Best 6 Intro.js Alternatives (no-code tools incl.)

What Intro.js Does Well

Customizable Product Tours and Hints

Intro.js allows developers to create highly customizable product tours for smooth onboarding experiences and product hints for quick communication.

Its flexibility enables precise control over the appearance and behavior of the tours, allowing developers to tailor the user experience to match their application's design and functionality.

Lightweight and Efficient

Intro.js is known for its lightweight nature, which ensures that it does not significantly impact your application's performance.

This efficiency makes it an excellent choice for applications where performance is a critical consideration, especially against some 3rd-party-tools that can be burdensome.

Easy Integration

Intro.js is straightforward to integrate into existing applications and offers version libraries for React, Angular, and Vue.

This makes it so it fits well into different frameworks.

Drawbacks of Intro.js

Limited Built-In Features

While Intro.js excels at creating customizable tours, it lacks some of the more advanced features found in other user onboarding tools and digital adoption platforms.

Requires Technical Expertise

Implementing and customizing Intro.js requires a certain level of technical expertise. A developer is needed in all stages of implementation, and a designer is also required to create custom designs.

Maintenance Challenges

It's not uncommon for all your Intro.js content to break after a slight change, so maintaining the plugin is a pain in the neck, especially if your development resources are limited.

6 Alternatives to Intro.js

If your product is evolving, you need a more capable and easier-to-maintain solution than Intro.js, which brings me to the perfect one:

1. UserGuiding - Next Level Product Adoption and User Engagement

• Capterra ⭐4.7/5 (51 reviews)
• G2 ⭐4.6/5 (231 reviews)

UserGuiding is an advanced product adoption and user onboarding platform designed to create engaging in-app experiences without requiring any coding knowledge.

It offers a wide range of features that make it a powerful alternative to Intro.js, especially for teams seeking a comprehensive, no-code solution.

UserGuiding Features

No-Code Implementation

UserGuiding simplifies the process of creating interactive product tours, onboarding checklists, and tooltips with a no-code approach.

Multi-Layered Onboarding Experiences

UserGuiding offers a variety of onboarding elements, including hotspots, modals, knowledge base, and surveys. This versatility ensures that users receive comprehensive guidance tailored to their needs, enhancing their understanding and usage of the product.

In-Depth Analytics and User Insights

With UserGuiding, you get built-in analytics and feedback tools that allow you to track user interactions and gather real-time insights.

This data-driven approach helps you continuously iterate the user experience by understanding user behavior and highlighting points to improve.

Customizable User Experiences

UserGuiding provides an intuitive interface for customizing onboarding elements to match your brand's look and feel for a professional user experience that aligns with your brand's identity.

Pricing

UserGuiding's pricing is based on the number of active users, making it scalable for businesses of all sizes and easy to get started with.

>2500 MAU

• Basic: $89/month
• Professional: $249/month
• Corporate: Custom quote

5K+ MAU

• Basic: $230/month
• Professional: $449/month
• Corporate: Custom quote

10K+ MAU

• Basic: $300/month
• Professional: $524/month
• Corporate: Custom quote

UserGuiding vs. Intro.js

• Ease of Use: UserGuiding's no-code platform is significantly easier to use than Intro.js's coding requirements, making it ideal for non-technical teams.
• Features: UserGuiding offers a comprehensive suite of built-in features, including analytics and feedback tools, that Intro.js lacks out of the box.
• Customization: UserGuiding provides an intuitive interface for customization, while Intro.js requires coding skills for similar levels of customization.
• Support: UserGuiding offers dedicated support and resources 24/7, whereas Intro.js relies primarily on community support which can have some delays.

2. Shepherd.js - Identical Features, Similar Community Support

• Github: 13K stars ⭐
• Capterra: no reviews
• G2: no reviews

Shepherd.js is an open-source library that provides similar functionalities to Intro.js. It allows developers to create customizable and interactive product tours.

It is a strong alternative for teams that have the technical expertise to implement and maintain it.

Shepherd.js Features

Customizable Product Tours

Shepherd.js allows for highly customizable product tours, giving developers control over their appearance and functionality to match their application's design.

Active Community and Developer Support

As an open-source project, Shepherd.js benefits from a vibrant community of developers who contribute to its development and provide support.

This ensures continuous improvement and a wealth of shared knowledge.

Also, developers of Shepherd.js are planning to launch Shepherd Pro, a 3rd-party platform that combines in-app elements of Shepherd.js with no-code functionalities and consistent official support.

Shepherd.js vs. Intro.js

• Community Support: Both libraries have strong community support, but Shepherd.js often benefits from more frequent contributions and updates from its active developer community.
• Technical Requirements: Both tools require a similar level of technical expertise to implement and maintain, making them suitable for development teams with JavaScript proficiency.
• Features: In addition to Product Tours, Intro.js provides you with the option to create Product Hints that Shepherd.js can't replicate.

3. Bootstrap Tour - Native Integration with Bootstrap, Less-Active Developers

• Github: 4.4K⭐
• G2: no reviews
• Capterra: no reviews

Bootstrap Tour is an open-source tool specifically designed to integrate seamlessly with the Bootstrap framework.

Bootstrap Tour Features

Seamless Bootstrap Integration

Bootstrap Tour is built to leverage Bootstrap’s components and styling, making it an ideal choice for applications already using Bootstrap. This integration ensures that your product tours fit naturally within your existing design system.

Flexible API and Custom Actions

The tool offers a robust API that allows developers to define steps, add custom actions, and tailor the tour elements extensively.

This flexibility enables developers to create highly customized and interactive onboarding experiences.

