Founded in 2013, Pendo has achieved a decade of growth in the product experience space, solidifying its position as one of the pioneering PX and DAP platforms. Pendo was founded by four accomplished product managers: Erik Troan, Rahul Jain, Eric Boduch, and Todd Olson, each with extensive experience at companies such as Cisco, Google, and Red Hat.
Pendo’s success is unquestionable. However, just like with any product, it’s important to explore Pendo alternatives to determine the solution that best suits your specific needs. Companies should refrain from making decisions solely based on a brand’s size or longevity.
We’re going to explore Pendo and conduct a comparative analysis with worthy Pendo competitors. We’ll examine indicators such as features, pricing, strengths, and weaknesses in each tool.
Searching for a detailed breakdown of different digital adoption platforms on the market? Check out our list of the 11 Best Digital Adoption Platforms (DAPs).
Pendo is better known as a product experience platform and its product analytics, product experience and product engagement capabilities. It also falls under the digital adoption platform category because of its user onboarding and in-app guidance capabilities.
Pendo is primarily recognized as a product experience platform, known for its product analytics, product experience, and product engagement capabilities. It also falls under the digital adoption platform category due to its user onboarding and in-app guidance features.
The Pendo solution is ideal for product teams looking to gather and analyze user behavior for product development. Teams can use segmented user analytics to understand which features require development and how user experience can be improved.
Pendo Features ⚙️
1. Limited in-app guidance and user onboarding
Pendo originally emerged as a product analytics and user engagement platform, tailor-made for product teams. In subsequent years, Pendo introduced ‘Pendo guides,’ an in-app guidance editor to create and personalize in-app experiences. If you’re seeking comprehensive in-app guidance and user onboarding features, including Tooltips, Smart Launchers, and self-service support, you might find alternative Digital adoption platforms (DAPs) to be a more suitable choice.
2. Primarily designed for customer facing applications
For companies aiming to enhance user adoption of employee-facing internal IT software, it’s worth considering Pendo alternatives. Pendo primarily focuses on customer-facing applications, and its feature set is primarily designed for those use cases. Internal IT software often comes with unique requirements, such as deeper integration capabilities with enterprise systems and heightened security measures, which may not align with Pendo’s core strengths. Therefore, organizations seeking comprehensive solutions for internal IT software adoption may find more suitable options in the market that cater to these specific needs.
3. Technical implementation
When it comes to installation, even Pendo admits the process is technical and will require the assistance of multiple developers.
Although Pendo provides a considerable amount of resources to facilitate implementation, implementation will likely require Pendo support and technical teams in addition to your company’s developers. A G2 review highlighted their challenging installation process, stating that even after a month, the company was still working on the installation.
4. Lack of support
Furthermore, post installation, user reviews have highlighted challenges in getting acquainted with Pendo’s features and have consistently mentioned various support issues. These challenges include difficulties in obtaining support, limited mobile support, and minimal community assistance. In one specific review, a user had submitted multiple support issue tickets concerning installation and site logging issues. These tickets went unanswered for six days.
| 👍 Pendo Pros | 👎 Pendo Cons |
|---|---|
| “Mastering Product Development with Pendo” As a dedicated Product Manager, my daily tasks have been transformed since incorporating Pendo into my workflow. Pendo is more than just a tool; it’s an indispensable asset to enhance our products, streamline user feedback collection, and track essential product metrics. |
“Great tool with some pretty significant limitations” The fact we had to create all of these segments and individual dashboards manually was a significant undertaking. This information should have been captured during setup with more input from specialists at Pendo to help us get the best analytical overview of our client data without such a massive upfront investment. |
| 👍 Pendo Pros | 👎 Pendo Cons |
|---|---|
| Robust and ever evolving features (e.g., Pendo roadmaps communication tool) | Many functionalities go unused, due to lack of training, complexity, or lack of need |
| Customizable analytics dashboard with 26 widgets to choose from | Overall steep learning curve and complex UX. Time-consuming customization |
| In-depth user analytics more focused on user behavior (heatmaps, session replays, reports integrations etc.) | Analytics are not actionable. User segments identified with Pendo Analytics can not be targeted with specific in-app guidance and experiences |
| 2 tiers of support – Online Support (included in all packages) and Premium (additional costs) | Long waiting times for support and resolution. Free tier option has no support. |
| Comprehensive learning resources available pre- and post-set-up (e.g., Pendo academy) | Technical set-up/configuration requiring multiple developers |
Using a comparative breakdown of 4 Pendo alternatives, we’re going to highlight features, functionalities, reviews, and pricing to help you make the right decision.
If you’re seeking a specialized tool for change management and digital transformation projects that can effectively onboard, train, and support your employees, Lemon Learning stands out as an excellent alternative to Pendo.
