18 Best UX Research Tools in 2023

One of the most crucial parts of product development is the user experience. The key goal is to provide a clear environment for people to browse around your product with ease. The intended end-user must be completely satisfied with their experience with your website and that’s where UX research tools come to help!

According to a Forrester Research study, a well-designed user interface with a strong UX can result in conversion rates of up to 400% for your website. But how do you achieve that? Choosing the right tool for your research, that’s half the battle!

What are UX research tools good for? 

UX research tools (sometimes also called user research tools) provide valuable user insights based on individualized research, whether you’re attempting to launch a new app or want to know what your consumers think about your website. They increase performance by identifying the areas of improvement for your digital products.

To perform quality UX research and manage different phases of the workflow, researchers have access to a variety of tools. They are all different in a way, with various feature sets but are always intended to help you provide a better experience to the users!

The range of UX research tools is still expanding. There are some that include everything from participant recruitment to voice recording, remote sessions, transcribing interviews and even producing real-time reports. And today we are here to help you choose the best one for your needs!

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What are the best UX research tools? 

The ideal UX tools are those that naturally meet the most demands with the fewest constraints. 

We understand that searching for the best one might take hours and days. But don’t worry: we spent time researching the best user research tools available, so there’s no way you won’t have a favorite after reading this article.

List of 18 Best UX Research Tools in 2023:

1. UXtweak
2. Userbrain
3. UserTesting
4. Optimizely
5. Lookback
6. CrazyEgg
7. UserZoom
8. Hotjar
9. UsabilityHub
10. Loop11
11. Optimal Workshop
12. Maze
13. Userlytics
14. PlaybookUX
15. UXarmy
16. Userfeel
17. TryMyUI (Trymata)
18. Useberry

We’ve put together a handy comparison table, to ease the process of choosing the right tool and save some time for you. We’ve compared their overall rating, ease of use, quality of support, and pricing. The comparison below is solely based on the tool’s ratings from Capterra.

1. UXtweak

UXtweak is an all-in-one UX research tool that has definitely grown a lot in the previous year. It has all of the capabilities you need to create the ideal website that people will want to visit again and again.

Advanced analytics combined with a great UI, that is easy to understand even for a complete beginner – UXtweak has everything you need for good research and more. 

Features:

• Website Testing 
• Session Recording
• Mobile App Usability Testing
• Tree Testing
• Card Sorting
• Preference Test
• 5 Second Test
• First Click Test
• Surveys
• Competitive Usability Testing

And the two most exciting new features of UXtweak are Figma and InVision Prototype Testing, which provide users with the ability to test their prototypes throughout the design phase, allowing them to fix any issues before releasing the product to the market.

The Recruiting widget and the 155M+ User Panel are additional useful features that will save you from participant recruiting struggles.

Pros:

• UXtweak allows you to do as many tests as you like.
• For smaller tasks, there is a free plan available, or you may design a custom plan to meet your needs.
• Even a total newbie will find it simple to use.
• It provides powerful analytics that is simple to understand.

Cons:

• Supports only 10 languages

Reviews & ratings

According to Capterra:

Overall score – 4.9/5

Ease of Use – 4.8/5

Customer Service – 5/5

Pricing:

UXtweak offers a free starting plan that includes an unlimited number of live studies and no study time restrictions, making it ideal for smaller projects.

You may also choose between a pro plan for only $80 per month (annual billing) or a custom plan tailored to your specific requirements. 

Create a free account or try UXtweak’s Professional plan now!

2. Userbrain

Another option for a UX research tool is Userbrain. Test anything, ask questions, and get results in the form of their voice-over videos. You may also annotate the recordings, tag them for better organizing, and share links with your coworkers. Userbrain is famous for its flexible non-committing pricing model.

Features:

1. Website Testing
2. Automate User Testing

Pros:

• Provides access to a big pool of testers

Cons:

• Missing live test session
• Adding in-team testers costs $49 per month.

Reviews & ratings

According to Capterra:

Overall score – 4.3/5

Ease of Use – 4.6/5

Customer Service – 4.6/5

Pricing:

 Or $299/month for a Pro plan or $2990/year. They also offer a pay-as-you-go option, where you can pay $39/per tester.

3. UserTesting

UserTesting is one of the oldest UX research tools on the market that is very famous for their large User Panel. Insight Core, Product Insight, and Marketing Insight are their three main products. When utilized together, these three components may help with practically any type of research.

