Best UserZoom alternatives in 2024

If you’re looking for a robust UX testing tool, you’ve probably heard of UserZoom. This SaaS solution helps design and run high-quality usability tests, allowing you to assess your product’s strength.

While UserZoom is a popular option, it may not always meet your needs. Today, multiple alternatives can easily replace this solution and give you more efficient usability insights.

Let’s take a closer look at UserZoom and its most popular alternatives in the market.

UserZoom (formerly Validately) is a tool for testing digital products. It helps businesses understand how real users interact with their digital experiences. With this tool, you can gather real user feedback on your product’s design and usability.

It allows you to conduct user tests, surveys, and research to find out what works well and what doesn’t. You gain a variety of valuable insights into your digital solution’s potential success.

Pros of UserZoom

• Comprehensive user research (live interviews, benchmarking, surveys, card sort, and usability testing)

• Flexible testing options

• Global B2B and B2C participant pool

• Detailed analytics and reporting

Cons of UserZoom

• Steep learning curve

• Higher cost

• Limited mobile testing features

In April 2023, UserZoom was acquired by a similar platform called UserTesting. They complement each other with multiple features. However, you can still use each one of them separately.

While UserZoom benefited from the merger, it may still not be as suitable for certain companies as some of the alternatives listed below.

UserZoom offers multiple features that can transform your usability testing process. However, some disadvantages may keep it away from your top-choice list. If UserZoom seems out of your price range and lacks the features your business needs, you may want to start shopping around.

Here are some of the common issues that customers experience with UserZoom:

Pricing

The main reason why business owners consider other options is the solution’s pricing. Besides having a high price tag, UserZoom’s pricing isn’t transparent. Users report struggling to understand how pricing works and experiencing difficulties with getting the necessary features without extra payment.

Steep learning curve

UserZoom’s interface is another reason why some companies decide to consider alternatives. This product has a steep learning curve, which can hardly be called intuitive. As a result, teams spend too much time figuring out how to use the solution. This slows down the testing process and also causes users to miss important features.

Issues with features

UserZoom has excellent features, especially after the UserTesting merger. However, some of them are still not in their best shape. For example, some alternatives have better mobile testing options, quicker turnaround times, and flexible integration options.

To choose the best UserZoom alternative, you need to make a list of the requirements you have for a UX testing solution.

Pricing

Pay attention to the alternative’s cost and pricing structure. Look for a solution that fits your budget while offering the features you need.

Check if the platform provides flexible pricing plans, such as pay-per-use or tiered subscriptions. These setups enable you to avoid paying for unnecessary features, and spoiler: these solutions can have many of them.

Ease of use

Ease of use is what UserZoom lacks. It’s usually one of the main reasons why companies look at the competition.

A user-friendly interface can save time and reduce frustration for your team. Look for alternatives with intuitive navigation, simple setup processes, and minimal training requirements.

Range of testing methods

Different research methods provide different insights. Check that the alternative offers various testing options, such as:

• Usability testing

• Surveys

• Heatmaps

• A/B testing

• Mobile testing

More isn’t always better. Consider what your business needs and choose the solution that offers these testing options. Ideally, it should allow you to add features as you need them.

Participant recruitment and targeting

Access to the right participants is usually the most important part of UX solutions like UserZoom. Look for platforms that offer robust participant recruitment tools and access to a diverse pool of users. This way, you’ll be able to leverage advanced targeting options based on demographics, behavior, or location.

Analytics and reporting capabilities

Strong analytics and reporting features help make sense of the data collected during tests. Choose a platform that provides:

• Detailed, easy-to-understand reports

• Customizable dashboards

• Insights that help inform decision-making and drive improvements

User screening capabilities

Screening enables you to find the most suitable participants for your research—those who fit your target audience profile. But not all tools offer this.

Integrations with existing tools

Check if the alternative integrates with your current project management, design, and analytics tools. While UX testing tools can be standalone solutions, seamless integration with your tech stack can maximize their efficiency.

Customer support and resources

Responsive customer support and helpful resources, like tutorials or a knowledge base, can be invaluable. UserZoom has excellent support—but so do many other solutions. Find out if your choice of alternative provides multiple support options.

UserTesting

UserTesting is a user experience research tool that provides real-time feedback from real users. It offers a wide range of testing methods to evaluate usability at different stages of product design.

The two companies merged in April 2023. However, there are several differences (as well as similarities) between the two tools that are worth exploring.