Bootstrap Tour vs. Intro.js

• Framework Compatibility: Bootstrap Tour’s native integration with Bootstrap makes it a natural fit for projects already using Bootstrap, simplifying the development process. Intro.js, while versatile, requires additional customization for seamless integration or requires you to use modified versions of the library.
• Customization: Both tools offer customization, but Bootstrap Tour’s alignment with Bootstrap components can make styling more intuitive for those familiar with the framework.
• Development Activity: Intro.js generally has a more active development community, providing frequent updates and extensive community support, which can be a significant advantage over Bootstrap Tour which was last officially updated over 7 years ago in 2017.

4. Chameleon - Advanced In-App Guidance and User Engagement

• Capterra ⭐3.9/5 (10 reviews)
• G2 ⭐4.4/5 (216 reviews)

Chameleon is designed to provide a robust platform for in-app guidance and user engagement, making it ideal for product teams looking to enhance user onboarding and interaction.

Chameleon Features

Chameleon allows you to create dynamic, interactive in-app guides, tours, and tooltips that adapt to user behavior.

You can use the product's in-app survey and segmentation features to personalize your UX in real time, which should result in higher engagement overall.

The product offers all the in-app elements you need to create a complete onboarding experience that creates power users of your platform.

Pricing

Chameleon's AI-based CMD+K feature is free forever, which presents you with a smooth entry into the platform.

On the other hand, to get the same amount of value from Intro.js, you need to subscribe to their lowest-priced plan, which costs $279/month.

Chameleon vs. Intro.js

• Feature Richness: Chameleon offers a broader range of features compared to Intro.js, including advanced user segmentation and real-time analytics. This makes it a more comprehensive solution for teams needing detailed insights and targeted engagement.
• Pricing: Intro.js is either free forever or can be bought for commercial use for a small one-time fee, while Chameleon has a pretty expensive starting price for the core features of the platform.
• Scalability: Chameleon is designed to scale with your business, providing robust tools for growing teams and complex onboarding scenarios. Intro.js, while effective, may require more manual customization and maintenance as your needs evolve.

5. Stonly - Top-Notch User Education for Support Teams

• Capterra ⭐4.4/5 (11 reviews)
• G2 ⭐4.8/5 (125 reviews)

Stonly is designed to enhance customer support through interactive guides and a robust knowledge base plus AI features, making it the dream tool of a customer support representative.

Stonly Features

Interactive Knowledge Base

Stonly allows you to create interactive, step-by-step guides that can be embedded within your product or website.

What's better is that you can use Stonly to create a knowledge base full of these interactive guides that educate, onboard, and unstuck users in times of need.

AI-Powered Assistance

AI assistants have become very popular among knowledge-base solutions, and Stonly isn't holding back. They provide an AI feature that allows users to get the answers they need from content that's tailored to them.

Support Integrations

Stonly integrates with various customer support tools that help streamline workflows and ensures that users receive consistent support across different channels.

Pricing

Stony doesn't have transparent pricing, but it's on the lower end of the spectrum in terms of cost.

Stonly vs. Intro.js

• Use Case: Stonly focuses on customer support and user education through interactive guides, while Intro.js is designed for basic product tours and onboarding.
• Features: Stonly offers AI-powered assistance and integrations with support tools; Intro.js provides lightweight, customizable tours without advanced support features.
• Implementation: Stonly is user-friendly and requires less technical expertise, whereas Intro.js requires coding skills for customization and maintenance.

6. Pendo - Product Analytics with Built-In User Engagement Features

• ‎Capterra ⭐ 4.5/5 (215 reviews)
• G2 ⭐ 4.4/5 (1,421 reviews)

Pendo combines product analytics with in-app engagement features, offering a comprehensive solution for product teams that need detailed insights and effective user onboarding tools.

Pendo Features

Comprehensive Product Analytics

Pendo provides robust analytics capabilities that allow you to track product usage, understand user behavior, and identify areas for improvement.

In-App Guidance and Feedback

Pendo’s in-app guides, tooltips, and surveys enable you to engage users directly within your application.

These tools help onboard new users, highlight new features, and collect real-time feedback, ensuring a continuous improvement loop.

User Segmentation and Targeting

With Pendo, you can segment users based on their behavior and characteristics, allowing for highly targeted and personalized onboarding experiences.

Pricing

Pendo offers a range of pricing plans, with options that cater to different business sizes and requirements, from businesses just starting out to large enterprises.

While pricing is not always transparent, it generally falls on the higher end.

Pendo vs. Intro.js

• Analytics and Insights: Pendo offers advanced product analytics that Intro.js does not (at all), making it a better choice for teams that need detailed insights into user behavior and product performance.
• Feature Richness: Pendo’s combination of in-app guidance, feedback tools, and user segmentation provides a more comprehensive solution than Intro.js's single-feature-focused functionality.
• Scalability: Pendo is designed to scale with your business, providing robust tools for both small startups and large enterprises, while Intro.js is better suited for simpler, smaller-scale implementations.

What To Pick

• UserGuiding if you need quick implementation, fair pricing, and powerful product adoption tools.
• Shepherd.js if you're looking for the closest Intro.js alternatives.
• Bootstrap Tour if you are on the Bootstrap framework and want to make the most out of it.
• Chameleon if you have a slightly larger budget and want the best in-app experiences with strong personalization.
• Stonly if you're doing all this for your support team, and an integrated support tool would solve your problems.
• Pendo if you want to step things up and scale with data-driven experiences.

Feel free to schedule a call with one of our experts to see how UserGuiding can complement your product.