User onboarding process is one of the first major touchpoints in a customer’s experience with a SaaS product. Onboarding users effortlessly (or not) is often make-it or break-it moment for SaaS platforms. User onboarding automation tools help to overcome obstacles like complex interface, which can be a showstopper for trial users and may cause paying customers to fail to realize a full potential of your product.
Ability to automate and streamline this process for users with right tools and is a real asset for product managers and team leaders, as they can guide users without having to provide a hands-on help and improve their onboarding experience ath the same time.
The flavors of onboarding process
While many onboarding tools can work for users as well as for employee onboarding process, this list highlights platforms tailored to SaaS user journeys. Of course, there are situations, when user onboarding tools can serve for certain areas of employee onboarding automation. For instance, Direct Insurance demonstrated how user onboarding software could be adapted to onboard employees into their key online platform, but core purpose of user onboarding automation remains to help users of SaaS and web applications.
You can watch an example of automated user onboarding in the video below.
In this article, we’ll explore a range of user onboarding software tools that simplify this process. With features like in-app walkthroughs, progress tracking, user behavior analytics and personalized user journeys, these tools can help customers learn and engage with your product at their own pace and are best way to implement onboarding automation for SaaS.
Want to try creating smooth and engaging onboarding experiences right away? Try Product Fruits with a free 14-day trial and see how it delights your new users.
Top 8 user onboarding automation tools in 2024
With so many onboarding solutions, it’s easy to feel lost choosing the right one. Below, we’ve rounded up eight user onboarding automation tools that help SaaS platforms deliver a hands-off onboarding experience.
#1 Product Fruits
Let’s start with the best one and work our way down. Product Fruits is one of the top user onboarding automation tools that help product managers and teams create smooth, guided experiences for new users. One of its standout features is its content mapping tool, which allows product managers to lay out user journeys and map content to specific steps within the application. This means you can create a guided experience that adapts to where users are within the product. Product Fruits also lets you set up tooltips, in-app messages, pop-ups, and walkthroughs—all with no coding required. This flexibility allows teams to build an onboarding flow that feels like a natural extension of the product itself.
What sets Product Fruits apart from other user onboarding tools is its integration of AI-powered features. These capabilities help simplify the process of creating and optimizing onboarding content. With AI, you can automatically generate user flows from welcome tours to update notifications. The AI tailors content based on user behavior, which makes it faster and easier to launch personalized experiences at scale and improve user retention.
Pros
- Supports onboarding journey in multiple languages, which is valuable for global businesses.
- Offers a mix of tooltips, pop-ups, and in-app messages that give teams plenty of choices for guiding users.
- The platform lets you create user segments based on their actions or profile details.
Cons
- While Product Fruits provides built-in tracking and syncs with most tools, you should pair it with your analytics platform for optimal monitoring.
Pricing
Product Fruits offers flexible pricing options through three distinct plans. The Core plan, priced at $79 per month, and the Boost plan, priced at $139 per month, accommodate up to 1,500 users and include essential features such as tours, checklists, and AI writing capabilities. The Enterprise plan offers customized pricing and advanced functionalities for organizations with more extensive requirements, including SAML SSO and custom integrations.
Why not try the Product Fruits onboarding automation tool right away? Enjoy the first two weeks for free; follow this link.👈
#2 Userpilot
Userpilot is a user onboarding automation platform that helps create no-code, interactive experiences tailored to each user’s journey. It is particularly strong in personalized onboarding, segmenting users based on specific criteria to deliver targeted experiences. This segmentation allows companies to set up automated triggers for in-app guidance, meaning onboarding can happen seamlessly and at the most relevant times. Additionally, its advanced analytics, including cohort analysis, path analysis, and funnel tracking, help teams understand user behaviors deeply and adjust flows to improve engagement and retention.
Pros
- Segment users by behavior, attributes, or custom events to trigger personalized flows at key moments.
- Integrated surveys (e.g., NPS, CSAT) provide insights into user sentiment.
Cons
- It is considered expensive for smaller companies or startups, as the pricing scales with the complexity of features.
- While highly customizable, deeper customizations may require JavaScript, which isn’t truly a no-code for all scenarios.
Pricing
Userpilot structures its pricing in three tiers, with plans beginning at $249 per month. While the basic plan offers fundamental features, users seeking advanced functionalities like resource centers, localization options, and dedicated customer success support must opt for the Growth plan, starting at $749 per month.
#3 Intro.js
Intro.js is a JavaScript library that simplifies the creation of user onboarding flows and product tours. Known for its versatility, Intro.js offers developers the tools to guide users through an application or website interactively. The library allows for step-by-step navigation, which enables users to grasp various platform features intuitively. It highlights specific elements, includes automatic positioning for smoother transitions, and supports keyboard navigation to make onboarding more accessible. Notably, it integrates seamlessly into projects with minimal dependencies. Thus, it is ideal for fast implementations across platforms and frameworks like AngularJS and jQuery.
Pros
- Works well across different websites and applications without extensive setup.
- It can emphasize various interface elements, which helps users comprehend complex workflows.
Cons
- Must have JavaScript enabled, which may not be ideal for all user environments.
- Steps in the tour need manual configuration, which could increase setup time for larger applications.
Pricing
Intro.js offers a free version for personal, non-commercial, and open-source projects. Users need to purchase a commercial license for commercial applications, websites, or plugins, which requires a one-time payment starting at $9.99 (Starter plan).
#4 Gainsight PX
Gainsight PX is a product experience platform that supports teams in building personalized user onboarding journeys and in-app engagements. It enables detailed user segmentation so companies can present in-app guides, tutorials, and checklists relevant to each user’s role or usage stage. Gainsight PX’s analytics track engagement metrics and adoption rates, which allows teams to fine-tune onboarding flows based on real user behavior. Its knowledge center bot feature centralizes helpful resources like tutorials and FAQs, which makes it easy for users to access support during automated onboarding process.
