Quick Overview
- 1#1: Gainsight - Customer success platform that predicts churn and automates retention playbooks using health scores and engagement data.
- 2#2: ChurnZero - Real-time churn prevention tool that identifies at-risk customers and delivers personalized retention actions.
- 3#3: Totango - Customer engagement platform focused on retention through success plans, health monitoring, and automated workflows.
- 4#4: Amplitude - Product analytics platform that excels in cohort analysis and retention curve optimization for user stickiness.
- 5#5: Mixpanel - User analytics tool providing deep insights into retention funnels, user paths, and engagement metrics.
- 6#6: Braze - Customer engagement platform for cross-channel retention campaigns using real-time data and personalization.
- 7#7: Intercom - Customer messaging platform that boosts retention via targeted in-app messages, bots, and support automation.
- 8#8: Klaviyo - E-commerce marketing automation tool specializing in email and SMS flows to recover and retain customers.
- 9#9: Customer.io - Behavioral data platform for sending data-driven retention campaigns across email, push, and SMS.
- 10#10: HubSpot - All-in-one CRM with retention features like customer lifecycle management and automated nurture sequences.
We ranked tools based on key factors: robust feature sets (including predictive analytics, automation, and multi-channel personalization), user experience quality (intuitive design, onboarding efficiency), and measurable value (ROI, scalability, and cost-effectiveness).
Comparison Table
This comparison table guides readers through leading retention software tools, from Gainsight and ChurnZero to Totango, Amplitude, Mixpanel, and more, highlighting key features, use cases, and unique strengths to help identify the best fit for their business needs, whether focused on customer success, data-driven analytics, or proactive retention strategies.
| # | Tool | Category | Overall | Features | Ease of Use | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gainsight Customer success platform that predicts churn and automates retention playbooks using health scores and engagement data. | enterprise | 9.5/10 | 9.8/10 | 8.2/10 | 9.0/10 |
| 2 | ChurnZero Real-time churn prevention tool that identifies at-risk customers and delivers personalized retention actions. | enterprise | 9.2/10 | 9.5/10 | 8.9/10 | 8.6/10 |
| 3 | Totango Customer engagement platform focused on retention through success plans, health monitoring, and automated workflows. | enterprise | 8.8/10 | 9.2/10 | 8.5/10 | 8.0/10 |
| 4 | Amplitude Product analytics platform that excels in cohort analysis and retention curve optimization for user stickiness. | specialized | 8.7/10 | 9.4/10 | 8.0/10 | 7.8/10 |
| 5 | Mixpanel User analytics tool providing deep insights into retention funnels, user paths, and engagement metrics. | specialized | 8.4/10 | 9.2/10 | 7.8/10 | 7.9/10 |
| 6 | Braze Customer engagement platform for cross-channel retention campaigns using real-time data and personalization. | enterprise | 8.7/10 | 9.3/10 | 7.6/10 | 8.1/10 |
| 7 | Intercom Customer messaging platform that boosts retention via targeted in-app messages, bots, and support automation. | enterprise | 7.8/10 | 8.3/10 | 7.7/10 | 7.0/10 |
| 8 | Klaviyo E-commerce marketing automation tool specializing in email and SMS flows to recover and retain customers. | specialized | 8.5/10 | 9.2/10 | 8.0/10 | 7.8/10 |
| 9 | Customer.io Behavioral data platform for sending data-driven retention campaigns across email, push, and SMS. | specialized | 8.4/10 | 9.2/10 | 7.1/10 | 8.0/10 |
| 10 | HubSpot All-in-one CRM with retention features like customer lifecycle management and automated nurture sequences. | enterprise | 7.6/10 | 7.4/10 | 8.5/10 | 8.0/10 |
Customer success platform that predicts churn and automates retention playbooks using health scores and engagement data.
Real-time churn prevention tool that identifies at-risk customers and delivers personalized retention actions.
Customer engagement platform focused on retention through success plans, health monitoring, and automated workflows.
Product analytics platform that excels in cohort analysis and retention curve optimization for user stickiness.
User analytics tool providing deep insights into retention funnels, user paths, and engagement metrics.
