Key takeaways
📉 Optimal Workshop has become less appealing over time due to higher prices and the reduction or restriction of some features.
💪 Maze’s strength lies in its ease of implementation and control over survey creation.
🔦 Despite its user-friendly nature and straightforward survey setup, Maze faces issues with prototype stability and report editing difficulties.
🔎 Optimal Workshop is primarily focused on card sorting and tree testing, which are important for improving website navigation.
🐝 UXtweak simplifies finding study participants directly in the app, offers seamless data exports for website improvements, and boasts prompt customer support.
🍯 Standing out against Maze and Optimal Workshop, UXtweak provides a seamless, user-centric research platform free from participant reliability complaints. It features a broad range of advanced tools and delivers reliable respondents at a competitive price.
👉 Discover UXtweak – sign up for free today!
Come along as we explore the features, benefits, and possibilities of these tools, helping you make the most informed decision for your design requirements.
The best Maze and Optimal Workshop alternative – UXtweak
UXtweak stands out as an attractive option compared to Maze and Optimal Workshop, establishing itself as an all-in-one user research platform.
It offers an extensive array of functionalities designed to enhance the usability of websites and apps at every stage, from early prototypes to completed products.
UXtweak distinguishes itself with a rare mix of features on one platform, such as tree testing, first-click testing, five-second tests, and mobile app testing. It also includes a full range of research and recruitment tools, as well as solutions for managing participants.
This combination of diverse features, along with its flexible and affordable pricing, positions UXtweak as a thorough and accessible choice for UX experts.
🔽 Check out UXtweak’s demos to see user interactions and real-time analytics yourself!
Maze vs Optimal Workshop: Features and Capabilities
Features | Maze | Optimal Workshop | UXtweak |
Website Usability Testing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Mobile Apps Testing | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
Prototype Testing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ (Compatible with Figma, InVision, Axure) |
Card Sorting | ✓ (avaliable in Team and Organization plan) | ✓ (Open, Closed, Hybrid) | ✓ (available on all plans) |
Tree Testing | ✓ (avaliable in Team and Organization plan) | ✓ | ✓ |
Preference Testing | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
First Click Testing | ✗ | ✓ (With click heatmaps) | ✓ |
5 Second Testing | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
A/B Testing | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
Moderated/User Interviews | ✓ | ✓ no unmoderated testing available | ✓ (on Enterprise plans) conduct directly in one platform* |
Session recording | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
Survey | ✓ (only in the Starter plan and higher) | ✓ (With skip logic) | ✓ |
Onsite Recruiting/ Website recruiting widget | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
Branching logic (conditional logic) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
*UXtweak offers built in features to recruit, schedule, conduct, and analyze user interviews or any other moderated studies.
The table shows which platforms offer the most features.
Specifically, UXtweak includes all the features mentioned, frequently adding improvements (like advanced targeting options) or offering them at a better price (such as password-protected studies) compared to the other two platforms.
Need to conduct moderated research?
With UXtweak, you can recruit, schedule, conduct, and analyze user interviews or any other moderated studies directly in one platform.
Try our Freefrom Interview tool for user interviews or use Study Interviews to run any UXtweak studies moderated (eg. moderated card sorting, moderated website testing…).
Moderated testing supports multiple recruitment methods:
- Bring your own participants
- Access prequalified participants from a global User Panel in 130+ countries
- Turn site visitors into participants with Onsite Recruiting
- Use your custom panel with Own Database
Maze vs Optimal Workshop: Participant Recruitment and Management capabilities
The table compares how Maze, UserZoom, and UXtweak handle participant recruitment and management for usability studies.
Capabilities | Maze | Optimal Workshop | UXtweak |
User Panel | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Panel size | 130+ countries | 50+ million participants | 130+ countries |
Advanced Targeting criteria | ✓ Only in Organization plan Targeting on other plans only by basic demographics (Country, Age, Sex) | ✓ (use of custom recruitment) | ✓ (2000+ attributes) |
Expert audit | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ (included with each order from User Panel) |
Ability to bring your own users | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ (for free) |
Participant management solution | ✓ (Reach Database) | ✗ | ✓ (available on all plans) |
Automatic QA of responses | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
🐝 Want to boost conversion rates using key insights but lack access to real users? Check out UXtweak today!
