Happy Valley

Pendo vs Scribe

Pendo and Scribe are both product adoption & onboarding tools. Pendo is aimed at enterprise, while Scribe is aimed at small businesses and enterprise. Both have a free plan.

Pendo

Product analytics, guides and feedback in one

Scribe

Auto-generated step-by-step guides and SOPs from screen activity

PricingFreemiumFreemium · $17
Starting priceNot published$17/mo
Free planYesYes
Free trial——
Built forEnterpriseSmall businesses, Enterprise, Freelancers
Platformsweb, ios, androidweb, windows, macos
CountryUS · 2013US · 2019
Rating——

Choose Pendo if

Mid-market and enterprise product organizations.

  • Analytics and guidance in one
  • Retroactive data capture
  • Enterprise-ready

Look elsewhere if: Startups wanting simple onboarding (UserGuiding, Appcues).

Choose Scribe if

Operations, IT and enablement teams that need accurate screenshot-based SOPs and training guides without writing them by hand.

  • Turns a ten-minute documentation task into a quick recording
  • Guides are consistent and easy to update after UI changes
  • Embeds cleanly in Confluence, Notion, SharePoint and help centers

Look elsewhere if: Teams that want narrated video explainers or in-app guided tours inside their product (Loom, Whatfix).

Pendo vs Scribe pricing

Pendo

  • Free$0Up to 500 MAU, analytics and in-app guides
  • BaseCustomProduct analytics, in-app guides, custom MAU
  • CoreCustomAdds session replay
  • UltimateCustomAdds NPS/surveys, Orchestrate, Listen, Data Sync

Scribe

  • Basic$0Browser extension for web apps; share by link or embed
  • Pro Personal$35/seat/mo$25 billed annually; desktop app, branding, redaction
  • Pro Team$17/seat/mo$13 billed annually; 5-seat minimum, comments
  • EnterpriseCustomSSO, auto PII/PHI redaction, roles, translations

Pendo · Key features

  • Retroactive product analytics without tagging
  • In-app guides and resource center
  • Session replay
  • NPS and feedback collection
  • Product roadmaps
  • AI insights

Cons

  • Expensive at scale
  • Complex to administer
  • UI can be dense

Scribe · Key features

  • Records clicks and keystrokes and writes each step automatically
  • Annotated screenshots with manual editing and blur redaction
  • Browser extension for Chrome and Edge plus Windows and Mac desktop app
  • Combine multiple recordings into longer SOP documents
  • Export to PDF, HTML and Markdown or embed in wikis
  • Company branding on shared guides on Pro plans

Cons

  • Desktop app recording requires a paid plan
  • Pro Team needs at least five seats
  • Whole team must be on the same plan

Pendo vs Scribe: FAQ

Do Pendo and Scribe have a free plan?

Yes, both Pendo and Scribe have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.

Which is better for small businesses, Pendo or Scribe?

Scribe lists small businesses as a core audience, while Pendo is aimed more at enterprise.

Not sure yet?