Key Takeaways
βοΈ Mazeβs Starter Plan is restrictive, allowing only one study per month, while the Organization Plan starting at $15,000/year feels like a leap.
π οΈ Key features like card sorting, tree testing, and prototype testing are limited to Mazeβs higher-tier plans. In contrast, UXtweak and Optimal Workshop include these tools in more affordable options.
π Mazeβs participant targeting can feel limited. Alternatives like UXtweak and Userlytics offer broader options, including access to global testers and advanced filters.
π Based on Capterra reviews, UXtweak scores 4.8/5, followed by UsabilityHub (now Lyssna) at 4.7 and Maze at 4.5. Users consistently praise UXtweak for its ease of use and outstanding customer service
πΒ Discover UXtweakΒ for cost-effective, reliable, and versatile UX research!
Comparison table
Hereβs a quick comparison table of tool reviews from Capterra, free plan availability, and the pricing of the plans most suitable for mid-size businesses.
For context: Maze has a 4.5/5 rating on Capterra, offers a limited free plan, and its Organization Plan starts at $15,000/year. They also have a Starter Plan; however, itβs quite limited and may not meet the needs of serious research projects.
Rating | Free Plan | Pricing | |
UXtweak | 4.8 / 5 | ✓ | Plus plan - $708/year |
UsabilityHub (Lyssna) | 4.7 / 5 | ✓ | Pro plan - $2,100/year |
Userlytics | 4.5 / 5 | ✕ | Custom plan - Starts at $3,500/year |
Hotjar | 4.7 / 5 | ✓ | Bussiness plan (with 1.5k daily sessions): $2,400/year |
UserTesting | 4.5 / 5 | ✕ | Custom plan: Starts at $30,000/year |
Optimizely | 4.0 / 5 | ✓ | Upon request |
Crazy Egg | 4.5 / 5 | ✓ | Plus plan: $1,188/year |
UserZoom | 4.4 / 5 | ✕ | Custom plan: Starts at around $70,000/year |
Optimal Workshop | 4.4 / 5 | ✓ | Pro plan $2,496/year |
Userbrain | 4.3 / 5 | ✓ | Pro plan: $3,130/year |
TryMata | 3.6 / 5 | ✕ | Team plan (for 2): $3,996/year |
Lookback | 3.4 / 5 | ✓ | Team plan (100 sessions per year): $1,788/year |
12 Best Maze Alternatives & Competitors in 2025
π Tip: Take a moment to review Maze’s features, or jump straight into exploring other options!
1. UXtweak
Best for: UX researchers and UX designers (holistic website and mobile usability testing)
UXtweak remains a strong choice among Maze alternatives, offering a full suite of usability testing tools, user behavior analytics, and information architecture research. Designed for both websites and web apps, it supports projects at every stage – from prototype to production.
With UXtweak, youβll find all the tools you need for effective research. Compared to Maze, it stands out with faster participant recruitment, more precise targeting, and a broader range of features to meet diverse testing needs.
Features
- Moderated Testing & User Interviews
- Tree Testing & Online Card Sort ToolΒ (open, closed and hybrid)
- Prototype Testing (with Invision, Figma, and Axure integrations)
- Usability testingΒ (for websites and mobile applications)
- Preference Testsing, Five Second Testing, First Click Testing
- Session Recording & Heatmaps tool
- Survey tool
Need to conduct moderated research?
With UXtweak you canΒ recruit, schedule, conduct, and analyze user interviews or any other moderated studies directly in one platform.
Try ourΒ Freefrom InterviewΒ tool for user interviews or useΒ Study InterviewsΒ to run any UXtweak studies moderated (eg. moderated card sorting, moderated website testingβ¦).
