Independent. No onboarding vendor owns this site or pays to be on it.
Prices checked 19 Oct – 3 Nov 20266,688 G2 reviews readHow we review →
Both build product tours, checklists, resource centers and surveys without code, and reviewers praise both for ease of use. They differ in what you pay for: UserGuiding publishes its prices and unlocks features plan by plan, while Appcues includes every feature on every plan and quotes most of them after a call.
By Yağmur Çiftçi · Published 3 Nov 2026 · Updated 4 Nov 2026 · How we compared
UserOnboarding Academy isn't owned by UserGuiding, Appcues or any other tool compared here. No vendor reviewed this page before publication.
UserGuiding
$249 / mo
entry price, Starter, billed yearly ($2,988 / year), or $349 / mo billed monthly; the price covers up to 2,000 MAUs
Choose UserGuiding if
Appcues
$3,600 / year
entry price, Spark plan, billed per year, for up to 1,000 MAUs, plus a $250 one-time implementation fee; for teams of 25 or fewer
Choose Appcues if
Pick UserGuiding if you run a web app, want to know the price up front and are happy to start on a plan with quotas: Starter is $249 / mo billed yearly for up to 2,000 MAUs, with A/B testing, localization and custom CSS one plan up. Pick Appcues if you want email or push messages alongside in-app guides, or if you'd rather not meet a feature gate: every Appcues plan includes every experience type, feature and integration, but outside the small-team Spark plan ($3,600 / year) you get the price on a call.
Reviewers agree more than they differ. Ease of use is the most-praised theme for both, and missing features are the most-named complaint for both. In the reviews we read, UserGuiding users raise styling limits more often (99 of 782), while Appcues users raise the learning curve (63 of 362) and reporting depth (55 of 362) more often.
UserGuidingA web-only adoption toolkit with published prices, unlocked plan by plan.
UserGuiding covers tours, hotspots, checklists, resource centers, surveys and NPS, banners, a knowledge base and a product-updates feed. Starter caps how many are active (15 guides, 1 checklist, 1 survey); Growth adds A/B testing, localization, custom CSS, session replay and premium integrations. Its FAQ says it doesn't support native mobile apps.
Our UserGuiding reviewAppcuesOne platform for in-app, email and push, with every feature on every plan.
Appcues builds flows from modals, tooltips and slideouts, plus checklists, Launchpads (its resource center), Pins, banners, and NPS and surveys, and reaches users in-app, by email or by push. Pricing is based on MAUs, installations and published experiences (10 on Spark and Start, 25 on Grow, 100 on Enterprise), and every plan includes every feature.
Our Appcues reviewUserGuiding figures read on userguiding.com 19 Oct 2026; Appcues figures read on appcues.com 19 Oct 2026.
| UserGuiding | Appcues | |
|---|---|---|
| Priced by | Monthly active users (MAUs) | Monthly active users (MAUs), number of installations and published experiences |
| Free plan | Not listed | Not listed |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial, no credit card needed; can be extended on request | Free trial, no credit card required; starts with a call with sales; length not stated |
| Entry price | $249 / mo, Starter, billed yearly ($2,988 / year), or $349 / mo billed monthly; the price covers up to 2,000 MAUs | $3,600 / year, Spark plan, billed per year, for up to 1,000 MAUs, plus a $250 one-time implementation fee; for teams of 25 or fewer |
| Plans | Starter, Growth, Enterprise | Spark, Start, Grow, Enterprise |
| What the plans change | Features and per-type quotas | MAUs, installations, published experiences, reporting history |
| Over the MAU limit | Guides stop showing until you raise the quota | Experiences keep running; Appcues raises an upgrade at the next billing cycle |
| Next plan up | Growth: $499 / mo billed yearly, up to 2,000 MAUs | Start, Grow: price on a call |
| Setup fee | Not listed | $250 one-time on Spark |
| Refund | 30-day money-back guarantee | Not listed |
UserGuiding's page opens on yearly billing: Starter's $249 / mo is $2,988 a year, or $349 a month billed monthly. Appcues' Spark plan is for teams of 25 or fewer and prints only a yearly price. Both price by monthly active users, so the entry prices buy different amounts: 2,000 MAUs on UserGuiding Starter, 1,000 on Appcues Spark.
| Capability | UserGuiding | Appcues |
|---|---|---|
| Product tours and tooltips | Included | Included |
| Checklists | Included | Included |
| Resource center | Included | Included |
| In-app surveys and NPS | Included | Included |
| Native mobile apps | Not supported | Not listed |
| A/B testing | Growth plan and up | Not listed |
| Localization | Growth plan and up | Not listed |
Feature by feature
A tick means the vendor’s pages list the feature on every plan or name no plan; text names the plan or version they put it on. A dash means the pages we read don’t mention it, which is not proof the product lacks it. “Only differences” keeps the features just one of the two lists.