Features:

1. Live Conversations
2. Online/offline customer experiences
3. 1:1 interviews with testers

Pros:

• Allows you to talk to your testers while they’re using your site
• Instant insights
• Advanced targeting

Cons:

• Weak reports
• Lots of non-qualified testers
• The small non-English speaking user base

Reviews & ratings

According to Capterra:

Overall score – 4.5/5

Ease of Use – 4.4/5

Customer Service – 4.4/5

Pricing

Upon request, starting at $15K/year.

Can’t decide between UserTesting and UserZoom? Read our comparison.

4. Optimizely

Optimizely’s most well-known feature is A/B testing. One of the most tempting characteristics of their user research software is the ease with which new studies can be established. Everything is immediately available on the user’s dashboard. It’s very fast and efficient.

Features:

1. A/B testing
2. Multivariate Testing
3. Tracking of clicks and conversations

Pros:

• A variety of tools for managing the workflow of many teams within the application
• For designers, Optimizely provides a visual editor, as well as a number of extensions, APIs, and code choices
• Additional user accounts may be simply created, as well as project organization

Cons:

• No free plan
• Small feature list

Reviews & ratings

According to Capterra:

Overall score – 4.5/5

Ease of Use – 4.3/5

Customer Service – 4.4/5

Pricing

If you are interested in the full-price list, please contact Optimizely for more information.

5. Lookback

Another usability testing platform you may want to try is Lookback. They specialize in moderated and unmoderated user tests. It’s a great option when you already have the testers for your study, as they don’t provide any help with recruiting.

Features:

• Offers stakeholder observations – Lookback allows multiple people to observe your study and even take their own notes.
• Live broadcasts – Lookback has a specific feature you can use for broadcasting your studies to colleagues and discussing them in live mode.
• Unlimited participants

Pros:

• All of its plans come with a 14-day trial period.
• Compatible with Native Apps
• The ability to timestamp and write notes during the recordings

Cons:

• Poor connection – Noted by multiple users, connection drops might happen from time to time.
• No user panel – Lookback might be the right tool for you when you already have the participants for your research, as they don’t offer help with that.
• Problems with the mobile version and IOS testing

Reviews & ratings

According to Capterra:

Overall score – 3.3/5

Ease of Use – 3.5/5

Customer Service – 2.1/5

Pricing

Lookback doesn’t have a free plan, however, they do offer a free 60-day trial. After that their prices start from $25 per month with a limit of 10 sessions per year. Their professional “Insights Hub” plan is $344 per month (annual billing).

6. CrazyEgg

CrazyEgg is a usability testing and website optimization tool that uses a click-based interface. It enables you to generate heat maps and track your website visitors’ every move. CrazyEgg helps you understand your customers’ journey on your website by using Snapshots and Recordings. 

Features:

1. Snapshot reporting 
2. Heatmaps and scroll maps 
3. Session recordings 
4. Demo dashboard

Pros:

• Set up 30-day trials on all of its plans quickly and easily.
• Allows traffic from ad campaigns to be analyzed.
• 30-day money-back guarantee 

Cons:

• No free trial 

Reviews & ratings

According to Capterra:

Overall score – 4.5/5

Ease of Use – 4.5/5

Customer Service – 4.1/5

Pricing:

Its basic plan starts at $29/month, billed annually. 

7. UserZoom

UserZoom is a platform for doing enterprise-level user experience research and testing. It may be used to test prototypes and websites, follow the activities of remote testers, do market research, and more. It allows you to personalize your plan by adding a choice of extra features based on your requirements.

Features:

1. Usability testing
2. Interviews
3. Click Testing
4. Participant Recruitment

Pros:

• Unlimited screening questions
• Large user panel
• Great reports and analytics

Cons:

• Not recommended for individuals or small businesses.
• Pricey
• Can be hard to use  – The UI of the platform is known to be a little complicated and not the most intuitive for a complete beginner.
• Though detailed, study instructions can sometimes be confusing
• No free trial plans 

Reviews & ratings

According to Capterra:

Overall score – 4.4/5

Ease of Use – 4.5/5

Customer Service – 4.7/5

Pricing:

Upon request, starting at $15K/year.