Moderated testing supports multiple recruitment methods:
- Bring your own participants
- Access prequalified participants from a globalΒ User PanelΒ in 130+ countries
- Turn site visitors into participants withΒ Onsite Recruiting
- Use your custom panel withΒ Own Database
Pros
- Numerous tools for various kinds of digital assets testing β all that Maze offers and more
- According to several G2 reviews, UXtweak offers exceptional customer service and has a responsive support staff that can solve any issue in a matter of hours
- Own Database to manage your own testers (equivalent to Reach at Maze) and an onsite recruiting widget to recruit your real users
- Panel of 155M+ participants worldwide (testers from 130 countries, 2000+ profiling attributes) with advanced panel targeting criteria available in all plans
- There is a free plan with no time limit
- User-Friendly Interface
Cons
- The platformβs frequent addition of complex features may pose a challenge for users
- UXtweak note: To address this, new tutorial videos are being produced.
Reviews
Based on the information provided by Capterra:
- Overall Score β 4.8/5
- Ease of Use β 4.7/5
- Customer Service β 5/5
- Value for money β 4.8/5
π‘ Pro Tip
Compare the features and capabilities ofΒ UXtweak vs Maze in this in-depth comparison
Pricing plans
UXtweak offers various pricing plans, each designed to suit different testing needs, including a no-cost option for smaller projects.
- Starter Plan: Free, includes all features, 1 active study, and 15 monthly responses.
- Basic Plan: β¬1,356/year (β¬113/month), offers 3 active studies, 50 responses/month, unlimited reports, and video exports.
- Custom Plan: Tailored for large projects with unlimited responses and custom support. Flexible pricing available.
All plans are typically billed annually, with a monthly subscription option for extra flexibility. Plans can be changed or canceled anytime. Visit UXtweakβs pricing page for detailed plan features.
Get a firsthand experience of UXtweak’s demos to see user interactions and analytics in action β
2. UsabilityHub (currently Lyssna)
Best for: surveys
Another good Maze competitor is the Australia-based UsabilityHub. It is a remote user research platform that employs a variety of research methodologies to deliver immediate input on the customer experience of your digital products.
Features
- First Click Test
- Survey
- Preference Test
- Five Second Test
- Interviews
- Prototype testing
Pros
- When it comes to running surveys or obtaining data the user-friendly interface gives a lot of flexibility
- Design evaluations and preference tests are particularly useful for coming up with proposals for improving existing websites and gaining feedback on mock-ups of recommended alterations.
- 340K user panel
Cons
- There are no video answers of unmoderated tests available
- Poor diversity of respondents β Customers have complained that it is difficult to find qualified testers in non-English-speaking countries
- Returning to multiple setup processes and finding that information you have already entered is missing
Reviews
Based on the user ratings provided by Capterra.
- Overall Score β 4.7
- Ease of Use β 4.6/5
- Customer Service β 4.6/5
- Value for money β 4.5/5
Pricing plans
- Free Plan: $0/month (3 seats, 2-min tests, 15 self-recruited responses).
- Basic Plan: $75/month (3 seats included, 10-seat max, 5-min tests).
- Pro Plan: $175/month (5 seats included, 15-seat max, unlimited test lengths).
- Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing with unlimited seats and features (contact sales).
Did you know that…?
A CEI survey found thatΒ 86% of buyers are willing to pay moreΒ for a better customer experience, yet onlyΒ 1% of customersΒ believe that vendors consistently meet their expectations.
3. Userlytics
Best for: global tester access
Userlytics’ advanced features set and competitive pricing are well-known and they make a good alternative to Maze. Their user interface is rather outdated, but otherwise, they offer a great platform. If the tool’s aesthetic elements aren’t essential to you, this is a great pick.
Features
- Website Usability Testing
- User Testing for Mobile Apps
- Moderated Studies
- Prototype Testing
- Card Sorting & Tree Testing
- Sentiment Analysis
- VR Testing
Pros
- You may interact with a range of user profiles from all around the world thanks to the global participant panel
- Automatic, multilingual transcriptions of your assessments produced by AI
- Quantitative metrics like time on task, SUS, NPS, and SUPR
Cons
- Several customers voiced their discontent due to audio issues and the testing process being a little too slow
- The PDF format is not available for reports
- There isn’t much demographic information provided by Userlytics about the participants
- Due to its age and poor usability, its user interface might benefit from being upgraded
Reviews
Based on the information provided by Capterra.