| Feature | UserGuiding | Appcues |
|---|---|---|
| Experiences | ||
| Multi-step product tours | Included | Included |
| Tooltips and hotspots | Included | Included |
| Persistent tooltips | Not listed | Included |
| Announcement modals | Included | Included |
| Slideouts | Not listed | Included |
| Banners | Included | Included |
| Onboarding checklists | Included | Included |
| Resource center | Included | Included |
| Surveys and NPS | Included | Included |
| Knowledge base | Included | Not listed |
| Product-updates feed | Included | Not listed |
| Feature requests and roadmap | Growth plan and up | Not listed |
| Channels | ||
| Web apps | Included | Included |
| Native mobile apps | Not supported | Not listed |
| Not listed | Included | |
| Push notifications | Not listed | Included |
| Targeting and analytics | ||
| Audience segmentation | Up to 10 segments on Starter | Included |
| Goal tracking | Growth plan and up | Included |
| A/B testing | Growth plan and up | Not listed |
| Event tracking without code | Growth plan and up | Included |
| Session replay | Growth plan and up | Not listed |
| Reporting history | Not listed | 12 months (Spark, Start) to 36 (Enterprise) |
| Design and languages | ||
| Brand themes | 1 on Starter, 5 on Growth | Included |
| Custom CSS | Growth plan and up | Not listed |
| Localization | Growth plan and up, with AI auto-translate | Not listed |
| AI | ||
| AI drafts experiences | Included | Included |
| AI Assistant with a resolution quota | 50 free resolutions | Not listed |
| Connect AI tools to your product data | Included | Included |
| Integrations | ||
| Segment | Included | Included |
| HubSpot | Included | Included |
| Salesforce | Included | Included |
| Mixpanel | Included | Included |
| Amplitude | Included | Not listed |
| Intercom | Included | Included |
| Slack | Included | Included |
| Security and admin | ||
| SAML single sign-on | Enterprise | Not listed |
| EU data hosting | Free on Growth and up; add-on on Starter | Not listed |
From UserGuiding's and Appcues' own pages (pricing, product, integrations and help-center pages), checked 3 Nov 2026.
UserGuiding| Area | Strength | Limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Prices printed for Starter and Growth, with a 14-day trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee. | Each price covers up to 2,000 MAUs; above that it's a quote, and going over the quota hides your guides. |
| Breadth | Knowledge base, product-updates feed, roadmap and session replay alongside in-app guides. | Several of these, and A/B testing and localization, start on Growth. |
| Platforms | Its FAQ says content displays in all modern web browsers, whatever the device. | The FAQ says native mobile apps aren't supported, and screens narrower than 800px need a request while UserGuiding tests them. |
| Reviews | Ease of use (456 of 782 reviews read), flow types (310) and the support team (298) lead the praise. | Styling limits (99) and builder friction (95) are the most-named complaints after missing features. |
Appcues| Area | Strength | Limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Every plan includes every experience type, feature and integration; overages don't switch experiences off. | Only Spark ($3,600 / year, teams of 25 or fewer) has a printed price; the trial starts with a sales call. |
| Channels | In-app, email and push from one tool. | Published experiences are capped by plan: 10 on Spark and Start. |
| Support | The success team is the third most-praised theme (103 of 362 reviews read). | Spark adds a $250 one-time implementation fee. |
| Reviews | Ease of use (231 of 362), building without developers (104) and the support team (103) lead the praise. | Missing features (102), the learning curve (63) and reporting depth (55) are the most-named complaints. |
UserGuiding4.7
782 reviews on G2 · read 3 Nov 2026
Reviewers most often praise ease of use (456 of the 782 reviews read), the range of in-app content such as tours, tooltips, checklists and announcements (310), the support team (298), quick install and setup (238) and building flows without developers (184). The most common criticisms are missing features (182), styling limits (99), friction in the builder and Chrome extension (95) and the learning curve (78), while 162 reviews name no dislike.
G2’s star split
G2 counts a 4.5 with the 5-star reviews.
Where the reviews we read came from
Praised for
Criticised for
162 of 782 name no dislike at all.
All 782 reviews on G2, each read and tagged by an AI model against a fixed list of themes. Written 2019–2026; 68 in the year before 3 Nov 2026.
4.5/5 15 Jan 2026
PraiseEasy to use
“To create a guide, all I need to do is add URL details, triggers, and templates, and I can train any of my team members on creating guides in less than 10 minutes and get the job done.”
Invited by UserGuiding · Incentivized · UserGuiding review on G2: “Time-Saving Tool with Easy Setup”
5.0/5 10 Sept 2026
PraiseFlow types: tours, tooltips, checklists, modals
“It’s great when we need to share an urgent message with all our customers (for example, if the site is down), as well as for announcing new features, providing guidance on how to complete a task that isn’t done often, and supporting our knowledge base.”
