Usability testing is an important UX research methodology that yields valuable insights regarding user behavior and helps uncover potential user experience issues to optimize the product experience. There are many options available if you are looking for a usability testing solution, but each of them have different strengths and weaknesses. Selecting the right tool for you and your team is an important decision that can help your team maximize efficiencies and ensure impactful research results. In this article, we will review some of the most popular usability testing tools, spotlighting their features, strengths and pricing models.
Run usability studies with Hubble
Either live-test your product or import Figma prototypes to conduct usability tests in Hubble
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Overview of Leading Usability Testing Tools and Platforms
We will go into a bit more detail on popular usability testing tools available in the market, summarizing their key features, pricing and market rating.
1. Hubble
Hubble is a unified all-in-one research tool allowing product teams to recruit participants, design and customize experiments, and collect and analyze data. It supports a wide range of research methods suitable for various product development phases. Hubble specializes in unmoderated usability testing and prototype testing, and in-product intercept or surveys. By partnering with Respondent, one of the leading participant recruiting platforms, you can recruit either B2C or B2Bย participants within the product, helping you streamline recruiting, designing, and launching studies in a single app.
Setting up unmoderated usability tests is made easy by importing Figma prototypes, customizing the study with tasks and follow-up questions. There are additional features, such as A/Bย testing, card sorting, and live site testing to suit your research needs. The results are automatically summarized and visualized through video recordings, task success rates, heat maps, time spent on each task, and more.
๐ Key Feature Highlights
- Unmoderated usability testing
- Prototype & concept testing
- First click testing with heat maps
- In-product surveys
- Card sorting
- Live site testing
- Participant recruitment
๐ฐ Pricing
- Fโree version available
- $500 per month for starting organizations
- Custom pricing for enterprises
โญ Reviews
Based on reviews provided by Capterra
- Overall Score: 4.8/5
- Ease of Use: ย 4.7/5
- Value for Money: ย 4.9/5
- Customer Service: 5/5
๐ Summary
Hubble is the only all-in-one tool in the market that offers an end-to-end experience management platform, allowing customers to collect various types of feedback and research across the product development cycle. Hubble's usability tests allows for rapid product feedback in all stages and it integrates well with widely used design platforms like Figma, to collect important usability metrics like heat maps, click data as well as recordings. If you need detailed usability tests, Hubble can be the right tool for you.
Run usability studies with Hubble
Either live-test your product or import Figma prototypes to conduct usability tests in Hubble
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2. UserTesting
UserTesting provides options for both moderated and unmoderated studies. The platform connects you with a pool of its recruitment panel at an additional cost for pre-screened and qualified professionals. User Testing also offers mobile and website testing, card sorting, tree testing and prototype testing.
๐ Key Feature Highlights
- Moderated & unmoderated tests
- Prototype & concept testing
- Diary studies
- Recruitment panel
๐ฐ Pricing
- Free version not available
- UserTesting primarily targets mid-sized companies and enterprises with some of the custom pricing available starting at $30K per year.
โญ Reviews
Ratings are based on scores provided by Capterra
- Overall Score: 4.5/5
- Ease of Use: ย 4.4/5
- Value for Money: ย 4.5/5
- Customer Service: 4.4/5
๐ Summary
If your team is large and have sufficient budget, UserTesting can be a good choice that provides usability testing and other research features including diary studies, moderated interviews and access to an external tester pool.
3. UserZoom (Now part of UserTesting)
UserZoom is a UX research platform that caters to large enterprises and mid-market companies. Similar to UserTesting, the platform provides versatile usability testing options, including both moderated and unmoderated, as well as features like surveys, card sorting, tree testing and click testing. While UserTesting acquired UserZoom, they still live as separate platforms for now.
๐ Key Feature Highlights
- Moderated & unmoderated tests
- Prototype & concept testing
- Recruitment panel
๐ฐ Pricing
- Free trial available upon request
- Starting price plan around 70K
โญ Reviews
Ratings are based on scores provided by Capterra
- Overall Score: 4.4/5
- Ease of Use: ย 4.5/5
- Value for Money: ย 4.6/5
- Customer Service: 4.7/5
๐ Summary
Similar to UserTesting, UserZoom focuses on enterprise customers with less flexible pricing options. UserZoom can be a good option for your team if you have a large budget and you need to run other types of research with an external participant pool.
