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Technology · head to head

Amplitude vs Pendo

Amplitude logo

Amplitude

Technology

The digital analytics platform to understand your users

From
Free
Rated
-
Pendo logo

Pendo

SaaS

Product analytics and digital adoption platform

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Amplitude metered on event volume, so instrumenting more of a product raises the bill even if the audience does not grow; Pendo pricing is not publicly available and requires a custom quote
  • They diverge on capability: Amplitude covers Event tracking, Pendo covers Product analytics.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Amplitude and Pendo actually diverge.

Attributes where Amplitude and Pendo differ
AttributeAmplitudePendo
PlatformsWeb, Ios, Android, ApiWeb, Mobile, Desktop
CategoryTechnologySaaS
Founded20122013

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (Unknown), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Amplitude

  • Event tracking
  • User segmentation
  • Funnel analysis
  • Retention analysis
  • Cohort analysis
  • A/B testing
  • Revenue analytics
  • Predictive analytics

Only in Pendo

  • Product analytics
  • In-app messaging
  • User onboarding
  • Feature adoption tracking
  • User feedback
  • NPS surveys
  • Session replay
  • Mobile analytics

Both cover

  • Segment
  • Salesforce
  • Slack
  • Zendesk
  • SOC2
  • GDPR

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Amplitude

  • User behavior analysisnot Pendo
  • Feature adoption trackingnot Pendo
  • Conversion rate optimizationnot Pendo
  • Customer journey mappingnot Pendo
  • Retention improvementnot Pendo

Pendo

  • User onboardingnot Amplitude
  • Feature adoptionnot Amplitude
  • Product analyticsnot Amplitude
  • User feedback collectionnot Amplitude
  • Digital adoptionnot Amplitude

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Amplitude

  • Metered on event volume, so instrumenting more of a product raises the bill even if the audience does not grow
  • The free plan covers 2M events a month
  • The Plus plan scales to 70M events, above which pricing is custom
  • Growth and Enterprise pricing is not published

Pendo

  • Pricing is not publicly available and requires a custom quote
  • Free tier limited to 500 monthly active users

Pricing, plan by plan

Amplitude

Free
  • StarterFree
    • 2 million events per month
  • Plus$49/month
    • $0.049 per MTU
    • Up to 300k MTUs
    • Advanced analytics
  • GrowthFree
    • Causal insights
    • Feature experimentation
    • Real-time streaming
  • EnterpriseFree
    • Cross-product analysis
    • Advanced permissions
    • Dedicated account manager

Pendo

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 500 MAU
    • Core analytics
    • In-app guides

Which should you pick?

Choose Amplitude if

  • You need event tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want user segmentation.

Choose Pendo if

  • You need product analytics.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile, Desktop.
  • You also want in-app messaging.

Questions people ask

Is Amplitude or Pendo better?
Neither clearly leads. Amplitude starts at Free and Pendo at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Amplitude or Pendo?
Amplitude starts at Free and Pendo at Free.
Does Amplitude or Pendo run on more platforms?
Amplitude runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. Pendo runs on Web, Mobile, Desktop.
Can I use Amplitude for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Amplitude best used for?
Amplitude is most often used for user behavior analysis, feature adoption tracking, conversion rate optimization, customer journey mapping. Of those, user behavior analysis and feature adoption tracking are not what Pendo is typically brought in for.
What can Amplitude do that Pendo cannot?
Amplitude covers Event tracking, User segmentation, Funnel analysis, Retention analysis. Pendo covers Product analytics, In-app messaging, User onboarding, Feature adoption tracking. Both handle Segment, Salesforce, Slack, Zendesk.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Amplitude: Does Amplitude have a free plan?

Yes, Amplitude offers a free Starter plan with 2 million events per month and access to the entire platform including analytics, session replay, and experimentation features.

Source
Pendo: Does Pendo have a free tier?

Yes, Pendo Free supports up to 500 monthly active users and includes core product analytics, in-app guides, Pendo-branded roadmaps, and Pendo-branded NPS surveys.

Source
Amplitude: What is Amplitude's pricing based on?

Amplitude's pricing is based on the number of monthly tracked users (MTUs), data volume, and advanced features selected. The Plus plan starts at $49 per month with a rate of $0.049 per MTU.

Source
Pendo: What is Pendo's core functionality?

Pendo combines product analytics, in-app guides, session replay, NPS surveys, product discovery, roadmaps, and cross-channel orchestration to measure and improve product adoption.

Source
Amplitude: What analytics features does every Amplitude plan include?

Every plan includes access to the full platform: analytics, session replay, feature experimentation, web experimentation, guides and surveys, activation, and AI tools like AI Feedback and AI Assistant.

Source
Pendo: What CRM systems does Pendo integrate with?

Pendo offers two-way integrations with Salesforce, mapping Pendo product usage and sentiment data with Salesforce records, and with HubSpot for contact mapping and campaign orchestration.

Source
Pendo: What impact does Pendo have on customer retention?

Companies using Pendo for product analytics see on average a 5% reduction in customer churn and report an average 15% increase in net revenue retention.

Source

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