Quick Overview
- 1#1: Gainsight - Comprehensive customer success platform that automates onboarding playbooks, tracks health scores, and drives adoption.
- 2#2: Totango - Customer success platform enabling personalized onboarding journeys and real-time engagement monitoring.
- 3#3: ChurnZero - Actionable customer success platform focused on rapid onboarding, success plans, and churn prevention.
- 4#4: Pendo - Product experience platform providing in-app onboarding guides, analytics, and adoption insights.
- 5#5: Appcues - No-code tool for building personalized onboarding flows, tours, and product adoption campaigns.
- 6#6: Intercom - Customer messaging platform with automated onboarding sequences, series, and AI-driven support.
- 7#7: Userpilot - Product adoption platform for creating targeted onboarding experiences and user engagement loops.
- 8#8: WalkMe - Digital adoption platform delivering interactive walkthroughs and automated onboarding guidance.
- 9#9: Whatfix - Digital adoption solution offering contextual onboarding, self-help, and training overlays.
- 10#10: Custify - Customer success platform automating onboarding workflows based on NPS and behavioral data.
Tools were evaluated and ranked based on core features (automation, personalization, analytics), overall quality, user-friendliness, and value, ensuring they meet the dynamic needs of modern customer success teams.
Comparison Table
This comparison table breaks down leading Customer Success Onboarding Software tools, including Gainsight, Totango, ChurnZero, Pendo, Appcues, and more, to assist users in evaluating their options. It outlines key features, capabilities, and unique strengths, empowering readers to make data-driven decisions for enhancing customer onboarding and retention efforts.
| # | Tool | Category | Overall | Features | Ease of Use | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gainsight Comprehensive customer success platform that automates onboarding playbooks, tracks health scores, and drives adoption. | enterprise | 9.7/10 | 9.8/10 | 8.4/10 | 9.1/10 |
| 2 | Totango Customer success platform enabling personalized onboarding journeys and real-time engagement monitoring. | enterprise | 9.1/10 | 9.5/10 | 8.4/10 | 8.2/10 |
| 3 | ChurnZero Actionable customer success platform focused on rapid onboarding, success plans, and churn prevention. | enterprise | 8.7/10 | 9.2/10 | 8.4/10 | 8.1/10 |
| 4 | Pendo Product experience platform providing in-app onboarding guides, analytics, and adoption insights. | enterprise | 8.7/10 | 9.2/10 | 8.0/10 | 7.8/10 |
| 5 | Appcues No-code tool for building personalized onboarding flows, tours, and product adoption campaigns. | specialized | 8.7/10 | 9.0/10 | 8.8/10 | 8.2/10 |
| 6 | Intercom Customer messaging platform with automated onboarding sequences, series, and AI-driven support. | enterprise | 8.1/10 | 8.7/10 | 7.4/10 | 7.2/10 |
| 7 | Userpilot Product adoption platform for creating targeted onboarding experiences and user engagement loops. | specialized | 8.4/10 | 8.7/10 | 9.2/10 | 7.9/10 |
| 8 | WalkMe Digital adoption platform delivering interactive walkthroughs and automated onboarding guidance. | enterprise | 8.2/10 | 9.1/10 | 7.4/10 | 7.7/10 |
| 9 | Whatfix Digital adoption solution offering contextual onboarding, self-help, and training overlays. | enterprise | 8.3/10 | 9.1/10 | 7.8/10 | 7.5/10 |
| 10 | Custify Customer success platform automating onboarding workflows based on NPS and behavioral data. | specialized | 7.9/10 | 8.4/10 | 7.6/10 | 7.5/10 |
Comprehensive customer success platform that automates onboarding playbooks, tracks health scores, and drives adoption.
Customer success platform enabling personalized onboarding journeys and real-time engagement monitoring.
Actionable customer success platform focused on rapid onboarding, success plans, and churn prevention.
Product experience platform providing in-app onboarding guides, analytics, and adoption insights.
No-code tool for building personalized onboarding flows, tours, and product adoption campaigns.