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4. Maze
Maze provides usability analytics for reports, featuring prototype testing, card sorting, tree testing, 5-second tests and surveys. Maze enables product teams to gather and utilize user insights throughout the design process and post-launch.
๐ Key Feature Highlights
- Prototype & concept testing
- First click testing
- Live website testing
- Card sorting
- Surveys
๐ฐ Pricing
- Free version available with limitations
- Varying price plan is available upon request
โญ Reviews
Ratings are based on scores provided by Capterra
- Overall Score: 4.4/5
- Ease of Use: ย 4.2/5
- Value for Money: ย 4.1/5
- Customer Service: 3.8/5
๐ Summary
Maze offers a strong set of features especially with unmoderated studies and live site testing at an affordable price. While it is popular for freelancer and students, it makes it difficult for product teams and larger organizations to scale as it doesn't have an enterprise-grade participant pool. Check out this article If you are looking for other alternatives to Maze.
- For a side-by-side feature comparison of Hubble and Maze, learn more at Hubble vs Maze article. ย
5. Hotjar
Hotjar is known for its website testing and behavioral analytics tools visualized through heat maps and screen recordings. Through the heat maps and the screen recordings,ย you can understand how well users interact with your website. Additionally, it provides survey integration so that you can collect live feedback from your customers.
๐ Key Feature Highlights
- Live website testing
- Product analytics
- In-product surveys
๐ฐ Pricing
- Free version available
- For small teams, $32 per month
- For enterprise and large teams, $56 per month
โญ Reviews
Ratings are based on scores provided by Capterra
- Overall Score: 4.7/5
- Ease of Use: ย 4.6/5
- Value for Money: ย 4.5/5
- Customer Service: 4.5/5
๐ Summary
Hotjar is a good choice if you need to collect usability analytics on your live web products. However, if you need to run prototype usability tests or recruit participants, Hotjar may not be the appropriate choice. Other usability testing tools like Hubble, UserZoom and Maze may be better choices.
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6. Lyssnna (Previously UsabilityHub)
Lysnna, previously named UsabilityHub, provides a range of remote unmoderated study tools, including prototype testing, card sorting, first click tests and surveys. Lyssna also offers options for moderated interviews with its recruitment panel and a Figma integration for effective prototype testing and user path analysis.
๐ Key Feature Highlights
- Prototype & concept testing
- Card sorting
- First click tests
- Surveys
- Recruitment panel
๐ฐ Pricing
- Free version available with limitations
- Offers flexible price range starting at $75 per month for small teams
- Advanced pro plan and enterprise plan are available
โญ Reviews
Ratings are based on scores provided by Capterra
- Overall Score: 4.7/5
- Ease of Use: ย 4.7/5
- Value for Money: ย 4.5/5
- Customer Service: 4.9/5
๐ Summary
Lysnna is a great tool for running usability studies with it's integration with Figma as well as the different types of unmoderated studies that it supports. One of its major drawbacks is its lack of recording option for product teams to review each session for in-depth analysis. If you want to record unmoderated usability tests or moderated usability tests, other tools like Hubble, UserTesting or Maze may be better alternatives.
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7. Userbrain
Userbrain is another popular tool that provides unmoderated usability studies for web and mobile applications. While there is no free version available, it has the pay-as-you-go option per session, which may come in handy depending on the research needs.
