Candu vs Shepherd
Candu
candu.aiShepherd
shepherdjs.devSide by side
| Figure | Candu | Shepherd |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $199/mo | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 4 | 3 |
| Spec score · Product Adoption Software | 9.2 (#1) | 7.2 (#30) |
| Spec score · User Onboarding Software | 9.3 (#1) | 7.2 (#27) |
| Spec score · Onboarding Bots | 9.2 (#1) | 7.3 (#20) |
| Customization | The editor supports reusable components, user segmentation, real-time publishing, responsive design and CSS styling controls. | Its minimal default styles are designed to make it easy to match the look and feel of an app. |
| Installation | All features require a JavaScript snippet in the site head, after which teams publish content through Candu without redeploying their application. | The documentation provides installation instructions for npm, yarn, pnpm, and bun, plus GitHub releases and jsDelivr CDN usage. |
Plans
Shepherd
- Business Plan$50, paid once
- Enterprise Plan$300, paid once
- Shepherd ConsultingPriced on request
In their own words
Candu
Candu creates in-product onboarding, upgrade prompts, and announcements designed to match a product's interface. Experiences can appear inline or as overlays, including checklists, homepages, banners, empty states, modals, forms, and hotspots. Its editor supports reusable components, user segmentation, responsive layouts, CSS styling controls, and real-time publishing. Candu says its AI can build in-product UI from a prompt, screenshot, or design; users can review and edit before publishing. Analytics cover engagement, users, and content, and A/B testing is listed. Starter includes integrations and webhooks, while Candu says it connects with analytics providers. Launching experiences requires adding a JavaScript snippet to the product header. The Free plan is limited to overlays and three live experiences. Starter costs $199 a month, billed annually; Growth costs $799 a month, billed annually. Candu runs on web and extension, with mobile app support listed as unavailable. Its intended users include growth product managers, designers, and developers working on onboarding and product adoption.