Customer messaging platform with automated onboarding sequences, series, and AI-driven support.
Product adoption platform for creating targeted onboarding experiences and user engagement loops.
Digital adoption platform delivering interactive walkthroughs and automated onboarding guidance.
Digital adoption solution offering contextual onboarding, self-help, and training overlays.
Customer success platform automating onboarding workflows based on NPS and behavioral data.
Gainsight
enterpriseComprehensive customer success platform that automates onboarding playbooks, tracks health scores, and drives adoption.
Success Playbooks with AI-powered automation for hyper-personalized, milestone-driven onboarding journeys
Gainsight is a comprehensive Customer Success platform renowned for its robust onboarding capabilities, enabling teams to automate customer journeys with customizable playbooks, success plans, and milestone trackers. It unifies customer data into a 360-degree view, health scoring, and predictive analytics to accelerate time-to-value and reduce churn during onboarding. Ideal for scaling enterprises, it integrates seamlessly with CRM, billing, and support tools to deliver personalized experiences from day one.
Pros
- Powerful automation via Rules Engine and Playbooks for streamlined onboarding workflows
- Unified C360 dashboard with AI-driven health scores and risk predictions
- Extensive integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, and 100+ apps for seamless data flow
Cons
- Steep learning curve for non-technical users due to its depth and customization options
- High cost makes it less accessible for small businesses or startups
- Advanced reporting requires configuration expertise to fully leverage
Best For
Mid-market to enterprise SaaS companies with complex, high-volume customer onboarding needs requiring scalable automation and deep analytics.
Pricing
Custom quote-based pricing, typically starting at $50,000+ annually for mid-market plans, scaling with customer volume and features.
Totango
enterpriseCustomer success platform enabling personalized onboarding journeys and real-time engagement monitoring.
AI-powered Signals for real-time detection of customer risks and automated playbook execution during onboarding
Totango is a robust customer success platform that excels in automating and optimizing customer onboarding, engagement, and retention for SaaS and enterprise teams. It provides tools like guided onboarding workflows, success playbooks, real-time health scoring, and predictive analytics to proactively address customer risks and drive expansion. By integrating with CRMs like Salesforce and offering a unified customer view, Totango helps CS teams scale operations efficiently while personalizing customer journeys.
Pros
- Advanced automation for onboarding workflows and playbooks
- Real-time customer health scoring and predictive alerts
- Seamless integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, and other tools
Cons
- Steep learning curve for complex customizations
- High pricing suitable mainly for mid-to-large enterprises
- Limited self-service options for smaller teams
Best For
Mid-market to enterprise SaaS companies seeking scalable, data-driven customer success onboarding.
Pricing
Custom enterprise pricing starting at around $25,000 annually, based on accounts, users, and features.
ChurnZero
enterpriseActionable customer success platform focused on rapid onboarding, success plans, and churn prevention.
Digital Playbooks that provide interactive, customer-facing guided journeys for seamless onboarding and success milestones
ChurnZero is a customer success platform that empowers SaaS teams to onboard customers effectively, reduce churn, and drive expansion through proactive engagement tools. It features guided success plans, automated workflows, and task management to streamline onboarding processes. The platform also includes real-time health scoring, in-app messaging, and analytics for ongoing customer success monitoring.
Pros
- Powerful Digital Playbooks for customizable onboarding workflows
- Real-time customer health scores and predictive churn alerts
- Extensive integrations with CRM and SaaS tools like Salesforce and HubSpot
Cons
- Pricing can be steep for smaller teams
- Advanced customization requires some technical setup
- Reporting dashboards could be more intuitive for beginners
Best For
Mid-market to enterprise SaaS companies seeking a robust, all-in-one platform for customer onboarding and retention.
Pricing
Custom quote-based pricing, typically starting at $10,000-$20,000 annually depending on accounts and features.
Pendo
enterpriseProduct experience platform providing in-app onboarding guides, analytics, and adoption insights.
In-App Guides: Visual no-code editor for building adaptive, multi-step onboarding experiences that trigger based on user behavior.