๐ Key Feature Highlights
- Prototype & concept testing
- Recruitment panel
๐ฐ Pricing
- 14-day free trial available
- Offers pay as you go option ($39 per participant)
- Offers pricing plans from Starter ($79 per month) and Pro ($239 per month) to Agency ($659 per month)
โญ Reviews
Ratings are based on scores provided by Capterra
- Overall Score: 4.3/5
- Ease of Use: ย 4.6/5
- Value for Money: ย 4.4/5
- Customer Service: 4.7/5
๐ Summary
Userbrain is a platform that focuses on usability testing and can be a great option for its pay-as-you-go plan if you work for a startup or you are doing a one-off project as a freelancer. Userbrain is also helpful because it provides a streamlined usability study process from building the study to analyzing the results with recordings and annotations. Nevertheless, one drawback is that it lacks other types of test methods such as first click tests, card sorting and in-product research.
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8. Userlytics
Userlytics provides both moderated and unmoderated testing options and also offers a range of other UX research methods such as surveys, prototype and concept testing, card sorting and mobile testing. One notable benefit that Userlytics offers is that it offers unlimited team seatingsย to be able to view the research results.
๐ Key Feature Highlights
- Prototype & concept testing
- Moderated & unmoderated tests
- Surveys
- Recruitment panel
๐ฐ Pricing
- Free version not available
- Custom pricing available with set number of responses
- Starting estimate around $3,500 per year
โญ Reviews
Ratings are based on scores provided by Capterra
- Overall Score: 4.6/5
- Ease of Use: ย 4.5/5
- Value for Money: ย 4.7/5
- Customer Service: 4.9/5
๐ Summary
Userlytics is a versatile usability testing tool that offers a wide range of testing options including moderated and unmoderated studies, flexible price plans and unlimited team seats. One drawback compared to other tools in the market is that is user experience is less optimized and its participant pool size is relatively smaller compared with other platforms.
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9. UXtweak
UXtweak provides a range of usability testing tools for unmoderated studies, web and mobile testing paired with a recruitment panel. The platform is a great option for running unmoderated usability tests for quick turnover with flexible pricing plans.
๐ Key Feature Highlights
- Prototype & concept testing
- First click tests
- Card sorting
- Surveys
- Recruitment panel
๐ฐ Pricing
- Free version available
- Flexible pricing with Plus plan starting at $59 per month, Business plan at $161 per month and an Enterprise option
โญ Reviews
Ratings are based on scores provided by Capterra
- Overall Score: 4.8/5
- Ease of Use: ย 4.7/5
- Value for Money: ย 4.8/5
- Customer Service: 5.0/5
๐ Summary
UXtweak is a solid option when trying to run quick usability tests paired with a participant pool. UXtweak has integrations with Figma and Invision, offering easy flows to import prototypes and create usability tests.
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10. UXArmy
UXarmy, based in Singapore, provides both moderated and unmoderated study options. It provides a range of features, ranging from Figma prototype testing, first click testing, recorded surveys, interviews, card sorting and tree testing. Moreover, it has language translation support for international research purposes.
๐ Key Feature Highlights
- Moderated & unmoderated tests
- Prototype & concept testing
- First click tests
- Card sorting
- Surveys
- Recruitment panel
๐ฐ Pricing
- Pricing is based on method/test type of your choice
- Custom enterprise plan available upon request
โญ Reviews
Ratings are based on scores provided by Capterra
- Overall Score: 4.5/5
- Ease of Use: ย 4.4/5
- Value for Money: ย 4.5/5
- Customer Service: 4.4/5
๐ Summary
UXArmy offers unmoderated and moderated usability testing tools. UXArmy offers a pay per test pricing model which is unique compared to other tools in this list. It's also worth to note that UXArmy has solid support for international research translation. If you are looking to run international research or need high quality translation, UXArmy may be a good choice for your team.
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11. Optimal Workshop
Optimal Workshop is a comprehensive user research platform with tools for both qualitative and quantitative insights. The platform offers various testing methods, including card sorting, tree testing, moderated usability testing, first-click testing, and surveys. While it provides access to pre-screened participants, it does not offer direct integrations with design tools for prototype importing and has limited integration and targeting options for participant recruitment.
