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Software · head to head

Pendo vs Salesforce

Pendo logo

Pendo

Software

Product analytics and digital adoption platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Salesforce logo

Salesforce

Software

World's #1 CRM

From
$25/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Pendo has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Pendo pricing is not publicly available and requires a custom quote; Salesforce sales Cloud tiers as captured 2 January 2024: Starter Suite $25/user/month, Professional $80/user/month, Enterprise $165/user/month, all USD billed annually
  • They diverge on capability: Pendo covers Product analytics, Salesforce covers Contact management.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Pendo and Salesforce actually diverge.

Attributes where Pendo and Salesforce differ
AttributePendoSalesforce
Starting priceFree$25/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Mobile, DesktopWeb, Ios, Android, Api
Founded20131999

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Pendo

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

Only in Salesforce

  • Contact management
  • Opportunity management
  • Lead management
  • Reports & dashboards
  • Email integration
  • Workflow automation
  • Mobile access
  • AppExchange

Both cover

  • Slack
  • SOC2
  • ISO27001
  • HIPAA

What people use each for

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

Pendo

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

Salesforce

  • Sales managementnot Pendo
  • Customer servicenot Pendo
  • Marketing automationnot Pendo
  • Lead generationnot Pendo
  • Analytics & reportingnot Pendo

Where each one falls short

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

Pendo

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

Salesforce

  • Sales Cloud tiers as captured 2 January 2024: Starter Suite $25/user/month, Professional $80/user/month, Enterprise $165/user/month, all USD billed annually

Pricing, plan by plan

Pendo

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

Salesforce

$25/month
  • Essentials$25/month
    • Account & contact management
    • Opportunity tracking
    • Lead management
  • Professional$80/month
    • Everything in Essentials
    • Complete CRM
    • Lead scoring
  • Enterprise$165/month
    • Everything in Professional
    • Workflow automation
    • Advanced analytics
  • Unlimited$330/month
    • Everything in Enterprise
    • Unlimited customizations
    • 24/7 support

Which should you pick?

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.
Pendo review

Choose Salesforce if

  • You need contact management.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want opportunity management.
Salesforce review

Questions people ask

Is Pendo or Salesforce better?
Neither clearly leads. Pendo starts at Free and Salesforce at $25/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Pendo or Salesforce?
Pendo has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Pendo and $25/month for Salesforce.
Does Pendo or Salesforce run on more platforms?
Pendo runs on Web, Mobile, Desktop. Salesforce runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
Can I use Pendo for free?
Yes. Pendo has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Salesforce starts at $25/month.
What is Pendo best used for?
Pendo is most often used for user onboarding, feature adoption, product analytics, user feedback collection. Of those, user onboarding and feature adoption are not what Salesforce is typically brought in for.
What can Pendo do that Salesforce cannot?
Pendo covers Product analytics, In-app messaging, User onboarding, Feature adoption tracking. Salesforce covers Contact management, Opportunity management, Lead management, Reports & dashboards. Both handle Slack, SOC2, ISO27001, HIPAA.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
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
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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