Key features

• Real-time video feedback

• Fast participant recruitment

• Wide range of testing options

• AI-driven insights and analysis

Pros

• Fast turnaround time

• Intuitive and easy-to-use interface

• Robust video and audio feedback

Cons

• Higher cost for larger teams (non-transparent pricing structure)

• Has fewer integration and prototyping tools than UserZoom

UserTesting offers quicker participant recruitment and more intuitive video feedback. This can help you gather faster and more actionable insights than UserZoom.

Pricing

UserTesting pricing plans start at $30,000 a year.

Lookback

Lookback is a user research tool designed to conduct moderated and unmoderated usability tests, interviews, and diary studies.

Key features

• Live unmoderated and face-to-face moderated sessions

• Participant screen sharing

• Observer mode

• Time-stamped notes

Pros

• Supports remote moderated sessions

• Integrates with other tools

• Allows real-time observation

Cons

• Doesn’t have a pool of users (you need to invite your own)

• Connection drop issues during sessions

Lookback offers more flexibility in live moderated sessions and real-time collaboration than UserZoom. It’s ideal for teams who prioritize direct user interaction.

Pricing

Pricing starts at $25 per month for the basic plan, with 10 sessions per year. The tool has a free 60-day trial available for all types of plans.

Optimal Workshop

Optimal Workshop provides a suite of usability testing tools to help understand user navigation and decision-making. Unlike many other UserZoom competitors on this list, it has a limited focus. The tool mostly targets website architecture.

Key features

• Tree testing

• Card sorting

• First-click testing

• Qualitative tagging

Pros

• Specialized tools for information architecture

• Affordable plans

• Easy to use

• Ability to screen participants

Cons

• Limited capabilities for qualitative research

• High recruitment costs and inflexible pricing

• Unresponsive customer support

Optimal Workshop excels in tools like card sorting and tree testing, which UserZoom lacks. It’s an excellent option for the early stages of website design and development.

Pricing

The basic plan starts at $107 per month (if paid annually). Features like first-click testing, surveys, and prototype testing are only available when you pay an extra fee.

Lyssna (formerly UsabilityHub)

Lyssna is a remote user testing platform for gathering quick insights through moderated and unmoderated studies. The instrument has a pool of around 530,000 participants.

Key features

• Five-second tests

• Click tests

• Preference tests

• Design surveys

• Open and closed card sorting

• “Screeners” feature, which helps you target the right participants

Pros

• Gives you fast results

• Easy to set up

• Affordable for small teams

• Great for sharing tests with other companies

Cons

• Limited in-depth testing options

• No mobile app testing

Lyssna offers simpler and faster tests than UserZoom. It’s great for teams needing quick insights without complex setups.

Pricing

The basic plan starts at $75 per month. There is a free plan for small companies. However, it has highly limited features.

Hotjar

Hotjar is a behavior analytics tool that can help you understand how users interact with your website or website-based app. Unlike some other tools on this list, it doesn’t create advanced tests or offer access to a participant tool.

Key features

• Heatmaps

• Session recordings

• Conversion funnels

• User interview automation

• On-site and external surveys

Pros

• Visualizes user behavior

• Easy to install

• Affordable pricing

Cons

• Limited to web-based platforms

• Limited to live products

• Lacks advanced user testing options

Hotjar can provide you with a more immediate understanding of user behavior than UserZoom. However, it lacks advanced testing options.

Pricing

Hotjar offers four payment tiers for its Observe product:

1. The “Basic” plan with 35 daily sessions is free.

2. The “Plus” plan, marketed at smaller teams, costs from $39 per month. It offers up to 100 daily sessions and more advanced features.

3. The “Business” plan for growing companies and websites is priced at $99 per month. With this plan, you get 500 daily sessions.

4. The “Scale” plan for large companies and websites costs $213 per month. It offers a large range of features and 500 daily sessions.

Maze

Maze is an online UX research tool that excels in usability testing and other qualitative and quantitative research.

Key features

• Unmoderated usability testing

• Survey management

• Prototype testing

• Card sorting

• Tree testing

• Screening is supported when you have the “Organization” plan

Pros

• Rapid testing cycles

• High-quality support

Cons

• Limited testing options

• High learning curve

• Not possible to randomize the presentation of testing blocks, which can introduce bias, as users may follow predictable patterns during testing

• Integration with Figma is possible, but the prototypes should be kept simple with a clear beginning and end, as crashes are common, especially with mobile prototypes

Unlike UserZoom, Maze allows for rapid testing directly from design tools. It’s a great choice for agile teams that need quick validation.