- Overall β 4.7/5
- Ease of Use β 4.6/5
- Customer Service β 4.9/5
- Value for Money β 4.7/5
Pricing plans
Hereβs a quick summary of Userlytics pricing (though the structure isnβt very transparent and no free trial is available):
- Project-Based: Starts at $99 per session (minimum purchase of 5 sessions).
- Enterprise: As low as $34 per session (requires an annual plan with volume discounts).
- Limitless: Custom pricing for unlimited accounts and tests (contact sales).
π‘ Pro Tip
We researchedΒ user testing softwareΒ and wrote anΒ articleΒ about it for you.
4. Hotjar
Best for: visualizing user behavior with heatmaps
User feedback platform Hotjar is a great alternative to Maze, albeit with slightly different features. As part of its product experience insights offering, Hotjar provides behavior analytics and feedback data to assist you in understanding and empathizing with your consumers. You can better understand what’s occurring on your site and why, however, it is not a traditional user research software that offers usability testing.
Features
- Heatmaps
- Recordings
- Surveys
- Feedback surveys
Pros
- Implementation and installation are easy
- Without any storage limitations, Hotjar will store all of your surveys and their findings
- Outstanding customer service
- Great heatmaps and session recording tool – track customer journeys to find out which elements have received the most clicks, rage clicks, or dead clicks
Cons
- The usefulness of the free plan is simply average
- Problems with analytics tools β Some clients have expressed dissatisfaction with the difficulties they encountered while using analytics services to organize and analyze research data
- No tools for prototype and website testing like Maze has
Reviews
Based on the information provided by Capterra:
- Overall Score β 4.7/5
- Ease of Use β 4.6/5
- Customer Service β 4.5/5
- Value for money β 4.5/5
Pricing plans
- Free: $0/month (Up to 5k monthly sessions, unlimited heatmaps, and 1-month data access).
- Growth: $40/month (Starts from 7k sessions, funnels, 13-month data access, frustration scores, and more integrations).
- Pro: Custom pricing (Starts from 1M sessions, journey analysis, advanced heatmaps, precision filtering).
- Enterprise: Custom pricing (Includes digital experience monitoring, unlimited projects in a region, and extended data retention).
5. UserTesting
Best for: Video-first testing
UserTesting was among the first sites for unmoderated testing. According to their data, there are more than 1.5 million testers in their panel, which usually ensures rapid responses. Product teams have access to a complex platform with a variety of choices for doing and evaluating user testing and gaining valuable insights.
Key Features:
- Website testing
- Mobile application testing
- Prototype testing (integrations with many design tools)
- Card sort & Tree test
- Preference test
- 5 second test
- Survey tool
- 1:1 interviews with testers
Pros
- Communication with your testers while they are on your website is made possible through controlled user testing
- A substantial sample of participants for your experiment
- Advanced targeting β One of the features that customers love the most is the ability to more precisely target their potential clients for research thanks to the vast participant pool
- Instant insights β You got all the facts as soon as you could because there were so many replies
Cons
- Weak analytical tools β Users have complained that the automatic reports they provide are difficult to understand for people who aren’t scholars (e.g. shareholders)
- Limited diversity among testers β Despite the platform’s excellent tester pool, several customers reported difficulty finding research subjects who spoke languages other than English.
- You must pay to bring your own testers
- Reports with problems β Some users say that it is difficult to understand and assess UserTesting findings, which makes it difficult to quickly compress data
Reviews
Based on the information by Capterra:
- Overall Score β 4.5/5
- Ease of Use β 4.4/5
- Customer Service β 4.4/5
- Value for money β 4.5/5
Pricing plans
- Upon request, starting at around $40,000/year.
- Free trial/ Freemium β Upon request.
π‘ Pro Tip
Learn howΒ UserTesting compares to UserZoom.
6. Optimizely
Best for: A/B testing
The most well-known feature of Optimizely is A/B testing. One of the most enticing advantages of their user testing software is how easily new studies can be produced. The user’s dashboard makes everything available right away. It operates efficiently and swiftly and assists you in improving customer experiences.
