Are you searching for user onboarding, training, or support solutions? Looking to invest in a digital adoption platform? Or change your current provider? Whatfix is one of the leading DAPs in the industry and has long been a prominent choice for businesses aiming to simplify the digital experience for both their employees and customers. While you continue your search stay on top of the evolving DAP landscape and explore Whatfix alternatives that might better align with your organization’s needs.
This article breaks down the strengths and weaknesses of Whatfix, as well as 4 competitors to consider by use case.
What does Whatfix do?
Founded in 2014, Whatfix is a SaaS based digital adoption platform originating from Bangalore, India. It has since become one of the leading tools for user onboarding and contextual training with over 500 customers worldwide, including Sanofi, Microsoft, and UPS.
Whatfix is a digital adoption platform (DAP) that assists organizations in enhancing user experiences on their various applications. It allows companies to train both employees and customers using interactive walkthroughs, in-app task lists, and self-help widgets that guide users through software processes.
With analytics capabilities, Whatfix also provides valuable insights into user behavior. The platform integrates with both in-house and third-party applications, including leading market solutions SAP, Oracle, Microsoft, and Workday. The Whatfix platform is an excellent tool for enterprise level companies using applications across web, desktop, and mobile interfaces.
But does this make Whatfix the right fit for your organization? Let’s jump right into Whatfix features and break down its strengths and weaknesses.
Whatfix Features
- Interactive walkthroughs: Content templates and guides creation accessible to users within web, desktop, and mobile interfaces.
- In-app task lists: Guided user tours through processes with interactive task lists.
- Self-help widgets: Instant access to documentation and support resources within the application.
- Surveys: Out-of-the-box in-app surveys and custom surveys to collect insights from end-users.
- Content aggregation: The opportunity to integrate and repurpose existing support and help resources.
- Analytics and insights: Data on user behavior to identify areas for improvement.
- Integration: Integration with various software applications and systems.
- Personalization: Customized content for different user segments and roles.
- Multilingual support: Auto translation in multiple languages for global audiences.
5 reasons to choose a Whatfix alternative
- Expensive pricing for SMEs
Whatfix offers a free trial, but refrains from disclosing pricing upfront. While it’s a leading solution, the structure, which includes flat fees and user license fee charges, can often lead to a perception of high costs. SMEs, in particular, might find these expenses exceed their budgets when there are more affordable digital adoption solutions in comparison.
- Time-consuming content creation across interfaces
With Whatfix, clients can create training workflows across web, desktop, and mobile interfaces. However, some online reviews raise concerns about the need to recreate content when transitioning between web and mobile, and between the different operating systems iOS and Android. This can be a time-consuming process that may not align with the efficiency needs of organizations seeking seamless content adaptation across various interfaces.
- Lack of advanced analytics
Some historical software reviews are concerned with the depth of analytics features within Whatfix. While the platform does offer analytics capabilities, some users suggested that it may not provide as advanced or customizable analytics as other solutions in the digital adoption space. For comprehensive insights, companies are required to purchase the Whatfix Product Analytics tool or additionally invest in third-party analytics tools.
4. Steep learning curve
While Whatfix provides an excellent user experience overall, feedback from some users suggest that the learning curve can be both steep and complicated. This might require significantly more time investment in learning compared to other Whatfix alternatives. Despite the abundance of features and comprehensive documentation, the learning curve may potentially delay user boarding and the time to value of software.
| đź‘Ť Whatfix Pros | đź‘Ž Whatfix Cons |
|---|---|
| “Innovative adoption platform to support digital transformation projects.” Whatfix is easy to learn and work with to deploy custom contextual guidance to users of our new curriculum systems. | “…users may find the initial setup and configuration process to be complex or time-consuming. Depending on the complexity of the software being documented and the customization required, it could take significant effort to create and maintain interactive walkthroughs or guides. |
- Difficult to provide tailor made products
Creating tailor-made products for individual clients might be a challenge when it comes to a platform like Whatfix, primarily because Whatfix is designed to offer a standardized digital adoption solution for a wide range of users and organizations. Whatfix serves a broad customer base, including large enterprises and organizations with diverse needs. To maintain scalability and cost-effectiveness, it may not offer the level of customization that some clients require.
