User onboarding software · Independent review
Appcues review: pricing, features, pros and cons
Appcues is a no-code tool for in-app flows, checklists, resource menus, banners and surveys, with email and push messages from the same platform. Its only printed price is the Spark plan for teams of 25 or fewer: $3,600 / year for up to 1,000 monthly active users, plus a $250 one-time implementation fee; other plans are quoted on a call. Reviewers rate it 4.6 out of 5 on G2 and praise its ease of use most; their most common complaints are missing features and the learning curve.
By Yağmur Çiftçi · Updated 22 Oct 2026 · How we review
UserOnboarding Academy isn't owned by Appcues or any other tool reviewed here. No vendor reviewed this page before publication.
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- Starts at
- $3,600 / yearSpark plan, billed per year, for up to 1,000 MAUs, plus a $250 one-time implementation fee; for teams of 25 or fewer
- Free plan
- Not listed
- Priced by
- Monthly active users (MAUs), number of installations and published experiences
- G2 rating
- 4.6 / 5359 reviews, read 19 Oct 2026
Prices checked 19 Oct 2026 · Appcues’s own pricing page ↗ · Plans in full
The decision in brief
Is Appcues right for you?
Best suited to
Teams that want in-app flows, email and push messages from one tool, with every experience type, feature and integration on every plan instead of features unlocked by tier.
Look elsewhere if
Teams of more than 25 who want a price before talking to sales, since only the small-team Spark plan prints one, or anyone who wants to start a trial without a call.
Where it works well
- Ease of use is the most-praised theme: 186 of the 294 G2 reviews we read, with building flows without developers in 75
- Every plan includes every experience type, feature and integration, according to its pricing page
- Flows, checklists, Launchpads, pins, banners, embeds and NPS surveys in-app, plus email and push, from one platform
- The support and customer success team is the second most-praised theme, in 85 of the reviews we read
- Over plan limits, experiences keep running and Appcues reaches out about upgrading at the next billing cycle, with no surprise overage charges per its Spark page
What to watch for
- Only Spark, for teams of 25 or fewer, prints a price; Start, Grow and Enterprise are quoted on a call
- Missing features are the most-named complaint: 86 of the 294 reviews we read
- The learning curve and hard-to-find settings come up in 54 reviews, reporting and analytics depth in 40
- Published experiences are capped by plan: 10 on Spark and Start, 25 on Grow, 100 on Enterprise
- The free trial starts with a sales call, and Spark adds a $250 one-time implementation fee
Appcues pricing: what does it cost?
Appcues prices by monthly active users (MAUs), number of installations and published experiences, and its pricing page says every plan includes every experience type, feature and integration. That page prints no prices for Start (up to 3,000 MAUs), Grow (from 3,000 MAUs) or Enterprise; they are quoted after a call. The one printed price is on the Spark page, for teams of 25 or fewer: $3,600 / year for up to 1,000 MAUs plus a $250 one-time implementation fee, shown as a yearly figure only. Plans differ by published experiences (10 on Spark and Start, 25 on Grow, 100 on Enterprise) and reporting history (12 months on Spark and Start, 24 on Grow, 36 on Enterprise). The free trial needs no credit card but starts with a call; its length isn't stated, and no refund policy is listed.
| Plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly, per month | Covers | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spark | – | – | Up to 1,000 MAUs |
|
| Start | – | – | Up to 3,000 MAUs |
|
| Grow | – | – | Starting at 3,000 MAUs |
|
| Enterprise | – | – | Custom MAU volumes |
|
- Free trial
- Free trial, no credit card required; starts with a call with sales; length not stated
- Refunds
- Not listed
Full pricing notes
The pricing page prints no prices: Start, Grow and Enterprise are sold through 'Book a call'. The only printed price is on the linked Spark page (/spark-plan): $3,600/year for up to 1,000 MAUs plus a $250 one-time implementation fee. The Spark page prints only the yearly figure and neither page has a billing-period toggle, so monthly and annualMonthly are left null. The pricing page says every plan includes every experience type, feature and integration, and that pricing is based on MAUs, number of installations and published experiences. Over plan limits, experiences keep running and Appcues reaches out about upgrading at the next billing cycle. Conflicts: the Spark card says 'For up to 1,000 MAUs' but the Spark FAQ asks 'What if we exceed 3,000 MAUs?'; the pricing page says 'Under 25 people on your team?' while the Spark page says 'For teams of 25 or fewer' (and lets teams stay on Spark after growing past 25).
