7 Best Walnut.io Alternatives: Interactive Quiz + Expert Guide 2025

Walnut.io is a strong pick for sales-led demos. The polish is there, the CRM workflow makes RevOps happy, and it fits neatly into enterprise processes if needed.

I love the fact that it enables our teams to scale our demo process. We are moving at a high velocity and often, there is not enough time to schedule a 1:1 demo per customer. With Walnut, it's made the sales cycle so much more manageable and effective by sending a walnut-captured interactive demo that simulates the same effect. Solutions Consultant on G2

But most demo programs don’t stay single-purpose for long. Marketing wants a homepage tour. Sales needs personalized leave-behinds. CS turns the same flows into onboarding. That’s when questions pop up about cost to scale, learning curve, and whether there are better Walnut.io alternatives that actually fit the different jobs you’re looking to perform.

This guide is the set of field notes we hope will guide you past the fluff and marketing jargon to find the right platform for you. A quick quiz to get you to a shortlist, a use-case breakdown that maps tools to real scenarios, and a comparison table you can skim in under a minute.

Take the 2‑Minute Quiz: Get Your Shortlist

Skip the feature grids and get to an answer that fits your team. This quick quiz looks at how you actually plan to use demos, then maps that to a shortlist of platforms that makes sense for your budget and timeline. No email. No sales pitch. Just practical recommendations.

Don’t want to take a quiz? Just scroll on for the deep-dive.

Why you might look beyond Walnut

1. Big upfront cost

We’ve seen plenty of early to mid-stage teams take one look at Walnut.io's entry price point of $9000/yr and immediately start looking for alternatives. When you're still figuring out your demo strategy and need to prove ROI before committing a big budget, that initial sticker shock can be a non-starter.

2. Seat-based pricing grows fast

What already starts as a substantial monthly cost can balloon fast when other teams at your company want to jump in and create demos themselves. The flexibility in use cases for interactive demos means that this is actually a very likely outcome.

3. You value time to first demo

Teams sometimes think they're "future-proofing" by going with the most complex platforms right out of the gate. The reality is you end up paying for it with momentum. Higher learning curves mean lower adoption and lower likelihood of actually getting the ROI you’re after.

While Walnut is powerful and flexible, other tools tend to have certain, what seems to be basic, functionality that Walnut lacks or requires customization. The building experience takes a bit longer to grasp, though a recent update has made it a bit easier. User on G2.

4. You need a more flexible tool

Walnut does a great job of focussing on the use-case of sales teams sharing guided demos 1-1 with prospects. However, if your marketing team is also looking to embed demos on your website, or your reps need a live demo environment as well as the guided demos, then you’ll need to look for a more flexible option.

Why trust this guide

I’m Umberto, cofounder of HowdyGo (an interactive demo platform you’ll find listed in this guide). While I can’t claim to be perfectly neutral, I do talk to teams shipping demos every week, so I regularly see the issues that show up once you move past the marketing pitches and get into building your first demo.

This guide is shaped by real customer learnings and experience and is regularly kept up to date. We hope it can provide you with a quick point of reference to find the best demo platform for your unique use-case.

The 7 Walnut.io alternatives most companies should consider

TL;DR

1. HowdyGo

See more interactive demo examples created with HowdyGo.

Best for: Go to market teams that want HTML realism and powerful analytics/integrations without Walnut.io’s pricing shock and steep learning curve. Perfect for teams who need multiple people creating demos.

This tool is awesome - we did a demo with Walnut and immediately googled competitors and found you. I had my first demo made within a few minutes! Thanks for building something awesome! (Head of CX @ TablesReady and HowdyGo user)

Standout: Pixel-perfect HTML demos and unlimited users from $159/month. 1-1 hands-on support and demo coaching from the founding team included in Pro plan and above.

Watch-outs: Best fit for web apps; products that are primarily mobile/desktop native need workarounds.

Pricing notes: All plans give you unlimited users and HTML demos, Starter plan is $159/month, Pro is $399/month (which most notably adds CRM integrations and advanced analytics). A 2 week free trial is available.