Lemon Learning is a leading European digital adoption platform designed to be simple, affordable and reduce enterprise software training and support costs. Unlike Pendo, Lemon Learning is focused on providing employee onboarding, training, and performance support.
Easy integration: The all-in-one platform is easy to integrate (via JavaScript code or browser extension) and features a no-code editor for content creation that requires no technical skills or extended support from IT departments.
Unlimited local support: Unlike Pendo, Lemon Learning provides accessible, efficient and unlimited local support. Whether it’s implementation, content creation, training or maintenance, companies benefit from weekly, monthly, and then quarterly follow-up workshops for optimal support.
Easy to use: Unlike Pendo, Lemon Learning is known for its simplicity and easy-to-use UX. Lemon Learning users can expect immediate adoption and autonomy over their tools, a process that, according to reviews, often takes significantly longer when using Pendo.
Your ROI with Lemon Learning
Lemon Learning is compatible with all SaaS applications, including in-house solutions, and third party applications such as Oracle. Like Pendo, Lemon Learning was not built for desktop applications/internal facing applications.
Features & functionalities ⚙️
Lemon Learning reviews ⭐
| 👍 Lemon Learning Pros | 👎 Lemon Learning Cons |
|---|---|
| “Perfect to support users” Ease of handling, whether for administrators or end users. The “Wow” effect is assured and users are delighted to be accompanied step by step. |
“Better communication between teams” We were missing a feature to edit the guide exactly as we wanted. But the teams were very responsive and created it for us in 24 hours, thank you. |
Pricing 🪙
Lemon Learning is one of the most affordable options on the market. Lemon Learning has 2 pricing options as well as a free trial of the product. Get in touch for information or request a demo.
| Lemon Learning | Pendo |
|---|---|
| Best suited to organizations boosting digital adoption | Best suited to product managers in need of product analytics |
| Employee onboarding and training on in-house and third-party applications | Employees or customer onboarding and training on in-house and third party applications |
| Immediate adoption with easy-to-use UX | Steep learning curve and complex UX |
| Available on desktop | Available on desktop and mobile |
| Unique hybrid support, unlimited local support included in the license fee | 2 tiers of support – Online Support (included in all packages) and Premium (additional costs) |
| Suited to large, medium, or small enterprises |
Best suited to large enterprises, also free version available (500 MAUs) |
| Affordable pricing with no hidden fees or costs | Expensive pricing model |
| True code-free set-up requiring little to no technical knowledge | Technical set-up and configuration that requires installation support |
| No-code editor for in-house content creation | No-code editor for in-house content creation |
| In-app messaging for direct communication with users | In-app messaging for direct communication with users |
If you’re in search of purpose-built software for product experience and customer success teams, Gainsight will enable your teams to gather valuable customer data. Much like DAPs, Gainsight empowers editors to create sophisticated in-app engagement features that facilitate user onboarding and foster product adoption among end-users. The Gainsight platform offers a comprehensive suite of products that extract data-driven insights, with the aim of reducing churn, increasing conversions and retention.
Variety of integrations: Gainsight can be installed on web, mobile and desktop. It also provides a huge variety of integrations such as Google Analytics, MySQL, Intercom and Salesforce.
In-depth analytics: Gainsight features extensive in-depth analytics. The tool was built to draw value from actionable insights, collecting both account based and product based data.
Product mapping: With Gainsight’s product mapper feature, teams are able to create simple but powerful tree structures to map and link all of their product features.
Features & functionalities ⚙️
Gainsight reviews ⭐
| 👍 Gainsight Pros | 👎 Gainsight Cons |
|---|---|
| “Gainsight is a game changer – product and user insights at your fingertips!” Easy to integrate and tag features with no support from the Engineering team. The best part of this platform is the ability to put the tool in Product and Marketing hands to deliver PLG workflows effectively. |
“…some Engineering resources are required for mapping.” Additionally, the Editor feature used to design in-app engagements could be more flexible and user-friendly. |
Pricing 🪙
Gainsight does not disclose its pricing information online, but prices are claimed to start from $500/user/month. Contact Pendo to learn about their 4 pricing options.
| Gainsight | Pendo |
|---|---|
| Ideal for customer success and product experience teams in need of product analytics | Ideal for product teams striving to enhance their employee or customer-facing SaaS tools, also conducts user onboarding |
| Primarily designed as a customer success platform to improve the customer experience | Designed to improve software applications and user experiences |
| Exclusively onboards and trains customers on third party applications | Onboarding, training, and analytics for employee or customer-facing SaaS tools |
| Integration with other tools (Google Analytics, MySQL, Intercom and Salesforce etc.) | Integration with any web-based SaaS or third party applications |
Like Lemon Learning, Userlane is a software platform that specializes in user onboarding and product adoption. It is designed to help companies guide their employees and customers through SaaS applications, and change management processes. In contrast to Gainsight and Mixpanel, Userlane offers interactive, step-by-step guidance and on-screen tutorials that make it easier for users to learn how to use software effectively.
