The Pendo Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Pendo in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Pendo
The Insider’s Guide
Product analytics plus in-app guides, surveys and session replay
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among website and product analytics tools, read from Pendo’s own pages.
Made by Pendo.io, Inc. · checked Oct 18, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Pendo’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Pendo’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 18, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.4
GPA, above 2 of the 13 other website and product analytics tools we grade
Pendo combines product analytics with in-app guides, so a software company can see how people use its web or mobile app and then show them walkthroughs, tips and announcements inside it. Higher plans add session replay, NPS and surveys, feedback and roadmaps, and journey orchestration, and an AI assistant called Leo answers questions about the data. Pricing follows monthly active users and the modules you choose, quoted through sales.
To get you started, here are 8 things to know about Pendo, taken from its own pages and our grades.
- 1
Best for walkthroughs and tips inside your own app
Guides come with every plan, free included.
- 2
There is a free plan
Pendo Free, free forever: analytics, in-app guides, Pendo-branded roadmaps and NPS surveys for up to 500 monthly active users, across unlimited web and mobile apps.
- 3
It runs on Web
Web.
- 4
Product analytics
Tracks feature use, paths and retention with retroactive data back to the day Pendo was installed, across any number of apps.
- 5
In-app guides
Walkthroughs, tooltips and announcements shown inside your app and targeted at user segments, included on every plan including Free.
- 6
Session replay
Replays of user sessions to give support and product teams context, included from Core and sold as an add-on on Base.
- 7
A 2.4 GPA, above 2 of 13
That is against the other website and product analytics tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 8
Keep it
The plain part of Pendo you could make: surveys. What surrounds it you could not. The 5 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
Pendo at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- 30-day free trial of the whole platform, set up through sales
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Pendo.io, Inc.
- Category
- Website & Product Analytics
- Our grade
- 2.4 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for walkthroughs and tips inside your own app
Pendo pairs product analytics with in-app guides, so a software company can see how people use its app and then show them walkthroughs and tips right there. Guides come with every plan, free included. But the free plan stops at 500 monthly active users, and every paid plan is quoted by sales.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | No published figure for this size. A product with 10,000 monthly active users is far past the free 500, so it needs Base, Core or Ultimate, all quoted by sales from users and modules. Replays need Core, and surveys need Ultimate or add-ons. |
| Free plan and trial | C | Pendo Free covers 500 monthly active users with analytics, guides, and Pendo-branded NPS and roadmaps, but no support. Go past 500 and you can't make new guides, surveys or segments. The 30-day trial is set up through sales. |
| Features | B | Product analytics with retroactive data, in-app guides on every plan, replays, NPS and surveys, feedback and roadmaps, and the Leo AI assistant. Graded against Amplitude and Mixpanel, it covers the job, with guides as its strong suit. Replays start at Core. |
| Ease of use | C | No rating on record. The snippet goes into your app, then the work is building guides, targeting segments and setting up surveys, and paid plans start with a sales call. There's a learning curve. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web only, with no desktop or phone app of its own. It works across unlimited web and mobile apps, and connects to Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk, Intercom, Jira, Gainsight, Marketo and Segment. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Pendo is for
- Great if you onboard users inside your product with tours and tooltips
- Handy when IT has to guide staff through internal software
- Good for small apps under 500 monthly users that want guides for free
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you want a price on the page, as every paid plan is quoted
- Tight if you stay free and pass 500 monthly users, which freezes new guides and surveys
- Not for you if you only want traffic numbers for a marketing site
Good to know
Good for
- SaaS companies onboarding users inside their product
- Product teams measuring feature adoption and collecting feedback
- IT teams guiding employees through internal software
Worth knowing
- No paid prices are published: Base, Core and Ultimate are quoted by sales from monthly active users and the modules chosen.
- On Pendo Free, going past 500 monthly active users stops you creating new guides, NPS surveys or segments until you upgrade.
- Session replay starts at Core, and surveys, product discovery and journey orchestration need Ultimate or paid add-ons.
- Churn prediction (Predict) and agent analytics are priced separately from the plans.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
4
plans to choose from
Pendo has a free plan.
Replays need Core, and surveys need Ultimate or add-ons.
Free
$0
Up to 500 monthly active users: analytics, in-app guides, Pendo-branded NPS and roadmaps. No support included.
Base
Custom
Sold through sales, priced by monthly active users: analytics, guides and support. Session replay and surveys are paid add-ons.
Core
Custom
Sold through sales: adds session replay. Product discovery and NPS or surveys remain add-ons.
Ultimate
Custom
Sold through sales: everything, including product discovery, NPS and surveys, and journey orchestration.
The free plan
Pendo Free, free forever: analytics, in-app guides, Pendo-branded roadmaps and NPS surveys for up to 500 monthly active users, across unlimited web and mobile apps.
Trying it first
30-day free trial of the whole platform, set up through sales
Read from pendo.io on Oct 18, 2026.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Product analytics plus in-app guides, surveys and session replay. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: AI features, surveys, web analytics, session replay.