Pricing

The basic plan begins at $99 per month. You can also check out a free version but note that this has limited capabilities.

Fullstory

Fullstory is a digital experience analytics platform that records user sessions and provides insights into behavior.

Key features

• Session replay

• Heatmaps

• Conversion funnels

• Error monitoring

Pros

• Detailed session insights

• Strong analytics (both website and app)

• Real-time user monitoring

Cons

• High cost for larger teams and hard-to-understand pricing tiers

• Steep learning curve for non-technical users—some features may require technical knowledge

• Limited customization of dashboards, making it harder to tailor insights for specific needs

• Overwhelming data, causing analysis paralysis

• Privacy concerns, especially with sensitive user interactions

• No built-in survey functionality or user feedback tools, meaning teams need to rely on third-party integrations for qualitative insights

Fullstory offers more advanced session replay and behavior analytics. It’s great for teams focused on in-depth user experience analysis. However, it doesn’t offer surveys, participant pools, or advanced testing.

Pricing

The cost of a beginner plan is around $2,000 a year. To get more details, you need to contact the vendor. You can take advantage of a free 14-day trial.

Trymata (formerly TryMyUI)

Trymata is a usability testing platform that provides video recordings of real users interacting with your website or app.

Key features

• Video feedback

• Screener surveys

• First impression testing

• Moderated and unmoderated studies

Pros

• Immediate feedback

• Easy to use

• Qualitative and quantitative testing

Cons

• Poor customer support

• Outdated interface that appears tricky to use

• Technical issues

Pricing

The basic plan starts from $399 per month. You could also opt for an enterprise plan, which will set you back $1,667 per month, or the unlimited plan, which costs $3,333 per month.

Crazy Egg

Crazy Egg provides tools to visualize user behavior through heatmaps, scroll maps, and A/B testing. It’s a comprehensive UX testing tool with many interesting features.

Key features

• Heatmaps

• Scroll maps

• Overlay tool

• Conversion testing

• A/B testing

Pros

• Easy to set up

• Provides visual insights

• Affordable

• Training is available (for “Enterprise” plans)

Cons

• Only offers a limited number of screen recordings

• Lacks qualitative research features

Overall, Crazy Egg is easy to set up and use. It also provides highly intelligent analytics. However, it has fewer research features than UserZoom, which may be important for some users.

Pricing

The basic “Plus” plan starts at $99 per month. You can begin with a 30-day free trial.

There are two more tiers: “Pro” for $249 per month and “Enterprise” for $499 per month.

Qualtrics

Qualtrics is an experience management platform with robust survey tools for gathering user feedback and analyzing user experiences.

Key features

• Pre-built survey templates designed by industry experts

• AI-powered statistical analysis

• Enterprise-grade security

Pros

• Extensive survey capabilities

• Flexible customization

• In-depth analytics

Cons

• Steep learning curve

• High pricing for advanced features

Qualtrics offers more sophisticated survey options and data analysis. Compared to UserZoom, it’s better suited for deep research needs.

Pricing

The price of Qualtrics’ “CoreXM” plan is not provided on the brand’s website. Businesses need to input their details to access pricing information. There is a free plan with limited capabilities.

Dovetail

Dovetail is an advanced user research platform that helps teams analyze and share qualitative research data. This platform captures customer feedback and makes the most out of each bit of information with high-quality analytics and AI-powered insights.

Key features

• Centralized research repository

• User interviews and surveys

• Highlight reels and summaries

• “Magic” features, including Magic Search and Magic Highlight

• Convenient insights sharing

Pros

• A great choice for qualitative research

• Easy to use

• Excellent customer support

• Ability to efficiently organize data

• Affordable

Cons

• Limited quantitative features

• Could benefit from more scalability

Dovetail excels at facilitating qualitative research and team collaboration. It’s suitable for teams that require deep user insights.

Pricing

The basic plan starts at $29 per month, but there’s also a free plan with limited capabilities on offer.

Finding a high-quality alternative to UserZoom may not be easy, as there are numerous options in the market. You can start with tools that offer a free trial to figure out which features and UI work best for you.

In some cases, you may need a combination of UserZoom alternatives to achieve the best efficiency at the lowest price.