Pros
- It offers feature usage and engagement metrics that give insights that can guide onboarding and product adjustments.
- Provides multiple survey types (e.g., NPS, CSAT) for gathering user insights to gauge user sentiment.
Cons
- New users may need time to get accustomed to the platform, which could affect onboarding timelines.
- Limited integrations may make it challenging for teams to use a wider range of third-party tools.
Pricing
Getapp reports that Gainsight PX pricing begins at around $500 per month for 500 users. Larger plans scale upward, with costs potentially exceeding $2,000 per month, depending on the number of users and required features. You can contact the Gainsight PX sales team to get an exact quote.
Ready to see how Gainsight stacks up against Product Fruits? Check out our detailed comparison: Product Fruits vs. Gainsight PX.
#5 Userlist
Userlist is a customer messaging platform that helps SaaS businesses improve onboarding and retention. It organizes user activity and sends behavior-based messages that align closely with user actions. Userlist’s features enable you to send automated messages based on user interactions. This can help move users through onboarding workflows and reach the “aha” moment when they understand your product’s value. Additionally, it allows for customization of each message, adapting communication based on real-time behavior data so users only receive relevant information.
Pros
- Advanced segmentation to personalize onboarding experiences
- Customizable in-app messages and email options
Cons
- Limited visual customization compared to some competitors
- Less comprehensive analytics options
Pricing
Userlist offers three pricing plans. The $149 per month Basic plan covers marketing and lifecycle email, in-app messages, and team notifications, including company accounts. The $349 per month Professional plan builds on the Basic plan with advanced workflow and performance tracking features. For enterprises, the customized Enterprise plan provides a tailored solution with high-volume capabilities like custom integrations and a dedicated account manager.
#6 Chameleon
Chameleon is a versatile onboarding automation tool built to create engaging, in-app guidance experiences through features like tooltips, modals, and product tours. It’s perfect for product teams that want to deliver highly personalized onboarding journeys that respond dynamically to user behaviors. The tool allows each user to receive relevant guidance based on their actions. The tool stands out with its tour builder, which includes templates and A/B testing capabilities. These allow product teams to experiment and iterate on different onboarding flows to determine what works best.
Pros
- Highly customizable onboarding flows with templates for quick setup
- Advanced targeting based on user segmentation for personalized experiences
Cons
- Price can be prohibitive for smaller companies or startups
- Some users find the interface less intuitive compared to similar tools
- Limited built-in templates for onboarding flows
Pricing
Chameleon offers a free plan for feature exploration, and paid plans start at $279 per month for the Startup plan (up to 2,000 MAUs with basic onboarding features). The Growth plan is $1,500 per month, adding advanced tools like A/B testing and enhanced security. For enterprises, the customizable Enterprise plan provides tailored solutions and pricing.
#7 Pendo
Pendo combines behavioral analytics with in-app guidance to streamline onboarding programs. Its features include step-by-step walkthroughs, checklists, and tooltips that guide users through product adoption. The platform tracks user actions and progress through event monitoring while offering segmentation for role-based onboarding experiences. Additionally, its retroactive data collection enables teams to analyze historical user behavior without preliminary setup.
Pros
- Personalizes onboarding experiences by targeting specific user groups based on behavior or demographics
- Tracks engagement, adoption, and friction points to offer actionable data to refine onboarding
Cons
- Costs may be prohibitive for smaller organizations or startups
- Requires advanced configuration for unique visual styling of guides
Pricing
Pendo structures its pricing based on business requirements. The entry-level Pendo Free plan supports up to 500 users with analytics, in-app guides, and NPS surveys. The core platform pricing ranges from $25,800 to $132,400, while Pendo Feedback costs between $12,500 and $86,800, depending on the size and features needed. You can contact Pendo directly for specific pricing details.
#8 Appcues
Appcues is a well-known onboarding automation tool, particularly for SaaS applications. Appcues’s ability to create in-app user journeys makes it effective in this domain. With features like drag-and-drop flow builders, tooltips, checklists, models, and slideouts, it allows product teams to guide users through their onboarding process intuitively and personally. One of Appcues’ best features is its focus on improving user activation and engagement through segmented checklists and targeted onboarding flows. By breaking complex tasks into manageable steps and visually showcasing progress it helps new users feel more accomplished.
Pros
- Provides built-in NPS survey functionality to gather user insights.
- Allows targeted flows based on user properties and behaviors.
Cons
- Lacks in-depth analytics unless integrated with third-party tools
- May struggle with detecting dynamic UI elements, limiting tooltip placements.
Pricing
Appcues structures its pricing across three tiers: Essentials, Growth, and Enterprise. The Essential plan starts at $249 per month for 2,500 monthly active users (MAU) and increases to $299 per month for 5,000 MAU, with higher tiers offering expanded features and user capacity.
Wrap-up: Which tool fits you?
The onboarding tools we’ve reviewed show how automation can make user guidance feel personal and natural. Each platform offers unique ways to welcome users. Chameleon lets you run tests to perfect your flows, Pendo gives you deep analytics, and Userpilot helps you track users’ behavior. Meanwhile, simpler tools like Intro.js work well for teams wanting basic guidance without bells and whistles.
For teams seeking both power and simplicity, Product Fruits offers an interesting mix. Its content mapping helps build natural user journeys, while AI features speed up the creation process. With options starting at $79/month and multi-language support, it finds a sweet spot between features and cost.
Want to explore how automated onboarding could work for your product? You can try Product Fruits free for 14 days and see the results for yourself.