Customer engagement platform for cross-channel retention campaigns using real-time data and personalization.
Customer messaging platform that boosts retention via targeted in-app messages, bots, and support automation.
E-commerce marketing automation tool specializing in email and SMS flows to recover and retain customers.
Behavioral data platform for sending data-driven retention campaigns across email, push, and SMS.
All-in-one CRM with retention features like customer lifecycle management and automated nurture sequences.
Gainsight
enterpriseCustomer success platform that predicts churn and automates retention playbooks using health scores and engagement data.
AI-driven Customer Health Scores that provide real-time, predictive insights into account risk and opportunities
Gainsight is a comprehensive Customer Success platform that empowers businesses to drive retention, reduce churn, and fuel expansion through data-driven insights. It offers customer health scoring, predictive analytics, automated playbooks, and a 360-degree customer view by integrating with CRMs like Salesforce and other data sources. Designed for scaling customer success operations, it helps teams proactively engage customers at key moments throughout their lifecycle.
Pros
- Advanced AI-powered churn prediction and health scoring
- Deep integrations with CRM and analytics tools
- Customizable success playbooks for proactive engagement
Cons
- Steep learning curve and complex initial setup
- High enterprise-level pricing
- Overkill for SMBs without dedicated CS teams
Best For
Enterprise SaaS companies and large organizations with mature customer success teams focused on retention and expansion.
Pricing
Custom quote-based pricing, typically starting at $50,000+ annually for mid-market to enterprise plans.
ChurnZero
enterpriseReal-time churn prevention tool that identifies at-risk customers and delivers personalized retention actions.
Momentum Score: A dynamic, real-time health metric that predicts churn risk by tracking user engagement trends beyond basic usage data.
ChurnZero is a comprehensive customer retention and success platform tailored for SaaS companies, enabling teams to proactively monitor customer health, deliver personalized engagement, and reduce churn. It offers real-time insights through customizable health scores, automated success playbooks, in-app messaging, and surveys to drive customer adoption and expansion. The platform integrates deeply with CRMs like Salesforce and HubSpot, providing a unified view of customer data for efficient team workflows.
Pros
- Powerful real-time health scoring and risk prediction to preempt churn
- Automated playbooks and in-app messaging for scalable customer engagement
- Seamless integrations with major CRMs and analytics tools
Cons
- Premium pricing may be steep for startups and small teams
- Initial setup and customization require significant time investment
- Advanced reporting features could offer more flexibility
Best For
Mid-market to enterprise SaaS companies with customer success teams focused on proactive retention and expansion.
Pricing
Custom enterprise pricing starting around $10,000 annually, scaled by user count, data volume, and features.
Totango
enterpriseCustomer engagement platform focused on retention through success plans, health monitoring, and automated workflows.
Journey Orchestration – dynamically maps and automates personalized customer journeys to boost engagement and reduce churn.
Totango is a comprehensive customer success platform focused on retention for SaaS companies, enabling teams to monitor customer health, predict churn, and drive engagement through data-driven insights. It offers tools like account health scoring, journey orchestration, and automated playbooks to proactively retain customers and upsell opportunities. With strong analytics and integrations, Totango helps scale customer success operations for sustained growth.
Pros
- AI-powered health scoring and churn prediction
- Robust journey orchestration and automated playbooks
- Deep integrations with CRM, analytics, and support tools
Cons
- Steep learning curve for complex setups
- Enterprise pricing limits accessibility for SMBs
- Customization can require developer support
Best For
Mid-market to enterprise SaaS companies with dedicated customer success teams aiming to scale retention efforts.
Pricing
Custom enterprise pricing, typically starting at $20,000 annually based on customer volume and features.
Amplitude
specializedProduct analytics platform that excels in cohort analysis and retention curve optimization for user stickiness.
Behavioral cohorts that dynamically segment users by actions for hyper-precise retention modeling
Amplitude is a comprehensive product analytics platform specializing in behavioral data to track and optimize user retention. It provides tools like retention curves, cohort tables, and stickiness analysis to visualize user engagement patterns and identify drop-off points. Teams leverage these insights to run experiments and improve long-term user retention through data-driven product decisions.