Pendo is a product experience platform that excels in user onboarding through in-app guides, behavioral analytics, and feedback collection. It enables customer success teams to create personalized, contextual onboarding experiences, track adoption metrics, and iterate based on real user data. Primarily designed for SaaS companies, it bridges product analytics with guided user journeys to boost retention and time-to-value.
Pros
- Robust product analytics for tracking onboarding progress and user drop-offs
- No-code visual builder for creating interactive in-app guides and tours
- Strong integrations with CRM, CS platforms like Gainsight, and Slack
Cons
- Enterprise-level pricing can be prohibitive for SMBs
- Steep learning curve for advanced analytics and segmentation
- Overemphasis on product analytics may require supplementary tools for full CS workflows
Best For
Mid-market to enterprise SaaS companies prioritizing product-led onboarding and data-driven user adoption.
Pricing
Custom enterprise pricing starting at ~$10,000/year, based on monthly tracked users, guides volume, and add-ons; requires sales quote.
Appcues
specializedNo-code tool for building personalized onboarding flows, tours, and product adoption campaigns.
Visual Flow Builder for designing complex, multi-step onboarding sequences without code
Appcues is a no-code platform designed for creating in-app onboarding experiences like guided tours, checklists, tooltips, modals, and surveys to boost user adoption and retention in SaaS products. It empowers product, customer success, and growth teams to deliver personalized, contextual guidance without developer involvement. With segmentation, A/B testing, and analytics, it helps optimize onboarding flows and measure engagement effectively.
Pros
- Intuitive no-code builder for quick experience creation
- Advanced segmentation and personalization options
- Robust analytics and A/B testing for optimization
Cons
- Pricing scales quickly with user volume
- Limited customization for highly complex flows
- Relies heavily on in-app delivery, less flexible for external onboarding
Best For
Mid-sized SaaS companies seeking scalable, self-serve in-app onboarding to reduce customer success workload.
Pricing
Starts at $249/month for Starter (up to 5k MAU), with Growth ($999+/mo) and custom Enterprise plans based on monthly active users.
Intercom
enterpriseCustomer messaging platform with automated onboarding sequences, series, and AI-driven support.
AI-powered Product Tours that deliver no-code, interactive in-app walkthroughs tailored to user behavior
Intercom is a versatile customer messaging platform that facilitates real-time chat, automated emails, and in-app experiences to engage users throughout their lifecycle. For customer success onboarding, it excels with product tours, targeted messaging sequences, and user segmentation to guide new customers effectively. It leverages customer data profiles and analytics to personalize onboarding and measure success metrics.
Pros
- Powerful product tours and in-app guidance for seamless onboarding
- Advanced segmentation and automation for personalized experiences
- Integrated analytics to track onboarding engagement and drop-offs
Cons
- Steep learning curve for complex setups and customizations
- Pricing scales quickly with user volume, making it costly for SMBs
- Overkill for teams needing only onboarding tools without full CRM features
Best For
Mid-to-large SaaS companies seeking an integrated customer engagement platform with robust onboarding capabilities.
Pricing
Starts at $74/month (Pro plan for 1 seat), scales by active users and features up to $139/month (Expert) or custom enterprise pricing.
Userpilot
specializedProduct adoption platform for creating targeted onboarding experiences and user engagement loops.
AI-powered experience builder that auto-generates personalized onboarding flows from natural language prompts
Userpilot is a no-code product adoption platform that helps SaaS companies deliver personalized in-app onboarding experiences to improve user retention and reduce churn. It offers tools like interactive flows, checklists, tooltips, modals, and surveys to guide users through onboarding without developer involvement. Customer success teams use it to automate self-serve onboarding, track adoption metrics, and segment experiences based on user behavior and cohorts.
Pros
- Intuitive drag-and-drop builder for quick setup of onboarding flows
- Advanced segmentation and personalization based on user data
- Robust analytics for tracking feature adoption and engagement
Cons
- Pricing escalates quickly for advanced features and higher usage
- Limited native support for account-level CS workflows beyond in-app
- Some complexity in managing large-scale multi-product experiences
Best For
SaaS companies with customer success teams looking to scale self-serve onboarding and boost product adoption without heavy engineering reliance.