Maze vs Optimal Workshop: Pricing and Plans Comparison
When choosing a user testing tool, keep an eye on the price. Look for a tool that meets your research needs without stretching your budget. Next, we’ll dive into the cost-effectiveness of these research platforms.
Maze’s Pricing Options
- Free Plan: No cost, perfect for those new to usability testing. It comes with 1 study per month, 5 seats, and basic features.
- Starter Plan: $99 per month or $1,188 annually, designed for small teams beginning their product research journey. This plan includes unlimited blocks, advanced features, and 5 seats.
- Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing for very large organizations that require a broad range of research activities. This plan provides tailored studies and seats, a full set of features, and strong security options.
Looking to Switch to UXtweak but Locked into Maze subscription? 👀
If you’re currently subscribed to Maze but want to explore what UXtweak has to offer, we have a special deal for you! We will provide free access to UXtweak for the remaining duration of your Maze subscription.
No concerns about additional expenses or the need to initiate a new procurement procedure. Simply talk to our sales team or reach out to us at sales@uxtweak.com, and we’ll set you up.
Optimal Workshop Pricing Options
Optimal Workshop used to have a free plan, but now they only offer Starter and Enterprise plans.
- Starter Plan: Priced at $199 per month (billed only annually), it offers 5 live studies and participant responses per study.
- Enterprise Plan: Customized pricing solutions available upon request.
💡 Pro Tip
Wondering if Optimal Workshop is worth the cost? In the Optimal Workshop pricing article, we break down its pricing plans, features, and limitations to help you decide if it’s the right tool for you.
UXtweak Pricing Options
UXtweak has designed a variety of pricing plans to suit different user testing requirements:
- Free Plan (€0/month) – Forever free, a great way to experiment with UX research tools at no cost. Includes access to all tools, 15 responses/month, 1 active study, and 14-day access to results.
- Business Plan (€92/month, billed annually) – Ideal for teams that require essential UX research tools and features for their projects. Includes 50 responses/month (upgradable), 1 active study (upgradable), unlimited tasks per study, 12-month data retention, reports and video exports.
- Custom Plan (Pricing upon request) – Tailored for organizations with advanced research needs, providing unlimited active studies, customizable responses, live interviews, access to a global user panel and much more.
For more information on the features of each plan, visit the UXtweak pricing page. 🐝
Maze vs Optimal Workshop: Customer Reviews
To fairly evaluate the three platforms, we’ve added a table with information from capterra.com. This site collects user reviews of different platforms.
Maze | Optimal Workshop | UXtweak | |
Overall Score | 4.5/5 | 4.5/5 | 4.8/5 |
Ease of Use | 4.3/5 | 4.0/5 | 4.7/5 |
Customer Service | 3.9/5 | 5.0/5 | 5.0/5 |
Value for money | 4.1/5 | 4.3/5 | 4.8/5 |
🐝 Note from the author: Pros and cons on this page were formulated by aggregating user feedback from platforms like Capterra.com and G2.com.
Maze
Pros
- User-Friendly Survey Creation: Maze’s intuitive interface makes survey construction easy, offering users both control and simplicity.
- Simple Prototype Testing Setup: Setting up prototype testing is direct, with easy steps and the option to link a prototype from Figma.
- Diverse Question Types: Supports complex questions through a wide variety of question formats.
Cons
- Prototype Performance Issues: Users report frequent crashes with prototypes, especially on mobile, negatively affecting the user experience.
- Report Customization Challenges: Difficulties arise when trying to edit reports, such as altering content or rearranging slides, and there’s no straightforward way to merge multiple test reports.
- Ineffective Heat Maps: The heat mapping feature often fails to deliver clear, actionable insights.
- Test Participant Reliability: There are instances of test participants not fully committing to tests, with a notable number dropping out or exiting the test prematurely, despite compensation.
Source: G2.com
Optimal Workshop
Pros
- User-Friendly Setup: The tool is straightforward to set up and initiate, although it may be slightly less intuitive during actual activities.
- Concept Association Exploration: OptimalSort is effective for exploring how individuals associate concepts.
- Effective for Card Sorting and Tree Testing: Optimal Workshop is effective for card sorting and tree structure testing, making it a valuable tool for optimizing website navigation.
