Is Gainsight PX Worth It? In-depth review & 6 alternatives

Gainsight is a comprehensive platform for improving each aspect of your UX and managing your growth - and boost your engagement game with product-led growth!

They have 3 different products that aim to help with different parts of business management.

The product we will evaluate in this article is Gainsight Product Experience, a tool to improve your user onboarding with product walkthroughs.

In this article, I will:

• Elaborate on what is Gainsight PX used for and what makes Gainsight PX different,
• Compare the top alternatives to Gainsight PX and its products, based on my own experience and online reviews from verified users,
• Answer the frequently asked questions about Gainsight PX and Gainsight PX competitors.

First, we should probably take a look at the features, advantages, and disadvantages of Gainsight PX; to set a base for comparisons later.

TL;DR

• Gainsight PX is a product experience platform with four main features:
  • Engagements: where you can create user onboarding flows.
  • Knowledge centers: where you can create collapsable on-screen knowledge bases,
  • Product mapping: where you can visualize your product in PX to have smoother working elements,
  • In-app analytics: where you can track data and user actions.
• If you need on-page onboarding elements, Gainsight PX is great but if you need more data and customer oriented information, Gainsight has another tool called "Gainsight CS" for that purpose.
• Bear in mind that this tool is expensive and high-maintenance, so if you don't have the budget or technical team to take care of the tool, it won't be as effective.
• The top competitors of Gainsight PX are:
  • UserGuiding to get very similar functionality for an affordable price,
  • Appcues to get better engagements but less analytics for a fairer price,
  • WalkMe to get better functionality for a higher price,
  • Inline Manual to just to save you some money for less functionality,
  • Pendo to get better analytics for a similar price,
  • Whatfix to get enterprise support for a lower price and less functionality.
• You can also go directly to the first alternative by clicking here ⬅

What Is Gainsight PX?

Gainsight PX is Gainsight's Product Experience tool which combines advanced analytics tools and user engagement features and creates a really good product experience for all end-users.

Gainsight positions this tool as a "product experience tool that provides human insights for Product Managers".hea

The tool has integrations to many platforms and also provides you with a way to collect and act on user feedback.

The main features of Gainsight PX are:

• Engagement element creation - such as product tours and surveys,
• Knowledge center articles and bots,
• Product Mapping,
• And in-depth analytics.

Let's dig through each of those features one by one:

Gainsight PX Features

#1 - Engagements

Gainsight PX's engagements feature is quite rich. So rich that it could be a product by itself.

In the "engagements," you can create:

• Interactive product walkthroughs,
• Slider guides and messages,
• In-app update notifications and banners,
• And 5 different types of surveys.

It is honestly amazing how much depth this single feature has to it.

But I have to warn you, if you are familiar with other digital adoption platforms, it will take a whole new learning curve to get used to Gainsight PX. This is because the UI is quite unusual, and you might have to digest the whole UI for a few days just to get acquainted with it and get going.

#2 - Knowledge centers

Knowledge bases have almost completely taken over help centers since they are more user-friendly and easier to access.

Gainsight PX didn't stay behind the trend, and introduced their own interpretation of knowledge bases, the "knowledge centers".

Here, you can create your own articles, or integrate your existing knowledge base and start using it on the "knowledge center bots" - which are basically collapsable resource centers.

You can also include your engagements (your product tours) and custom web links within these bots.

And the newest addition to these bots - the recommendation feature - promises to help users with event-based custom resources right when they need it.

#3 - Product Mapping

If you use a robot cleaner at your home or office, I'm sure you will quickly see the value of this feature.

Here is how the product mapping feature works:

• First, you map and link all your features and modules,
• Then, you put in a desired route for the users,
• And lastly, Gainsight recommends a path for the end-users, and you have a better system to analyze.

Although it seems like an over-the-top feature, there are two obstacles that make this feature difficult to use:

1. It takes hard work and a lot of time to map out your product since it has to be done manually - or through linking pre-created features. If your product/website has more than 3-4 layers, creating a complete map could cost you weeks.
2. It is also difficult to maintain those maps. Since Gainsight doesn't work based on AI or internal bots, you would have to update the map manually if any little change occurs on your product.

#4 - In-Depth Analytics

Gainsight values data and actionability almost more than anything else. And so does Gainsight PX.

The tool collects both account-based and product-based data, and converts this collection into a sea of actionable information.

Without you having to interpret all the numbers that Gainsight PX provides, it shows you what each data means and how close you are to your KPIs.

Gainsight PX's customer segments feature makes it even easier for everyone using the tool to see what's relevant to them.

However, that’s pretty much all you can do with the product. The tool has lots of features, but each of those features is very limited, and there are more affordable products that do more than Gainsight PX does.

Gainsight PX Pricing

Gainsight offers a free trial for their Product Experience (PX) tool. As for the paid plans, users across the internet claim that the pricing of Gainsight PX starts from $500/user/month, which is way above the average digital adoption platform cost.