๐ Key Feature Highlights
- Prototype & concept testing
- First click tests
- Card sorting
- Surveys
- Recruitment panel
๐ฐ Pricing
- Free version available with limitations
- Flexible pricing plan starting at $191 per month for Teams
- $208 per month for a single Pro user
โญ Reviews
Ratings are based on scores provided by Capterra
- Overall Score: 4.5/5
- Ease of Use: ย 4.0/5
- Value for Money: ย 4.4/5
- Customer Service: 5.0/5
๐ Summary
Optimal Workshop is a robust platform supporting a variety of test methods. Optimal workshop has been widely used for card sorting and tree testing, which are also features offered by other platforms on this list. One limitation is that Optimal Workshop doesn't offer flexible ways to add multiple team members into the workspace in some of their paid plans.
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12. Loop11
Loop11 is a versatile research tool offering both moderated and unmoderated studies with usability testing, benchmarking and A/B tests. The platform supports testing on desktop, mobile, and tablet, providing both quantitative and qualitative data and it integrates with popular design tools like Figma, AdobeXD, InVision, Axure and JustInMind. However, the tool lacks panel recruitment and support for in-product surveying and experience management.
๐ Key Feature Highlights
- Moderated & unmoderated tests
- Prototype & concept testing
๐ฐ Pricing
- Free version not available
- Three tier pricing with starting Rapid Insights plan at $179 per month
- Pro and Enterprise plan available each for $358 and $533 per month
โญ Reviews
Ratings are based on scores provided by Capterra
- Overall Score: 4.5/5
- Ease of Use: ย 4.5/5
- Value for Money: ย 5.0/5
- Customer Service: 5.0/5
๐ Summary
Loop11 is a great choice for conducting usability testing and A/B split testing. While Loop11 supports both moderated and unmoderated studies, it does not provide a robust participant recruitment feature, making it difficult to find external personas and participants to conduct usability tests. The usability of the platform is also not the most updated.
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13. Crazy Egg
Crazy Egg is an analytics tool that helps measure usability for web products, providing user behavior data points such as heat maps and click maps. It also offers A/B testing and user recordings to optimize website performance and user experience. The tool supports unmoderated usability testing but it does not offer external panel recruitment.
๐ Key Feature Highlights
- Web usability testing
- Product analytics
๐ฐ Pricing
- Free version not available
- Pricing plans available upon request
โญ Reviews
Ratings are based on scores provided by Capterra
- Overall Score: 4.5/5
- Ease of Use: ย 4.5/5
- Value for Money: ย 4.1/5
- Customer Service: 4.1/5
๐ Summary
If you are looking to measure your website experience, Crazy Egg is an effective solution. However, if you are trying to run other types of unmoderated tests, run surveys and recruit external participants, Crazy Egg is not the best solution.
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14. Userfeel
Userfeel is a user research platform developed by UX researchers, providing both moderated and unmoderated research options and participant recruiting. Similar to Userbrain, Userfeel offers a pay-as-you-go pricing model that does not require a monthly subscription.
๐ Key Feature Highlights
- Moderated & unmoderated tests
- Panel recruitment
๐ฐ Pricing
- Pay-as-you-go plan for moderated and unmoderated studies
- 60 minute unmoderated for $30
- 60 minute moderated for $60
- 20 minute unmoderated with Userfeel panel $60
- 40 minute unmoderated/moderated with Userfeel panel $120
- 60 minute unmoderated/moderated with Userfeel panel $180
โญ Reviews
Ratings are based on scores provided by Capterra
- Overall Score: 4.6/5
- Ease of Use: ย 4.6/5
- Value for Money: ย 4.5/5
- Customer Service: 4.2/5
๐ Summary
Userfeel offers moderated and unmoderated usability study options that can help the team unlock valuable UX research insights. The pay-as-you-go pricing model can be a good model for small product teams or contractors that don't need to run continuous research.
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15. Useberry
Useberry is a UX research platform supporting unmoderated remote studies, including prototype testing, website usability testing and participant recruiting. With features like user flows, click tracks, and open analytics, it aids teams in gathering feedback on designs and live products. While its flexible pricing makes it suitable for smaller teams.