8. Hotjar

Hotjar is a unified platform that combines a variety of analytics tools and capabilities with a variety of feedback choices. Their products allow you to conduct usability testing on your app or website while also providing actionable behavioral data. It can keep track of and display clicks, motions, and scrolling. Viewing visitor logs allows you to see how people behave on your website in real time.

Features:

1. Heatmaps
2. Visitor recordings
3. Conversion funnels
4. Feedback polls
5. Incoming feedback

Pros:

• Attributes and triggers that help you target effectively
• There is no limit to the number of people on your team that may access the platform because each feature has an unlimited number of replies

Cons:

• There isn’t a way to do remote usability testing

Reviews & ratings

According to Capterra:

Overall score – 4.7/5

Ease of Use – 4.6/5

Customer Service – 4.5/5

Pricing:

Up to 35 sessions per day, unlimited heatmaps, and 1,050 recordings per month are all included in Hotjar’s basic free subscription. The fee-based plans start from $32.

9. UsabilityHub

UsabilityHub is a remote user research platform based in Australia that delivers rapid customer experience feedback using a variety of research methods.

Features:

1. First Click Test
2. Survey
3. Preference Test
4. Five Second Test

Pros:

• Built-in participant panel
• Free starter plan

Cons:

• Textual response to study questions
• Can’t observe how the participants engage with the product

Reviews & ratings

According to Capterra:

Overall score – 4.7/5

Ease of Use – 4.8/5

Customer Service – 4.8/5

Pricing:

Free starter plans offer you the option to test up to 2 minutes long. For basic tests and solo researchers, the plan starts at $89 per month (billed annually). 

10. Loop 11

Australian-born, Loop 11 is also a great user research tool you should definitely look at. They offer comprehensive reports and different types of usability testing. This platform makes it easy to engage with users, get to know them better, and collect insights for UXers.

Features:

1. Heat maps and clickstream analysis
2. Testing of live websites or prototypes
3. Benchmarking 

Pros:

• 14-day trial uses for all  plans
• Supports desktop, mobile, and tablet devices

Cons:

• Participants must be brought by the users.
• People must first download the Loop11 app to participate.
• In comparison to other plans, this one is more pricey.

Reviews & ratings

Overall rating – 4.5/5 on G2.

Pricing:

Starts at $179/month for the Rapid Insights plan if billed annually.

11. Optimal Workshop

Optimal Workshop is another UX research platform you might want to consider for your research studies. They offer 5 powerful tools that can help to streamline your user research strategy and gather valuable insights.

Features

• Card Sorting
• Tree Testing
• First Click Testing
• Surveys
• Qualitative research

Compare Optimal Workshop with UXtweak.

Pros:

• Easy recruiting from their 50M+ User Panel

Cons:

• The pricing model is not flexible enough and can be expensive for some people.
• Only available in English.

Reviews & ratings

According to Capterra:

Overall score – 4.4/5

Ease of Use – 4.4/5

Customer Service – 5/5

Pricing

A free plan is available. The paid solution starts at $153/month (billed annually). 

12. Maze

Maze is renowned for its rich set of UX resources. It is a great tool that enables agile teams to test, learn, and take action quickly.

Features:

• Prototype Testing
• Survey
• 5 Second Testing
• Card Sorting 
• Tree testing

Pros:

• 70K+ User Panel to recruit participants from
• Easy collaboration with colleagues

Cons:

• Basic analytics for your studies
• Surveying capabilities of Maze are limited

Reviews & ratings

According to Capterra:

Overall score – 4.0/5

Ease of Use – 4.2/5

Customer Service – 3.5/5

Pricing

Free plan available. The pro plan is $75/month (billed annually).

13. Userlytics

Userlytics are renowned for their rich feature set and reasonable pricing structure. Apart from the fact that their UI is rather outdated, it’s a great platform to keep in mind, especially if the tool’s visual aspects aren’t vital to you.

Features:

• Moderated & Unmoderated Usability Testing
• User Testing for Mobile Apps
• Prototype testing
• Card Sorting 
• Tree testing

Pros:

• You can purchase automatic, multilingual, AI-generated transcriptions of your user tests.
• 1M+ User Panel to recruit participants from

Cons:

• Out-dated UI
• No PDF reports are available

Reviews & ratings

According to Capterra:

Overall score – 4.6/5

Ease of Use – 4.5/5

Customer Service – 4.9/5

Pricing

$49/participant, but you can create a customized plan to suit your project’s needs. The cheapest plan is $499/month (billed annually).