Whatfix Pro and Cons comparative table
| đź‘Ť Whatfix Pros | đź‘Ž Whatfix Cons |
|---|---|
| Extensive software features | Steep learning curve and complex UX |
| Enterprise scale platform trusted by Fortune 500 companies | Not the best fit for SMEs or startups |
| Free trial and free version available | Free trial is limited in both functionality and duration. |
| Standardized solution and out of the box features | Flat fees and user license fee charges. Is more expensive than many Whatfix alternatives |
| 24/7 customer support that’s responsive and quick to resolve issues | Support teams are largely based in India and can cause delays given the differences in time zones (e.g US) |
4 Whatfix alternatives by use case to look out for in 2023
- Lemon Learning – Digital adoption
- Pendo – Product adoption and product analytics
- Gainsight – Customer success and product experience software
- SAP Enable Now – User training across SAP solutions
Want a more detailed look at the top digital adoption platforms? Check out our list of the 11 Best Digital Adoption Platforms (DAPs).
Using a comparative breakdown of 4 Whatfix alternatives, we’re going to highlight features, functionalities, reviews, and pricing to help you make the right decision.
Whatfix Alternative #1 Lemon Learning – Digital adoption
Lemon Learning is a leading European digital adoption platform designed to be simple, affordable and reduce enterprise software training and support costs. Unlike Whatfix, Lemon Learning only provides employee onboarding, training, and performance support and is not yet available on mobile.
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: Similar to Whatfix, Lemon Learning provides 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 many other alternatives, Lemon Learning is known for its simplicity and easy-to-use UX. Lemon Learning users can expect immediate adoption and autonomy over their tools.
Your ROI with Lemon Learning
Just like Whatfix, Lemon Learning is compatible with all SaaS applications, including in-house solutions, and third party employee onboarding applications such as Oracle.
Features & functionalities ⚙️
- No-code editor for in-house content creation
- Upload and repurpose existing LMS content
- Content creation support from a dedicated project manager, pedagogical engineer, and technical manager
- Unlimited local support (included in license), including project governance, training workshops, or on-site support
- Advanced user analytics
- Ready to use guides for leading market solutions
- Automate or manually translate content into 35+ languages
Lemon Learning reviews
| đź‘Ť Lemon Learning Pros | đź‘Ž 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.
- Free trial
- Per tool license
- Corporate license
Lemon Learning vs Whatfix âś…
| Lemon Learning | Whatfix |
|---|---|
| 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 | Steeper, more time-consuming learning curve |
| Unique, unlimited local support included in the license fee | 24/5 customer support with any package |
| Suited to large, medium, or small enterprises | Best suited to large enterprises |
| Affordable pricing with no hidden fees or costs | Expensive pricing model up to Enterprise level |
| True code-free set-up requiring little to no technical knowledge | Technical set-up and configuration known to require installation support |
| No-code editor for in-house content creation | No-code editor for in-house content creation |
| Ready to use guides for leading market solutions | Ready to use guides for leading market solutions |
| Available on desktop | Available on desktop and mobile |
Whatfix Alternative #2 Pendo – Product adoption and product analytics
Pendo is a highly effective solution for product teams seeking a deeper understanding of their users’ behavior. Unlike Whatfix, Pendo is a product experience platform, specifically designed to measure user performance, and provide valuable insights that inform product development decisions. The Pendo platform includes a range of tools that enable teams to segment users, analyze their behavior, and identify areas for further development to enhance the overall user experience. This makes Pendo an ideal Whatfix alternative for product managers.
Quick integration: Like Lemon Learning, Pendo installation can be carried out completely code free. The installation process is efficient and can take between 10 – 30 minutes, but does however require some technical knowledge.
New features: The Pendo roadmap is a communication tool enabling teams to share and visualize broad ideas with multiple groups, including leadership, sales, or customers. It also groups direct requests from Pendo feedback to reveal ideas for new features and initiatives.