Pros
- Powerful retention curves and cohort analysis for deep behavioral insights
- Real-time data processing and customizable dashboards
- Extensive integrations with tools like Segment and Snowflake
Cons
- Usage-based pricing can escalate quickly for high-volume data
- Steep learning curve for advanced features
- Limited built-in A/B testing compared to specialized tools
Best For
Scaling product and growth teams at mid-to-large companies needing granular behavioral retention analytics.
Pricing
Free Starter plan; Plus at $49/mo; custom Growth and Enterprise pricing based on monthly tracked users (MTUs), starting around $2,000/mo for mid-tier.
Mixpanel
specializedUser analytics tool providing deep insights into retention funnels, user paths, and engagement metrics.
Advanced cohort retention analysis that dynamically visualizes user retention cohorts by custom segments and time periods
Mixpanel is a product analytics platform that tracks user events and behaviors to provide deep insights into retention, engagement, and churn. It excels in cohort analysis, retention curves, and funnel visualization, helping teams identify patterns in user retention over time. By integrating with apps and websites, it enables real-time monitoring and segmentation for targeted retention improvements.
Pros
- Powerful cohort analysis and retention curves for precise user lifecycle insights
- Real-time event tracking and customizable dashboards
- Seamless integrations with CRMs, warehouses, and other tools
Cons
- Steep learning curve for non-technical users due to JQL querying
- Pricing scales quickly with high data volumes
- Limited built-in automation for retention campaigns compared to specialized tools
Best For
Mid-stage SaaS companies and product teams needing advanced behavioral analytics to diagnose and improve retention.
Pricing
Free for up to 100k monthly tracked users; Growth starts at $25/month (20k MTU), scales with usage; Enterprise custom.
Braze
enterpriseCustomer engagement platform for cross-channel retention campaigns using real-time data and personalization.
Canvas: a drag-and-drop journey builder for creating dynamic, multi-channel retention campaigns triggered by real-time user behavior.
Braze is a powerful customer engagement platform designed to boost retention through personalized, omnichannel messaging across email, push notifications, SMS, in-app, and web. It uses real-time customer data, AI-driven segmentation, and journey orchestration to identify at-risk users and deliver tailored re-engagement campaigns. With robust analytics and A/B testing, Braze helps businesses reduce churn and increase lifetime value at scale.
Pros
- Advanced real-time personalization and AI segmentation for precise retention targeting
- Seamless omnichannel orchestration via Canvas journeys
- Deep integrations with CRMs, analytics tools, and data warehouses
Cons
- Steep learning curve for non-technical users
- High pricing makes it less accessible for SMBs
- Complex initial setup and customization required
Best For
Mid-to-large enterprises with high-volume user bases needing sophisticated, data-driven retention strategies.
Pricing
Custom enterprise pricing, typically starting at $100,000+ annually based on monthly tracked users (MTUs) and engagement volume; no public tiers.
Intercom
enterpriseCustomer messaging platform that boosts retention via targeted in-app messages, bots, and support automation.
Fin AI agent for autonomous, personalized resolution of customer issues to boost retention
Intercom is a customer messaging platform that combines live chat, automated bots, email campaigns, and in-app messaging to engage users across channels. For retention, it excels in behavioral targeting, personalized outreach, and analytics to identify at-risk customers and reduce churn. Its Customer Data Platform unifies data for segmentation, enabling proactive retention strategies like re-engagement sequences.
Pros
- Powerful segmentation and behavioral triggers for targeted retention campaigns
- Unified inbox for real-time customer engagement
- Strong analytics and reporting on churn risks and engagement metrics
Cons
- High cost scales quickly with user volume
- Steep learning curve for advanced automations
- Less specialized in pure retention workflows compared to dedicated CS tools
Best For
Mid-market SaaS companies needing integrated messaging for customer engagement and retention.
Pricing
Starts at $79/month (Essential, up to 1K monthly active contacts); Advanced from $149/month; scales by contacts/features with enterprise custom pricing.
Klaviyo
specializedE-commerce marketing automation tool specializing in email and SMS flows to recover and retain customers.
