-technical person build a flow, or do you need to loop in engineering for every change?
- How long does it really take to launch your first tour—hours, days, or weeks?
- Userflow is strong here: its visual builder is genuinely fast, and you can get something live quickly.
b. Customization and Branding
- Can you match your product’s look and feel, or will users know instantly it’s a third-party popup?
- Are there weird “Powered by ___” labels you can’t remove?
- Some tools are rigid or tack on extra fees for white-labeling.
c. Targeting and Segmentation
- Can you show onboarding only to certain users (e.g., new signups, trial users, or based on account type)?
- Are there limits on how granular you can get?
- Pendo and Appcues are robust here, but Userflow’s targeting covers most SaaS needs unless you’re doing something exotic.
d. Analytics and Insights
- Do you get real data on which onboarding steps work, or just vanity metrics?
- Can you A/B test flows?
- If analytics are weak, you’ll have no idea if your onboarding is actually helping.
e. Integrations
- Will it play nicely with your CRM, helpdesk, or analytics tools?
- Some products promise “integrations,” but they’re shallow or require a lot of manual setup.
f. Performance and Impact on App
- Does it slow down your app or create weird bugs?
- Lightweight tools like Userflow tend to be less intrusive than older, legacy platforms.
Ignore: - AI-powered onboarding copy generators (they’re usually mediocre). - Gimmicky widgets you’ll never use. - Features you could easily build in-house if you needed to.
4. Hands-On Testing: Don’t Trust Demos Alone
Most onboarding tools offer a free trial or sandbox. Use it. Demos are scripted—real life isn’t.
What to actually do: - Build a short product tour and checklist based on your actual onboarding needs. - Have a non-technical teammate try to make edits. - Check if it works on staging and production, and doesn’t break your app. - Try integrations—see if user data flows into your CRM or analytics tool as promised.
Watch for: - “Easy setup” that turns into days of troubleshooting. - Features hidden behind higher pricing tiers. - Laggy or buggy UI (especially on mobile or single-page apps).
Pro tip: Keep notes on pain points. You’ll forget them after the third trial.
5. Compare Pricing (And Watch for Gotchas)
Pricing is where things get murky. Vendors love to bury the details.
Key questions: - Do they charge by monthly active users, by flow, by “events,” or something else? (Userflow and Userpilot are more transparent than most.) - Are there hidden costs for integrations, analytics, or white-labeling? - What happens if you go over your user limit—do they warn you, or just auto-upgrade your plan? - Can you get out of a contract if you’re not happy, or are you locked in for a year?
Tip: Don’t just compare base prices. Estimate your usage in 6–12 months and see what the bill could be if you grow.
Stuff to ignore: - “Startup discounts” that expire after a few months. - Free tiers that are so limited you can’t actually use them.
6. Assess Support and Documentation
If you hit a wall, will someone help? This isn’t just about live chat—good onboarding tools have strong docs and a responsive team.
- Search their docs for your use cases. Are they clear, or just vague marketing fluff?
- Test their support: ask a real question and see how fast/helpful the reply is.
- Check if there’s an active user community or Slack group (handy for troubleshooting weird issues).
7. Look for Long-Term Fit (Not Just Shiny Features)
Your onboarding tool should grow with you—not hold you hostage.
- Will it handle more complex onboarding as you scale, or will you outgrow it in a year?
- How often do they ship meaningful updates (not just cosmetic changes)?
- Are you going to be stuck with a platform that’s not evolving, or one that pivots and kills features you rely on?
Red flag: Any tool that tries to lock you in with data you can’t export or flows you can’t migrate.
8. Get Real Feedback from Your Team and Users
Once you’ve tested a few platforms, get honest feedback.
- Did your team find it easy or frustrating?
- Did your trial users actually complete the onboarding flow, or did they just click past it?
- Are there complaints about popups, speed, or weird bugs?
Ultimately, it’s about what works in your product—not what some review site or vendor claims.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Fast
Product onboarding can be a rabbit hole. The best tool is the one you’ll actually use and improve, not the one with the longest feature list. Don’t overthink it—pick a tool that fits your needs right now, get it live, and refine as you learn. Start simple, stay skeptical of hype, and remember: onboarding is never “done.” The real magic is in iterating, not overbuying.
Good luck—and don’t be afraid to switch if you find something better down the road.