- Helpful Results Analysis: The tool provides valuable results analysis to enhance usability.
Cons
- No free plan
- Expensive plans for what it is (199/month)
- No flexibility (no monthly plan option)
- Limited research methods (mostly focused on IA tools)
- Performance issues, when working with bigger studies
- Lacking advanced survey features
- Low-quality responses from participants
It used to be brilliant… but then they changed their pricing strategy, to fund other products. Once the subscription has expired there’s no access to your studies for analysis, despite having paid for the study. With that, I wouldn’t recommend, nor will be using again going forward.
Source: Trustpilot
Stop settling for less. Switch to UXtweak.
❌ If you’re frustrated with expensive pricing, limited research methods and flexibility, there’s a better way.
Why UXtweak is the better choice:
✅ All-in-one platform – 15+ research methods in one tool
✅ More value at a better price – our upgradable Business plans starts at $92 per month
✅ Top-rated customer support
✅ High quality recruiting – Study audits and recruiting are handled by an expert
✅ Better performance – Handles large studies without issues
See Why Teams Are Switching To UXtweak – Try It For Free Today!
UXtweak
Pros
- Wide Range of Test Options: Users appreciate the variety of test options available at fair pricing, making UXtweak a cost-effective choice for user research and analytics.
- Clear Exports: It provides straightforward exports, aiding in advocating for necessary website structure changes.
- Responsive Customer Support: The support team consists of experts who promptly address issues and offer effective solutions to users’ problems.
- Seamless Integration with Figma Prototypes: The platform seamlessly integrates with Figma prototypes, making testing quick and efficient.
- Easy Audience Sourcing: UXtweak lets you quickly find study participants within the app, without needing extra tools.
- Interactive Demos: The ability to interact with demos of each tool allows users to gain a real view of how data is presented, enhancing understanding and usability.
Cons
- Confusing Layout: Some parts of the app aren’t easy to figure out, like the left menu.
- Complex Setup: Setting up studies can be hard because there are so many options.
- Learning Curve: It takes time to get used to the dashboard, but it gets easier with practice.
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- UXtweak note: To address this, new tutorial videos are being produced.
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Source: G2.com
Maze vs Optimal Workshop: Support options
Maze
Maze offers a range of informative articles on topics like security, privacy, integrations, and setting up tests. For more personalized assistance, customers can click the ‘Submit a request’ button for support. Maze strives for quick responses to inquiries, although response times may vary with the complexity of the issue.
Optimal Workshop
Optimal Workshop’s help center is equipped with articles to help solve common problems, and for further assistance, users are encouraged to reach out via email to support@optimalworkshop.com.
UXtweak
UXtweak goes above and beyond standard support by offering consulting services and audits from our expert in-house UX research team. Our dedication to quality service is reflected in our perfect 5/5 Capterra rating. To discover more, visit our UX research consulting services page.
Maze vs Optimal Workshop: Conclusion
Maze offers an intuitive survey interface with easy control and a simple experience. However, some users report prototype reliability issues on mobile, which may impact usability. Editing reports can be tricky, and heat maps don’t always provide clear insights. Still, Maze is a solid choice for basic UX research, especially when quick setup and simplicity matter.
Optimal Workshop supports project setup, but its interface can be unintuitive and frustrating. While OptimalSort for card sorting and tree testing works well, the platform has become less accessible overall.
They removed the free plan, raised prices, and now require annual payments only. Some features were dropped, flexibility reduced, and participant recruitment incurs extra fees. Survey design remains rigid, lacking mixed sorting and easy question changes.
These drawbacks make it less flexible and more costly, disadvantaging small teams and solo researchers seeking affordable, adaptable tools.
UXtweak stands out as a prime choice for teams seeking a great alternative to Maze and Optimal Workshop. 🐝
It differentiates itself with easy-to-use features such as simple audience sourcing, straightforward data exports, and responsive customer support.
Beyond the absence of test participant reliability issues found in competitors, UXtweak is known for its transparent pricing, ensuring no unexpected changes, a clear advantage over Optimal Workshop.
With its suite of advanced features and cost-effective approach, UXtweak affirms its position as the best alternative for comprehensive research needs. Try it for free today!