Revenue-per-recipient tracking that directly measures ROI from each retention flow and campaign
Klaviyo is a powerful marketing automation platform tailored for e-commerce, specializing in data-driven email and SMS campaigns to enhance customer retention. It offers automated flows for scenarios like abandoned carts, win-back sequences, and post-purchase nurturing, leveraging behavioral data and deep integrations with platforms like Shopify. With robust segmentation, A/B testing, and analytics, it helps brands personalize communications to boost repeat purchases and lifetime value.
Pros
- Exceptional e-commerce integrations and data syncing
- Advanced personalization and segmentation capabilities
- Precise revenue attribution for campaigns and flows
Cons
- Pricing escalates rapidly with growing contact lists
- Steep learning curve for complex automations
- SMS and additional features incur extra costs
Best For
Mid-sized e-commerce brands seeking scalable, data-driven email and SMS retention marketing.
Pricing
Free for up to 250 contacts; paid plans start at $20/month (500 contacts) and scale by audience size (e.g., $100+/mo for 10K+); SMS/usage fees extra.
Customer.io
specializedBehavioral data platform for sending data-driven retention campaigns across email, push, and SMS.
Highly flexible Journey Builder with conditional logic and real-time behavioral triggers for hyper-personalized retention sequences
Customer.io is a customer engagement and messaging automation platform designed to help businesses retain users through personalized, behavior-triggered communications across email, SMS, push notifications, and in-app messages. It allows teams to build dynamic customer journeys using data from various sources, segments, and experiments to optimize retention rates. With strong emphasis on analytics and A/B testing, it's particularly suited for data-driven retention strategies in SaaS and e-commerce.
Pros
- Advanced behavioral segmentation and personalization using Liquid templating
- Multi-channel support with robust A/B testing and experimentation tools
- Deep integrations with data warehouses and CRMs for real-time retention workflows
Cons
- Steep learning curve requiring developer expertise for complex setups
- Pricing can escalate quickly with high message volumes or user counts
- Limited no-code options compared to more user-friendly alternatives
Best For
Technical teams at mid-sized SaaS or e-commerce companies building sophisticated, data-driven retention campaigns.
Pricing
Freemium (up to 3,000 monthly tracked users); paid plans start at $150/month for Scale tier, with Enterprise custom pricing based on users and message volume.
HubSpot
enterpriseAll-in-one CRM with retention features like customer lifecycle management and automated nurture sequences.
Customer health scoring that dynamically assesses retention risk using CRM data and triggers proactive workflows
HubSpot is a comprehensive CRM platform with Service Hub and Marketing Hub features tailored for customer retention, including support ticketing, customer health scoring, email automation, and churn analytics. It enables businesses to track interactions, segment users for personalized engagement, and monitor retention metrics within a unified dashboard. While not a pure-play retention tool, its all-in-one ecosystem supports retention as part of broader customer lifecycle management.
Pros
- Integrated CRM with free core features for tracking customer journeys
- Strong automation for emails, workflows, and support tickets
- Robust analytics including health scores and churn insights
Cons
- Not specialized for advanced retention like predictive churn AI in dedicated tools
- Steep pricing for premium features needed for scale
- Can feel bloated for teams focused solely on retention
Best For
Growing SMBs seeking an all-in-one CRM with solid retention tools integrated into marketing and service operations.
Pricing
Free CRM tier; Service Hub Starter at $20/user/mo, Professional at $90/user/mo (billed annually).
Conclusion
The top retention tools offer diverse strategies to foster long-term customer relationships—with Gainsight leading as the top choice, thanks to its predictive churn analytics and automated retention playbooks that leverage health scores and engagement data. While Gainsight excels in proactive prevention, ChurnZero shines with real-time churn identification and personalized actions, and Totango stands out for its comprehensive engagement platforms and tailored success workflows, each a strong alternative based on specific business needs. Together, they highlight that effective retention thrives on combining data-driven insights with actionable automation, ensuring businesses can focus on nurturing lasting customer connections.
Take the first step toward stronger retention—try Gainsight to experience its predictive power and automated playbooks, or explore ChurnZero or Totango if your focus is on real-time prevention or tailored success plans, and find the tool that best aligns with your goals.
Tools Reviewed
All tools were independently evaluated for this comparison
