# Appcues vs Shepherd.js

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** Shepherd.js

| Attribute | Appcues | Shepherd.js |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 39.8 (70% (medium)) | 52.3 (47% (low)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | - | 16 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | - | 834 |
| adoption.github_stars | - | 13,814 |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"A tool that enables companies to create and distribute targeted messages, surveys, guides, and promotional content directly within their products. It includes AI-powered authoring capabilities, user behavior segmentation, analytics, and recommendations to optimize onboarding and feature awareness. It is indexed under Digital Adoption Platforms.","source":"https://www.appcues.com","question":"What is Appcues?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Appcues offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans are also available: Start and Spark. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.appcues.com/pricing","question":"Is Appcues free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to Appcues. That is the extent of what we could verify from public sources, so it may well offer desktop or mobile clients we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.appcues.com","question":"What platforms does Appcues support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Appcues, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://www.appcues.com/pricing","question":"Can Appcues be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed SOC 2 and GDPR for Appcues. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Appcues not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://www.appcues.com/pricing","question":"What security certifications does Appcues have?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Appcues is available worldwide. Its primary markets are the United States and the EU.","source":"https://www.appcues.com/pricing","question":"Where is Appcues available?","confidence":0.75}]` | - |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | - |
| description.long | Appcues enables businesses to build and deploy contextual in-app messages based on user behavior. It provides a no-code builder for creating modals and messages that guide users through onboarding, promote feature adoption, and improve retention. | A JavaScript library for building guided tours and onboarding experiences within web applications. Emphasizes accessibility, framework compatibility (React, Angular, Vue, Ember), and customizable styling. |
| features.capabilities | `{"nps_and_in_app_survey_collection":true}` | `{"in_app_user_onboarding_checklists":true,"interactive_dom_element_targeting_walkthroughs":true}` |
| integrations.count | 2 | - |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"ActiveCampaign"},{"name":"Zapier"}]` | - |
| language.primary | - | JavaScript |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":["US","EU"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | - |
| platform.support | `{"web":true}` | `{"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Start","features":["100 published experiences","36 months of reporting history","Priority support and services support","All experience types, features, and integrations included"],"description":"Building around your first big win","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"published_experiences":"100","reporting_history_months":"36"}},{"free":false,"name":"Spark","description":"Built for small teams ready to ship first in-app experiences","contactSales":false}],"summary":"Subscription-based pricing scaled to monthly active users, number of installations, and published experiences. Free trial available without credit card.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.appcues.com/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-08-19T22:47:14.961Z","billingPeriods":["month"]}` | - |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | - |
| pricing.model | freemium | - |
| pricing.price_level | low | - |
| pricing.transparent | no | - |
| release.cadence_days | - | 14 |
| release.history | - | `[{"url":"https://github.com/shipshapecode/shepherd/releases/tag/v7.0.6-react-shepherd","date":"2026-08-24T10:11:25Z","type":"stable","version":"v7.0.6-react-shepherd"},{"url":"https://github.com/shipshapecode/shepherd/releases/tag/v7.0.5-react-shepherd","date":"2026-08-10T02:56:56Z","type":"stable","version":"v7.0.5-react-shepherd"},{"url":"https://github.com/shipshapecode/shepherd/releases/tag/v7.0.4-react-shepherd","date":"2026-03-11T15:46:46Z","type":"stable","version":"v7.0.4-react-shepherd"},{"url":"https://github.com/shipshapecode/shepherd/releases/tag/v7.0.3-react-shepherd","date":"2026-02-23T01:03:14Z","type":"stable","version":"v7.0.3-react-shepherd"},{"url":"https://github.com/shipshapecode/shepherd/releases/tag/v7.0.2-react-shepherd","date":"2026-02-19T18:29:42Z","type":"stable","version":"v7.0.2-react-shepherd"},{"url":"https://github.com/shipshapecode/shepherd/releases/tag/v7.0.1-react-shepherd","date":"2026-02-18T13:42:55Z","type":"stable","version":"v7.0.1-react-shepherd"},{"url":"https://github.com/shipshapecode/shepherd/releases/tag/v7.0.0-react-shepherd","date":"2026-02-08T21:16:03Z","type":"stable","version":"v7.0.0-react-shepherd"},{"url":"https://github.com/shipshapecode/shepherd/releases/tag/v6.1.9-react-shepherd","date":"2025-07-23T21:41:11Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.1.9-react-shepherd"},{"url":"https://github.com/shipshapecode/shepherd/releases/tag/v6.1.8-react-shepherd","date":"2025-02-20T20:26:16Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.1.8-react-shepherd"},{"url":"https://github.com/shipshapecode/shepherd/releases/tag/v6.1.7-react-shepherd","date":"2025-01-13T13:51:55Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.1.7-react-shepherd"},{"url":"https://github.com/shipshapecode/shepherd/releases/tag/v6.1.6-react-shepherd","date":"2024-11-19T13:20:08Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.1.6-react-shepherd"},{"url":"https://github.com/shipshapecode/shepherd/releases/tag/v6.1.4-react-shepherd","date":"2024-10-21T20:54:24Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.1.4-react-shepherd"},{"url":"https://github.com/shipshapecode/shepherd/releases/tag/v6.1.3-react-shepherd","date":"2024-10-10T20:35:19Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.1.3-react-shepherd"},{"url":"https://github.com/shipshapecode/shepherd/releases/tag/v6.1.2-react-shepherd","date":"2024-10-08T19:51:00Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.1.2-react-shepherd"},{"url":"https://github.com/shipshapecode/shepherd/releases/tag/v1.3.1-%40shepherdpro/pro-js","date":"2024-08-05T23:00:43Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.3.1-@shepherdpro/pro-js"},{"url":"https://github.com/shipshapecode/shepherd/releases/tag/v1.3.0-%40shepherdpro/pro-js","date":"2024-07-25T15:28:09Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.3.0-@shepherdpro/pro-js"},{"url":"https://github.com/shipshapecode/shepherd/releases/tag/v1.2.2-%40shepherdpro/pro-js","date":"2024-07-24T15:03:15Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.2.2-@shepherdpro/pro-js"},{"url":"https://github.com/shipshapecode/shepherd/releases/tag/v1.2.1-%40shepherdpro/pro-js","date":"2024-07-22T15:13:29Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.2.1-@shepherdpro/pro-js"},{"url":"https://github.com/shipshapecode/shepherd/releases/tag/v1.2.0-%40shepherdpro/pro-js","date":"2024-07-19T10:47:09Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.2.0-@shepherdpro/pro-js"},{"url":"https://github.com/shipshapecode/shepherd/releases/tag/v1.1.0-%40shepherdpro/pro-js","date":"2024-06-28T00:16:36Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.1.0-@shepherdpro/pro-js"}]` |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | - |
| security.gdpr | yes | - |
| security.scorecard | - | 4.3 |
| security.soc2 | yes | - |
| security.vulnerabilities | - | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=shepherd.js&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (Digital Adoption Platforms)

| Capability | Appcues | Shepherd.js |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Capabilities** |  |  |
| Interactive dom element targeting walkthroughs | - | ✓ |
| No code visual builder chrome extension | - | - |
| In app user onboarding checklists | - | ✓ |
| Nps and in app survey collection | ✓ | - |
| User drop off and completion analytics | - | - |
| Knowledge base help widget embed | - | - |
| Amplitude mixpanel analytics sync | - | - |
| Salesforce hubspot CRM sync | - | - |
| Zendesk intercom helpdesk sync | - | - |
| SOC2 type ii | - | - |
| ISO 27001 | - | - |
| Pricing model | - | - |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-17T01:33:59.273Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*