2. Storylane

Best for: Mid-market companies with 3-5 demo creators who value AI features over pricing or learning curve.

Killer feature: AI-assisted demo building that can auto-generate hotspots and guide text, plus comprehensive integrations with most major CRM and marketing platforms.

Watch-outs: If you’re looking at their HTML demo tier, they still have similar per-seat pricing that scales with team size. Also, their HTML demo creation has a much steeper learning curve than their screenshot demo product.

The learning curve for creating HTML demos was a little steeper and we made some mistakes along the way - User on G2.

Real pricing: HTML demos and some integrations (for example Salesforce is excluded at this tier) start from $6000/year for up to 5 users.

Perfect for: Mid-market companies with 3-8 demo creators who need extensive integrations and can handle the learning curve.

See more Storylane alternatives.

3. Navattic

Best for: Mid-market and enterprise marketing organizations running ABM programs who need granular analytics and account-based insights from demo engagement.

Killer feature: ABM-first analytics that tie demo engagement to account-level data, with deep integrations into 6sense, Demandbase, and other ABM platforms.

Watch-outs: Steep learning curve that requires investment in training. The HTML editor is powerful but complex, and ABM features add significant cost. Expect formal onboarding time.

Initially setting up each demo in Navattic can be a bit fiddly... there was a lot of redundant work to get each screen of the demo to match each other. User on G2.

Real pricing: Free plan is very limited (essentially an extended trial). Real pricing starts at $500/month paid annually for 5 users with basic features. ABM features push you to $1,000+/month.

See how Navattic compares to HowdyGo.

4. Arcade

Best for: Solo marketers or small teams (1-3 people) who need good looking embedded demos on their website and don't require HTML realism or the ability to edit captured UI.

Killer feature: Friendly authoring with good visual polish. Creating screenshot-based tours is intuitive, and their Growth tier adds branching logic and form collection for more sophisticated website experiences.

Watch-outs: Limited realism with screenshot-only demos on lower tiers. True HTML capture requires Enterprise plan with 10+ user minimum and custom pricing. Per-seat pricing becomes expensive as teams grow beyond 1-2 people.

Real pricing: Free plan available. Pro at $32/month (1 user max, annual). Growth at $42.50/user/month (annual) - so 4 users costs $170/month. Enterprise requires 10+ users with custom pricing for HTML demos.

See how Arcade compares to HowdyGo.

5. Reprise

Best for: Enterprise teams conducting complex, high-ACV sales where live demo environments need to feel completely realistic and sales engineers need to modify data/configurations on the fly.

Killer feature: Full "sandbox" environments that clone your actual product with governed demo data. SEs can edit data, toggle features, and customize workflows in real-time without touching production.

Watch-outs: Premium pricing and significant implementation effort. Usually requires sales engineering resources to maintain environments and formal IT involvement for setup. Overkill for most marketing/sales demo needs.

There are some glitches and bugs that require extensive documentation searching. Administration best practices aren't very clear. User on G2

Real pricing: Custom enterprise pricing typically starting $50k+/year. Implementation can add significant professional services costs. ROI usually requires high-ACV deals ($100k+ ACV) to justify investment.

See how Reprise compares to HowdyGo.

6. Consensus

Best for: Enterprise sales teams looking to automate their "first demo" with intelligent qualification flows that surface buying intent and route prospects to relevant content.

Killer feature: Buyer-led branching that combines qualification questions with relevant demo videos. Instead of one-size-fits-all demos, prospects self-select their role, use case, and priorities to see personalized content. The platform captures rich behavioral data about what resonates.

Watch-outs: Significant upfront investment in video production. Creating branched video experiences requires substantial content planning and production resources. High learning curve for building effective qualification flows.

"Creating high-quality video content required some upfront effort... but gives valuable insight into prospect buying behavior." - Business Development Representative on Sourceforge

Real pricing: Not publicly available, but typically starts around $25k/year for small sales teams. The hidden cost is video production - plan for additional budget for professional video creation or internal production resources.

See more Consensus alternatives.