In-depth analytics: Unlike Whafix, Pendo has an extensive in-depth analytics feature. It includes heatmaps, user segmentation, and session replays to understand user behavior. The analytics feature can also be integrated with tools such as Google Analytics, Salesforce and Mixpanel for more insights.
Both Whatfix and Pendo offer mobile solutions. If you’re in search of comprehensive analytics and a feedback solution for iOS or Android applications, Pendo is a great Whatix alternative. If you want to focus on in-app guidance and onboarding, Whatfix could be a better fit.
Features & functionalities ⚙️
- In-depth user analytics for both website and mobile applications
- Reports and metrics on user engagement, feature adoption, and user feedback
- In-app messaging and guides to improve user engagement and onboarding
- A/B testing to optimize feature adoption and user experience
- Integration with tools such as Google Analytics, Salesforce, and Mixpanel
- User feedback and surveys to gather qualitative data on user experience
- Segmentation of users based on behavior and attributes
- Automated user insights and recommendations based on behavior.
Pendo reviews
| đź‘Ť Pendo Pros | đź‘Ž Pendo Cons |
|---|---|
| “Fantastic tool to track product usage and experience” The best feature about Pendo has been the constant collection of User clicks without the need to set up trackers via code. This enables us to tag the usage directly from the tool and start monitoring historic data without having to involve development teams. | “Good technology but difficult to get the support you need.” The caveat is that you can only get meaningful insights into your app usage if you set it up PROPERLY. And we have found it difficult to get the support we need and get our questions answered. |
Pricing 🪙
Pendo is considered to be one of the more expensive options on the market, with above average pricing. Contact Pendo to learn about their 4 pricing options.
- Freemium
- Growth
- Portfolio
- Premium
Pendo vs Whatfix âś…
| Pendo | Whatfix |
|---|---|
| Best option for product managers in need of product analytics | For professionals focused on user onboarding and training |
| Primarily designed to improve customer experience | Designed to improve employee and customer software adoption |
| A/B testing capabilities (in-app messaging, features, guides, user segments etc.) | A/B testing capabilities (guides, onboarding workflows, user segments, etc.) |
| In-depth user analytics more focused on user behavior (heatmaps, session replays, reports integrations etc.) | Limited behavior, guidance, and feedback analytics unless you purchase Product Analytics tool (released 2022) |
| Can only integrate with specific LMSs | LMS integration (SCORM compliant) |
| Exclusively onboards and trains employees on in-house or third party applications | Onboards and trains both employees or customers on in-house or third party applications |
| Integration with other tools (Google Analytics, Salesforce, Mixpanel) | Integration with other tools (SAP, Salesforce, Google Analytics) |
Whatfix Alternative #3 Gainsight – Customer success and product experience software
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: Unlike Whafix, 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 Gainsights product mapper feature, teams are able to create simple but powerful tree structures to map and link all of their product features.
Features & functionalities ⚙️
- Customer health scores: Create and track customer health scores to assess the overall well-being of customer accounts.
- Predictive analytics: Use predictive analytics to forecast customer behavior, such as expansion, renewal, or churn.
- Customer lifecycle management (CSM): Manage the entire customer lifecycle, from onboarding and adoption to expansion and renewal.
- Data integration: Seamlessly integrate with various CRM systems, data sources, and APIs to consolidate customer data.
- Automated workflows: Design and execute automated workflows and processes to drive proactive customer engagement.
- Customer engagement tracking: Monitor and measure customer engagement, product usage, and feature adoption.
- Reporting and analytics: Generate detailed reports and analytics on customer data, behavior, and trends.
- Playbooks & tasks: Create customer success playbooks and tasks for guiding interactions and achieving specific goals.
Gainsight reviews
| đź‘Ť Gainsight Pros | đź‘Ž Gainsight Cons |
|---|---|
| “Gainsight is a gamechanger – 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 🪙
Gainsights 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.