A dash means the page doesn’t print that figure. Read 19 Oct 2026 from appcues.com/pricing, and re-checked against screenshots of the live page 19 Oct 2026.
What can Appcues do, and on which plans?
From Appcues's own pages, checked 19 Oct 2026. This is what the vendor documents, not hands-on test results; a feature missing here may simply not be on the pages we read.
Experiences
Product tours
Flows: multi-step, sequential in-app experiences built from modals, tooltips and slideouts. Publishing needs no code changes once Appcues is installed.
Availability: All plans
Before you rely on it: Per the pricing page, published experiences are capped by plan: 10 on Start, 25 on Grow, 100 on Enterprise (Spark: 10).
Source: appcues.com/experiencesTooltips and hotspots
Pins: persistent tooltips anchored to specific UI elements for always-on, self-serve help.
Availability: All plans
Source: appcues.com/experiencesChecklists
Task-based activation lists that guide users through setup and key milestones.
Availability: All plans
Source: appcues.com/experiencesModals and banners
Modals inside flows, banners at the top or bottom of the screen, and embeds that place content inline in the product UI.
Availability: All plans
Source: appcues.com/experiencesResource center
Launchpads: in-app resource menus giving on-demand access to flows, links and content.
Availability: All plans
Source: appcues.com/experiences
Feedback
In-app surveys
In-app feedback collection, including NPS, rating scales and open-ended questions.
Availability: All plans
Source: appcues.com/experiences
Targeting and analytics
Segmentation and targeting
Audiences built from product behavior, user interactions and attributes; an experience can be made unique to a single user.
Availability: All plans
Source: appcues.com/experiencesProduct analytics
Trends, funnels, paths, retention curves, segments and custom dashboards. Product data is captured automatically from install, so some data predates tracking setup.
Availability: All plans
Before you rely on it: Per the pricing page, reporting history is 12 months on Start, 24 on Grow and 36 on Enterprise.
Source: appcues.com/analyticsGoal tracking
Impact and uplift reports check whether experiences led to a chosen outcome and made a difference for the people who saw them.
Availability: All plans
Source: appcues.com/analytics
AI
AI content creation
Describe a goal in plain language and Appcues drafts experiences to edit; brand colors, fonts and voice are applied, and nothing goes live without approval.
Availability: All plans
Source: appcues.com/experiencesAI insights
Ask questions about product data in plain language; AI also monitors published experiences, catches broken links and implements fixes you approve.
Availability: All plans
Source: appcues.com/analyticsMCP server
An MCP server gives Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor access to live Appcues data.
Availability: All plans
Source: appcues.com/analytics
Platforms and channels
Email
Behavioral email sent from the same platform as in-app messages and push notifications.
Availability: All plans
Before you rely on it: Plans carry an annual email allowance (Spark: up to 1,000 emails to try); over the limit, experiences keep running and Appcues raises an upgrade at the next billing cycle.
Source: appcues.com/spark-planPush notifications
Push notifications sent from the same platform as in-app messaging and email.
Availability: All plans
Source: appcues.com/spark-plan
Integrations
CRM integrations
Native two-way syncs with Salesforce and HubSpot; Zoho connects through webhooks and the API.
Availability: All plans
Source: appcues.com/integrationsAnalytics integrations
Native two-way syncs with Mixpanel and Heap; Appcues events can be sent into your analytics stack.
Availability: All plans
Source: appcues.com/integrationsSupport tool integrations
Native two-way sync with Intercom.
Availability: All plans
Source: appcues.com/integrationsData warehouse integrations
The platform and integrations pages say Appcues connects to your warehouse to enrich segments with offline and product data.
Availability: All plans
Before you rely on it: No specific warehouse connector is named; confirm yours is supported.