Features
- A/B testing
- Multivariate Testing
- Tracking of clicks and conversations
Pros
- A variety of application capabilities for managing the work of several teams
- In addition to a wide selection of extensions, APIs, and code choices, Optimizely providesa visual editor for designers
- Both creating new user accounts and managing projects are easy
Cons
- Offers great features but some of Maze’s features are missing, which might make it a good alternative if you are looking to change your approach to optimizing UX
Reviews
Based on the information provided by Capterra:
- Overall score β 4.0/5
- Ease of Use β 4.0/5
- Customer Service β 4.0/5
- Value for money – 3.0/5
Pricing plans
Upon request
7. Crazy Egg
Best for: scroll-based analysis
A click-based tool for usability testing and website optimization is called CrazyEgg. It may be used to make heatmaps and get an in-depth look into user behavior on your website. CrazyEgg assists you in comprehending the online experience of your clients by utilizing Snapshots and Recordings. The platform allows you to get quantitative and qualitative insights into user behavior, base your design decisions on data, and ensure the success of your product.
Features
- Snapshot reporting
- Heatmaps and scroll maps
- Session recordings
Pros
- 30-day trials for all of its programs
- Enables the traffic analysis of advertising campaigns
- A 30-day refund guarantee
Cons
- Limited visualizations β Neither mouse movements nor attention maps are included in the heatmaps
- Customers have voiced their discontent with the platform’s website, complaining that it was hard to browse
Reviews
Based on the information provided by Capterra:
- Overall Score β 4.5/5
- Ease of Use β 4.5 /5
- Customer Service β 4.2/5
- Value for money β 4.1/5
Pricing plans
Hereβs the pricing summary for Crazy Egg:
- Plus: $99/month (150,000 tracked pageviews, 75 snapshots, 1,000 recordings/month, 2 years of recording storage).
- Pro: $249/month (500,000 tracked pageviews, 100 snapshots, 5,000 recordings/month, 2 years of recording storage).
- Enterprise: $499/month (1,000,000 tracked pageviews, 200 snapshots, 10,000 recordings/month, 2 years of recording storage, SAML Single Sign-On, onboarding, and training).
All plans include unlimited surveys, responses, websites, and A/B tests with priority support. A free 30-day trial is available.
8. UserZoom (now part of UserTesting)
Best for: Frequent moderated studies
UserZoom is a user feedback platform for doing enterprise-level user experience research and testing. It may be applied to testing websites and prototypes, tracking the activities of remote testers, doing market research, and other activities. They offer both moderated and unmoderated tests and depending on your demands, you may add a range of additional features to your plan.
Standout features:
- Click testing
- Surveys
- Usability testing
- User interviews
- QX score (analytics tools)
- Card sorting
- Tree testing
- Participant recruitment
- Live intercept
Pros
- Varied toolkit
- UserZoom is one of the few companies having the capacity to perform benchmarking
- Countless screening questions
Cons
- Problems with website usability
- Pricey β Because UserZoom is primarily a platform for large organizations, their pricing plans can be out of your price range if you’re on a tight budget
- Can be difficult to use β The platform’s user interface could seem a little perplexing and unintuitive to a complete novice
Reviews
Based on the information provided by Capterra:
- Overall Score β 4.4/5
- Ease of Use β 4.5/5
- Customer Service β 4.7/5
- Value for money β 4.6/5
Pricing plans
- Upon request, starting at around $70,000/year.
- Free trial/ Freemium β No
9. Optimal Workshop
Best for: card sorting and tree testing
Optimal Workshop is another one out of Maze alternatives that you should consider for your user research studies. They offer 5 efficient techniques that might assist you in planning your user research project and gathering useful information.
