Shepherd
Shepherd: A developer-focused tour library with strong accessibility and framework support. Ranked #26 of 30 in User Onboarding Software by our editors (6.7/10); pricing: Free plan; best for frontend teams needing accessible guided tours.
At a glance
- Editor score6.7 / 10
- PricingFree plan
- Best forFrontend teams needing accessible guided tours
- Free planYes
- Paid from$50 one-time
- In-app toursYes
- Facts checked20 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Open-source option supports tours, overlays, and conditional steps
- Keyboard navigation, focus trapping, and accessibility controls
- Supports React, Ember, Angular, Vue.js, and plain JavaScript
Where it doesn't
- Web-only; no support for native mobile platforms
- No checklists, no-code builder, analytics, or listed integrations
- Commercial and closed-source use requires a paid license
Our verdict on Shepherd
Shepherd is an open-source JavaScript library for creating guided tours, trainings, announcements, and onboarding journeys in web applications and websites. It is designed for frontend teams that want to define tour steps, tooltips, overlays, navigation, target elements, and event behavior in code. Its feature set includes conditional step display with showOn, page-driven progression with advanceOn, custom buttons, customizable styling, keyboard navigation, focus trapping, and accessibility attributes and controls.
The open-source option is free for open-source, personal, and non-commercial use. Commercial products and closed-source applications require a commercial license. The Business Plan costs $50 as a one-time payment and includes up to 5 projects, 1 month of commercial support, regular product updates, and a lifetime license. The Enterprise Plan costs $300 as a one-time payment and includes unlimited projects, 6 months of support, prioritized GitHub issues, and a lifetime license. Shepherd Consulting adds white-glove services, onboarding and training, advanced analytics, and support through professional services.
Shepherd fits teams comfortable implementing onboarding flows in JavaScript rather than configuring them through a visual editor. It supports web projects through plain JavaScript and framework support for React, Ember, Angular, and Vue.js. The product focuses on guided tours, contextual guidance, overlays, and developer-controlled behavior, while its category profile does not include checklists, a no-code builder, or listed integrations. Choose Shepherd when accessible, code-defined tours are the priority; choose another product when you need broader onboarding formats, visual authoring, analytics in the core product, or platforms beyond the web.
Your product? Our editors can test Shepherd in depth and publish a review, labelled as paid · from $149/mo →
Shepherd pricing
All 3 Shepherd plans and prices →
Shepherd fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | $50 one-time |
| In-app tours | Yes |
| Onboarding checklists | No |
| Contextual guides | Yes |
| No-code builder | No |
| Platform support | Web |
| Free plan limit | Not verified |
| Deployment | Cloud |
| Platforms | Web |
| Support | Community, Docs |
| Built for | Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate) |
| Pricing | Free plan (source) |
| Website | shepherdjs.dev |
| Facts checked | 20 Sep 2026 |
Alternatives to Shepherd
- UserpilotA broad experimentation toolkit for teams willing to pay for depth.9.4
- AppcuesA mature onboarding suite for teams that need web, mobile, targeting, and measurement.9.2
- WakelineAn economical onboarding toolkit with broad components and native mobile coverage.9.0
See all Shepherd alternatives →
Also Ranked In
Shepherd is ranked in 4 of our directories.
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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