If you have a great product but are not satisfied with your conversion rates and are struggling to showcase your product's features at their full potential, you're in the right place.

Click-through demos might be the solution for all your struggles. We're talking about self-paced demos that are available 24/7 on your website and allow your prospects to explore your product whenever they want.

Unlike static screenshots or pre-recorded videos that can never fully capture the interactive nature of your product, click-through demos actually show your product in action.

Interactive demos put users in the driver's seat and let them control and personalize their own experience. They can explore the demo as fast or as slow as they want, they can skip some steps or take a more in-depth look into features that interest them the most, without having to sign up for your tool.

Having click-through demos on your website can significantly shorten your sales cycle as they allow your sales representatives to talk to self-qualified leads who already have an understanding of your product.

After reading this article, you'll know how to create a great interactive product demo and we'll also help you pick the right software for your needs.

How to build click-through demos with five different software

1. HowdyGo

HowdyGo is a demo recording software and a Chrome extension that lets you create an unlimited number of HTML demos. It stands out for its advanced editing and personalization options, as it enables you to personalize demos for every prospect with only a few clicks.

You don't have to be an expert in product demo video production to create awesome click-through demos with HowdyGo. Moreover, the tool comes with expert hands-on support from a team that's created thousands of demos for SaaS companies.

Here is how to create product walkthroughs with HowdyGo:

• Sign up for HowdyGo for free and start your 14-day free trial.
• Install the Chrome extension to record demos.
• Open your website or app and when you're ready, click  "Start Recording".

• Now, all you have to do is move through your tool like you'd normally do, and the software will capture a recording. HowdyGo is based on the 1 click = 1 step principle, meaning that it'll automatically divide your recording into demo steps for you. Of course, you can later edit and reorganize the steps.
• When you're done, click "Stop Recording" and wait a few seconds until we process your recording. You'll soon be taken to HowdyGo's Editor.

The HowdyGo Editor is the place where real magic happens. You can:

• Edit the recorded HTML interface - blur any element of the UI, edit and replace text, images and charts.
• Reorganize the steps, remove them or add some new steps
• Divide your demo into chapters to make it easier to follow
• Personalize your demo for each prospect by adding their custom data
• Animate the steps to create a real interactive walkthrough

For more ideas, check out the following interactive product demo examples made with HowdyGo.

Key features

• Unlimited HTML interactive demos: HowdyGo captures your HTML and CSS, creating a pixel-perfect copy of your app or website. Unlike some other tools that limit the number of demos you can create, HowdyGo lets you create unlimited product demos with all its plans for as low as $79 per month for unlimited editors.
• Advanced editing and personalization: In HowdyGo's editor, marketing teams can customize and edit every detail of your demo, including the HTML capture. You can add annotations and branding, blur elements, or personalize demos with your customer's name, picture and logo.
• Lead capture forms: Increase your conversion rate with strategically placed lead capture forms when customers are most engaged.

Use cases

• Website embed: You can embed demos into your website and landing pages in a few clicks, no matter what CMS or website builder you use. No coding skills are required; all you have to do is copy and paste the HTML embed code that we'll provide you.
• Demo center: If you have more demos or product tours, you can create a whole demo center for your prospects and users. You can either host it on HowdyGo's platform or your own website.
• Product demo GIFs: You can create product GIFs to share on your social media and feature launch email campaigns or embed them on your landing page.

Pricing

• Demonstrate: $79 per month, an affordable plan ideal for early-stage startups, includes unlimited users and unlimited HTML demos
• Analyze: $319 per month, a plan for rapidly growing startups, includes demo centers, detailed analytics and hands-on support
• Scale: $799 per month, a plan for enterprises and large teams, includes automated personalization, custom domains and Enterprise SSO

There's a two-week free trial, so you can test all the features.

2. Navattic

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Navattic is a demo automation software that allows you to create an unlimited number of HTML demos with dynamic personalization and advanced analytics. It comes with many native integrations, including Salesforce, HubSpot and Slack.

Key features

• HTML and CSS capture: Navattic captures all the elements of your website or app, creating a flawless copy that you can later edit and customize.
• Detailed analytics: Apart from standard metrics like views and engagement, Navattic also provides you with firmographic data about your prospects, including their industry and the size of the company.
• Real-time alerts: Get notified whenever a prospect watches your demo or clicks on a CTA.

Use cases

• Website embed: You can easily add demos to any page on your website without requiring coding skills.
• In-app upsell: You can add quick demos to your app to promote advanced features and prompt users to purchase a premium version.
• Offline demos: You can download the demos to use them at conferences and trade shows.

Pricing

All plans are billed either yearly or quarterly. It's not possible to pay month per month.

• Starter: Free plan; it includes only one HTML demo and very limited features
• Base: $600 per month, it includes unlimited HTML demos**
• Growth: $1,200 per month, it includes collaboration and other advanced features
• Enterprise: Custom price available upon request

*You may want to compare the pricing with the following Navattic alternative that offers unlimited demos for only $79 per month.