Features
- Card Sorting
- Tree Testing
- First Click Testing
- Surveys
- Qualitative insights
Pros
- Simple recruiting from their user panel of 50+ million users
- Quick feedback on your design
- Excellent, intuitive user interface β Many people have praised Optimal Workshop for how simple and smooth the survey setup process is, which is unquestionably a crucial advantage that customers are seeking for
Cons
- Many unreliable responders, based on the reviews
- Limited support for languages
- Using big samples causes performance problems
- The inability to classify test participants into groups
Reviews
Based on the information by Capterra:
- Overall Score β 4.4/5
- Ease of Use β 4.0/5
- Customer Service β 5.0/5
- Value for money β 4.3/5
Pricing plans
Hereβs the pricing summary for Optimal Workshop:
- Individual: $107/month (billed annually) for 1 user. Includes 2 live studies, tree testing, card sorting, and access to the Optimal Academy.
- Teams: Custom pricing for up to 3 users. Adds first-click testing, prototype testing, surveys, and qualitative insights.
- Enterprise: Custom pricing for advanced research needs. Includes everything in Teams plus administrator controls, dedicated customer success manager, multiple workspaces, private projects, and single sign-on (SSO).
Contact sales for Teams and Enterprise pricing details.
π‘ Pro Tip
Learn more about how UXtweak compares to Optimal Workshop!
10. Userbrain
Best for: automated testing
A solid Maze competitor. You can thoroughly grasp any possible issues that your customers could have when using your digital products by leveraging the platform’s broad website and prototype testing features. Test everything, post questions, and provide your feedback on voice-over movies. The recordings may be linked to and shared with peers. They can also be annotated and labeled for easier organizing. Userbrain is recognized for its flexible, optional pricing structure.
Features
- Website Testing
- Prototype testing
- Mobile testing
Pros
- Regular automated testing β Continuous research may be conducted without having to start fresh studies every time the data has to be updated thanks to regular automated testing
- Excellent customer service β A number of users have named UserBrain’s customer support as its best attribute
- User-friendly interface
Cons
- Very limited research toolkit β Userbrain is a great platform, but it may not be sufficient if you want to do a UX study using multiple research methods
- Only English, German, and Spanish languages are supported
- Demographic data is missing
- Customer support β Several people have voiced their displeasure with the slowness and lack of responsiveness of the customer assistance
Reviews
Based on the information provided by Capterra:
- Overall Score β 4.3/5
- Ease of Use β 4.6/5
- Customer Service β 4.6/5
- Value for money β 4.4/5
Pricing plans
Take a look at Userbrainβs pricing structure:
- Free: β¬0/month (5 collaborator seats, test with your own users, no AI insights, highlight clips, or automated reports).
- Starter: β¬99/month (billed yearly). Includes 36 testers/year, 5 collaborator seats, AI insights, highlight clips, and automated test reports.
- Pro: β¬299/month (billed yearly). Includes 120 testers/year, 20 collaborator seats, and all Starter features.
- Agency: β¬799/month (billed yearly). Includes 360 testers/year, 50 collaborator seats, and all Pro features.
Free trials are available for paid plans, and no credit card is required to sign up.
11. TryMyUI (now Trymata)
Best for: testing customer journeys
TryMyUI, a California-based firm that is now Trymata, provides software that helps businesses do UX research. Two separate tools are available on the platform: one is for platform analytics and the other is for usability testing (unmoderated tests & moderated tests). They are one of the strong Maze alternatives, however, beware the slow customer service.
Features
- Moderated and unmoderated usability testing
- Prototype testing
- Web & Mobile app testing
- First impression testing
Pros
- 500K panel of testers
- Good compatibility with design tools for interactive prototype testing (Invision Studio, Adobe XD, Figma)
Cons
- Rather lacking customer service
- The user interface is hard to navigate
Reviews
Based on the information provided by Capterra
- Overall score β 3.8/5
- Ease of Use β 3.5/5
- Customer Service β 3.5/5
- Value of money – 3.5/5
Pricing plans
Hereβs the pricing overview for Trymata:
Team: $399/month
Includes 10 Trymata panel testers/month, 10 invites/month for your own users, UX Diagnostics metrics, 36 highlight reels/year, and 2 total seats.
Enterprise: $1,667/month (billed annually)
Includes 360 Trymata panel testers/year, unlimited testing with your own users, up to 16 multi-choice screeners, video transcripts, unlimited highlight reels, and 5 total seats.
