Contents

Get Started with Clueso

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Get Started with Clueso

Upgrade your content creation workflows today.

Best Onboarding Software

Top Tools Compared for 2025

15

min read

Oct 31, 2024

15

min read

Oct 31, 2024

15

min read

Oct 31, 2024

Buyer's Overview

SaaS companies today fight tooth and nail to acquire customers. Yet, after investing heavily in sales and marketing, many watch their hard-won customers slip away due to poor onboarding experiences. The first few weeks of a customer's journey can make or break their long-term success with your product - and ultimately, your relationship with them.

The stakes have never been higher. According to Wyzowl's 2024 research, 86% of customers say they're more likely to stay loyal to a business that invests in onboarding content, while 88% of customers say their decision to remain with a company long-term depends on the quality of onboarding. This reality has pushed organizations to fundamentally rethink their approach to onboarding.

"Organizations increasingly recognize customer onboarding as a function in itself: 60% of teams either have an independent and well-defined customer onboarding function or are in the process of setting up one."

- State of Customer Onboarding 2024, Rocketlane.

Similarly, for employee onboarding, disengaged employees in the US cost their employers $450 to $500 billion each year, making it hard to ignore the impact of a considered and engaging onboarding approach.

This shift from treating onboarding as an afterthought - both for customers and for employees - to viewing it as a critical business function has driven rapid evolution in onboarding tools and approaches.

Understanding Different Types of Onboarding Solutions

1. Customer Onboarding Tools

Creating engaging customer onboarding experiences has become critical for SaaS businesses. Whether you're helping users understand your product features, guiding them through complex workflows, or managing enterprise implementations, the right onboarding approach can dramatically impact adoption rates and customer satisfaction.

In-App Guidance Platforms

  • Interactive product tours and walkthroughs

  • Contextual help and tooltips

  • Feature announcements and user analytics

    Best for: Progressive feature discovery and activation

Video Onboarding Solutions

  • Product demonstrations and tutorials

  • Feature walkthroughs

  • Best practices guides

    Best for: Visual learners and complex workflows

Onboarding Project Management

  • Customer journey orchestration

  • Milestone tracking

  • Resource management

    Best for: High-touch onboarding with multiple stakeholders

Quick Comparison: Customer Onboarding Software Types

Type

Best For

Key Tools

In-App Guidance
Product adoption
Pendo, UserPilot, AppCues
Video Tutorials
Visual learning
Clueso, Camtasia, Loom
Project Management
Enterprise clients
Rocketlane, Dock, GuideCX
  1. Employee Onboarding Tools

Employee onboarding presents unique challenges compared to customer onboarding - organizations need to efficiently transfer knowledge about company culture, internal processes, and various tools while maintaining consistent quality across different departments. According to Gallup, only 12% of employees strongly agree their organization does a great job of onboarding, highlighting the need for better solutions. Employee onboarding tools address different aspects of bringing new team members up to speed:

Company Culture & Practices

  • AI-powered video presentations

  • Training material creation

  • Virtual meeting platforms

    Best for: Company-wide policies and cultural alignment

Technical Onboarding

  • Step-by-step guides for internal tools

  • Process documentation

  • System walkthroughs

    Best for: Software and workflow training

Quick Comparison: Employee Onboarding Software Types

Type

Best For

Key Tools

Company Practices
Cultural training
Clueso, Synthesia, Zoom, Teams
Technical Training
Tool adoption
Clueso, Whatfix, Tango

Top Customer Onboarding Software Tools Compared

1. Video-Based Onboarding Solutions

While in-app guidance helps with feature discovery, video tutorials remain the most effective way to demonstrate complex workflows and ensure users truly understand your product. However, teams often struggle between choosing quick, simple recordings that lack professionalism, or sophisticated editing tools that require significant time and expertise.

Video-Based Solutions: Quick Overview

Feature

Clueso

Camtasia

Loom

Professional Voiceovers
Manual
Documentation Generation

Content Updates
Manual re-recording
Manual re-recording
Multi-language Support
Manual
Learning Curve
Low
High
Low
Enterprise Security
SOC2, ISO 27001
SOC2, ISO 27001
Basic SSO
Creation Time
✓ Minutes
Hours
✓ Minutes

Clueso

Clueso represents the next evolution in onboarding content creation, combining powerful AI capabilities with professional features that transform simple recordings into polished, branded content. While traditional tools require choosing between speed and quality, Clueso automates the entire workflow - from script enhancement to professional voiceovers and instant documentation. What takes hours in other tools takes minutes in Clueso, making it ideal for teams who need to create and maintain professional onboarding content at scale.

Key Features

  • AI script enhancement and professional voiceovers

  • Automatic article generation with screenshots

  • Multi-language support with AI translations

  • One-click branding and customization

  • Easy content updates without re-recording

  • Built-in knowledge base hosting

  • Enterprise-grade security features

What Users Love

"Clueso has been a game changer in creating our user education content. We’re now generating high-quality user guides 10x faster.”

- Angelo Huang, Co-founder and CEO, Swif

➡️ Read more about how Swif transformed their customer education with Clueso here

H3: Camtasia

A robust video editor that offers extensive customization for creating detailed product tutorials with professional transitions and effects.


