Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Why Most 'React Onboarding Libraries' Are Just Tooltip Tours (And When You Need a Real Flow Framework)

Soma Somorjai

I hate when I search for 'React onboarding library' and get a bunch of tooltip tour tools. Here's the difference between a tour and true onboarding - and why it matters for your conversion rates.

If you're building user onboarding in React, you've probably come across libraries like Intro.js and Shepherd.js. I recently spent time evaluating these options while building an application that needed different onboarding paths for content creators and business owners. Here's what I learned about the fundamental differences between tour libraries and onboarding frameworks.

The Core Distinction

Most popular "onboarding libraries" are actually tour libraries. They excel at guiding users through existing UI elements with tooltips and highlights. However, if you need to collect user data, create conditional flows, or build multi-screen experiences, you're looking at a different category: onboarding frameworks.

Tour Libraries (Intro.js, Shepherd.js)

Purpose: Guide users through existing UI elements
Interaction: Passive consumption ("click here, then here")
Data collection: Not built-in (requires custom implementation)
Flow logic: Linear progression
State management: Manual implementation required

Onboarding Frameworks (OnboardJS)

Purpose: Create interactive, multi-step user experiences
Interaction: Active participation (forms, choices, setup)
Data collection: Built-in support for user input
Flow logic: Conditional branching based on user responses
State management: Handled automatically

When Tour Libraries Work Well

Tour libraries like Intro.js and Shepherd.js are excellent choices when you need to:

Highlight existing features in your application
Create simple, linear walkthroughs
Minimize bundle size for basic use cases
Get something working quickly with minimal configuration

Here's a typical Intro.js implementation:

javascript

18 lines

import introJs from 'intro.js';

// Simple feature tour
introJs().setOptions({
  steps: [
    {
      intro: "Welcome to our application!"
    },
    {
      element: '#navigation',
      intro: "This is your main navigation."
    },
    {
      element: '#dashboard',
      intro: "Here's your dashboard overview."
    }
  ]
}).start();

This works perfectly for its intended purpose: showing users around an existing interface.

When You Need More Than a Tour

The limitations become apparent when you need to:

Collect user preferences or setup information
Create different experiences based on user type
Persist progress across browser sessions
Build multi-screen onboarding flows
Integrate deeply with your application state

Let me show you what happens when you try to extend a tour library beyond its design.

The Custom Implementation Challenge

When I needed conditional onboarding paths, my Intro.js implementation grew into this:

javascript

45 lines

const [currentStep, setCurrentStep] = useState(0);
const [userType, setUserType] = useState(null);
const [showCustomModal, setShowCustomModal] = useState(false);
const [onboardingData, setOnboardingData] = useState({});

// Custom modal for data collection (not part of Intro.js)
const UserTypeModal = () => (
  <div className="fixed inset-0 bg-black bg-opacity-50 flex items-center justify-center">
    <div className="bg-white p-6 rounded-lg">
      <h2>What describes you best?</h2>
      <button onClick={() => handleUserType('creator')}>
        Content Creator
      </button>
      <button onClick={() => handleUserType('business')}>
        Business Owner
      </button>
    </div>
  </div>
);

// Custom conditional logic (not part of Intro.js)
const handleUserType = (type) => {
  setUserType(type);
  setOnboardingData(prev => ({ ...prev, userType: type }));
  
  // Manually determine next step
  if (type === 'creator') {
    setCurrentStep(3); // Skip business-specific steps
  } else {
    setCurrentStep(1); // Continue to business setup
  }
  
  setShowCustomModal(false);
  
  // Manual persistence
  localStorage.setItem('onboarding-progress', JSON.stringify({
    currentStep: type === 'creator' ? 3 : 1,
    userType: type,
    data: onboardingData
  }));
  
  // Configure Intro.js based on user type
  const steps = type === 'creator' ? creatorSteps : businessSteps;
  introJs().setOptions({ steps }).start();
};

At this point, I was building a complete state management system on top of a tooltip library. The tour library wasn't helping anymore—it was just adding complexity.

A Framework Approach

Here's how the same functionality looks with an onboarding framework like OnboardJS:

jsx

41 lines

const steps = [
  {
    id: 'user-type',
    type: 'SINGLE_CHOICE',
    payload: {
      question: 'What describes you best?',
      options: [
        { id: 'creator', label: 'Content Creator', value: 'creator' },
        { id: 'business', label: 'Business Owner', value: 'business' }
      ],
      dataKey: 'userType'
    },
    nextStep: (context) => 
      context.flowData.userType === 'creator' ? 'creator-setup' : 'business-setup'
  },
  {
    id: 'creator-setup',
    type: 'INFORMATION',
    payload: {
      mainText: 'Let\'s set up your creator profile and content preferences.'
    },
    condition: (context) => context.flowData.userType === 'creator'
  },
  {
    id: 'business-setup',
    type: 'INFORMATION',
    payload: {
      mainText: 'Let\'s configure your business settings and team access.'
    },
    condition: (context) => context.flowData.userType === 'business'
  }
];

// Usage with automatic persistence
<OnboardingProvider
  steps={steps}
  componentRegistry={componentRegistry}
  localStoragePersistence={{ key: 'my-onboarding' }}
>
  <MyApp />
</OnboardingProvider>

The framework handles state management, persistence, conditional logic, and data collection as core features rather than afterthoughts.

For complex onboarding flows, the framework approach often results in less total code.

Making the Right Choice

Choose a tour library (Intro.js, Shepherd.js) when:

You need to highlight existing UI elements
Your flow is simple and linear (3-5 steps)
You don't need data collection or conditional logic
Bundle size is critical and you won't need to extend functionality
You want something working in under an hour

Choose an onboarding framework (OnboardJS) when:

You're building multi-screen user setup experiences
You need to collect user data and make decisions based on it
You want conditional flows and personalization
You need state persistence across sessions
You're working in React/Next.js
You plan to A/B test different onboarding approaches

Conclusion

Both approaches have their place. Tour libraries excel at their intended purpose: guiding users through existing interfaces. Onboarding frameworks are designed for building interactive, stateful user experiences.

The key is recognizing which category your requirements fall into before you start building. If you find yourself writing significant custom code on top of a tour library, you might need a framework instead.

Understanding this distinction can save you from rebuilding your onboarding implementation when your requirements inevitably grow beyond simple tours.

Get Started with OnboardJS Today!

OnboardJS empowers you to move beyond basic product tours and build truly intelligent, engaging onboarding experiences that accelerate user activation and retention. Stop building boilerplate, and start building value.

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