๐ Key Feature Highlights
- Prototype & concept testing
- Website usability testing
- First click testing
- Card sorting
- Panel recruitment
๐ฐ Pricing
- Free version available
- Starting Growth plan available at $67 per month
- Enterprise plan available upon request
โญ Reviews
Review is not available.
๐ Summary
Useberry offers various features for conducting unmoderated remote studies ranging from prototype testing and website usability testing. While it has flexible pricing plans, it mostly targets European customers. Useberry also doesn't offer strong in-product integrations.
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16. TryMata (previously TryMyUI)
TryMata, formerly known as TryMyUI, provides both moderated and unmoderated testing capabilities for websites, mobile apps and prototypes. However, it has a less straightforward user interface and lacks in-product integration for surveying.
๐ Key Feature Highlights
- Prototype & concept testing
- Website usability testing
- Product analytics
๐ฐ Pricing
- Free plan not available
- Tier based pricing available by feature sets: usability testing, product analytics, and research repository
โญ Reviews
Ratings are based on scores provided by Capterra
- Overall Score: 3.7/5
- Ease of Use: ย 3.3/5
- Value for Money: ย 3.0/5
- Customer Service: 3.1/5
๐ Summary
TryMata is a great solution if you are looking for a platform that not only offers usability testing but also provides advanced analytics and research repository. However, these additions come at extra cost and lacks support for any in-product research.
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Choosing the right usability testing tool
As you can see from this list, there are several options available for usability testing. In order to select the right usability testing platform, you must carefully consider each of the factors below:
1. Assessing your research needs and methods
First, it's important to assess what types of research are needed based on the current status of your team and project. Getting a good understanding of the types of research required for the team's objectives can help select a platform that can can meet those goals and ensure the most effective outcome for the team. Moreover, reviewing past research data and evaluating which methods have been the most insightful can help you build the right UX research plan for your projects. One additional decision to be made is whether the study should be conducted via moderated or unmoderated sessions. Moderated is very helpful because it allows you to interact with the participants and ask questions in real-time while unmoderated allows you to build studies and get feedback at scale. Both have distinct pros and cons so weighing the options and selecting the most appropriate method will be important. If appropriate, you can also use a combination of moderated and unmoderated usability tests.
2. Consider your budget for usability testing
Another important variable that you need to consider is the price, as you must choose a tool that is within your team's budget. When evaluating new UX research tools, you should understand whether it caters more to enterprise-grade companies or it is more suitable for freelancers and small startups. Getting a good understand of the target market for the tool is particularly important because the UXย research and product feedback needs for enterprises are vastly different versus the needs of smaller companies. We also highly recommend comparing the feature sets and get a solid understand of what you get from each of the tools you evaluate as it ensures that you can get the most value out of your investment. We also recommend asking vendors whether they can offer a free trial so that you can test the product and it's features thoroughly before making a final decision.
3. Remember that managers are not users
Many times, research operations managers, design operations managers or product operations managers get involved in the evaluation and discovery process for UX research and feedback tools. While they should definitely weigh into the evaluation of the operational tools, we always recommend involving the individual contributors and end users that will actually spend more time using the product once purchased to make the most out of the product. We believe that getting a good sense of the usability of the product and how intuitive it is to use is crucial because it ensures that the tool can be adopted and used effectively by you and your team. Last but not least, examining the integrations that the product offers is important as it helps your team operate more effectively by creating connections between the new research tool and the existing products that your team is using.
To learn more about additional factors to consider when exploring user research tools, we recommend this guide on the best UX research tools of 2024.
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What is the best usability testing tool for me?
In this guide, we featured 16 tools that provide usability testing. Choosing the right usability testing platform is important because it will directly impact the efficiency of the user testing process and ensure that the team can collect high quality insights from the user research processes. If you need usability testing and other more complex user research features with more enterprise grade support, Hubble, UserTesting, UserZoom may be better choices for your team. If you are only looking to conduct a one-time usability test or work for a small team, using a tool like Maze, UX Army or Userfeel may be a better choice.
Run usability studies with Hubble
Either live-test your product or import Figma prototypes to conduct usability tests in Hubble
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