Invited by UserGuiding · Incentivized · UserGuiding review on G2: “Simple to Use, Gets Urgent Customer Updates Live in Minutes”
5.0/5 22 Oct 2025
PraiseQuick install and setup
“In just two days, we managed to integrate the platform without any difficulty, which greatly facilitated our operations.”
Organic · UserGuiding review on G2: “Quick Implementation and Cost Savings with UserGuiding”
5.0/5 9 Apr 2026
ComplaintMissing features
“The Checklist does not have a way to be configured to follow a logical sequence. For example, I created 6 checklists that I need to be presented to users in sequence: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.”
Invited by UserGuiding · Incentivized · UserGuiding review on G2: “Complete and intuitive platform, with accessible support and a powerful Resource Center”
3.5/5 11 Sept 2025
ComplaintStyling limits
“There are limits to the customizations available, so the ultimate visual design of the elements displayed in our app is dictated by the controls available in their WYSIWYG editor.”
Invited by UserGuiding · Incentivized · UserGuiding review on G2: “Accessible, flexible platform for FTUEs and in-app notifications”
3.5/5 13 May 2026
ComplaintBuilder or browser-extension friction
“There were a lot of settings that needed adjusting and then to save you need to save and then publish, you can also navigate away and lose your changes without any prompt preventing you from doing so.”
Invited by UserGuiding · Incentivized · UserGuiding review on G2: “User-Friendly with Customizable UI Options”
Appcues4.6
362 reviews on G2 · read 3 Nov 2026
Reviewers praise ease of use most (231 of 362 reviews), then building flows without developers (104), the customer support and success team (103), flow types such as tours, tooltips and checklists (80), and targeting and segmentation (73). They criticise missing features most (102), then the learning curve and hard-to-find settings (63), reporting and analytics depth (55), and builder or browser-extension friction (44).
G2’s star split
G2 counts a 4.5 with the 5-star reviews.
Where the reviews we read came from
Praised for
Criticised for
44 of 362 name no dislike at all.
All 362 reviews on G2, each read and tagged by an AI model against a fixed list of themes. Written 2016–2026; 23 in the year before 3 Nov 2026.
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”
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”
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”
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”
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”
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”
Prices, plans and limits come from each vendor’s own pages, read on the dates below through a US browser session; nothing is taken from memory or from other review sites. UserGuiding's were re-checked against screenshots of its live pricing page 19 Oct 2026. Appcues' were re-checked against screenshots of its live pricing page 19 Oct 2026.
UserGuiding on G2: 4.7 / 5 from 782 reviews, read 3 Nov 2026. All 782 reviews on G2, each read and tagged by an AI model against a fixed list of themes.
Appcues on G2: 4.6 / 5 from 362 reviews, read 3 Nov 2026. All 362 reviews on G2, each read and tagged by an AI model against a fixed list of themes.
Feature cells say “Not listed” when a vendor’s pages don’t mention the feature, not that it’s missing. Spotted something out of date? Write to hello@useronboarding.academy.
On printed prices, UserGuiding Starter is $249 / mo billed yearly for up to 2,000 MAUs, and Appcues Spark is $3,600 / year for up to 1,000 MAUs plus a $250 implementation fee, for teams of 25 or fewer. Appcues' other plans are priced on a call, so a like-for-like comparison above that needs a quote.
Not in native apps: UserGuiding's FAQ says it doesn't support native mobile apps, though content displays in all modern web browsers whatever the device; screens narrower than 800px need a request while it tests them. Appcues sends push notifications; the Appcues pages we read don't say whether its in-app guides run inside native apps.
On UserGuiding, your users stop seeing guides until you raise the quota or your MAU count falls. On Appcues, experiences keep running and the team gets in touch about upgrading at your next billing cycle.
They overlap on tours, tooltips, checklists, resource centers, banners and surveys. UserGuiding adds a knowledge base, product-updates feed, roadmap and session replay; Appcues adds email, push and slideouts. UserGuiding unlocks some features by plan; Appcues includes all of its features on every plan.
Both need installing in your product, and are built to be used without code afterwards. Building flows without developers is a top-five praise theme for both in the reviews we read; a small share of reviewers of each mention needing developers for installation.
UserGuiding offers a 14-day free trial without a credit card. Appcues offers a free trial without a credit card, starting with a call with its team.
UserGuiding is rated 4.7 out of 5 from 782 reviews and Appcues 4.6 from 362, as read on 3 Nov 2026. More than half of the reviews we read of each were invited by the vendor, or by G2 on its behalf; the source chips above show the split.
We read each vendor's pricing and product pages on 19 Oct 2026 and recorded only what they state, then had an AI model read all of each tool's reviews on G2 (782 for UserGuiding and 362 for Appcues) and tag each against a fixed list of themes. The method section above lists every page and date.
