5 Best React Onboarding Libraries in 2026 (Compared)
Monday, January 5, 2026
You need to onboard users in your React app. You could build it from scratch, but you'd spend days handling edge cases, step sequencing, state persistence, event tracking, conditional logic.
Or you could use a library.
This guide compares the 5 best React onboarding libraries in 2025. I'll show you actual code, honest pros/cons, and which one fits your use case.
What to look for?
Before picking a library, answer these questions:
- Tour or flow? Tours highlight existing UI. Flows guide users through actions (forms, setup wizards, configuration).
- Do you need analytics? Can you see where users drop off?
- How custom is your UI? Do you need full control or are default styles fine?
- State persistence? Should users resume where they left off?
Now let's look at each option.
1. OnboardJS
Approach: Headless state machine with React bindings
OnboardJS takes a different approach than traditional tour libraries. Instead of attaching tooltips to DOM elements, it provides a state machine for managing onboarding flows. You bring your own UI.
Installation
1npm install @onboardjs/core @onboardjs/react
Basic Example
1import { OnboardingProvider, useOnboarding } from '@onboardjs/react';
2import { WelcomeStep } from './steps/welcome-step'
3import { CreateProject } from './steps/create-project'
4import { InviteTeam } from './steps/invite-team'
5
6const steps = [
7 {
8 id: 'welcome',
9 component: WelcomeStep
10 },
11 {
12 id: 'create-project',
13 component: CreateProject
14 },
15 {
16 id: 'invite-team',
17 component: InviteTeam
18 },
19];
20
21function OnboardingUI() {
22 const { renderStep, next, previous, isCompleted } = useOnboarding();
23
24 if (isCompleted || !currentStep) return null;
25
26 return (
27 <div className="onboarding-modal">
28 <div>
29 {renderStep()}
30 </div>
31 <div>
32 <button onClick={() => previous()}>Back</button>
33 <button onClick={() => next()}>Continue</button>
34 </div>
35 </div>
36 );
37}
38
39function App() {
40 return (
41 <OnboardingProvider steps={steps}>
42 <OnboardingUI />
43 <YourApp />
44 </OnboardingProvider>
45 );
46}
Adding Analytics (Built-in)
1import posthog from 'posthog-js'
2
3const posthogPlugin = createPostHogPlugin({
4 posthogInstance: posthog,
5 eventPrefix: 'dashboard_',
6})
7
8...
9
10<OnboardingProvider
11 steps={steps}
12 plugins={[posthogPlugin]}
Events like step_active, step_completed, and flow_completed are tracked automatically.
Pros:
- Headless: Complete UI control, no style overrides needed
- State machine: Predictable, debuggable step transitions
- TypeScript-first: Full type safety, great autocomplete
- Built-in analytics: Track drop-off without extra setup
- Plugin system: PostHog, Supabase, custom integrations
- Persistence: Resume flows from localStorage or remote
Cons
- You build the UI: No default components (but there are examples)
- Newer library: Smaller community than React Joyride (join our Discord!)
- Not for DOM tours: Doesn't highlight elements (use with Driver.js if needed)
Best for
- Custom onboarding flows (wizards, setup flows, activation sequences)
- Teams who need analytics on onboarding completion
- Developers who want full control over UI
- TypeScript codebases
- Integrations with third-party tools: It integrates with Posthog, Supabase, Mixpanel and there are more on the roadmap. You can even write your own custom extension!
2. INTRO.js
Approach: Declarative product tours with tooltips
Intro.js is a lightweight, framework-agnostic JavaScript library for product tours. It’s good for a quick feature showcase without pulling in large dependencies.