Unlimited: $3,333/month (billed annually)
Includes unlimited panel testers, all Enterprise features, unlimited seats, and early access to new features.
Agency: Custom pricing (billed annually)
Designed for agencies, includes separate test data for clients, switching between dashboards, gated client access, and unlimited seats.
Free trials are available for all plans. Contact sales for more details.
12. Lookback
Best for: real-time collaboration
Lookback is a useful tool for collecting and examining customer reviews. This company offers a range of tools, including options for both moderated interviews and unmoderated examinations. You will benefit immensely from using these tools, which are cheaply priced, to create a clear information architecture and conduct usability testing.
Features
- Remote ethnography
- 1:1 interviews
- Usability testing
- Remote card sorting
- Tree testing
- Diary studies
Pros
- Flexible and reasonable price
- The chat, broadcast, and video editing tools are all excellent auxiliary features
- There is no cap on the number of participants
- Live broadcasts β Lookback offers a feature that lets you share and talk about your results with your coworkers within digital teams in real-time
Cons
- No pool of testers is available
- Bad customer support
- There is no way to participate anonymously in the testing, which is exclusively available on Google Chrome
Reviews
Based on the information provided by Capterra:
- Overall Score β 3.4/5
- Ease of Use β 3.5/5
- Customer Service β 2.1/5
- Value for money β 3.0/5
Pricing plans
- Freelance plan: $25/month (billed annually at $299). Includes 10 sessions/year, core features, and 24/7 Help Center access.
- Team plan: $149/month (billed annually at $1,782). Includes 100 sessions/year, unlimited collaborators, core features, and 24/7 Help Center access.
- Insights Hub plan: $344/month (billed annually at $4,122). Includes 300 sessions/year, security self-assessment, priority support, and core features.
- Enterprise plan: Custom pricing. Includes unlimited sessions, unlimited observers, a dedicated customer success manager (CSM), and core features.
A free 60-day trial is available for Freelance, Team, and Insights Hub plans. Contact sales for Enterprise pricing details.
Need a quick recap of what Maze offers?
Maze is a remote user testing platform with features for prototype testing, website testing, card sorting and tree testing, and a survey tool. They also provide help with participant recruitment with their user panel and a participant management system called Reach.
Did you know that�
Some UX professionals have shared frustrations with tools like UserTesting, Maze, and Userlytics. UserTesting is often criticized for its outrageously high prices, Maze for promising features that are still βon the roadmapβ, and Userlytics for its difficulty in finding qualified testers for niche industries.
If youβre looking for a reliable, cost-effective alternative, UXtweak is a standout choice. It provides access to prequalified participants, advanced analytics, and seamless integrations with tools like Figma β offering the functionality you need right now, without the wait or the high cost π
In 2025, Maze’s pricing structure remains restrictive, offering limited flexibility and value for money compared to alternatives. Hereβs a quick summary of the paid plans:
- Free: $0/month
- 1 study per month
- 5 seats included
- Starter: $99/month or $1,188/year
- 1 study per month
- 5 seats included
- Organization: Custom pricing (contact sales)
- Includes custom studies
- Unlimited seats
Maze’s limitations: Why consider switching to an alternative?
- The quality of respondents in the user panel is somewhat lacking and the targeting options are very poor in the Starter and Team plan (only basic demographics)
- Limited number of studies you can conduct (1 study/month on Starter Plan, 20 studies/year in the Team Plan)
- No solution for mobile app testing
- Purchase and use problems with participant credits
- The price is quite high for the value and small variety of features offered
- Works best only on lightweight prototypes (users often mention freezing when using larger Figma prototypes
- Hybrid card sorting is not available and open card sorting is only available in the Team and Enterprise plans
Struggling to choose The One out of these Maze alternatives?
We hope the list of Maze alternatives helped you get a better understanding of what other tools are out there and what they offer. If you liked the sound of UXtweak, how about setting up a free account on UXtweak and giving it a try? It might be a match π