Good Onboarding vs. Excellent Onboarding: Clue vs. Flo

In short

Clue and Flo have almost identical onboarding blocks, but Flo’s onboarding is excellent where Clue’s is only good. Flo greets users by name, pairs its questions with social proof and useful facts, gives a tip right after each answer and shows a first prediction before the paywall, while Clue asks dryly and delivers nothing until users pay.

Leo · CEO, Segmently Smart Flow

Published Sep 28, 2026 · 4 min read

We have two applications performing the same functions. Both apps have very similar onboarding blocks:

1. Welcome block
2. Segmentation by purpose (use for oneself or for a partner)
3. Segmentation by goals
4. Collection of information without which the service cannot be provided: Flo actualizes the need through contexts and user expectations, uses four types of social proof and shows an intermediate result (A-ha moment).

5. Paywall blocks
6. Customizing the app according to the user's goal (item 3) so that the person doesn't get lost in the large app.

As you can see, the main blocks look very similar, but Flo has done an excellent job of creating a sense of a trustworthy conversation for the user, confirming its competence, and delivering results to the user before asking for payment.

Let's see how they achieve this.

1. Both apps start with a welcome block

Flo (3 screens)

Flo welcome screens: “Hello, I’m Flo”, the #1 OB-GYN-recommended app claim, then “What would you like Flo to call you?”

1. Greet the user — “Hello, I’m Flo.”
2. Social proof - professional recommendation (suitable for all user cohorts) — “#1 female OB-GYN-recommended app for period and cycle tracking.”
3. Creating a trusting atmosphere. — Ask for the user’s name and greet them by name

Clue (1 screen)

Clue welcome screen: “Live in sync with your cycle. From your first period to your last, Clue’s got you covered.”

1. “Live in sync with your cycle. From your first period to your last, Clue's got you covered.”

Flo's approach creates a welcoming and personalized experience, while Clue's message might make some users feel pressured. Mentioning "from your first period to your last" could cause anxiety for young users just starting their menstrual cycle and older users nearing menopause.

While these are assumptions, I would conduct a series of experiments to refine Clue's welcome block. Overall, Flo's welcome block seems more successful.

2. Segmentation block - for oneself or for a partner

Flo

Flo question “Are you using Flo for yourself?” with Yes and “No, I have a partner code” buttons placed high on the screen

Concise and clear, though the buttons are placed high and are not convenient to click.

Clue

Clue mixes the welcome block with the segmentation block, increasing cognitive complexity. They had to write a lot of text to cover all segments, making it less elegant than Flo’s approach.

3. Goal segmentation

Flo

Flo goal block, eight numbered screens: tracking request, pregnancy question, goal promise, birth year, social proof, questions with tips

1. Requests access to advertising data.

Flo tracking permission prompt shown on top of the “Are you pregnant?” question

2. Asks why the user came.

Flo “Are you pregnant?” question with three answers, from “No, but I want to be” to “Yes, I am”

3. Shows how each goal will be achieved.

Flo screen “Let’s reach your goal together” listing how it helps: fertile days, ovulation predictions, courses and community support

4. Asks for the year of birth.

Flo “When were you born?” year picker, explaining that the cycle can change with age

5. Uses social proof with many successful cases for each goal.

Flo social proof screen: “7.8 million+ users got pregnant while tracking their ovulation with Flo”

6. Uses social proof with a large number of 5-star ratings.

Flo social proof screen with user reviews about getting pregnant around “Over 6 million 5 star ratings”

7. Increases motivation through the actualization of the user's current context, gathering excellent information for user segmentation.

Flo “Why are you tracking your cycle?” question: the chosen answer expands with “Got it! We’ll give you accurate period predictions”

8. Provides a small tip-explanation immediately after the user’s choice, leading to the A-ha moment.

Three Flo questions where the selected answer expands into a short tip: why you track your cycle, how soon you want a baby, how you feel

Examples:

“How are you feeling? Trying to conceive can be an exciting but often overwhelming time — so we're checking in.”

– Excited to be on this journey!

– A bit unsure or unprepared

“How soon do you want to get pregnant?”

– As soon as possible

– I'm not in a rush - I'm here to learn more

“Why are you tracking your cycle?”

– To know when my period is coming

– To know if my cycle or symptoms are normal

– To improve my sex life

Clue

1. Requests the full date of birth (an action that requires great trust).

Clue “When were you born?” picker asking for the full date: day, month and year

2. Prepares the user for the advertising data request on a separate screen (an approach I prefer over Flo’s).

Clue “Help us spread the word” screen explaining activity tracking, followed by the system tracking prompt

3. Only then asks for the user’s goal.

Clue “What would you like to do?” with four modes: track period, try to conceive, follow pregnancy, track perimenopause

Clue does not increase user motivation through social proof, context relevance, or functional tasks, nor does it reveal the A-ha moment through small tips.

4. Information collection without which the service cannot be provided

Flo

Flo data questions on period dates, birth control, health conditions and discharge, each followed by a fact or a reassuring screen

Combines questions with social proof or useful facts, creating the feeling of a consultation with a friendly expert.

Clue

Asks for information quite dryly.

5. Giving an intermediate result right in the onboarding

Flo

Flo personalizing loader with a tip on each step, then “You’re right on track” and “Flo users are up to 33% more likely to conceive”

1. Provides a micro-result after the user's answers
2. Gives the first prediction (A-ha moment) right in the onboarding before the paywall.

Clue

Does not provide any service until the paywall.

6. Paywalls

Flo

Flo result screens before the paywall, the plan choice with a review, and a one-time 33% off forever offer shown after closing it

1. Increases user motivation during onboarding and already delivered a result.
2. Shows a before/after screen listing what will change in the user’s life with Flo.
3. Uses social proof - reviews, revealing simplicity and effectiveness.
4. If the user closes the paywall, they offer a gift - a subscription with a 33% discount.

Clue

If the user closes the paywall, they threaten to switch to a limited usage mode.

Thus, two identical applications with very similar onboarding structures provide entirely different effects on new user activation.

To not miss important onboarding blocks, you can use our article.

Key takeaways

Two apps with the same onboarding blocks can activate new users very differently, depending on how each block is executed.
Flo builds a trusting conversation from the first screens: it greets the user, cites an OB-GYN recommendation and asks for the user’s name.
A short tip right after each answer, together with social proof and useful facts, keeps motivation high and leads to the A-ha moment.
Flo gives a first prediction before the paywall, while Clue provides no service until the user pays.
Clue’s separate screen that prepares users for the tracking request is an approach worth borrowing.