Scribe vs. Tango: Comparing Guide Tools
As two of the most popular process documentation tools, Scribe and Tango are both solid options for creating step-by-step guides and standard operating processes (SOPs). So which has the features, workflows, and seats you want at a price that makes sense for your team?
In this article, we'll compare Scribe vs. Tango so you can see which one best fits your needs and your budget. We'll also look at when to consider a screen recorder like Komodo instead—especially if you need audio and video capabilities too.
Here's a sneak peak: both Scribe and Tango have significant limits on how many steps you can record:
- Scribe: Limited to 200 steps
- Tango: Limited to 100 steps
In comparison, Komodo let's you record unlimited steps.
Read on for our full comparison of Scribe vs Tango.
Scribe vs. Tango: Quick Comparison
Tango and Scribe are tools that capture your digital workflows and turn them into how-to guides with step-by-step instructions. They're screen recorders that help human resources (HR) and operations teams standardize processes and distribute them efficiently.
So what's the difference between the two? In short:
- Tango is better for internal use, as its SOPs provide interactive guidance for team members.
- Scribe is better for teams that also need walkthroughs and knowledge bases for external users.
Yet neither is a fully featured screencasting solution. Both are missing:
- Audio capabilities: Neither Scribe nor Tango can record verbal instructions or support voiceovers.
- Video capabilities: Neither can show your entire process from beginning to end with a video or GIF.
So neither Tango nor Scribe will work for use cases like:
- Async communication
- Personalized outreach
- Product demos
When you need a tool that works for HR, ops, sales, customer success, and more, Komodo is a better choice. This free screen recorder can create how-to guides and capture your screen and webcam (including audio). As a result, Komodo fits far more use cases—plus it has a generous free plan with unlimited recordings.
What is Tango?
Tango is a tool that records your desktop or web-based workflows and breaks them into step-by-step guides or SOPs. It automatically captures screenshots and adds instructions for each step.
To train your team or showcase processes, you can embed guides or share them via URL. When team members open guides in a browser, Tango provides interactive guidance, showing where to click or type.
This interactive guidance can help your team master SOPs much more efficiently without having to ask anyone for help. It's a unique benefit you won't get from any Tango alternatives.
What is Scribe?
Scribe is a screen recording tool that captures your digital processes and transforms them into multi-step guides. Like Tango, it produces guides in seconds, generating screenshots and instructions for your workflows.
You can share Scribe guides via URL or embed, or you can access relevant guides via browser notifications. But unlike Tango, Scribe guides simply show steps instead of providing interactive guidance. However, Scribe does allow you to create more complex guides by adding multiple SOPs to a dedicated page. It's an advanced feature you won't find in any Scribe alternatives.
Scribe vs. Tango (vs. Komodo)
How do these screen recording tools measure up? Let's compare their features, audiences, and pricing.
Features and capabilities
From guide creation and screen recording to editing and branding options, here's how these tools compare.
Guide creation
Whether you use Scribe, Tango, or Komodo (pictured below), all three tools produce guides automatically. Just start recording and go through your normal workflow for a task, including typing and clicking.
When you end the recording, the tool will translate your actions into steps, complete with screenshots and instructions. This process typically takes under a minute.
Content editing
After the initial capture, it's a good idea to review the steps. In some cases, the tool may reflect your workflow perfectly, adding all the necessary information. In other cases, you may need to add more details.
- All three tools support text-based edits, so you can adjust the step title or instructions.
- All three tools let you change the order of the steps or add more manually.
- Scribe and Tango also let you add annotations for extra clarity.
Do your processes tend to evolve over time? All three tools let you continue to edit live guides, so you can keep everything current.
Video recording
Neither Tango nor Scribe supports video recording, but Komodo does. You can use Komodo's video recording feature a couple different ways.
You can record a video and create a guide simultaneously. Since you can record your webcam and your voice, you can talk viewers through the process. Then viewers will be able to watch the video (pictured below on the left) and go through the guided steps (pictured on the right).
You can also create a video without a guide, by recording your screen and your voice with or without also showing your webcam. This option is ideal for demos, outreach, and async check-ins that don't require step-by-step instructions.
Content sharing
When you're ready to distribute the content you've created, sharing via URL is often the easiest option. But all three tools also let you embed the content directly into your website.
With Komodo, you can add an extra layer of privacy to the content you share via URL. You can either add password protection or an expiration date.
With Scribe, you get the option to add multiple guides to a single page. This feature is helpful for creating knowledge bases with interlinked SOPs.
With Tango, team members get browser notifications when they visit a site you've created guides for. Since the guides are interactive, they automatically walk users through the steps.
