WalkMe
Enterprise guidance with authored Smart Walk-Thrus, Auto-Steps, Discovery and Workstation. WalkMe serves employee rollouts and also offers a customer track. Pricing is by quote; its pricing page mentions no trial.
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WalkMe alternative for a SaaS product's own users
WalkMe is an enterprise digital adoption platform for guiding people through business software. HelpAlive is an AI product expert: it lives inside your app, answers users' questions, builds guides on the fly from your docs and the page they're on, and does the steps for them. The difference is how the walkthrough is prepared for the user's task. Someone who has already completed most of a setup may need help with just one step. WalkMe's Start Points can open a Smart Walk-Thru at the step a rule selects, but a builder still prepares and publishes the steps, the rules and the conditions. HelpAlive generates the guide at runtime for that user and the task they just asked about, on the page they are on. It works on any web app in the browser and does not replace WalkMe's employee rollouts, Discovery or desktop tools.
What each is for
HelpAlive
Personalized help for your customers inside the SaaS product you sell. It uses your published documentation and the page in their browser, and does the steps for them. You choose guidance or permitted actions per customer account and per user.
Side by side
| Comparison | WalkMe | HelpAlive |
|---|---|---|
| Who authors the guide | A builder, in the WalkMe Editor desktop app, then publishes it. AI Authoring works "with free-text prompts" but does not yet support Smart Walk-Thrus. | Nobody. Every guide is generated at runtime for that user, from your docs and the page they are on. |
| Covers a task nobody wrote a guide for | No. On-Demand AI "suggests direct, executable actions" such as launching an existing Smart Walk-Thru; the walk-thru has to be built and published first. | Yes. There are no pre-built guides, so there is no gap between the guides you wrote and the questions users ask. |
| Answers a question mid-task | On-Demand AI answers from internal knowledge, beside the walk-thru. Pausing a Smart Walk-Thru to ask about the step in front of you is not described on its site. | Yes. The user can pause a guide and ask about the task or the control in front of them, then continue. |
| Does the steps for the user | Yes, Auto-Steps inside an authored Smart Walk-Thru. They "complete actions on behalf of the user, like clicking on a link or button." | Yes, on the steps of a generated guide, when you allow actions. You choose guidance or actions per customer account and per user. |
| Setup | A JavaScript snippet per environment, or a Chrome or Edge browser extension deployed via MSI or PKG; then author and publish in the Editor. | One script plus identify(), then connect your documentation. Guides work on the first page a user opens. |
Authoring with AI is not generating at runtime
AI Authoring helps builders create content, but does not yet support Smart Walk-Thrus. On-Demand AI can launch an existing walk-thru; Auto-Steps execute authored steps. HelpAlive creates the walkthrough when a user asks, and pauses when a step needs their input.
A library of authored walk-thrus is a backlog, always behind the product. A generated guide has no backlog, and the help arrives the moment they need it.
Choose WalkMe when
- You need browser-extension deployment, Workstation desktop help or Discovery’s view of your tech stack.
- Fixed ShoutOuts, Launchers and authored Auto-Steps need targeting and predictable execution.
Choose HelpAlive when
- Your customers need walkthroughs for tasks nobody has authored a walk-thru for.
- You want permitted actions, with controls for each customer account and user.
- You want guidance to follow the current UI without maintaining a content library.
Keep WalkMe for employees, add HelpAlive for customers
Keep WalkMe for employee rollouts; add HelpAlive inside the product you sell. WalkMe also serves customers, so choose between authored processes and on-demand walkthroughs for that audience.
Read what an AI product expert is, see the features, or watch a demo.
Frequently asked questions
Can we keep our employee guidance and add HelpAlive?
Yes. Keep WalkMe for employee rollouts on software your company uses, and add HelpAlive inside the product you sell. HelpAlive does not deploy on third-party software.
Do prompts replace the need to author a walkthrough?
WalkMe AI Authoring does not yet support Smart Walk-Thrus, and On-Demand AI can launch an existing one. HelpAlive builds the walkthrough when a user asks, using your published docs and the current page.