Article · 6 min read
Optimize Your Customer Onboarding Experience in 7 Steps
To optimise the customer onboarding experience, set measurable goals, learn who your customers are, keep the flow short, add interactive guidance, then collect feedback, test and repeat. Onboarding software handles the in-app part: as of October 2026, Appcues starts at $3,600 a year, UserGuiding at $249 a month billed yearly, and WalkMe and Pendo quote on request.
In short
Seven steps take a customer onboarding experience from a first draft to something you can measure and improve. For the in-app part, a table compares the four tools named here, Appcues, UserGuiding, WalkMe and Pendo, on entry price, free plan or trial, G2 rating and the most common complaint in the reviews we read, all dated October 2026.
Advice on optimising the customer onboarding experience is consistent: know your customers, personalise, gather feedback, test and iterate. What it rarely gives you is the cost and the trade-offs of the tools that handle the in-app part. This post puts the four tools it names, Appcues, UserGuiding, WalkMe and Pendo, side by side with prices, ratings and review themes as of October 2026, then walks through seven steps to optimise the experience itself.
Why should you optimise your customer onboarding process?
You should optimise customer onboarding because new customers form their first impression of your brand during it. A confusing, frustrating onboarding makes churn more likely; a smooth one keeps customers using the product and satisfied with it.
An optimised customer onboarding experience pays off in three ways:
- Retention. Customers who have a good onboarding experience are more likely to keep using your product. Keeping them usually costs less than acquiring new ones.
- Word of mouth. Satisfied customers recommend the product to others, which raises brand awareness and brings in new customers.
- Revenue. Customers with a good onboarding experience are more likely to buy more from you, which raises their lifetime value.
Which tools help improve customer onboarding?
Onboarding software lets you build walkthroughs, tooltips, checklists and other in-app guidance without code, and measure how customers move through them. There are many user onboarding software options for creating a personalised, interactive experience for new customers. This post names four, and they aren't the same kind of tool:
| Tool | What it is | Entry price | Free plan or trial | G2 rating | Most common complaint in the reviews we read |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appcues | User onboarding software | $3,600 a year (Spark plan, up to 1,000 MAUs, for teams of 25 or fewer, plus a $250 one-time implementation fee) | Free trial, starting with a sales call | 4.6/5 from 359 reviews | Missing features (86 of 294) |
| UserGuiding | User onboarding software | $249 a month billed yearly, or $349 billed monthly (Starter, up to 2,000 MAUs) | 14-day free trial, no card | 4.7/5 from 781 reviews | Missing features (61 of 299) |
| WalkMe | Digital adoption platform | Quote only | None listed | 4.5/5 from 583 reviews | Learning curve (82 of 300) |
| Pendo | Product analytics and in-app guides | Quote only for paid plans | Free plan up to 500 MAUs; 30-day trial through sales | 4.4/5 from 1,821 reviews | Learning curve (77 of 300) |
Prices come from each vendor's pricing page and ratings from G2, all read on 19 October 2026. MAUs are monthly active users.
Appcues
Appcues builds in-app flows from modals, tooltips and slideouts, plus checklists, pinned tooltips, banners and an in-app resource menu, and sends email and push messages from the same platform. Its pricing page says every plan includes every experience type, feature and integration; plans differ by MAUs and by how many experiences you can publish (10 on Spark and Start).
Ease of use is the most-praised theme, in 186 of the 294 G2 reviews we read, and 75 praise building flows without developers. Missing features are the most common complaint (86), followed by the learning curve and hard-to-find settings (54).
UserGuiding
UserGuiding combines product tours, hotspots, checklists, surveys, a knowledge base and a product-updates page in one tool, built without code. It publishes its Starter and Growth prices, and the Starter plan caps active content at 15 guides, 10 hotspots and one checklist.
Ease of use is the most-praised theme, in 164 of the 299 G2 reviews we read, and quick setup comes up in 101. Missing features are the most common complaint (61), then styling limits (49). Its own pricing FAQ says it has no native mobile apps, and A/B testing and localisation start on the Growth plan.
WalkMe
WalkMe is a digital adoption platform sold in two versions, for employees and for customers. It offers step-by-step on-screen guidance, tooltips and pop-ups, and a WalkMe Menu that gathers in-app guidance, onboarding tasks and AI assistance in one place.
Ease of use is praised in 136 of the 300 G2 reviews we read, and its support team in 110. The learning curve is the most common complaint (82), and 27 reviews mention flows that break when the underlying application changes. Its pricing page lists no prices, tiers or trial.
Pendo
Pendo pairs product analytics with in-app guides across web and mobile apps, so you can see where customers drop off and place guidance there. Pendo Free covers up to 500 MAUs with analytics, in-app guides and Pendo-branded NPS surveys.
Analytics and product insights are the most-praised theme, in 209 of the 300 G2 reviews we read. The learning curve is the most common complaint (77), followed by friction with the guide builder and feature tagging (73).
How do you optimise the customer onboarding experience?
You optimise the customer onboarding experience in seven steps, from goals to continuous improvement. The first two decide what to build; the last three keep it working.
1. Define your onboarding goals
Defining your onboarding goals comes before building anything. Measurable goals let you judge the outcome, from product engagement to customer satisfaction, and keep every later decision aligned with the bigger picture.
Write each goal so your data can answer it: "the share of new customers who reach the first value event within 14 days" works; "customers understand the product" doesn't. Clear objectives tailor the onboarding to your business and your customers.
2. Understand your target audience
Knowing who will use the product and what they want to achieve shapes the whole flow, from setting expectations to giving them the tools they need.
Take time to learn how your customers think, feel and act, and how they'll use the product. Group them by role or goal, and ask about both at signup, so onboarding answers the questions each group has, when they have them.
3. Create a clear and concise onboarding flow
The onboarding flow should guide new customers through the essentials and give them what they need to get started, without overwhelming them with information at once.
Give each step one goal, and move anything that doesn't lead to the first result to after it. How to onboard customers quickly covers how short a first-run flow can be.
4. Use interactive elements
Interactive elements such as walkthroughs and tooltips guide new customers through onboarding by having them do the steps, not just read about them. They make the process more engaging and reduce the chance of customers getting lost or confused. This is the step the tools above are for.
5. Gather feedback
Gather feedback from customers throughout onboarding to find what needs improving. Collect it through surveys, email or phone, and by tracking customer behaviour and engagement.
Ask right after a milestone, while the experience is fresh, and keep surveys short. Behaviour data shows where customers stop; feedback tells you why.
6. Test and iterate
Once onboarding is live, use analytics and A/B testing to see how customers move through it, and change what isn't working.
Change one thing at a time, and compare completion of each step before and after, so you know which change made the difference. Check which plan your tool puts A/B testing on before you count on it.
7. Keep improving
Optimising the customer onboarding experience never finishes. Your product, your customers and the tools available all change, so review the flow regularly, keep an eye on what works elsewhere, and be ready to change it.
Customers who get through a well-maintained onboarding stay longer, and that's where the retention and revenue gains from the start of this post come from.
