Before the sign-up, or after
The two are often confused because both walk a person through a product. The difference is who that person is. A product tour is for a user who already has an account: it runs inside your app and points at real buttons. An interactive demo is for a prospect who does not have an account yet: it runs on your website or from a link, with no login and no setup.
| Product tour | Interactive demo | |
|---|---|---|
| For | New users | Prospects |
| Runs | Inside your app | On your site or from a link |
| Goal | Activation: first value in the product | A lead or a sale |
| Owned by | Product, growth, customer success | Marketing and sales |
| Data shown | The user's own | A clean demo account |
Some people also call a click-through interactive demo a "tour", because the prospect follows steps. That is the first of the three kinds of interactive demo; in this guide, "product tour" means the in-app kind.
What a product tour is good at
- Getting a new user to their first result, step by step, in their own workspace.
- Announcing a new feature to people who already use the product.
- Reducing support questions by showing where things are, at the moment they are needed.
A tour cannot help someone who has not signed up yet. If buyers leave your site before creating an account, a better onboarding tour will not bring them back.
What an interactive demo is good at
- Showing the product to visitors who are not ready to sign up or book a call. See an interactive demo on your website.
- Following up a sales email with something to try, not just something to read. See personalized demo links.
- Telling sales who is interested, from what each prospect explored and asked. See lead qualification.
Most teams need both
The demo brings the prospect to the sign-up; the tour takes over once they are in. Keep the story consistent: the outcome the demo promised should be the first one the tour helps the new user reach.
Where Demify fits
Demify is on the demo side, before the sign-up. You record your product once; Demify's AI builds an interactive demo with an AI guide that asks each prospect what they need, shows the matching screens, answers their questions and sends your team the lead. Try the live demo.