It's a hassle to dedicate resources and time to curate an onboarding experience that doesn't see a large user drop-off. But the good news is that you don't have to create this guided journey entirely alone—utilizing mobile app onboarding software can simplify the process.

What is a mobile app onboarding software?

It is a tool to assist users in navigating through the initial stages of using an app. Such a software enables you to create guided tours, tutorials and walkthroughs using UI components like:

1. Carousels
2. Tooltips
3. In-app messages like Spotlights and Coachmarks

Few benefits of using these functionalities:

• They provide users with step-by-step guidance to comprehend the app's features and operations.
• It leads users to the app's pivotal "aha moment” and increases activation rates.
• Yields benefits like increased revenue, reduced attrition, and even opportunities for promoting additional products or services.

The present landscape offers a plethora of software options to ensure optimal onboarding.

Plotline

Choose if: You are a mobile-first consumer tech company. By far, Plotline provides the best UI templates available in the market.

1. Features: It enables curating personalized walkthroughs, carousels, and video tutorials using different UI elements like tooltips, coachmarks, spotlights, PiP videos, and many more.
2. Unique aspect: Extensive UI template library meant for in-app onboarding journey, journey builder to automate the onboarding flow, and real-time delivery (<100ms) of the onboarding messages.
3. Main geography of operations: India, US, UK, South East Asia, Middle East.
4. Pricing: The Starter plan starts at $499. If you are an enterprise, you can request detailed pricing by reaching out to them.
5. Notable clients: Sharechat, Meesho, Khatabook, Zepto.
6. Compatibility: Plotline is compatible with Android Native, iOS Native, Flutter, React Native, Jetpack Compose, mobile-web and has a web SDK as well

Appcues

Choose if: You are a SaaS platform with web and/or mobile app. Also can be used if you are a mobile based consumer tech company, but UI templates will be limited.

1. Features: It helps new users get acquainted with the app using app tours, carousels and walkthroughs. It also employs basic in-app messages like tooltips, modals, screens during the onboarding journey.
2. Unique aspect: Appcues Mobile to help mobile apps with their onboarding and adoption flows as well. Also provides wide range of integrations with other software commonly used by businesses. For example: Google Analytics, HubSpot, Marketo, Heap, Intercom, Salesforce, Segment and many more. ‍
3. Main geography of operations: Predominantly covers US and UK.‍
4. Pricing: Appcues costs from $249/month (billed annually) and offers a free trial for up to 50 onboarding “flows” and 10 tracked events. Since Appcues is also built for SaaS companies first, it might seem extremely pricey to mobile app or consumer companies where MAUs are much higher.‍
5. Notable clients: Freshworks, CodePen.

Pendo

Choose if: You are a SaaS businesses first, and you have a mobile app which is not a priority. You are looking for an onboarding + analytics solution.

1. Features: Pendo’s personalized in-app guides helps to create better app experiences with in-app web and mobile communication. Out-of-the-box user onboarding tours, walkthroughs, and in-app support help optimize the user experience.
2. Unique aspect: Pendo Mobile to assist mobile-first brands do product adoption and analytics. It offers more robust analytics and insights capabilities with more advanced reporting tools and data visualization. ‍
3. Main geography of operations: Most of its customers are from US, UK, and Canada.‍
4. Pricing: Pendo offers free usage for up to 1,000 monthly active users. When you're prepared to scale, you can reach out to them to inquire about pricing for their premium plans.‍
5. Notable clients: Microsoft, Adobe, and Cisco.
6. Compatibility: Pendo is not compatible on Flutter or React Native.

Netcore

Choose if: Mobile app based consumer tech company. They acquired Hansel to aid with user onboarding in the app. However, ever since the acquisition, a number of their customers have raised issues with customer support and software reliability.

1. Features: It provides walkthroughs, product tours, tooltip onboarding for improving the activation metrics.
2. Unique aspect: It also specializes in omnichannel communication like push notifications, SMS and email.
3. Main geography of operations: EMEA and US has most of Netcore’s customers.
4. Pricing: It provides 3 pricing editions namely Startup, Business and Enterprise. It’s a free offering if the MAU count is only up to 10,000.
5. Notable clients: McDonalds, OYO.

Whatfix

Choose if: Mobile app based consumer tech company or SaaS Platform. Whatfix was primarily built for employee onboarding, and has now expanded their product capabilities to user onboarding.

1. Features: It helps in guiding your new users to their goals using multi-screen walkthroughs. An additional feature of creating a self-paced training program using checklists of interactive walkthroughs is also possible that lets your users learn by doing.
2. Unique aspect: Smart voice guidance in multiple languages can be added to the onboarding flows.
3. Main geography of operations: Most of its customers are from US and EMEA.
4. Pricing: Whatfix offers Standard, Premium and Pro plan and all the three provides in-app guidance and product adoption that compromises of the onboarding functionality.
5. Notable clients: Zoomcar, Johnson & Johnson.
6. Compatibility: Whatfix is not compatible on Flutter or React Native.

How to choose the best mobile app onboarding software

Here is a larger comparison for choosing the best mobile app onboarding software for your business:

• Plotline is a recommended choice if you are a mobile-first consumer tech company because of its abundant UI library (animations, videos, quizzes, tooltips, coach marks, spotlights and more).
• Appcues, Pendo or Whatfix are suitable if you are a SaaS businesses first, and your mobile app is second in priority.
• Choose Netcore if you are also looking for omnichannel communication features along with onboarding journey.

Final thoughts

By thoroughly researching and comparing the above options, you can make a well-informed choice that aligns with your mobile app onboarding strategy in 2024 and beyond.

If you're interested in learning more about how to use Plotline’s mobile app onboarding software to curate a personalized onboarding for different target segments, start a free trial with us.