Source: appcues.com/integrationsAPI and webhooks
A full API and event webhooks; Zapier connects Appcues to thousands of apps.
Availability: All plans
Source: appcues.com/integrations
What do Appcues's reviewers say?
4.6
359 reviews on G2 · read 19 Oct 2026
Reviewers praise ease of use most (186 of 294 reviews), then the customer support and success team (85), building flows without developers (75), flow types such as tours, tooltips and checklists (60), and targeting and segmentation (58). They criticise missing features most (86), then the learning curve and hard-to-find settings (54), reporting and analytics depth (40), and builder or browser-extension friction (35).
G2’s star split
- 5 stars282 reviews
- 4 stars66 reviews
- 3 stars7 reviews
- 2 stars1 reviews
- 1 stars3 reviews
G2 counts a 4.5 with the 5-star reviews.
Where the reviews we read came from
- Invited by Appcues 99
- Invited by G2 for Appcues 99
- Organic 59
- Invited by G2 34
- G2 charity campaign 3
- Incentivized 236
Praised for
- Easy to use186/294 reviews
- Customer support and success team85/294 reviews
- Builds flows without developers75/294 reviews
- Flow types: tours, tooltips, checklists, modals60/294 reviews
- Targeting and segmentation58/294 reviews
Criticised for
- Missing features86/294 reviews
- Learning curve, hard-to-find settings54/294 reviews
- Reporting and analytics depth40/294 reviews
- Builder or browser-extension friction35/294 reviews
- Styling limits31/294 reviews
34 of 294 name no dislike at all.
294 of 359 reviews, each read and tagged by an AI model against a fixed list of themes: the most recent at each star rating, with extra low ratings so complaints aren't missed. Shares are counts of the reviews read: weighting them back to G2's own star split would move none by more than 5 points. Written 2017–2026; 22 in the year before 19 Oct 2026.
- Charlie W. mid-market
4.5/5 25 Apr 2024
PraiseEasy to use
“The visual editor is very user-friendly. Building a Flow is so simple compared to what we used to have with another software that required us to know HTML.”
Invited by G2 for Appcues · Incentivized · Appcues review on G2: “Super easy to use”
- Verified User mid-market
5.0/5 11 Jul 2026
PraiseCustomer support and success team
“The support from our Customer Success Manager was SO helpful. She would send quick screen recordings or let me schedule a call to do a sanity check before launching.”
Invited by Appcues · Incentivized · Appcues review on G2: “Intuitive Platform, Exceptional Support”
- Verified User in E-Learning mid-market
5.0/5 29 Jun 2026
PraiseBuilds flows without developers
“As a marketer, I can design, test, and publish flows entirely on my own timeline.”
Invited by Appcues · Incentivized · Appcues review on G2: “Marketer-Led In-App Experiences: Ship Faster Without Engineering”
- Shubham T. Sr. Manager LifeCycle Marketing, mid-market
4.5/5 20 Jul 2026
ComplaintMissing features
“They still do not have a delay functionality which helps us delay a pop-up by n minutes before it appears to the user”
Invited by Appcues · Incentivized · Appcues review on G2: “Simple Flows, Better UI, and Faster Support TAT”
- Verified User mid-market
4.5/5 10 Jul 2026
ComplaintLearning curve, hard-to-find settings
“I had a pretty hard time figuring out how to upload language files, so I ended up just manually updating the text in 23 different languages.”
Invited by Appcues · Incentivized · Appcues review on G2: “Robust Customization, Language Setup Challenging”
- Alan S. Product Marketing and Head of Support, mid-market
4.5/5 4 Jan 2023
ComplaintReporting and analytics depth
“For example, it was hard to track feature adoption by visitors or accounts after releasing a new guide, which would be helpful if we released a new feature.”
Invited by G2 · Incentivized · Appcues review on G2: “Great for Building Walkthrough In-app Guides”
How does Appcues compare?
Alternatives to weigh
| Tool | Starts at | Free plan | G2 rating | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Userpilot | $299 / mo | Not listed | 4.6 (1,020) | Compare |
 Pendo | Custom quote | Pendo Free, up to 500 MAUs | 4.4 (1,821) | |
 UserGuiding | $249 / mo | Not listed | 4.7 (781) | Compare |
Appcues FAQ
How much does Appcues cost?