Graded against Amplitude and Mixpanel, it covers the job, with guides as its strong suit.
- Product analytics
- Tracks feature use, paths and retention with retroactive data back to the day Pendo was installed, across any number of apps.
- In-app guides
- Walkthroughs, tooltips and announcements shown inside your app and targeted at user segments, included on every plan including Free.
- Session replay
- Replays of user sessions to give support and product teams context, included from Core and sold as an add-on on Base.
- NPS, surveys and feedback
- Sentiment tools for NPS and in-app surveys, plus product discovery for collecting and ranking feedback. Pendo-branded NPS comes with Free.
- Leo and Pendo AI
- Leo answers questions about your data in plain language on every plan; churn prediction and AI agent analytics are separate paid modules.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- Salesforce
- HubSpot
- Zendesk
- Intercom
- Jira
- Gainsight
- Marketo
- Segment
Pendo is made by Pendo.io, Inc.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
2/13
Other website and product analytics tools it is graded above
Pendo's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 2 of the 13 other website and product analytics tools we grade, and level with 4.
It stands best on features (B, above 4 of 13) and worst on ease of use (C, above 0).
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 14 website and product analytics tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Pendo’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 1 of 13
- CFree plan and trialAbove 1 of 13
- BFeaturesAbove 4 of 13
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 13
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 13
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
The plain part of Pendo you could make: surveys. What surrounds it you could not. The 5 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 7 of the 13 other website and product analytics tools grade higher.
What you could make
- Surveys: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- A tracking script and a database that counts every visit.
- Recordings of what each visitor did on your pages.
- It plugs into other products, Salesforce, HubSpot and Zendesk among them.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Pendo’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Amplitude, Mixpanel, Heap, PostHog and Fullstory
The 5 tools Pendo is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 3.0GPA
Amplitude
Free plan · from $900/yr
Product analytics with session replay, experiments and in-app guides.
- Amplitude also covers a/B testing.
- 3.0GPA
Mixpanel
Free plan · from $100/mo
Event-based product analytics with replays, flags and experiments.
- Pendo also covers surveys.
- Mixpanel also covers a/B testing.
- 2.2GPA
Heap
Free plan
Product analytics that captures every click without manual tagging.
- Pendo also covers surveys.
- Heap also covers dashboards.
- 3.2GPA
PostHog
Free plan · from $0.00005
Open-source product analytics with replays, flags and surveys.
- PostHog is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- PostHog also covers a/B testing.
- 3.0GPA
Fullstory
Free plan
Session replay and behavior analytics for websites and apps.
- Fullstory also covers dashboards.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
12
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Pendo free?
Pendo has a free plan. Pendo Free, free forever: analytics, in-app guides, Pendo-branded roadmaps and NPS surveys for up to 500 monthly active users, across unlimited web and mobile apps.
How much does Pendo cost?
Pendo lists 4 plans. Free: $0.
What platforms does Pendo work on?
Pendo is available on Web.
Does Pendo have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Pendo is listed for Web.
Does Pendo have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Pendo is listed for Web.
Is Pendo open source?
Pendo is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 18, 2026.
What does Pendo integrate with?
Pendo's listing names Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk, Intercom, Jira, Gainsight, Marketo and Segment.
Does Pendo have a free trial?
Yes. 30-day free trial of the whole platform, set up through sales.
Who makes Pendo?
Pendo is made by Pendo.io, Inc.
What are the alternatives to Pendo?
The closest alternatives to Pendo in our directory are Amplitude, Mixpanel, Heap, PostHog and Fullstory.
How does Pendo compare with other website and product analytics tools?
Pendo's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 2 of the 13 other website and product analytics tools we grade, and level with 4.
Could I make my own version of Pendo?
The plain part of Pendo you could make: surveys. What surrounds it you could not.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Pendo’s own pages on Oct 18, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 18, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Pendo's own pages on 18 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Pendo.io, Inc. Prices change, so check pendo.io before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
2,281
Tools graded, in 73 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
ToolGPA is free to read. It may earn a commission from affiliate links and it works with sponsors, but anything paid for is labelled and no one can pay for a grade. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
2,281
tools graded
73
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Pendo, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/pendo
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Pendo: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 18, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/pendo
Know someone choosing between website and product analytics tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/pendo/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded website and product analytics tools after Pendo, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Website & Product Analytics Insider's GuideEvery one of the 14 website and product analytics tools we grade, compared
- Google Analytics Insider's GuideGoogle's free website and app analytics, with a paid 360 tier3.4 GPA
- Microsoft Clarity Insider's GuideFree session recordings and heatmaps from Microsoft, no traffic cap3.2 GPA
- PostHog Insider's GuideOpen-source product analytics with replays, flags and surveys3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Pendo’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. ToolGPA uses affiliate links and may earn a commission from them, and it works with sponsors; anything paid for is labelled, and no one can pay for a grade. Pendo is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Pendo.io, Inc. Prices and plans change: check pendo.io before you buy.