With online customer demands at record levels, onboarding software can help you streamline your services, allowing customers to learn about your products in a simple and unique way. Customer onboarding software not only benefits the customer, but also the seller. As a seller, onboarding software gives you the ability to upsell products, provide self-service customer support, and increase customer retention; leading to an increase in business and success. Customer onboarding software will collect analytics helping you know who your customers are and what they need.
To assist you in selecting the perfect program for your customers and needs, we have assembled a detailed list of the 10 most popular onboarding software programs available today. Read on to learn about each software, as well as the pros and cons.
Top 10 Best Customer Onboarding Software
- Appcues – Best Customer Onboarding Software for Third-Party Integration
- Apty – Best Customer Onboarding Software for Remote Work
- Chameleon – Best Customer Onboarding Software for Easy Setup
- Inline Manual – Best Customer Onboarding Software for Versatility
- Mixpanel – Best Customer Onboarding Software for Analytics
- Nickelled – Best Customer Onboarding Software for Efficiency
- Pendo – Best Customer Onboarding Software for In-App Guidance
- UserPiolet – Best Customer Onboarding Software for Customer Service Support
- WalkMe – Best Customer Onboarding Software for Product Tours
- Whatfix – Best Customer Onboarding Software for Ease of Installation
1. Appcues – Best Customer Onboarding Software for Third-Party Integration
Pricing: $249/month for Essentials Plan, $879/month for Growth Plan, price request for Enterprise Plan
Appcues is one of the best programs for third-party integration. No code design experience is needed with the drag and drop customization features. The beginner friendly program includes features such as targeted models, tours, and engaging user experiences without the use of program coding. With an average 4.8 star review on Capterra, Appcus is one of the highest rated customer onboarding software platforms.
| Pros | Cons |
| No code design needed | Expensive |
| Integration with third-party analytics | Some features are still being developed |
| Easy to start using | Frequent bugs and glitches in product |
| – | No in-app surveys |
Website: https://www.appcues.com/use-case/user-onboarding-software
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2. Apty – Best Customer Onboarding Software for Remote Work
Pricing: Free plan for the first 45 days, custom plans to meet customer needs
Apty specializes in remote products to support your remote business. This software provides in-app guidance to increase productivity. Audience segmentations will help new users better understand the program. Advanced analytics in this program help users better understand customer wants and needs, leading to an increase in customer retention.
| Pros | Cons |
| In-app guidance | Minimal customization |
| Easy to use | Difficult to edit workflows |
| Self-service tools | – |
Website: https://www.apty.io/user-onboarding
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3. Chameleon – Best Customer Onboarding Software for Easy Setup
Pricing: $249/month for Startup Plan, up $6000/month for Growth Plan (price depends on number of active monthly users)
Chameleon is a SaaS onboarding platform that easily connects with tools on Segment.com. Users do not need to know code to use Chameleon; however, the software is not as advanced as competitor software programs. Chameleon has an average 4.2 customer rating on Capterra. Chameleon has features such as in-app surveys, guidance, and tooltips making it easy for customers to understand your products and increase overall satisfaction.
| Pros | Cons |
| Easy setup | Editing tool glitches |
| Many customization options | Few interactive elements |
| Reasonable prices | – |
Website: https://www.trychameleon.com/
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4. Inline Manual – Best Customer Onboarding Software for Versatility
Pricing: Beginning at $158/month, price increases depending on number of monthly active users
Inline Manual is a cloud based software that provides customers with in-app announcements, tooltips, and walkthroughs. No code is needed to use the software making it beginner friendly. Feedback, customer targeting, and analytics will help you better understand your customer needs and wants. Inline Manual has advanced multilingual capabilities allowing you to reach customers globally.
| Pros | Cons |
| Many features to choose from | Consumes a lot of device memory |
| Fast and helpful customer support | No pricing for unlimited users |
| User-friendly interface | – |
| Multi-language | – |
Website: https://inlinemanual.com/user-onboarding/
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5. Mixpanel – Best Customer Onboarding Software for Analytics
Pricing: Free version, $25/month for Growth Plan, custom pricing for Enterprise Plan
Founded in 2009, Mixpanel is a well-known customer onboarding software used globally. With an average 4.5 star review on Capterra, Mixpanel is sure to wow your customers. Mixpanel uses analytics to help give you information regarding user experience. Mixpanel is used by many large corporations such as Uber, Yelp, and Expedia. There are many analytic features that will help you create better products and reach your customers in a new, advanced way.
| Pros | Cons |
| Advanced analytics | Steep learning curve |
| Easy to read customer reports | Minimal features beyond analytics |
| Mobile app | No in-app messaging or customer support |
Website: https://mixpanel.com/
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6. Nickelled – Best Customer Onboarding Software for Efficiency
Pricing: 14-day free trial, $99/month for Starter Plan, $199/month for Growth Plan, $399/month for Premium Plan
Nickelled is a completely interactive customer onboarding software. Founded in 2014, Nickelled has an average customer rating on Capterra of 4.9 stars. Nickelled provides customer education through guided tours, videos, and in-app messaging. This software is one of the most advanced self-service models to meet customer needs and provide an interactive experience.
| Pros | Cons |
| Drag and drop interface | Mobile version has bugs and glitches |
| Interactive | No customer segmentation |
| No code installation needed | – |
Website: https://www.nickelled.com/customer-onboarding/
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7. Pendo – Best Customer Onboarding Software for In-App Guidance
Pricing: Free plan for under 1,000 monthly users, other subscription plans are customizable
Founded in 2014, Pendo is a popular onboarding software. It has an average rating on Capterra of 4.5 stars. According to TechValidate, “82% of Pendo customers who use Pendo to improve onboarding time saw at least a 10% reduction in time and effort.” Pendo provides in-app messaging, training, and personalized guidance which will lead to an increase in customer satisfaction and customer experience.
