Onboarding Checklist Examples: How SaaS Products Guide New Users

Onboarding checklist examples show the same core idea again and again: a short list of setup tasks that moves a new user from "just signed up" to "getting real value." The best SaaS checklists stay short, show clear progress, and get out of the way once the job is done. Below are the common checklist patterns you'll meet when you walk through real onboarding flows, plus design notes you can use in your own product.

If you want the full picture of what comes before and after the checklist, start with our pillar guide to SaaS onboarding flow examples.

What an onboarding checklist does

A checklist turns a blank, unfamiliar product into a set of next steps. Instead of asking a new user to explore and guess, it says: here are the few things that matter, in a sensible order.

A good checklist does three jobs:

• Points to the first win. It leads to the moment the product becomes useful, such as sending a first invoice, publishing a first page or inviting a teammate.
• Reduces guesswork. Each item is a clear action with a link or button that takes the user straight to the right screen.
• Shows momentum. Ticking items off gives a small sense of progress that encourages people to keep going.

A checklist is not a product tour. A tour shows people around. A checklist asks them to actually do things.

Checklist examples captured from real SaaS products

When you look at onboarding flows step by step, most checklists fall into a few recognisable patterns.

1. The sidebar or dashboard card. A panel sits on the main dashboard, often titled something like "Get started" or "Set up your account." Each row is one task with a short description and a button. This is the most common pattern because it's always visible without blocking work.

2. The floating launcher. A small button, usually in a bottom corner, opens a checklist popover. It often shows a count or progress ring on the button itself, so users remember there's more to do without the list taking up space.

3. The personalised checklist. Some products ask a few questions at signup, then build the checklist from the answers. A user who said they work alone won't see "Invite your team." If you're planning those questions, our post on welcome survey examples shows what SaaS apps ask and how the answers shape what comes next.

4. The empty-state checklist. Instead of a separate widget, the checklist lives inside the empty main area. Once the user creates real content, the checklist naturally gives way to their data.

5. The pre-filled checklist. The first item is already ticked, usually "Create your account." It's a small touch, but it means the user starts with progress instead of zero.

How many tasks checklists usually include

Most onboarding checklists are short, typically a handful of items that fit on screen without scrolling. Longer lists start to feel like homework, and users are more likely to ignore them.

When a product genuinely needs more setup, you'll often see one of these approaches:

• Grouping. Tasks are split into sections such as "Basics" and "Go further," with only the first group open.
• Staging. A second checklist appears only after the first is complete.
• Optional items. Some tasks are marked as optional or "recommended" so users can skip them without guilt.

A useful test: if a task isn't needed for the user's first real win, it probably doesn't belong in the first checklist.

Ways products show progress and completion

Progress is what makes a checklist feel worth finishing. Common ways products show it:

• Progress bars across the top of the checklist card.
• Fractions or counts like "2 of 5 complete."
• Progress rings on a launcher button.
• Strikethrough or check icons on finished items, often with a muted colour.
• Auto-completion, where an item ticks itself the moment the user does the action anywhere in the product, not only by clicking through the checklist.

Auto-completion matters more than it looks. If someone invites a teammate from the settings page and the checklist still says "Invite a teammate," the product feels like it isn't paying attention.

Completion moments vary too. Some products show a short congratulations message, some unlock a reward like extended trial time, and some simply replace the checklist with suggestions for what to try next.

When checklists hide, collapse or come back

A checklist that never leaves becomes clutter. Watching flows on both desktop and mobile, you'll see a few common behaviours:

• Dismiss option. A close button or "Hide checklist" link, sometimes with a note on where to find it later.
• Collapse to a launcher. The full list shrinks into a small button that keeps the progress count visible.
• Hide on completion. Once every item is done, the checklist disappears for good or after a short delay.
• Return on demand. A "Getting started" link in the help menu or account menu brings it back.
• Mobile changes. On smaller screens, the checklist often moves from a sidebar into a collapsible banner or a separate screen so it doesn't crowd the main task.

The pattern to avoid is a checklist that can't be dismissed and keeps reappearing on every page. Give users control.

Design notes to take into your own checklist

Here are practical notes to carry into your own design:

1. Start from the first win. List the steps between signup and real value, then cut anything that isn't essential.
2. Write tasks as actions. "Connect your calendar" is clearer than "Calendar integration."
3. Link every item. Each task should take the user directly to where the action happens.
4. Pre-tick something. Starting at zero feels heavier than starting with one done.
5. Auto-complete tasks wherever the user does them.
6. Show progress plainly. A bar or count is enough. Skip anything that needs explaining.
7. Let people dismiss it and tell them how to bring it back.
8. Personalise if you can. Use signup answers to remove tasks that don't apply.
9. Check mobile separately. A checklist that works in a desktop sidebar may need a different shape on a phone.
10. Plan the ending. Decide what replaces the checklist once it's done, so the dashboard doesn't feel empty.

The fastest way to make these decisions is to look at how other products handle the same moment, screen by screen, rather than guessing from a single screenshot.

Browse the free flow library

Webflowarchive captures real SaaS onboarding flows step by step on desktop and mobile, with notes on what happens on each screen. You can see exactly where checklists appear, how they track progress, and when they collapse or disappear.

Browse the free flow library and find proven checklist references before you design your own.