7. Demostack

Best for: High-ACV software companies that need near-perfect product replicas where sales reps can edit UI elements, data, and workflows in real-time without risking production systems.

Killer feature: Near 1:1 product cloning technology that creates fully interactive, editable live demo environments. Sales reps can change anything including charts on the fly during live demos - all without touching your actual product.

Watch-outs: Premium pricing with significant setup requirements. Usually needs engineering coordination for initial clone creation and ongoing maintenance. The platform is positioned firmly at the enterprise end - not cost-effective for smaller deals.

Real pricing: Publicly starts at $55k/year annual contracts, but can climb quickly based on users and feature requirements. Factor in setup and integration costs. ROI will require a high $100k+ ACV.

Perfect for: Enterprise software companies selling technical products to technical buyers where demo realism directly correlates with deal closure rates.

See how Demostack compares to HowdyGo.

Not so frequently asked questions you should ask

When evaluating demo platforms, the glossy feature lists tell only half the story. Here are some of the more uncomfortable questions that reveal true costs and constraints.

1. Can I export or keep demos if I don't renew? Your demos are business assets. If you switch platforms or pause your subscription, you shouldn't lose months of work overnight. Most platforms lock your demos behind their paywall. Cancel your subscription, lose your demos. Some offer limited HTML exports that break outside their hosting environment. Others provide nothing at all.
2. • HowdyGo supports high-quality video exports of all your demos. While interactive features require our platform, you'll always have a professional video backup of your work.
2. What's included in implementation versus paid add-ons? That one line-item monthly price often excludes the support you actually need to succeed. Implementation, training, and strategic guidance can double your first-year costs. Enterprise platforms routinely charge $5,000-15,000 for implementation. Mid-market tools offer "customer success packages".
3. • HowdyGo includes onboarding, founder-level 1-on-1 support, and demo reviews in our pro tier and above. Production services are available but optional, most teams never need them.
3. What are your renewal practices and price increase history? That competitive first-year price becomes painful when year two brings a 40% increase with 30 days notice. SaaS vendors typically increase prices 10-20% annually. Some bury auto-renewal clauses with 90-day cancellation requirements.
4. • No mid-term price increases at HowdyGo and we endeavour not to increase our prices if you keep the same plan and usage.
4. How well do you handle modern single page apps (SPAs) and complex UIs like HTML canvas? HTML demo platforms often break with complex SPAs or can't handle multi-tab recording flows. You discover these limitations after investing weeks in demo creation.
5. • HowdyGo captures SPA changes automatically through true HTML replay. Test it yourself with a quick proof-of-concept capture during your free trial, you'll know within minutes if it works for your product.
5. What's the realistic time to first demo for non-technical users? Enterprise platforms average 2-4 weeks to first production demo. Mid-market tools claim "30 minutes" but assume technical skills and ignore editing, personalization, and publishing workflows.
6. • Most HowdyGo users publish a polished demo ready to embed on their website within their first hour. We’ve got a free trial so you can see if you can beat that!
6. What happens to our costs when we scale from 5 to 25 contributors? Interactive demos have a lot of use-cases, you don’t want your costs to get out of hand when that happens. As more teams adopt demos: sales, marketing, customer success, solutions engineering; per-seat pricing becomes a growth inhibitor.
7. • Our stance: Unlimited users on every HowdyGo plan. Your entire GTM team can create demos without triggering budget discussions. Scale from 5 to 50 creators, same price.

Next Steps

Choosing the right demo platform isn't just about checking off a feature list, it's about finding a tool that grows with your team without creating new bottlenecks. While Walnut.io can serve sales teams with dedicated SEs well, many growing companies discover that steep, seat-based pricing and complex authoring can slow down the very momentum demos are meant to create.

If you're prioritizing speed to value, cross-team usage, and predictable costs, platforms like HowdyGo with unlimited users and HTML capture capabilities offer the clearest path forward.

Need some extra help deciding? Send us a message via the live website chat and we'll try our best to help you out, even if HowdyGo isn't the right fit for your use case.