Software

4 Userlane Alternatives For Effective Onboarding

July 22, 2021

4 Userlane Alternatives

tl;dr: If you’re looking for a simple Userlane alternative, Nickelled might be your best bet. If you’re a larger, complex business think about using Appcues or WalkMe.

Userlane Review

Userlane is an easy-to-use digital adoption software offering product walkthroughs for both user and employee onboarding of simpler applications.

Userlane screenshot

Benefits

  • Easy, intuitive setup, just copy-paste a snippet of code into browser-based apps or e-commerce websites
  • Compatible across browsers; integrations with platforms such as Zendesk and Intercom are possible
  • User segmentation for contextual onboarding
  • User behavior analytics 
  • Localisation possible: English, German, Spanish, Italian, French, and Chinese available
  • Customer success program at all pricing levels

Disadvantages

  • While onboarding customizable and you can add media like GIFs and images, there are limited UI elements: product walkthroughs only
  • Custom pricing only – you pay for the features and MAUs that you require
  • Analytics reports are based on usage data, not on user feedback

Pricing

Userlane pricing screenshot

Userlane’s pricing is customizable based on the number of users and the number of features you require. Both price plans are opaque, you have to contact them to get a quote for your SaaS.

How To Choose The Right Userlane Alternative

Great onboarding software is the key to boosting product adoption and user retention rates. To ensure you invest in the right user onboarding software for your SaaS, assess your business’s needs in terms of:

  • Number of monthly active users (MAU’s) that you’ll be onboarding (this often has a huge impact on pricing)
  • Number of team member seats required to collaborate on guide creation and analytics
  • Amount of coding required, especially if you don’t have an in-house developer
  • Compatibility and integrations with the platforms you use
  • User segmentation and flow triggering to optimize onboarding experiences
  • Onboarding elements: as well as product tours, does the software offer tooltips, banners, widgets, etc for effective onboarding flows?
  • Feedback and analytics: collecting user feedback and behaviour data is essential for comprehensive analysis of your onboarding experiences
  • Translation and localization: a 2014 CSA study showed that 75% of surveyed consumers prefer buying products in their own language. If you’re targeting a global market, multilingual localization is key.
  • Customer support
  • Your budget

Best Userlane Alternatives

Nickelled: Best No-Code Userlane Alternative For Small & Growing Businesses

Nickelled is the #1 user onboarding software for 2021, offering advanced user onboarding and employee training experiences for smaller businesses and growing startups.

Nickelled screenshot

Main features

MAUs & team membersUnlimited MAUs and team members at all price levels
CodingZero coding for guide creation and minimal, optional Javascript for customization – you can create a product tour in minutes
No download required, all browser-based
Compatibility & integrationsNickelled offers cross-platform and device functionality, onboarding for web apps
Includes simple integrations with major services including Zendesk, Salesforce and Google Analytics
Segmentation & triggeringSegmentation and onboarding flow targeting with Nickelled Launchers
Onboarding elementsInteractive onboarding experiences for users and employees with extensive UI elements proven to work, including product tours, website banners and widgets
Feedback & analyticsOptional user feedback survey at the end of every guide
In-depth analytics of qualitative and quantitative data
LocalizationSuccessfully onboard users in multiple languages, like online translation platform Gengo does with Nickelled
Customer supportLive phone, chat and email support (email only on Starter plan) 

Nickelled Pricing

Nickelled annual pricing

Nickelled’s transparent pricing model offers three tiers based on the number of onboarding flows you create. Each level includes unlimited team seats and MAUs, an instant free trial and a money back guarantee.

Appcues: Best Userlane Alternative For Larger Businesses With In-House Developers

Appcues is a leading onboarding solution. However, most features are only available with their Enterprise pricing plan and require developer support for setup.