3. Walnut.io

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Walnut.io positions itself as the first full-funnel demo software for sales teams that allows them to create demos and tutorials for all stages of the buyer's journey: from marketing demos in the awareness stage to onboarding videos post-purchase.

Key features

• Avatars: It's possible to create avatars for a particular user or a company so that you can automatically personalize demos with their details, like name and logo.
• Templates: You can create SaaS product demo templates for each user case or vertical that you can later reuse, duplicate and personalize.
• Text-to-speech: Your prospects can choose whether they want to read textual annotations or listen to an audio explanation. Walnut's AI will then turn text into speech and vice versa, so you don't have to create two versions.

Use cases

• Website embed: You can add click-through demos to websites or landing pages.
• Offline demos: You can download product demos to show them online at conferences and events.
• Demo library: If you have a lot of demos, store them in a library and organize them using folders and tags.

Pricing

• Lite: $9.200 per year, billed only annually (includes unlimited demos and integrations)
• Pro: $20,000 per year, billed only annually (includes a dedicated customer support manager and training)
• Enterprise: Custom price available upon request (includes enterprise-level security and multi-team support)

*Some features are available as add-ons, such as white-labeling, SSO and advanced translation.

*As the tool offers only annual payment, which may not work for you if you’re experimenting with demos for the first time, you may want to check out the following Walnut.io alternative that offers similar quality at a much, much more affordable price.

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4. Tourial

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Tourial is a screenshot-based demo tool that can be used to create workflows and multi-step how-to guides.

A thing that makes it stand out from similar tools is that it allows users to fully customize their demos by completing a quick survey before watching the demo and selecting the features they're interested in.

However, if you prefer interactive demos to static screenshots, check out this Tourial alternative.

Key features

• Templates: If you want to create multiple demos, you don't have to do it from scratch. Instead, create templates with your branding that you can use every time.
• Surveys and customization: You can add prompts and questions in a survey before the demo, so the prospects can self-select and create demos containing only features they want to explore.
• Engagement data: The tool provides detailed data on how prospects engaged with your demo, for example, how much time they spent viewing it and how many people they shared it with.

Use cases

• Website embed: You can add demos to your website or landing page.
• Demo centers: You can create branded demo centers that you can host on Tourial's platform or your own website.
• CTA buttons: Include a link to your demo as a button in your blog post, email campaign or even your email signature.

Pricing

• Startup: $600 per month
• Growth: $1,000 per month, including advanced integrations and dedicated success manager
• Enterprise: Custom price available upon request

*Only the Enterprise plan includes a demo center, but you can purchase that feature as an add-on for all plans for $500 monthly. There are also some other add-ons available.

5. Storylane

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Storylane is a tool that can be used for creating screenshot product demos, but its most expensive plans include HTML demos and a sandbox demo environment.

It stands out for its use of AI to optimize demos, but if you're looking for a more affordable way to create HTML demos, you may want to check out a Storylane alternative.

Key features

• Tailored demo journeys: Your customers can fully customize their own tours by choosing features and sections that interest them. There's no need to create multiple demos, you can create one comprehensive demo with all the features that can be used in multiple ways.
• AI assistant: If you want to optimize your demo content, just turn on AI suggestions to get ideas for improvement.
• Automated translation: You can translate your demos into 25 languages with a single click.

Use cases

• Website embed: You can add Storylane demos to a landing page or a how-to guide on your website.
• Sandbox demo environment: Let the prospects test your tool in a safe environment using sample data.
• Demo hub: You can create a branded demo hub to store all your product tours in one place and customize it with your brand colors and font.

Pricing

• Free: This plan is limited to static screenshots and you can publish only one demo
• Starter: $50 per month, it includes screenshots and videos
• Growth: $625 per month, it includes HTML product tours
• Premium: $1,500 per month, it includes sandbox demo environment
• Enterprise: Custom price available upon request, it includes a demo hub

Comparison table

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Conclusion

As you can see, there are multiple ways to create click-through product demos, but one thing is certain: they're the best way to showcase your product's features and value and provide users with an interactive experience that leads to higher conversion rates.

If you're not sure where to start, HowdyGo's team is here to provide guidance based on thousands of demo examples our clients have already created using HowdyGo. Sign up for free and let's create your first interactive product demo together.

You may also be interested in:

• 7 tips for better interactive demos
• 8 examples to increase SaaS landing page conversion rates
• 8 inbound marketing software for SaaS companies

FAQs

What is a click-through demo?

A click-through demo is an interactive demo that allows users to explore the product at their own pace and guide their own experience. It's often divided into steps and chapters and you navigate the demo by clicking through it.

How to make a clickable demo?

First, pick a reliable demo software. Then, decide what you want to show in your demo, whether you want to create an overall product tour or explain a particular feature in depth. Then, open your website or app, and let a demo tool record everything you're doing. The tool will then divide the recording into clickable steps, and you can edit them by adding chapters, annotations and other interactive elements. 

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