Digital adoption platforms and AI agents: what each one is for
What a DAP does, who it is really for, and when an AI agent that does the work fits a product better than guidance.
Quick answer
A digital adoption platform (DAP) sits on top of software and guides people through it with walkthroughs, tooltips, checklists and in-app messages, plus analytics on where they get stuck. WalkMe, which SAP agreed to buy for about $1.5 billion in 2024, Whatfix and Pendo are among the best known, and much of the market helps employees through software their company bought. If you build the product yourself, an AI agent inside it can do the steps for your users instead of showing them, which suits long workflows best.
A bias to declare: I build Verb, an AI agent for software products, so I am on one side of this comparison. Where a digital adoption platform is the better choice, this post says so.
"Digital adoption platform" is the name for a whole category of software built around one problem: people do not use the software in front of them as well as they could. AI agents are now pitched at the same problem from the other side. They are not the same thing, and the difference decides which one a product needs.
What a digital adoption platform does
A digital adoption platform, or DAP, adds a layer on top of an application without changing the application itself. Through that layer it shows:
- step-by-step walkthroughs that point at the button to press next,
- tooltips and hotspots on parts of the screen,
- onboarding checklists and in-app announcements,
- searchable help inside the app,
- and analytics on which steps people finish and where they give up.
WalkMe, Whatfix and Pendo are among the best-known names. The category is large enough that SAP agreed to buy WalkMe for about $1.5 billion in 2024 (TechTarget's report).
Who actually buys one
There are two quite different buyers, and it helps to know which one you are.
Companies rolling out software to their own staff. An ERP, a CRM, an HR system: software the company bought and cannot change, used by thousands of employees who need to get through it correctly. A DAP is often the only lever they have, because they do not own the product. Much of the market is here.
Software companies, inside their own product. Onboarding new customers, announcing features, nudging people toward the parts that make them stay. Here the company does own the product, which opens an option the first group does not have.
Where guidance works, and where it strains
Guidance works when the goal is that the person learns the flow: something they will repeat every day, where doing it themselves next time is the point.
It strains in three places:
- Long workflows. A twelve-step tour loses people at step four, and the ones who finish have learned twelve steps they will need again only next quarter.
- Variations. A tour follows one path. Real users arrive with a different starting point, a different plan or a different goal.
- People who want the result, not the lesson. Someone setting up a recurring report once a year does not want to be taught; they want the report.
What AI changes
DAPs are adding AI too. When SAP announced the WalkMe purchase, it described an AI copilot that would suggest next-best actions as employees move through processes. Most of that AI still guides: it decides better what to show, and the person still does the work.
An AI agent inside the product goes a step further. The user says what they want, "set up a monthly report of unpaid invoices for the finance team", and the agent does the steps for them through the product's own API, as that user, showing what it is about to change and waiting for a yes. Nothing is taught, because nothing needs to be learned.
That only works when you own the product, which is why it fits the second buyer above and not the first.
The verdict
- Employees on software you bought: a DAP. You cannot put an agent inside software you do not control.
- A daily flow your users must master: guidance, in-app or from a DAP.
- Long setups, deep settings, rarely repeated tasks in your own product: an AI agent that does the work.
Many products end up with both: guidance for the handful of things everyone does every day, an agent for the long tail. For a single workflow, product tours versus an AI agent goes deeper, and feature adoption rate covers how to measure whether either is working.
If an agent is the fit, that is what Verb is: an AI agent inside your product that does the work your users ask for, integrated in under an hour in most cases.
Frequently asked questions
What does a digital adoption platform do?
It adds a layer of guidance on top of an application: step-by-step walkthroughs, tooltips, checklists, announcements and help content shown inside the app, plus analytics on which steps people complete and where they drop off. Nobody changes the application itself.
Who uses digital adoption platforms?
Two groups. Companies that roll out software to their employees, such as an ERP or CRM, use one to train staff on software they did not build. Software companies use one inside their own product to onboard customers and announce features.
Are digital adoption platforms adding AI?
Yes. When SAP announced its purchase of WalkMe in 2024, it described an AI copilot that would suggest next-best actions as employees move through processes. Most of that AI still guides the person; the person still does the work.
Should I use a DAP or an AI agent in my product?
Use guidance where the goal is that users learn a flow they will repeat often. Use an agent where users want the outcome and not the lesson: long setups, rarely used settings and tasks that combine several features. Many products end up with both.
Vishnu, founder of AskVerb @itsvishnups
Building the AI agent that lives inside a SaaS product and does the work its users ask for. Writing down what I learn along the way, including the parts I got wrong first.