Branding options
All three tools let you add logos and color schemes to guides so they reflect your organization's brand. Custom branding isn't available on any of the tools' free plans, so they require upgrading to a paid version.
Content analytics
Curious who's viewed your screen recordings? Scribe's analytics are relatively basic, showing the total views and reactions your content has received. Tango's analytics (below) are much more detailed, showing views for each guide and tracking completion for individual team members.
Komodo's analytics strike a balance between the two. For any guide or video, you can see the number of views and any available viewer data. Video analytics also show the completion percentage.
Team collaboration
With paid plans, all three tools offer team collaboration options:
- Scribe has workspaces for teams with shared content and role-based permissions.
- Tango has collaborative workspaces that let teams edit and share SOPs.
- Komodo supports team folders as well as collaborative creative and editing workflows.
Available platforms
When adding a tool to your tech stack, you need to know whether it fits into your team's workflow. Here's where you can use each of these tools:
- Chrome extension: Komodo, Scribe, and Tango all have Chrome extensions. Once you activate the extension, you can record processes directly in your browser.
- Desktop app: All three tools have desktop apps available for paid plans. Komodo's Mac screen recorder has an AI transcript editing feature for videos, while Scribe and Tango also have PC screen recorders that work on Windows.
- Mobile app: All three tools work on mobile devices. But Komodo has a screen recording app for Android and iOS, making it a better choice for mobile workflows.
Audiences and use cases
Tango and Scribe serve similar target audiences. Both tools are both geared toward:
- HR teams that need to onboard employees, train contractors, and create internal knowledge bases.
- Ops teams that need to document processes to improve adoption and consistency across teams.
- T teams that need to show employees and freelancers how to use and troubleshoot tech and apps.
- Customer success teams that need to record onboarding materials or build product-focused wikis.
As a guide creation tool, Komodo is a good fit for these audiences as well. But because it's a video messaging tool too, Komodo is also ideal for:
- Sales teams that need to create personalized outreach and demo videos for prospects.
- Product teams that need to create walkthroughs and explainers for various use cases.
- Education teams that need to produce short lessons and how-to content for students.
Because you can use Komodo to record and share video content any time, it's a good choice for remote teams. This async video messaging tool helps teams say no to meetings and communicate at more convenient times instead.
Pricing tiers
These screen recorders have free plans, paid pro-level plans, and enterprise plans. Here's what you can expect from each pricing tier.
Free plan
Tango and Scribe both have free plans that support browser-based captures. Both allow sharing via URL and provide basic analytics.
With either free plan, you can onboard small to midsize teams. Scribe has unlimited seats, while Tango offers up to 25 Free seats.
On the free plan, Tango allows up to 25 workflows. Scribe only allows 10 guides and pages, which might prompt you to upgrade to a paid plan sooner.
How does Komodo measure up? The free plan is designed for solo users but allows unlimited recordings. You can use it for as many web-based videos and guides as you like—at no cost.
Takeaway: Komodo is most generous with workflows, while Scribe is most generous with seats.
Pro plan
At first glance, the two platforms' Pro plans look similar. Both include unlimited guide creation, branding options, and desktop capture capabilities.
Yet the pricing structures are pretty different. Tango's Pro plan costs $20 per Pro user per month—but you can add up to 25 Free users with Free plan limitations.
Scribe's Pro plan for individuals costs $29 per seat per month and is designed for small teams or solopreneurs. Its Pro plan for teams costs $15 per seat per month, with a minimum of five seats.
Komodo has paid plans for solo users and teams. Both allow unlimited recordings, custom branding, and extra sharing options. Personal plans cost $5 per month, while Team plans start at $20 per month for 5 users.
Takeaway: Komodo's paid plans are by far the most affordable for individuals and teams alike. Plans for larger teams have cheaper pricing per seat, making Komodo easier to scale.
Enterprise plan
Both platforms' Enterprise plans have custom pricing based on your needs and team size, making it tough to compare on cost alone. However, we can compare the Enterprise-level features.
Tango offers single sign-on (SSO) and automatic blurring for added security (PII detection), organization-wide analytics, and dedicated onboarding and training.
Scribe's Enterprise plan includes the same features, plus approval queues and license types for admins, creators, and viewers.
Komodo's Enterprise plan offers SSO, API integrations, and advanced customization—including rules for team roles and collaboration.
Takeaway: Komodo's custom rules make the Enterprise plan easy to tailor to your team's needs. Tango and Scribe's PII detection make them ideal for teams that capture content with a lot of sensitive information.
Create Step-by-Step Guides and Video Messages for Free
With Komodo, you can do much more than just create step-by-step guides. Install the Komodo Chrome extension and start creating SOPs, recording sales outreach, and sending async video messages at no cost.
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