- Free trial (PX only)
- CS Essentials
- CS Essentials Plus
- Enterprise
Gainsight vs Whatfix âś…
| Gainsight | Whatfix |
|---|---|
| Best option for customer success and product experience teams, in need of product analytics | For professionals focused on user onboarding and training |
| Primarily designed to improve customer experience | Designed to improve employee and customer software adoption |
| In-depth user analytics focused on customer behavior, such as path and funnel analysis and native integrations with CS and CRM to tie product investments to bookings, retention, expansion etc | Limited behavior, guidance, and feedback analytics unless you purchase Product Analytics tool (released 2022) |
| Exclusively onboards and trains customers on third party applications | Onboards and trains both employees or customers on in-house or third party applications |
| Integration with other tools (Google Analytics, MySQL, Intercom and Salesforce etc) | Integration with other tools (SAP, Salesforce, Google Analytics etc) |
Whatfix Alternative #3 SAP Enable Now – User training across SAP solutions
SAP Enable Now, allows companies to create, manage, and deliver digital adoption and training content for their SAP employees, customers, and partners. It makes a great Whatfix Alternative if your company is heavily focused on internal training on SAP suite solutions, but are in need of a much simpler and non-technical solution.
Context-sensitive guidance: Both Whatfix and SAP Enable Now offer on-demand guidance and process support, but SAP Enable Now provides context-sensitive guidance directly within the application, while Whatfix focuses on providing interactive walk-throughs and tooltips.
Wide range of Integrations: SAP Enable Now can be integrated with other SAP and non-SAP solutions, such as Success Factors, and external systems such as SharePoint and LMS, which might be a good fit for companies that are already using these systems.
Advanced reporting and analytics: Both Whatfix and SAP Enable Now also offer authoring and management tools to create and deliver digital adoption and training content. However, SAP Enable Now has more advanced reporting and analytics capabilities to track and measure the effectiveness of digital adoption and training programs.
Just like Whatfix, SAP Enable Now targets companies that want to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their end-users to increase adoption of their software. SAP Enable Now is a good Whatfix alternative because it’s suitable for businesses of all sizes and industries.
Features & functionalities ⚙️
- Context-sensitive on-demand guidance and process support that provides users with step-by-step instructions and interactive guidance directly within the application.
- Authoring and management tools that enable businesses to create, manage, and deliver digital adoption and training content for their employees, customers, and partners.
- Reporting and analytics to track and measure the effectiveness of digital adoption and training programs.
- A library of predefined best practices, process templates and content that can be used to quickly create and deliver digital adoption and training programs.
- Enables the creation of interactive simulations, videos, and quizzes.
- Can be used to onboard and train external partners and customers.
- Integration with other SAP and non-SAP solutions such as Success Factors, and can also be integrated with external systems such as SharePoint and LMS.
SAP Enable Now reviews
| đź‘Ť SAP Enable Now Pros | đź‘Ž SAP Enable Now Cons |
|---|---|
| “Great for e-learning content” Creating and managing e-learning content is simple and very intuitive. One of the best features is the reuse of content in several training scenarios. | “Great for e-learning content” The only downside is the price of the licenses. It’s quite high. We haven’t been able to license all of our people. |
Pricing 🪙
SAP Enable Now charges €9.17 per user/month. SAP Enable Now is considered to be above average in pricing. Contact SAP Enable Now to receive a quote.
- Pay per user/ per month
SAP Enable Now vs Whatfix âś…
| SAP Enable Now | Whatfix |
|---|---|
| Employee training software | Designed to improve employee and customer software adoption |
| Best suited to large enterprises | Best suited to large enterprises |
| An employee onboarding and training tool for SAP suite software | Onboards and trains both employees or customers on in-house and third party applications |
| Mobile training and support accessible online and offline | Mobile training and support accessible online and offline |
| Immediate adoption with easy-to-use UX | Steep learning curve and complex UX |
| Multi-language support | Multi-language support |
| No code editor for in-house content creation | No code editor for in-house content creation |
| Expensive pricing | Expensive pricing model up to Enterprise level |
| Unable to track user support queries | Track user support queries and resolutions |
| Only available on desktop | Available on web, mobile and desktop |
