Glossary
What is a sandbox demo?
Definition
A sandbox demo is a fully functional, isolated copy of a software product that prospects can explore freely; as opposed to a guided demo, which walks viewers along a fixed path.
A sandbox is the deep end: a real (or realistically simulated) environment with seeded data where a prospect can click anything. Enterprise presales teams use them for technical evaluations; think a security engineer poking at every screen before a six-figure deal.
Guided demos are the shallow end on purpose: a captured flow with hotspots that tells one story well. For marketing and top-of-funnel, guided beats sandbox almost always; unguided visitors get lost, hit empty states, and leave. Sandboxes shine late-funnel with motivated technical evaluators, which is why they live in expensive tiers (Supademo's $350/mo Growth, Walnut's $1,550/mo Accelerate).
Why it matters
'Sandbox' on a pricing page signals enterprise-evaluation tooling; if your need is a landing-page demo that converts visitors, you're shopping in the wrong tier. Matching the format to the funnel stage saves four figures a month.
Example
A startup considers a $350/mo tier for sandbox demos, then realises its actual goal; visitors understanding the product in 60 seconds; is better served by a guided demo that costs a tenth as much.
Common questions
Sandbox or guided demo for a landing page?
Guided, decisively. Anonymous visitors need direction to reach the aha moment; a sandbox hands them a maze. Save sandbox access for qualified, late-stage technical evaluations.
Can a guided demo feel exploratory?
Yes; multiple hotspots per step, branching paths, and clickable regions give viewers agency inside a directed story. Mirage supports multi-hotspot steps for exactly this.