• Free Trial available (for PX only)
• Product Experience Pack: Custom quote for each company (starting from $500/user/month.)

Gainsight PX Reviews

👍 Pros:

"Surprisingly, it also allowed us to utilize it for in product engagement, walkthroughs, etc, as well as feedback surveys. As such, we managed to use it to replace three other platforms at once (Surveys, Analytics, In app walktroughs). "

G2 Review

"PX allows us to create in-app engagements and target those customers who may not typically use our product in its full capacity. With links to our Knowledge Center and in-app NPS, we're able to easily expand customer use cases and gather their feedback."

G2 Review

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👎 Cons:

"I REALLY dislike that the inferred data is inaccurate. I have clients logging in from New York, but it shows that their company is in California. We are working with Gainsight PX support on this, but no resolution yet."

G2 Review

"While I wasn't in the implementation discussions, I feel like there were gaps in the conversations around integration with our systems and the data we needed for Marketing purposes. I'm not sure if this was impossible at the time, but it is creating manual work for us now."

G2 Review

Gainsight PX vs. Gainsight CS

Gainsight CS is Gainsight's Customer Success software that combines three different platforms on one tool:

1. The CS Customer 360 platform for customer-centric data and customer health score monitoring,
2. The CX platform that is built on AI based data analysis and collection for customer experience,
3. And The RO platform for revenue optimizatiion solutions and account-based management.

Gainsight CS is a very strong tool which acts like a CRM - but is much more.

However, unlike Gainsight PX, Gainsight CS doesn't allow you to create in-app engagement modules. Gainsight CS is a data focused behind-the-curtains type of tool that helps you and your team rather than end-users.

On the other hand, Gainsight PX provides features for end-user satisfaction, and collects data accordingly.

Is Gainsight PX worth it?

With its different features, Gainsight PX can be the solution that many businesses use to level up their product experience.

But for many other businesses, it might just not cut it.

Here are the positives and negatives of the tool that can make or break your Gainsight PX experience:

1- Fairly Expensive Pricing 💰

It makes sense for a robust platform like Gainsight not to be as cheap as you’d like since it's on par with enterprise products.

But, compared to some other products, its price is not completely justifiable. With 5-figure yearly packages, it might be challenging for small to medium-sized businesses to afford Gainsight PX.

As for enterprises, Gainsight PX is definitely a better alternative among other expensive tools since it provides the combination of engagement, analytics, and success tools.

2- Difficult Setup, More Difficult Maintenance 🛠

The integration and maintenance of Gainsight PX is a full-time job for at least one technical person, especially during the initial setup.

More and more businesses complain that the setup of Gainsight PX is a tough one to get right, and you might need to significantly change the structure of your product.

But when you have the power to allocate a member or a team to maintain and analyze Gainsight PX, then it becomes invincible.

3- Steep Learning Curve 📚

Gainsight PX has a steep learning curve and it applies to everybody that has the intention to use it.

According to reviews on G2 and Capterra, the UI isn’t the most self-explanatory, and different people from different teams in your business will have to invest serious time to understand even the basic functions.

4- Limited User Onboarding and Guide Capabilities 🚢

The same argument applies here too.

Gainsight PX's Guide Engagement feature allows you to create beautiful guides that can boost product engagement, but compared to platforms that solely focus on user onboarding, it’s limited.

There are numerous different reasons to skip on Gainsight PX and numerous alternatives you can pick up instead. Let’s see the best among them:

Top Alternatives and Competitors of Gainsight PX

1. UserGuiding
2. Appcues
3. WalkMe
4. Inline Manual
5. Pendo
6. Whatfix

So, you’ve decided on using another tool than Gainsight PX to meet your user onboarding and product analytics needs. Alright, let’s start with the first tool on our list:

1- UserGuiding vs Gainsight PX

UserGuiding is a great alternative to Gainsight PX, with a price more affordable and a product that is much easier to use.

It is a “no-code” product that everyone, regardless of their technical background, can set-up and start using right away.

Also, UserGuiding costs below the average of similar products but provides the same value - if not more.

UserGuiding has many features you can use to improve your UX and make the life of your users easier.

But compared to Gainsight PX, UserGuiding’s user onboarding features are much more extensive and significantly more affordable while its analytics functions are limited.

UserGuiding Pricing

Offering scalable pricing, UserGuiding's pricing plans differ based on the number of MAUs you have. Here is how the plans with minimum MAUs look when billed annually:

• 14-day free trial (no credit card required).
• Basic Plan: $69/month for up to 1,000 MAU.
• Professional Plan: $199/month for up to 1,000 MAU with unlimited guides.
• Corporate Plan: Custom quote is available for custom MAU.

UserGuiding Reviews

👍 Pros:

"We love the Predefined templates and texts that we could already publish without changing a thing, undying help from the Support team and how they give insights into what works best and share best practices, and how the product is always improving and bringing new features to meet your use cases and platform compatible enhancements."