Installation
1npm install intro.js react-intro-steps
Basic Example
1import { useEffect } from 'react';
2import introJs from 'intro.js';
3import 'intro.js/introjs.css';
4
5function App() {
6 useEffect(() => {
7 introJs()
8 .setOptions({
9 steps: [
10 {
11 intro: 'Welcome to our app! Let me show you around.',
12 },
13 {
14 element: '.sidebar-nav',
15 intro: 'Navigate between sections using this menu.',
16 position: 'right',
17 },
18 {
19 element: '.create-button',
20 intro: 'Click here to create your first project.',
21 position: 'bottom',
22 },
23 {
24 element: '.dashboard',
25 intro: 'This is your dashboard. All your metrics appear here.',
26 position: 'left',
27 },
28 {
29 element: '.settings-icon',
30 intro: 'Access account settings from here.',
31 position: 'left',
32 tooltipPosition: 'bottom',
33 },
34 {
35 intro: "You're all set! Start building.",
36 },
37 ],
38 disableInteraction: false,
39 highlightClass: 'highlight',
40 exitOnOverlayClick: false,
41 showBullets: true,
42 showStepNumbers: true,
43 keyboardNavigation: true,
44 })
45 .start();
46 }, []);
47
48 return <YourApp />;
49}
Pros
- Battle-tested: 10+ years of development, large community
- Rich UI: Step numbers, bullets, smooth animations
- Flexible positioning: Automatic tooltip placement adjustment
- Callback system: Hooks for step changes, completion, exit
- Keyboard navigation: Full accessibility support
- Interactive tours: Users can skip, go back, or proceed at their pace
- No React-specific coupling: Works in any project
Cons
- Not React-native: Imperative API, requires manual setup
- No analytics: You'll need to wire up tracking manually
- DOM-dependent: Breaks if target elements aren't rendered
- Tour-only: Not designed for multi-step forms or custom flows
- Limited customization: Styles require CSS overrides
Intro.js is excellent for simple marketing page tours, but if you're building onboarding inside a React application, the imperative API creates friction. If you need a React-native alternative with built-in state management, see how OnboardJS compares to IntroJS.
Best For
- Product tours highlighting existing UI
- Teams who want a polished, proven solution
- Apps where interactive step-by-step guidance fits
- Projects needing keyboard accessibility
3. Shepherd.js
Approach: Framework-agnostic tours with React bindings
Shepherd.js is a mature tour library that works across frameworks. The React wrapper provides hooks and components.
Installation
1npm install react-shepherd shepherd.js
Basic Example
1import { ShepherdTour, ShepherdTourContext } from 'react-shepherd';
2import 'shepherd.js/dist/css/shepherd.css';
3
4const tourOptions = {
5 defaultStepOptions: {
6 cancelIcon: { enabled: true },
7 classes: 'shepherd-theme-custom',
8 },
9 useModalOverlay: true,
10};
11
12const steps = [
13 {
14 id: 'intro',
15 attachTo: { element: '.header', on: 'bottom' },
16 text: ['Welcome! Let me show you around.'],
17 buttons: [
18 {
19 type: 'next',
20 text: 'Next',
21 },
22 ],
23 },
24 {
25 id: 'dashboard',
26 attachTo: { element: '.dashboard', on: 'right' },
27 text: ['This is your dashboard. All your data lives here.'],
28 buttons: [
29 { type: 'back', text: 'Back' },
30 { type: 'next', text: 'Next' },
31 ],
32 },
33];
34
35function TourButton() {
36 const tour = useContext(ShepherdTourContext);
37 return <button onClick={tour.start}>Start Tour</button>;
38}
39
40function App() {
41 return (
42 <ShepherdTour steps={steps} tourOptions={tourOptions}>
43 <TourButton />
44 <YourApp />
45 </ShepherdTour>
46 );
47}
Pros
- Mature: Years of development, stable API
- Framework-agnostic core: Share tour logic across React, Vue, vanilla
- Theming: Multiple built-in themes
- Modal overlay: Focus attention on highlighted elements
- Active maintenance: Regular updates
Cons
- React wrapper is thin: Less React-idiomatic than other options
- Requires CSS import: Extra setup step
- No built-in analytics
- Configuration-heavy: More verbose than alternatives
The React wrapper works, but you're essentially wrapping a vanilla JS library. If you want a library built for React with headless architecture and analytics included, check out the Shepherd.js vs OnboardJS comparison.
Best For
- Teams using multiple frameworks (React + Vue + vanilla)
- Projects needing modal overlay focus
- Developers who prefer Shepherd's API style
4. Reactour
Approach: Simple, lightweight React tours
Reactour focuses on simplicity. Fewer features than Intro.js, but smaller bundle and easier API.