| Pros | Cons |
| Customizable options and widgets | Difficult to learn |
| In-app messaging | User tracking less responsive |
| Modern interface design | – |
| Collect survey feedback | – |
Website: https://www.pendo.io/product-experience/user-onboarding/
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8. UserPiolet – Best Customer Onboarding Software for Customer Service Support
Pricing: Month long free trial, $240/month for Growth plan, $749/month for Enterprise plan
Looking for an easy to use, beginner friendly onboarding software? UserPiolet is the platform for you. UserPiolet offers a user-friendly interface that will enhance your product. UserPiolet provides a variety of onboarding features such as email, in-app guidance, and help documents to increase your customer experience. Founded in 2017, UserPiolet is a relatively new software program. On Capterra, UserPiolet has an average rating of 4.6 stars with 4.8 stars in customer service.
| Pros | Cons |
| Goal tracking | Limited integration for video content |
| Easy integration with existing technology | User interface is difficult to use |
| User-friendly interface | Requires some training to use |
| Cloud based | No drag and drop features |
Website: https://userpilot.com/solutions/user-onboarding-software
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9. WalkMe – Best Customer Onboarding Software for Product Tours
Pricing: Customized pricing plans to fit your needs
Improve customer usage and retention by up to 200% with WalkMe. Founded in 2011, WalkMe has over 2,000 customers worldwide with 30% of them being Fortune 500 companies. WalkMe allows you to collect analytics to pinpoint customer frustrations and concerns, while improving overall customer experience. Guide customers through your products to help maximize their interaction. With WalkMe you can easily streamline the customer experience which will benefit you and the customer. WalkMe was one of the first major companies to create a program that was based on user-guidance. WalkMe is well known for its product tours and walk-throughs, making it one of the best software programs for promoting new products. On Capterra, WalkMe has an average rating of 4.4 stars.
| Pros | Cons |
| Easy to integrate various content types | Lack of templates for users |
| Easy to promote new products | Slower editor with a lot of content |
| Great customer support | High subscription prices |
| Integrates with LMS | – |
Website: https://www.walkme.com/solutions/use-case/customer-onboarding/
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10. Whatfix – Best Customer Onboarding Software for Ease of Installation
Pricing: Custom quotes, approximately $1,200 per year
Whatfix is a digital adaptation platform similar to WalkMe, but is much more affordable. On Capterra, Whatfix has an average rating of 4.7 stars and an average of 4.9 stars in customer service. The software is easy to install and provides great resources for the customer. Whatfix provides personal walkthroughs that increase customer retention and engagement.
| Pros | Cons |
| Automated data entry | Organization of analytics is difficult to read |
| Training and educational programs in-app | Analytics is difficult to set up |
| Easy to use dashboard | – |
| Integrates with LMS | – |
Website: https://whatfix.com/solutions/user-onboarding/
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is customer onboarding?
Customer onboarding is the process your customers go through to learn about products and features. Customer onboarding is proven to increase customer retention and overall experience. Customer onboarding can take place through software platforms such as the ones discussed above, or through specialists that teach customers about products. Onboarding software platforms decrease support costs because a specialist is not needed; therefore, increasing your revenue.
What is customer onboarding software?
Customer onboarding software is a platform that helps customers learn about your products and features through a streamlined process. Customer onboarding software features include tools such as in-app messaging, customer support, surveys, tutorials, and pop-ups. These features allow customers to gain insight and knowledge about your products.
What is a customer onboarding specialist?
A customer onboarding specialist works with new customers to help them navigate various products and features. Onboarding specialists collaborate and interact with customers. Advanced onboarding software programs can take the place of an onboarding specialist, decreasing your support cost and increasing your company revenue.
Why should I invest in customer onboarding software?
By investing in an onboarding software, you streamline all customer information coming into your platform. This will allow you to spend more time analyzing the customer data and less time trying to collect it. All information you receive will be stored in an easy to access dashboard where you can view analytics and easily make decisions based on the needs of your customers. An onboarding software also allows you to streamline the way customers learn about your products and ask questions. With features such as pop-ups, surveys, video tutorials, chat boxes, and walkthroughs, the customer is provided with a unique experience.
What are the different onboarding models?
There are three onboarding models: self-service, low-touch, and high-touch. The self-service model is a basic model that uses very few flows and lets the customer handle the majority of the navigation on their own. Platforms such as social media and mobile apps use self-service onboarding. Low-touch onboarding adds features such as walkthroughs, product tours, and tutorials. Large corporations such as Zoom and Canva have adopted the low-touch model. High-touch models are the most advanced customer onboarding models available. This model is the most advanced to set-up, but it also provides the most individualized customer experience. High-touch features include customized trainings, virtual meetings, and one-on-one experiences that provide a unique customer experience.
Why are onboarding analytics so important?
Analytics provide you in depth information regarding the customer. This information will help you adjust your product and platform based on the needs of the customer, which will increase overall experience. Tracking analytics will help you focus your marketing, improve your product, and increase customer retention.
How do I measure the effectiveness of a customer onboarding software platform?
It is crucial to begin measuring the effectiveness of your onboarding software within the first 7 days of implementation. By tracking your analytics and changes in them, you will be able to identify whether your onboarding software is beneficial or not. By tracking your customer churn and retention rates, you will be able to see if customers are leaving your service or returning. This will give you insight into changes you need to make to your platform and products to better serve your customers.