Userlane’s code-free editor allows authors to create scalable guides and announcements that improve user productivity.
Interactive walkthroughs: Userlane enables businesses to create step-by-step, interactive on-screen guides and walkthroughs that assist users in completing tasks within the software.
In-app guidance: The platform offers in-app guidance through tooltips, pop-up tutorials, and on-screen tips, providing real-time assistance to users as they interact with the software.
User onboarding support: Userlane simplifies the user onboarding process, helping new users become proficient with the software quickly, reducing the learning curve, and improving user adoption.
Features & functionalities ⚙️
Userlane reviews ⭐
| 👍 Userlane Pros | 👎 Userlane Cons |
|---|---|
| “Very flexible tool for digital adoption” With Userlane, it is possible to define very flexible guides for easy adoption of any solution in your internal stack. |
“Guides require constant maintenance” Guides require constant maintenance, if the area they describe is changing (like for SaaS solutions). |
Pricing 🪙
Userlane does not disclose its pricing information online. Contact Userlane to learn about their 2 pricing options.
| Userlane | Pendo |
|---|---|
| Digital adoption platform primarily designed for onboarding, training and in-app guidance | Primarily a product experience platform designed to gather product analytics and feedback |
| Short learning curve and easy to use UX | Steep learning curve and complex UX |
| No-code editor for in-house content creation | No-code editor for in-house content creation |
| Onboarding, training, and analytics for employee or customer-facing SaaS tools | Onboarding, training, and analytics for employee or customer-facing SaaS tools |
| Userlane Assistant, interactive content and support resources included in package | 2 tiers of support – Online Support (included in all packages) and Premium (additional costs) |
| Available on desktop and mobile | Available on desktop and mobile |
If you’re in search of an event tracking and product analytics tool and do not need the in-app guidance or self-service support features typically found in a digital adoption platform, Mixpanel is the solution for you.
Mixpanel is a product analytics and user engagement platform that provides businesses with the tools to track and analyze user behavior within their software applications and websites. It offers valuable insights into how users interact with digital products, allowing organizations to make data-driven decisions to improve user experiences, boost retention, and drive product growth.
User behavior tracking: Mixpanel allows businesses to track and analyze user behavior, including actions, events, and interactions within their software applications or websites. This feature provides insights into how users engage with a product and helps identify user patterns.
Funnel analysis: Mixpanel enables the creation of conversion funnels to monitor how users progress through specific steps or actions within the product. This feature helps businesses identify areas where users drop off or encounter bottlenecks, allowing for optimization of the user journey.
Cohort analysis: With cohort analysis, businesses can group users based on shared characteristics or behaviors. This feature allows you to study user behavior over time, and understand the impact of changes or new features on different user segments.
Features & functionalities ⚙️
Mixpanel reviews ⭐
| 👍 Mixpanel Pros | 👎 Mixpanel Cons |
|---|---|
| “A great analytics tool, for beginners and experts” The best thing about Mixpanel: Easy learning curve. Most of our collaborators can find data insights without a line of code, contributing to data democratization in our company. Also, Mixpanel has an excellent support team, always available to help with any issue. |
“…expensive for small and growing companies.” Mixpanel might be a little expensive for small and growing companies. The user interface can not be familiar to non-technical users, but it is still more beautiful than other software and has been improved over time with continuous updates. |
Pricing 🪙
Mixpanel offers transparent pricing, enabling companies to easily select a plan directly on their website. Contact Mixpanel to learn about their 3 pricing options.
| Mixpanel | Pendo |
|---|---|
| Ideal for product teams and other departments aiming to improve their customer facing SaaS applications |
Ideal for product teams and other departments in companies striving to enhance their employee or customer-facing SaaS tools. |
| Designed to improve user experiences, boost user retention, and drive product growth |
Designed to improve user experiences and software applications through in-depth analytics and guidance (onboarding and training capabilities) |
| In-depth user engagement analytics, behavioral analytics and user segmentation capabilities | Focused mainly on product analytics and product feedback |
| Free, affordable and transparent pricing plans | Expensive pricing mode, pricing provided on request |
| Integrate data between Mixpanel and any SaaS app, DB, or data warehouse | Integration with any web-based SaaS or third party applications |
In this comprehensive article, we broke down 4 Pendo alternatives covering various use cases, spanning from employee onboarding and customer success, to product analytics, and event tracking. Our analysis includes an examination of features, user feedback, and pricing to help you find the right fit for your needs.
If you’re searching for more insights into alternative digital adoption platforms, don’t miss our additional articles on Walkme alternatives and Whatfix alternatives, for a comprehensive view on whats out there in 2023.