H4: Features:

  • Full video editing suite

  • Extensive effects library

  • Multiple audio tracks

  • Custom transitions

<aside>

Pros:

  • Powerful editing capabilities

  • Large resource library

  • Extensive customization options

  • Strong community support </aside>

<aside>

Cons:

  • Steep learning curve

  • Time-intensive editing process

  • Manual voiceover recording required

  • Expensive one-time purchase </aside>

H3: Loom

Where Clueso and Camtasia focus on creating polished onboarding content, Loom emphasizes quick, informal video communication. Originally designed for internal team messaging, Loom has evolved to include basic features for customer-facing content. Its strength lies in speed and simplicity - perfect for quick updates or simple explanations. However, this simplicity comes at the cost of professional features - teams often find themselves needing additional tools to create the kind of polished, branded content modern customers expect.

A quick and simple solution for basic screen recording for simple product demos with easy sharing capabilities.


H4: Features:

  • Quick recording via browser extension

  • Basic editing capabilities

  • Cloud storage

  • Viewer insights

<aside>

Pros:

  • Easy to use

  • Quick sharing options

  • Good for team communication

  • Reliable cloud storage </aside>

<aside>

Cons:

  • Limited professional features

  • Basic editing capabilities

  • No advanced effects </aside>

H3: 2. In-App Guidance Platforms

While video tutorials excel at demonstrating complex workflows, in-app guidance helps users discover features in context. These tools serve different but complementary purposes in your onboarding strategy. They typically appear as a series of tooltips or modals that highlight specific UI elements.

H3: In-App Guidance Platforms: Quick Overview

Feature

Pendo

UserPilot

AppCues

Event-based guide triggering

Enterprise only

Mobile Support

Limited

Limited

x

Native analytics

x

Knowledge base linking

x

Enterpise only

A/B Testing

Advanced

Basic

Basic

H3: Pendo

Pendo approaches onboarding from a data-first perspective, combining analytics with in-app guidance. Unlike content creation tools like Clueso that focus on comprehensive product education, Pendo specializes in understanding user behavior and creating targeted tooltips. While powerful for feature discovery, teams often find themselves needing additional solutions for creating actual training content and documentation.


Source: Pendo

H4: Features:

  • Interactive walkthroughs

  • User analytics

  • Feature adoption tracking

  • Custom messaging

  • A/B testing

  • Usage patterns

<aside>

Pros:

  • Deep analytics capabilities

  • Good for data-driven decisions

  • Strong enterprise features

  • Multiple app support </aside>

<aside>

Cons:

  • No content creation capabilities

  • Significant setup time

  • Steep learning curve </aside>

H3: UserPilot

UserPilot positions itself as a simpler alternative to Pendo, focusing on quick implementation of product tours and feature announcements. While it makes creating custom in-app guidance easy, and provides detailed analytics for product usage, it doesn’t support the actual creation of onboarding guides and videos.


Source: UserPilot

H4: Features:

  • Code-free UI analytics

  • User segmentation

  • Resource center

  • Simple implementation

<aside>

Pros:

  • Robust behavior tracking & analytics

  • Easy to implement

  • Good for gathering user feedback </aside>

<aside>

Cons:

  • No content creation capabilities </aside>

H3: AppCues

AppCues strikes a middle ground between Pendo's complexity and UserPilot's simplicity in the in-app guidance space. However, like other tools in this category, it focuses solely on in-product experiences, requiring teams to use separate solutions for creating tutorial content and maintaining documentation.


Source: AppCues

H4: Features:

  • No-code builder

  • UI element tooltips & feature discovery

  • Flow analytics

  • Goal tracking

  • Theme customization

<aside>

Pros:

  • Ideal for basic UI introduction and simple feature highlights

  • Good for first-time user guidance

  • Simple implementation </aside>

<aside>

Cons:

  • No content creation capabilities

  • Cannot effectively demonstrate complex workflows or processes

  • Can get expensive at scale </aside>

H3: 3. Onboarding Project Management

These tools focus on orchestrating the human side of onboarding, particularly valuable for companies with complex implementation processes requiring significant customer interaction.

H3: Project Management Platforms: Quick Overview

Feature

Rocketlane

Dock

GuideCX

Client Portal

Project Templates

Content hosting

Content creation

x

x

x

H3: Rocketlane

Purpose-built for managing high-touch customer onboarding, Rocketlane excels at coordinating complex implementation projects. While tools like Clueso handle the content creation aspect of onboarding, Rocketlane manages the project management and client communication aspects. This makes it complementary rather than competitive with content creation platforms.


Source: Rocketlane

H4: Features:

  • Customer portal

  • Project templates

  • Time tracking

  • Document collaboration

  • Milestone tracking

  • Integration capabilities

<aside>

Pros:

  • Purpose-built for onboarding management

  • Strong client collaboration

  • Good project visibility tools </aside>

<aside>

Cons:

  • Requires separate content creation workflows

  • Complex setup process

  • Higher learning curve </aside>

Dock

While Rocketlane focuses on project management, Dock approaches onboarding from a client portal perspective. Think of it as a resource hub for all resources and communications shared with a client - right from the deal stage to onboarding to renewals. That said, it requires teams to create and maintain all the actual onboarding content using other tools. This makes it a good complement to content creation platforms like Clueso rather than a standalone onboarding solution.