Pricing
Growth plan starts at $249/month (billed annually, up to 5k MAU), Business at $499/month (up to 20k MAU), Enterprise custom.
WalkMe
enterpriseDigital adoption platform delivering interactive walkthroughs and automated onboarding guidance.
Visual AI-powered editor that builds adaptive walkthroughs without coding
WalkMe is a Digital Adoption Platform (DAP) that provides interactive in-app guidance, walkthroughs, tooltips, and automation to accelerate user onboarding and adoption of complex software. It helps Customer Success teams reduce support tickets and time-to-value by delivering personalized, contextual experiences within SaaS applications. With robust analytics, it tracks user behavior to optimize onboarding flows and improve retention.
Pros
- Powerful no-code builder for interactive walkthroughs and automations
- Advanced analytics for user engagement and drop-off insights
- Seamless integrations with major SaaS platforms like Salesforce and SAP
Cons
- Steep learning curve for advanced customizations
- High enterprise pricing not ideal for SMBs
- Occasional performance lags on highly dynamic web apps
Best For
Large enterprises with complex SaaS ecosystems seeking scalable, analytics-driven onboarding at scale.
Pricing
Custom enterprise pricing, typically starting at $20,000+ annually based on users and features.
Whatfix
enterpriseDigital adoption solution offering contextual onboarding, self-help, and training overlays.
AI Coach for personalized, real-time guidance and 'What's Next' recommendations during onboarding
Whatfix is a digital adoption platform (DAP) designed to streamline customer onboarding by delivering contextual in-app guidance, interactive walkthroughs, and self-service support directly within software applications. It empowers customer success teams to accelerate user adoption, reduce support tickets, and measure engagement through advanced analytics. The platform supports no-code creation of personalized experiences, making it ideal for SaaS companies focused on improving time-to-value for customers.
Pros
- Robust no-code builder for creating in-app guides and flows
- Comprehensive analytics for tracking onboarding progress and user friction
- Seamless integrations with major SaaS tools like Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics
Cons
- High pricing suitable mainly for enterprises
- Initial setup and customization can be time-intensive
- Limited free tier or trial options for testing
Best For
Mid-to-large SaaS companies with complex products needing scalable in-app onboarding and adoption tools.
Pricing
Custom enterprise pricing starting around $20,000 annually, based on users, apps, and features; contact sales required.
Custify
specializedCustomer success platform automating onboarding workflows based on NPS and behavioral data.
No-code playbook engine that automates multi-step, personalized onboarding journeys based on user behavior
Custify is a customer success platform that excels in automating onboarding workflows, enabling teams to create personalized customer journeys with no-code playbooks and segmentation. It tracks user engagement, monitors health scores, and triggers proactive interventions to accelerate time-to-value and reduce churn. While versatile for full CS operations, its onboarding tools help SaaS companies scale efficiently from day one.
Pros
- Powerful no-code playbook builder for custom onboarding sequences
- Deep integrations with CRMs, analytics, and communication tools
- Advanced customer health scoring and churn prediction
Cons
- Pricing can be steep for small teams or startups
- Steeper learning curve for complex automations
- Limited customization in reporting compared to enterprise rivals
Best For
Mid-sized SaaS businesses seeking scalable, automated onboarding within a full customer success stack.
Pricing
Starts at $500/month for Growth plan (up to 1,000 contacts); custom Enterprise pricing for larger scales.
Conclusion
Gainsight leads as the top choice, boasting a comprehensive platform with automated onboarding playbooks, health score tracking, and adoption drives. Totango and ChurnZero follow, offering personalized journeys and rapid onboarding respectively, making them strong picks for diverse needs. These tools highlight how strategic onboarding fuels long-term success.
Begin enhancing your onboarding process by exploring Gainsight—its tailored features can transform customer relationships and drive growth.
Tools Reviewed
All tools were independently evaluated for this comparison