Appcues screenshot

Main features

MAUs & team membersAppcues’ pricing model is based on the number of MAUs, starting at 2,500, and number of team member seats (user licenses), which is capped at 3 for their Essentials plan and 10 for their Growth package
CodingTheoretically the pioneer in code-free onboarding solutions, however, many customers report requiring developer support for setup and customization
Compatability & integrationsWeb and mobile app onboarding solutions
Integrations with main platforms (Salesforce, Zendesk) are only available on higher price plans
Segmentation & triggeringIntelligent user segmentation, however, number of segments limited with Essentials plan
Event triggering only available on Enterprise plan
Onboarding elementsInteractive onboarding with a wide range of UI patterns
Customization only available on higher price plans
Feedback & analyticsNPS surveys allow analytics to track qualitative and quantitative user data
Can export data to external analytics tools
LocalizationMultilingual localization available
Customer supportEmail only for Essentials plan; more support and a dedicated Customer Success Manager on higher price plans

Appcues Pricing

Appcues pricing

Appcues has three pricing tiers with increasing costs based on the number of MAUs with features limited based on cost. Each price plan has a free trial.

Userpilot: Best No-Code Userlane Alternative For Larger Budgets

Userpilot is a powerful and code-free Userlane alternative providing effective onboarding solutions for SaaS companies with larger budgets.

Userpilot screenshot

Main features

MAUs & team membersCapped: plans start with 2,500 MAUs and 20 team member seats, the price scales up with more users so not ideal for apps with thousands of users
CodingZero code, easy installation with no need for technical background
Compatability & integrationsWeb apps only
Doesn’t currently offer integrations with major platforms like Salesforce
Segmentation & triggeringContextual onboarding triggered by user behavior
Onboarding elementsExtensive range of UI elements for a fully interactive onboarding experience
Customer onboarding only, no employee training
Feedback & analyticsUser feedback surveys including NPS, unlimited goal setting
LocalizationCan be localized in 32 different languages
Customer supportLive chat only with lower price plan, Enterprise package includes full customer support

Userpilot Pricing

Userpilot pricing

Userpilot’s two-tier pricing model is based on the number of MAUs your SaaS has: both plans start at 2,500 MAUs and the price scales up with more users. Unless you have a very high budget, Userpilot isn’t the best Userlane alternative for apps with many thousands of users.

WalkMe: Best Userlane Alternative For Enterprises

Offering powerful product walkthroughs and advanced analytics, WalkMe is ideal for high-revenue enterprises with in-house developer teams.

WalkMe screenshot

Main features

MAUs & team membersWalkMe’s Basic plan is limited to 300 MAUs, while their Custom price plan offers unlimited users
No information on number of team member seats included
CodingClaims to be code-free but most reviews say it has to be installed within your software by professional developers
Compatibility & integrationsIntegrations with major platforms including Salesforce, AWS, G Suite etc.
Segmentation & triggeringUser segmentation and flow triggering potentially only available with Custom package
Onboarding elementsLimited to product walkthroughs, however, available for onboarding users and employees to a company’s own products or third-party services
Feedback & analyticsAdvanced user experience analytics
LocalizationMultilingual product walkthroughs available with Custom plan
Customer supportLimited online support with Basic plan

Walkme Pricing

Walkme pricing

WalkMe has a two-tier pricing model based on MAUs and features, however, their Basic plan is very limited. So it’s really only a worthwhile product for high-revenue businesses, as most will require the custom plan, which reportedly costs between $9,000 – $50,000 per year. Find out more in our full Walkme breakdown.

Userlane Alternatives: Key Takeaways

Userlane is a great piece of software for simple SaaS apps that don’t require extensive onboarding experiences. However, with customized pricing and no clear rates, it’s difficult to know if Userlane would fit your budget.

If you’re a high-revenue SaaS requiring more comprehensive and interactive onboarding experiences, investing in a Userlane alternative such as Appcues or WalkMe could be worth your while. 

Finally, if you’re looking for budget-friendly code-free software with advanced analytics, effective onboarding solutions and dedicated customer support on every pricing plan, Nickelled is the best Userlane alternative for your business.