H4: Features:

  • Sales deal rooms & client spaces

  • Project tracking and visibility

  • Document sharing

  • Meeting scheduling

  • Custom branding

<aside>

Pros:

  • Clean client interface

  • Ready-to-use templates

  • Easy to customize </aside>

<aside>

Cons:

  • Requires separate content creation workflows

  • Not mobile-friendly </aside>

H3: GuideCX

GuideCX combines elements of project management and client portals but focuses specifically on implementation tracking. Like other tools in this category, it handles the coordination aspects of onboarding well but requires separate solutions for creating the actual training content and documentation that drives successful implementations.

H4: Features:

  • Implementation tracking

  • Task automation

  • Client communication

  • Resource sharing

  • Progress reporting

  • Team collaboration

Best Practices for Creating Effective Onboarding

Content Strategy

Map Your Onboarding Journey

  • Define clear paths for different user segments

  • Create content hierarchy based on user needs

  • Plan update frequency and maintenance

  • Consider multi-channel distribution

  • Set clear success metrics

Production Standards

  • Establish branded templates

  • Define quality benchmarks

  • Create review processes

  • Set up content governance

  • Maintain consistent voice and tone

Content Management

  • Regular content audits

  • Version control system

  • Update triggers defined

  • Archive strategy

  • Content reuse plan

ROI Measurement

Track these metrics to measure the impact of your onboarding:

Customer Onboarding Metrics

Short-term Impact

Long-term Impact

Time to first value

Customer retention

Feature adoption rates

Product adoption

Support ticket volume

Customer satisfaction

User engagement

Expansion revenue

Completion rates

Net revenue retention

Employee Onboarding Metrics

Short-term Impact

Long-term Impact

Time to productivity

Employee retention

Training completion rates

Team productivity

Knowledge retention

Cross-team collaboration

Tool adoption rates

Employee satisfaction

Feedback scores

Internal mobility

Frequently Asked Questions About Onboarding Software

General Questions

Q: What's the difference between customer and employee onboarding software?

A: While there's some overlap in features, customer onboarding software typically focuses on product adoption and self-service learning, while employee onboarding software emphasizes internal processes and compliance. However, modern tools like Clueso serve both use cases effectively by providing flexible content creation capabilities.

Q: Do I need different tools for different types of onboarding?

A: Not necessarily. While some organizations use specialized tools for specific needs, modern platforms often combine multiple capabilities. For example, you can use Clueso for both video tutorials and documentation, while complementing it with in-app guidance tools for specific feature discovery needs.

Q: How long does it take to implement an onboarding solution?

A: Implementation time varies by solution type:

  • Content creation tools (like Clueso): 1-2 days

  • In-app guidance platforms: 2-3 weeks

  • Project management tools: 1-2 weeks

  • Enterprise solutions: 4-8 weeks

Cost & ROI

Q: How much should I budget for onboarding software?

A: Pricing varies by solution type:

  • Basic tools: $8-15/user/month

  • Professional solutions: $50-250/month

  • Enterprise platforms: Custom pricing Consider features, time savings, and team size when evaluating costs.

Q: How do I measure the ROI of onboarding software?

A: Track metrics such as:

  • Reduction in training time

  • Decrease in support tickets

  • Improvement in feature adoption

  • Time saved in content creation

  • Customer/employee satisfaction scores

Technical Questions

Q: What are the minimum technical requirements?

A: Most modern tools require:

  • Updated browser (Chrome recommended)

  • Stable internet connection

  • 8GB RAM minimum Specific requirements vary by platform.

Q: Can I update content when products or processes change?

A: Yes, but capabilities vary:

  • AI-powered platforms like Clueso: Easy updates without re-recording

  • Traditional tools: Usually require complete re-recording

  • Basic tools: Need new recordings for changes

Content Creation

Q: How do I maintain consistent quality across teams?

A: Look for tools that offer:

  • Branded templates

  • Style guides

  • Team collaboration features

  • Review workflows

  • Automated quality controls

Q: What's the best format for onboarding content?

A: Consider a mix of formats:

  • Video tutorials for complex processes

  • Interactive guides for feature discovery

  • Written documentation for reference

  • Live sessions for personal touch Choose tools that support multi-format content creation and management.

Enterprise Considerations

Q: What security features should I look for?

A: Key security features include:

  • SOC 2 compliance

  • SSO integration

  • Role-based access

  • Content permissions

  • Secure hosting

  • Audit logs

Q: Can I create onboarding content in multiple languages?

A: Yes, but capabilities vary:

  • AI-powered tools like Clueso: Often offer automatic translation and localized voiceovers

  • Traditional tools: Require manual translation and recording

Get Started with Clueso

Upgrade your content creation workflows today.

Get Started with Clueso

Upgrade your content creation workflows today.