G2 Review

👎 Cons:

"The only thing we dislike about Userguiding is the fact that we can't directly import a list of clients we would want to segment. The segmentation is possible with Userguiding but limited to criteria you directly push from the product."

G2 Review

Gainsight PX vs. UserGuiding

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2- Gainsight PX vs Appcues

Appcues is one of the pioneers of no-code user onboarding and has been around for a very long time.

It helps you create a better user experience with various features to onboard users and train them in-app.

The pricing is more expensive than the market average, and to use the tool and integrate it right away you need a technical background. Otherwise, it might take you a couple days to figure out such a comprehensive tool.

Even though Appcues is much easier to learn and use than Gainsight PX, it is not as comprehensive.

Appcues Pricing

• The Essentials Package of Appcues starts at $249/month when billed annually with 2500 MAU.
• The Growth Package of Appcues starts at $879/month when billed annually, again at 2500 MAU.
• The Enterprise Package of Appcues doesn’t have public pricing, so you need to get a custom quotation.

Appcues Reviews

👍 Pros:

"Amazing, the support we get is great, The rep is always there to offer us help when we need it."

👎 Cons:

"Appcues has lots of support articles, however they are almost so numerous that it was hard to find simple onboarding documentation that we found useful."

3- Gainsight PX vs WalkMe

WalkMe is an onboarding solution that has many SaaS enterprises as customers, with over 10 years of experience on the market.

Tech giants such as Microsoft, PayPal, Cisco, and many other trust WalkMe to handle training their employees and users.

If you have someone you can spare to master WalkMe, as it is a complex and comprehensive product, and have the budget to spend on it, WalkMe is a great alternative.

However, if you are looking for a more affordable and simpler tool, you must pass on WalkMe.

WalkMe Pricing

Although pricing of WalkMe is unknown and you have to get a custom price for your business, the charges are usually above market average.

WalkMe Reviews

👍 Pros:

"How innovative and smart it is, it makes our relationship with our customers so much easier and fluid, so many great tools, and functionalities, it has very to no little limitations on what you can do."

👎 Cons:

"It is a very robust platform, so learning all the functionality takes time. Unless you’re a javascript and CSS pro, you will probably struggle with getting the jQuery selectors right and the CSS exactly how you want the experience to look and feel. The out-of-the-box features will get you 90% of the way there though."

4- Gainsight PX vs Inline Manual

Inline Manual offers numerous features such as product tours, tooltips, hotspots, and widgets; which all can be used to improve UX.

Inline manual is very similar to Gainsight PX in terms of types of features, but Inline Manual is like the half-baked verson of Gainsight PX that is not fullt coocked (and not as expensive).

Although it has various integrations to different popular platforms that create great combinations, current reviews suggest that the tool can be a bit tricky to use and doesn’t always work with full efficiency.

Inline Manual Pricing

• Standard Pro Plan: from $158/month with 250 MAU to $662/month with 40,000 MAU
• Enterprise Plan: Custom quotation available.

Inline Manual Reviews

👍 Pros:

"The features offered by Inline Manual are truly equivalent to other very pricy and restraining tools. Inline Manual allows to customize well enough to create a tool that serves your own corporate needs."

👎 Cons:

"Such an app requires a bit of dedication and effort to be set up as they are embedded in your own platform. You need to understand how it works (and also how your own app behaves)"

5- Gainsight PX vs Pendo

Pendo is a 3rd-party user onboarding platform for SaaS businesses that is focused on user onboarding, in-app training, and feature adoption.

Although it is a great product that solves multiple problems at once, Pendo users usually complain that it takes them more than a few days to figure out how they can use the product.

Also, mind that “product tutorials for users” isn’t Pendo’s main strength since the tool’s primary focus is providing insightful customer data.

It is definitely an amazing tool to add to your toolkit, but you might still have to find different solutions to provide in-app onboarding features such as resource centers.

Pendo Pricing

Pendo does not have a pre-set pricing that is public, they offer custom plans for each customer.

Pendo Reviews

👍 Pros:

"Started seeing results improving feature adoption with help of Pendo. As a Product Manager, I’ve tried different tools and techniques in past, but Pendo showed the best results so far."

👎 Cons:

"My biggest complaint is that the interface for customizing the guide center is hard to use and there is limited information on how to customize this."

6- Gainsight PX vs Whatfix

Whatfix is another widely-used third-party user onboarding tool to assist users in-app with product tours, tooltips, and feature highlights.

It can be a decent alternative to Gainsight PX, but you should keep in mind that the product has its downsides too.

The analytics feature is inferior to its competitors, pricing is above the market average, and it can be hard to figure out the product at first.

Whatfix Pricing

To get a price to Whatfix, you need to contact them; as they don’t provide us with a fixed pricing. Yet it is known that they charge above the market average.

Whatfix Reviews

👍 Pros:

“The Whatfix support page is incredibly helpful and straightforward and the customer service is superb.”

👎 Cons:

“The price is a little high. It lacks analytical features. Some features are not easy to configure.”

Top Gainsight PX Alternatives Comparison Table

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