Appcues prints one price: Spark, for teams of 25 or fewer, is $3,600 / year for up to 1,000 monthly active users, plus a $250 one-time implementation fee. Start, Grow and Enterprise are quoted after a call with sales. Prices checked 19 Oct 2026.
Does Appcues have a free plan?
Its pricing page lists no free plan. It offers a free trial with no credit card required, which starts with a call with its team and lets you show unlimited flows to your users; the page doesn't say how long it lasts.
What is the Appcues Spark plan?
Spark is Appcues' plan for teams of 25 or fewer: $3,600 / year for up to 1,000 MAUs plus a $250 implementation fee, with the full platform, up to 10 published experiences, up to 1,000 emails to try email, and 12 months of reporting history. Its FAQ says you can stay on Spark after your team grows past 25, as long as the plan fits your usage.
Does Appcues work in mobile apps?
Its pages say Appcues reaches users in-app, by email and by push, and its demo form asks whether you'll use it on web, mobile or both; the pages we read don't list which mobile frameworks it supports. In the G2 reviews we read, 4 praise its mobile support and 10 name a gap, seven of those from 2022 or earlier.
What happens if I go over my MAU limit?
Appcues' pricing FAQ says it keeps all your experiences running and someone from its team contacts you about upgrading at your next billing cycle; the Spark page adds that there are no surprise overage charges. It counts an MAU as a user who signs into your product in a given month, so dormant users don't count.
What does Appcues integrate with?
Its integrations page lists two-way native syncs with Salesforce, HubSpot, Intercom, Slack, Mixpanel and Heap, an MCP server for Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor, webhooks and an API, and Zapier; the pricing page says every plan includes every integration. In the reviews we read, 21 praise its integrations and 18 name a gap or setup problem.
Is Appcues easy to use?
Reviewers say so more than anything else: ease of use comes up in 186 of the 294 G2 reviews we read, and building flows without developers in 75. A smaller group (54) mentions a learning curve or hard-to-find settings.
What do Appcues users dislike?
In the reviews we read, missing features come up most (86), then the learning curve (54), reporting and analytics depth (40) and friction in the builder or browser extension (35). 34 of the 294 name no dislike at all.
Is Appcues better than Userpilot?
They suit different teams. Userpilot prints prices for Starter ($299 / mo, up to 2,000 MAUs) and Growth, and pairs in-app flows with product analytics, but unlocks features by plan and lists mobile engagement as an add-on on Growth and included on Enterprise; Appcues includes every feature on every plan and reaches users by email and push, but quotes every plan above Spark. Our Userpilot vs Appcues page compares them in full.
Is Appcues better than UserGuiding?
UserGuiding publishes its prices (Starter is $249 / mo billed yearly for up to 2,000 MAUs) and suits web apps; its FAQ says it doesn't support native mobile apps. Appcues adds email and push and includes every feature on every plan, but outside Spark you get the price on a call. Our UserGuiding vs Appcues page compares them in full.
How we review
Prices, plans and features come from Appcues’s own pages, read on the dates below through a US browser session; nothing is taken from memory or other review sites. Reviews come from G2: an AI model read each one and tagged it against a fixed list of themes, and every featured quote is checked word for word against its review.
- pricing page: www.appcues.com/pricing, read 19 Oct 2026
- spark page: www.appcues.com/spark-plan, read 19 Oct 2026
- experiences page: www.appcues.com/experiences, read 19 Oct 2026
- platform page: www.appcues.com/platform, read 19 Oct 2026
- integrations page: www.appcues.com/integrations, read 19 Oct 2026
- analytics page: www.appcues.com/analytics, read 19 Oct 2026
- home page: www.appcues.com/, read 19 Oct 2026
294 of 359 reviews, each read and tagged by an AI model against a fixed list of themes: the most recent at each star rating, with extra low ratings so complaints aren't missed. Shares are counts of the reviews read: weighting them back to G2's own star split would move none by more than 5 points.
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