14. PlaybookUX

A cloud-based user experience (UX) testing service called PlaybookUX aids companies of all sizes in capturing and examining client interactions with products, websites, and prototypes. They provide a handy pay-as-you-go option in addition to a 7-day free trial.

Features:

• Moderated and Unmoderated usability testing
• Prototype Testing
• Mobile app testing
• Card sorting 
• Tree testing

Pros:

• Intuitive UI
• Flexible pricing 

Cons:

• No user panel available
• No free plan

Reviews & ratings

According to Capterra:

Overall score – 5/5

Ease of Use – 5/5

Customer Service – 5/5

Pricing:

Pro Plan Starting from: $228.00/month (annual billing)

Pay-as-you-go: $49.00/feature

15. UXarmy

A tool designed to aid user researchers, designers, and anyone involved in the development of online products.

Features:

• Moderated and Unmoderated usability testing
• Prototype testing
• Mobile app testing
• Card sorting
• Tree testing

Pros:

• Intuitive, but outdated UI
• Fast setup

Cons:

• No way to preview the test before sending it out
• No user panel

Reviews & ratings

According to Capterra:

Overall score – 4.3/5

Ease of Use – 4.3/5

Customer Service – 4.1/5

Pricing:

In UXArmy you pay for a specific tool, not the whole platform. The prices for the tools start from $59/month and go up to $99. Some of the tools go together with a free plan, some only allow a free trial.

16. Userfeel

A usability testing tool called Userfeel provides videos of actual people talking about their experiences using your website or app.

Features:

• Moderated usability testing
• Unmoderated usability testing

Pros:

• 150K user panel to recruit from

Cons:

• You have to pay $30 to bring your own testers

Reviews & ratings

According to Capterra:

Overall score – 4.5/5

Ease of Use – 4.5/5

Customer Service – 4.0/5

Pricing:

There are no plans. You only pay either for recruiting from their user panel or bringing your own participants. The prices start at $30/respondent and go up to $120/respondent, depending on the testing method you choose.

17. TrymyUI (Trymata)

TryMyUI offers quick, thorough, and affordable usability testing services that can fit into any company’s schedule and workflow.

Features:

• Moderated and unmoderated usability testing
• Prototype testing
• Mobile app testing

Pros:

• 500K user panel to recruit from

Cons:

• Poor customer support
• Outdated UI
• No free plan

Reviews & ratings

According to Capterra:

Overall score – 3.5/5

Ease of Use – 3.1/5

Customer Service – 2.8/5

Pricing:

The cheapest option is $333 per month if billed annually.

18. Useberry

Useberry, a user experience startup with Greek roots, offers a variety of remote testing tools that can support your research activities. This platform is mostly focused on codeless prototype analytics.

Features:

• Single task testing
• Five second testing
• Card sorting
• Tree testing
• First click test
• Surveys
• Usability testing
• Prototype testing

Pros:

• Integrates with 5 different prototyping tools: Figma, Invision, Marvel, Adobe XD, Sketch
• They offer a User Panel you can recruit from

Cons:

• The user panel is quite small compared to other platforms (290K)

Pricing:

Free plan available.

Prices for their paid solutions start from $33/month (annual billing). The most popular Pro plan is $67. 

Free UX research software in 2023

Out of the 18 UX research tools we evaluated, 6 offer usable free plans you helpful when conducting your research. Please keep in mind that the free plans will come with limitations but are great if you are just starting out or if you need to evaluate research software to pick the best solution for your specific needs.

Here are the research platforms offering free plans in 2023 that are worth a try in our opinion.

6 Free Usable UX Research Tools

1. UXtweak
2. Hotjar
3. UsabilityHub
4. Optimal Workshop
5. Maze
6. Useberry

Have you found your favorite user research tool?

In conclusion, UX research is a process of gathering and analyzing data about how users interact with a product or service, with the goal of improving the user experience. It can be conducted through various methods, including user interviews, usability testing, and data analysis. UX research helps to identify the needs and preferences of users, as well as any pain points or difficulties they may encounter while using a product or service. Therefore, it is extremely important to choose a quality tool that will help you with this.

Why not try it now? In case UXtweak made it to your final selection, create a free account or book a demo call, so you are all set for the year 2023. 

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Effective user research tools for improving the UX of your products, from prototypes to production.

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