Clew

Clew is a web tool for product teams building in-app tours and guidance. It suits teams that want to publish overlays without another site release, particularly those needing EU hosting or self-hosting. The trade-off is that seats and tour capacity are tightly tiered on the cloud plans.

Overview

After adding a script tag, a product team can create and publish tours, tooltips, modals and onboarding checklists in a visual editor. That gives teams room to update guidance without scheduling a site release. Clew supports React, Vue, plain HTML and single-page apps, including client-side route changes; it is a web product, not a broad mobile onboarding platform.

Installation guides cover Google Tag Manager, AI coding assistants, WordPress, Webflow and Shopify. EU cloud hosting provides a regional hosting option, while self-hosting is intended to keep data within the customer's perimeter.

Key features

Guidance and measurement

Clew combines several forms of in-product guidance in one visual editor. Its analytics track views, completions and dismissals using an anonymous in-browser ID; Clew says those counts do not use IP addresses or personal data. The history available to review grows from one month on Free to unlimited on Self-hosted, a meaningful difference for teams comparing onboarding performance over time.

When a tooltip loses its target element, Clew flags and skips that step instead of letting the tour crash. That is a practical safeguard against a broken page element derailing the entire flow. A/B testing, which compares a tour variant with a control group, starts on Pro. Pro and higher also include an MCP server for managing tours from Claude, Cursor and ChatGPT. Integrations and webhooks are marked as coming soon on Business, Lifetime and Self-hosted.

Pricing

Clew has a free plan, paid plans from $14.99 a month, and a 14-day free trial for Pro and Business without a credit card. Visitors and tooltip views are uncapped, though cloud plans are subject to fair use.

Free: free. One site, one team seat, up to three published tours, tours and tooltips, one month of analytics history and docs support. It is a useful small-scale start, but the single seat and three-tour ceiling limit team use.

Pro: $14.99 a month, billed $14.99/mo. Three sites, three seats, up to 20 published tours, one A/B test at a time, three months of analytics history and email support. This is the entry point for teams that need experimentation or more than three tours; its seat limit still keeps collaboration small.

Business: $39.99 a month, billed $39.99/mo. Ten sites and seats, unlimited tours, five concurrent A/B tests, 12 months of analytics history and priority support. It suits teams running guidance across multiple sites or testing several variants at once.

Lifetime: $499, paid once, billed $499 one-time. Unlimited sites and tours, ten seats, five concurrent A/B tests, 12 months of analytics history and email support. The one-time price avoids a recurring fee, but seats remain capped and analytics history is shorter than on Self-hosted.

Self-hosted: $1,499, paid once, billed $1,499 one-time. Unlimited sites, seats, tours, A/B tests and analytics history, with one year of updates and support. This is the fit for organizations that need self-hosting or the broadest stated limits; the support and update term is one year.

The free plan has no trial term. Pro and Business have a 14-day trial, while Lifetime and Self-hosted are one-time purchases rather than monthly plans.

Platforms

Clew runs on the web and offers a self-hosted deployment option. Its widget supports React, Vue, plain HTML and single-page apps. The self-hosted plan is aimed at banks, public-sector organizations and regulated industries; teams seeking Android or iOS onboarding should look elsewhere.

Who it's for

Clew fits product teams that want to manage web onboarding guidance outside the site's release cycle, and teams that need a self-hosting option. Free works for a single-seat project with a few tours; Pro suits small teams ready to test a variant. Business is the more capable cloud tier for multi-site programs, while the one-time plans appeal to buyers who prefer an upfront payment, with Self-hosted adding unlimited stated capacity.

Pros and cons

Pro: Visual editing and publishing after a script installation can keep routine guidance changes independent of site releases.

Pro: Tour steps are skipped when their target element disappears, reducing the risk of a broken tooltip stopping a tour.

Pro: A self-hosted option with unlimited sites, seats, tours, tests and analytics history addresses organizations with perimeter requirements.

Con: Free is limited to one seat and three tours, so it is a constrained option for a collaborating team.

Con: Pro's three-seat cap and one simultaneous A/B test may be restrictive as a program grows.

Con: Lifetime has a ten-seat cap and only 12 months of analytics history despite its unlimited sites and tours.

Alternatives

User Onboarding Software is the broader category directory for comparing onboarding products.

Choose Wakeline if Android and iOS support matter alongside web and browser-extension platforms; its free plan includes three flows, 1,000 monthly active users and one teammate.

Candu is another freemium web and extension option: its free plan offers overlays, three live experiences and unlimited user licenses.

Driver.js is the free choice for unlimited projects and personal or commercial use when a no-cost offering is the priority.

Helppier is a paid alternative with a free trial and a Standard plan priced at $299 a month for up to 50,000 MAUs.

Userpilot is a paid alternative whose Starter plan is $299 a month for up to 2,000 MAU, up to 10 segments and three seats.

Appcues is a paid alternative with a free trial; its Start plan has no listed price and includes up to 3,000 MAUs and 10 published experiences.

Guidez is a freemium web, API and extension option; its Hobby plan is free with 100 MAU per month, one team member and one environment.

HelpHero is a paid alternative with a free trial and a $55 a month plan for up to 1,000 MAU.

Verdict

Choose Clew if your team wants web onboarding guidance it can publish independently, or needs the control of self-hosting. Its strongest case is the combination of visual publishing, resilient tour steps and a self-hosted tier with unlimited stated capacity. Look elsewhere if you need mobile-platform support or if your team will quickly outgrow the cloud plans' seat limits.