Build vs Buy
TCO comparison: 3 years of Appcues vs 3 years of Tour KitWe modeled the full 3-year total cost of ownership for Appcues and Tour Kit at three MAU tiers. See every line item, the compounding effects, and where each tool wins.Apr 9, 2026 · 8 min readBuild vs Buy
The developer's calculator: DIY tour vs library vs SaaSCalculate the real cost of DIY tours, libraries, and SaaS tools. Compare 3-year TCO with sourced numbers before committing engineering hours.Apr 9, 2026 · 10 min readBuild vs Buy
How to calculate onboarding software ROI (2026)Calculate onboarding software ROI with concrete formulas, benchmark data, and a fill-in worksheet. Includes build vs buy cost comparison for 2026.Apr 9, 2026 · 12 min readBuild vs Buy
Data ownership in onboarding: who owns your tour analytics?Examine who actually owns your product tour analytics data when using SaaS onboarding tools. Compare vendor custody, GDPR roles, and code-owned alternatives.Apr 9, 2026 · 11 min readBuild vs Buy
Why onboarding SaaS tools charge per MAU (and why that's a problem)Break down why per-MAU pricing in onboarding tools like Appcues and Pendo penalizes product growth. See real costs at scale and alternatives.Apr 9, 2026 · 9 min readBuild vs Buy
No-code onboarding is technical debt (and why developers should own it)No-code onboarding tools create hidden technical debt through vendor lock-in, CSS overrides, and knowledge silos. Here's the code-first alternative.Apr 9, 2026 · 10 min readBuild vs Buy
How Much Does Onboarding Software Really Cost? (2026 Complete Guide)Compare the real cost of onboarding software in 2026: SaaS pricing, in-house builds, and open-source TCO with a 3-year breakdown.Apr 9, 2026 · 10 min readBuild vs Buy
Onboarding tool evaluation checklist for engineering teamsScore product tour tools across 8 engineering criteria before committing. Covers bundle size, accessibility, TypeScript support, and vendor lock-in risk.Apr 9, 2026 · 13 min readBuild vs Buy
One-time license vs subscription: the math for bootstrapped teamsCompare 3-year total cost of one-time licenses vs subscriptions for bootstrapped teams. Real pricing data from onboarding tools and subscription fatigue.Apr 9, 2026 · 10 min readBuild vs Buy
Open source onboarding: what $0 actually costs in developer timeCalculate the real cost of free onboarding libraries. Developer time, maintenance burden, and abandoned projects add up fast. See the math.Apr 9, 2026 · 9 min readBuild vs Buy
The real cost of Pendo for a Series A startupBreak down Pendo's true cost for Series A startups: the $7K starter trap, $35K graduation shock, and hidden fees. See the 3-year TCO before you sign.Apr 9, 2026 · 9 min readBuild vs Buy
How to pitch your CTO on switching from SaaS to open-source onboardingBuild a CTO-ready case for replacing Appcues or Pendo with an open-source onboarding library. Includes cost math, security arguments, and objection handling.Apr 9, 2026 · 14 min readBuild vs Buy
The real cost of Appcues for a 10,000 MAU SaaSBreak down every line item of an Appcues contract at 10K MAU. See pricing tiers, hidden fees, and the math on build vs buy for engineering-led teams.Apr 9, 2026 · 11 min readBuild vs Buy
The real cost of Userpilot for growing SaaS teamsBreak down Userpilot's actual cost at 2,000, 5,000, and 10,000 MAU. See the pricing cliffs, hidden add-ons, and what alternatives cost in 2026.Apr 9, 2026 · 9 min readBuild vs Buy
The developer tax: how SaaS tools slow down engineering teamsSaaS tools cost more than their subscription price. Calculate the real developer tax from bundle bloat, integration maintenance, and vendor lock-in.Apr 9, 2026 · 4 min readBuild vs Buy
Can you use Tour Kit without the Pro license? (free vs Pro breakdown)See exactly what Tour Kit's free MIT packages include and when the $99 Pro license becomes worth it. Package-by-package comparison with code examples.Apr 9, 2026 · 10 min readBuild vs Buy
How we set Tour Kit's price at $99 (building in public)The real pricing decision behind Tour Kit's $99 one-time license. Unit economics, anchoring psychology, and why we left subscription revenue on the table.Apr 9, 2026 · 10 min readBuild vs Buy
Vendor lock-in in onboarding: what happens when you want to leaveSaaS onboarding tools trap your tour logic in proprietary formats. See real migration costs, lock-in patterns, and how code-owned alternatives work.Apr 9, 2026 · 11 min readBuild vs Buy
When SaaS onboarding makes sense (honest assessment from a library author)A library author explains six scenarios where SaaS onboarding tools beat code-based libraries. Honest trade-offs with sourced data to help you decide.Apr 9, 2026 · 10 min readBuild vs Buy
Why YC startups should skip SaaS onboarding toolsYC startups burn runway on $300/mo onboarding SaaS when their engineers can ship the same flows in a day. Here's the math and the code.Apr 9, 2026 · 9 min read