Installation
1npm install @reactour/tour
Basic Example
1import { TourProvider, useTour } from '@reactour/tour';
2
3const steps = [
4 {
5 selector: '.first-step',
6 content: 'This is the first step.',
7 },
8 {
9 selector: '.second-step',
10 content: 'This is the second step.',
11 },
12 {
13 selector: '.third-step',
14 content: ({ setCurrentStep }) => (
15 <div>
16 <p>Custom content with components!</p>
17 <button onClick={() => setCurrentStep(0)}>Go to start</button>
18 </div>
19 ),
20 },
21];
22
23function StartButton() {
24 const { setIsOpen } = useTour();
25 return <button onClick={() => setIsOpen(true)}>Start Tour</button>;
26}
27
28function App() {
29 return (
30 <TourProvider steps={steps}>
31 <StartButton />
32 <YourApp />
33 </TourProvider>
34 );
35}
Pros
- Simple API: Less configuration than alternatives
- Custom content: Render components inside steps
- Hooks-based: Modern React patterns
- Styling flexibility: CSS-based customization
Cons
- Fewer features: No built-in progress indicators, limited callbacks
- No analytics
- Less documentation: Smaller community than Intro.js
- Tour-only: Not suitable for wizards or flows
Best For
- Simple product tours
- Bundle-size-conscious apps
- Developers who prefer minimal APIs
5. Driver.js
Approach: Lightweight element highlighting
Driver.js is the smallest option. It highlights elements and shows popovers, but with minimal overhead.
Installation
1npm install driver.js
Basic Example
1import { useEffect } from 'react';
2import { driver } from 'driver.js';
3import 'driver.js/dist/driver.css';
4
5function App() {
6 useEffect(() => {
7 const driverObj = driver({
8 showProgress: true,
9 steps: [
10 {
11 element: '#sidebar',
12 popover: {
13 title: 'Navigation',
14 description: 'Access all sections from here.',
15 side: 'right',
16 },
17 },
18 {
19 element: '#create-btn',
20 popover: {
21 title: 'Create',
22 description: 'Start a new project.',
23 side: 'bottom',
24 },
25 },
26 {
27 popover: {
28 title: 'That's it!',
29 description: 'You're ready to go.',
30 },
31 },
32 ],
33 });
34
35 // Start tour on mount or via button
36 driverObj.drive();
37
38 return () => driverObj.destroy();
39 }, []);
40
41 return <YourApp />;
42}
Pros
- Tiny: ~5kb gzipped
- Fast: Minimal DOM manipulation
- No React dependency: Framework-agnostic
- Clean animations: Smooth highlight transitions
- Simple API: Easy to understand
Cons
- Not React-native: Imperative API, requires useEffect wiring
- No state management: You handle persistence
- No analytics
- Limited customization: Basic popover styling
Driver.js is perfect for lightweight feature highlights, but the lack of React integration means you're managing refs and useEffect hooks manually. For a Driver.js alternative that handles React state, persistence, and custom components natively, see the full comparison.
Best For
- Performance-critical apps
- Simple highlight tours
- Teams who want minimal dependencies
- Combining with other tools (use Driver.js for highlights + OnboardJS for flow logic)
How to choose
Choose OnboardJS if:
- You're building custom onboarding flows (not just tours)
- You need to track where users drop off
- You want full UI control
- TypeScript matters to you
Choose Intro.js if:
- You want a polished, battle-tested product tour
- Default UI and animations work for you
- You have existing UI to highlight
- You need interactive step-by-step guidance
Choose Shepherd.js if:
- You use multiple frameworks
- You want modal overlay focus mode
- You prefer configuration-based APIs
Choose Reactour if:
- You want simple tours with small bundle size
- React hooks patterns appeal to you
- You don't need advanced features
Choose Driver.js if:
- Bundle size is critical
- You just need element highlighting
- You'll combine it with other tools for flow logic
Combining Libraries
These aren't mutually exclusive. A common pattern:
- OnboardJS for flow state, analytics, persistence
- Driver.js for element highlighting when needed
1import { useOnboarding } from '@onboardjs/react';
2import { driver } from 'driver.js';
3
4function OnboardingStep() {
5 const { currentStep } = useOnboarding();
6
7 useEffect(() => {
8 if (currentStep?.payload?.highlightElement) {
9 const d = driver();
10 d.highlight({
11 element: currentStep.payload?.highlightElement,
12 popover: { title: currentStep.payload?.title, description: currentStep.payload?.content },
13 });
14 return () => d.destroy();
15 }
16 }, [currentStep]);
17
18 // ... rest of your onboarding UI
19}
Conclusion
There's no universally "best" library. It depends on what you're building.
If you're building activation flows and need to know where users drop off, try OnboardJS. It's free, open-source, and built specifically for this problem.
If you need a polished, proven tour library, Intro.js is the industry standard with a decade of stability.