❕ Important note: This review site presents information relevant for researchers, not for participants in the user panel.
What is Lookback?
Lookback is a cloud-based usability testing tool designed to facilitate user research on various devices. It supports both moderated and unmoderated usability testing, allowing researchers to conduct 1:1 interviews, remote ethnography, card sorting, tree testing, and diary studies.
Key Features of Lookback
What do people think about Lookback?
Pros and cons on this section were formulated by aggregating user feedback from platforms like Capterra.com and G2.com.
Advantages
- Offers moderated Usability Testing: Supports full-screen and face recording of user interactions.
- Download and Sharing: Allows downloading notes and videos, and sharing videos via link.
- Project Organization: Enables creation of different projects with descriptions.
- Note-Taking Tools: Provides timestamped notes for efficient documentation.
Reviews: What do you like best about Lookback?
👌 ”I like that we can invite our own users for usability testing, whether moderated or not. I like that it records the sessions and stores them. It is convenient to be able to create different projects and add descriptions.”
👌 ”Very easy to use and get going with recording. Videos are centralized and easily accessible. Caption or annotation feature is useful.”
– Verified User in Retail, Source: G2
👌 ”Everything is now stored on the cloud. Instead of having to have an external hard drive.”
– Verified User in Internet, Source: G2
Disadvantages
- No Built-in User Tester Pool: Users must invite their own testers, which can be time-consuming.
- Participant Privacy Concerns: Participants need to enter their name and email, raising data privacy issues.
- Google Chrome Plugin Requirement: Requires Google Chrome plugin, which is inconvenient for non-Chrome users.
- Session Visibility Problems: Issues with users attending sessions but unable to see or interact with each other.
- Recording Limitations: When using Zoom with Lookback, the recorder cannot take notes in Lookback simultaneously.
Reviews: What do you dislike about Lookback?
👎 ”Users have a lot of difficulty with the plug-in, which sometimes causes no-shows. I found out that some of the users came to the session, but we could not see each other for some reason.”
👎 ”Videos tend to take a while to upload to the cloud. There’s no option to save videos locally, and we’ve lost videos that weren’t able to uploaded properly.”
– Verified User in Retail, Source: G2
👎 ”Buggy. Sometimes sound or video cuts out mid session for remote observers.”
– Verified User in Internet, Source: G2
Identifying potential alternatives for Lookback
🐝 Tip: For more alternatives, explore the “UserTesting alternatives” article for a comprehensive list of options.
UXtweak
UXtweak is a user research tool that provides various features like tree testing, first-click testing, and mobile testing, all in one platform. It also includes tools for recruitment and participant management. With flexible and affordable pricing, it’s a practical choice for UX professionals.
Key Features of UXtweak
- Moderated testing
- Advanced Mobile Usability Testing
- Website Testing
- Session Recording
- Card Sorting
- Tree Testing
Reviews: What do you like best about UXtweak?
👌 “I love how easy and quick it is to set up the tests. To import the prototype from Figma you just need a link. It imports all your transitions directly from Figma or you can choose to connect the screens manually during setup. The analytics are great, you can easily filter out specific respondent groups, based on different criteria, and analyze results for each of them. I like that you can get a great amount of qual and quant insights without having to spend hours on the manual analysis.”
– Syuzana G., Source: G2
👌 “We used UXtweak to test usability of our mobile app’s interface and it helped greatly. We were able to recruit a rather niche audience of participants directly in the app, which honestly saved a lot of time. The study had great analytics for each task of our test. There are also recordings for each session that you can come back to for further analysis.”
– Emilly S., Source: G2
👌 “Their card sorting feature. It’s a great tool that offers an incredible amount of analytics and features for such a price.”
– David, Source: G2
Reviews: What do you dislike about UXtweak?
👎 “The UI of the study setup could use a face lift, it’s quite outdated.”
– David, Source: G2
👎 “There is currently nothing we dislike about UXtweak, as we always get enough insights about our products that we can implement into the practice straight away.“
– Matej K., Source: G2
👎 “Sometimes it takes time to import Figma prototypes. I guess because of API. Also, the interface of UXtweak should be a little bit more designed. Their site is very modern, but the application can also be redesigned. But it is functional and easy to use.“
– Denisa M., Source: G2
Pricing
When selecting a platform, it’s crucial to assess its cost and ensure it matches your research needs and budget. Now, let’s explore the affordability of the platforms we’ve reviewed.
Lookback
- Freelance: $300/year – Solo plan with 10 sessions/year, core features, 24/7 Help Center, and a free 60-day trial.
- Team: $1,788/year – Includes 100 sessions/year, core features, unlimited collaborators, 24/7 Help Center, and a free 60-day trial.
- Insights Hub: $4,128/year – Offers 300 sessions/year, core features, security self-assessment, priority support, and a free 60-day trial.
- Enterprise: Custom pricing – Unlimited sessions, core features, unlimited observers, dedicated CSM support, and team demo.
UXtweak
- Starter Plan: Free
- Plus Plan: $708/year ($59 monthly).
- Business Plan: $1,812/year ($151 monthly).
- Enterprise Plan: Starts at $5,000/year.
Subscription options are typically annual with monthly payments available; plans can be easily changed or canceled. Check UXtweak’s pricing page for more details.
Lookback reviews and ratings on review platforms
Let’s review user feedback for each tool. The table below shows ratings from G2, TrustRadius, and Capterra.
Review Site | Lookback | UXtweak |
4.3/5 | 4.8/5 | |
7.6/10 | 10/10 | |
3.4/5 | 4.8/5 |
Decision-Making Guide: Is Lookback Right for Your Team?
If you can navigate the challenges of privacy concerns, the necessity for users to have the Google Chrome plugin, and the need to source your own user testers, Lookback presents itself as a useful tool. Its strengths lie particularly in moderated usability testing, offering support for full-screen and face recording as users engage with websites. However, Lookback is known to be buggy, with issues such as sound or video cutting out mid-session, which can hinder the testing experience.
Unlike Lookback, which faces issues like privacy concerns and technical bugs, UXtweak offers a seamless experience. It provides reliable respondents while respecting tester privacy and has a favorable price-quality ratio. UXtweak’s advantages include a diverse toolset, adaptable questionnaire design, and an integrated feature for easy audience targeting. Additionally, UXtweak’s customer support is highly responsive and helpful, making it a reliable alternative for user research needs.