What is Appcues?
Appcues is an in-app messaging and user onboarding platform that helps businesses create personalized user experiences.
Appcues is the first tool to introduce “no-code” onboarding capabilities. Since 2014, it has been developing and expanding its features. It allows you to create user onboarding flows, in-app checklists, announcement banners, and hotspots.
Appcues also has strong analytics capabilities, along with easy localization, segmentation, and personalization options.
Some common use cases include feature adoption, customer retention, and user training.
Despite its features, Appcues has some drawbacks. Some users have found it to be quite complex to handle, which requires a steep learning curve. Not only is the setup too complicated, but the features within the tool take quite some time to get used to as well.
In addition, the high pricing can also be a barrier for small businesses or startups.
Appcues offers a few tiers. Their "Essentials" plan starts at $249 per month and offers basic features like user onboarding flows and surveys. For more advanced needs, the "Growth" plan, starting at $879 per month, offers features such as NPS scores and A/B testing.
Top 4 Alternatives to Appcues
If you are seeking a more affordable tool with user-friendly features and efficient customer support, Appcues may not be the ideal choice.
Alternatively, you can consider utilizing one of the following four tools, each of which is simpler to install and become accustomed to.
1. UserGuiding
UserGuiding is a user-friendly platform designed to create interactive product tours and streamline user onboarding experiences without the need for coding expertise.
The tool simplifies the process of grasping the fundamentals of effective user onboarding. With pre-built templates, in-app product tours, a responsive customer success team, and a comprehensive help center, UserGuiding ensures that onboarding becomes a seamless endeavor.
The platform's notable strengths lie in its simplicity, affordability, and extensive range of features. These features include:
- In-app messaging and announcements
- Interactive user onboarding flows
- Onboarding checklists
- Tooltips and hotspots
- Resource centers
- Advanced analytics with user details page & activity feed
- Advanced user segmentation
- Easy language localization
- And various in-app surveys
Pricing for UserGuiding is more approachable than Appcues, with the "Basic" plan starting at $89 per month. Their "Professional" plan, priced at $389 per month, expands offerings to include unlimited guides, advanced integrations, and premium support.
2. Intercom
While primarily a communication platform, Intercom offers robust user onboarding capabilities. It shines in its ability to combine user communication with onboarding, enabling businesses to provide support during the onboarding process.
If you are already using Intercom for customer support, then not having to integrate another platform into yours could save you some time. Also, Intercom’s product tours feature is simple, and therefore, doesn’t have a steep learning curve.
The "Start" plan begins at $59 per month, offering basic messaging and targeted emails, and the product tours add-on costs an additional $199 per month. The "Grow" plan, priced at $119 per month, plus the $199 for product tours, introduces advanced features like better analytics.
The pricing of the “product tours” add-on alone is higher than most competitors and alternatives, especially considering that this add-on doesn’t nearly enable anything else than product tours and in-app checklists.
While Intercom provides excellent communication tools, its onboarding capabilities might not be as extensive or as customizable as those of pure onboarding tools.
3. Userlane
Userlane stands out for its focus on automation and step-by-step guidance. It enables you to create interactive guides that help users navigate your software effortlessly, reducing the need for extensive training.
The tool focuses mainly on in-product training and step-by-step guidance, thus, doesn’t have an extensive set of features. If you are only looking for in-app product tours, then Userlane could be a better alternative to Appcues.
Userlane's pricing is custom, meaning you would need to contact them for a quote. This approach can be advantageous because it ensures you only pay for the features you need.
One of Userlane's strong points is its capability to handle complex processes effectively. However, the lack of transparent pricing and the limited range of features might be a disadvantage for those who prefer to understand costs upfront and want a complete solution to handle the majority of the work.
4. Lou Assist
Lou Assist is a digital assistant that streamlines task management and boosts productivity in the workplace. Launched in 2016, it's renowned for its innovative and intuitive "no-code" automation capabilities.
Lou Assist offers a range of features, including product tours, checklists, and reporting. It's known for its easy onboarding capabilities that help businesses optimize operations and evaluate progress efficiently.
With Lou Assist, users can easily localize, segment, and personalize task flows, making the tool a favorite for project management, team collaboration, and workflow automation.
However, Lou Assist isn't without its challenges. Despite its intuitive design, some users have found the setup process a bit intricate, requiring a learning curve to master all its functionalities.
Moreover, navigating the tool's features may take some time for new users. For startups or small businesses, Lou Assist's pricing could be tempting, but it’s best to analyze cost-value ratio while making your decision.
Lou Assist provides various pricing plans, catering to different business needs. The "Startup" plan begins at $79 per user per month, covering fundamental features like automated tasks and reminders. For organizations needing more advanced features like time tracking and analytics, the "Growth" plan, priced at $199 per user per month, would be more suitable.
Conclusion
Choosing the most suitable onboarding tool for your organization goes beyond comparing features and pricing. It's about finding a solution that aligns with your specific needs and objectives.
While Appcues is an established name, alternatives like UserGuiding, Intercom, and Userlane offer unique capabilities and strengths that might be a better match for your business.
- UserGuiding is an affordable solution that has similar capabilities to Appcues, but is easier to use.
- Intercom offers many more features for the same pricing, including customer success features.
- Userlane offers less and doesn’t have transparent pricing, but if you only need in-app guidance, then Userlane could be a better option in terms of security and capability.
- Lou Assist is an affordable option with limited capabilities but delivers what it promises.
Always remember, the best tool is the one that propels your users towards success while keeping their journey engaging and hassle-free.
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