This article compares PlaybookUX and UserTesting, looking at their features, costs, and support. We’ll also introduce UXtweak as another option and help you decide between PlaybookUX and UserTesting.
Key Insights
👉 PlaybookUX allows feedback from unlimited participants and has flexible plans, but it could improve its analytics and faces technical issues.
👉 UserTesting offers rapid feedback for those with flexible budgets, yet it struggles with tester liability and mobile testing.
👉 UXtweak provides a seamless experience with commited respondents, a diverse toolkit, and responsive customer support.
🐝 Register for free with UXtweak today!
PlaybookUX and Usertesting alternative – UXtweak
UXtweak is a user research platform that distinguishes itself from PlaybookUX and UserTesting. It aims to improve the user experience for websites and apps, addressing all stages from prototype testing to the evaluation of final products.
What makes UXtweak different is its range of features, like tree testing, first-click testing, five-second tests, and mobile app testing, all available in one platform. Additionally, it offers a complete set of tools for participant recruitment and management. With flexible and affordable pricing, UXtweak is a practical choice for UX professionals.
🐝 Explore UXtweak’s demos to observe user interactions and live analytics⬇
Features and Capabilities
The table presents a side-by-side comparison of features among three research platforms: UserTesting, PlaybookUX, and UXtweak.
Features | PlaybookUX | UserTesting | UXtweak |
Website Usability Testing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Mobile Apps Testing | ✗ | ✓ (iOS, Android, and TestFlight, no SDK installation required) | ✓ |
Prototype Testing | ✓ | ✓ (only on the Ultimate plan, Adobe XD, InVision integrations) | ✓ (Compatible with Figma, InVision, Axure) |
Card Sorting | ✓ | ✓ (only available on Ultimate plan or as an add-on) | ✓ (available on all plans) |
Tree Testing | ✓ | ✓ (only on the Ultimate plan or as an add-on) | ✓ |
Preference Testing | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
First Click Testing | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
5 Second Testing | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
A/B Testing | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
Moderated/User Interviews | ✓ | ✓ (on Advanced plan and higher) | ✓ (on Enterprise plans) conduct directly in one platform* |
Session recording | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
Survey | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
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 illustrates that UserTesting, PlaybookUX, and UXtweak all provide a broad array of features. Notably, UXtweak encompasses all the features mentioned, consistently enhancing them or providing them at a lower cost than its rivals.
Participant Recruitment and Management capabilities
The table outlines the approaches UserTesting, PlaybookUX, and UXtweak take towards recruiting and managing participants for usability studies.
Capabilities | PlaybookUX | UserTesting | UXtweak |
User Panel | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Panel size - country coverage | 45 countries | 35 countries | 130+ countries |
Advanced Targeting criteria | ✓ (age, gender or ethnicity) | ✓ | ✓ (2000+ attributes) |
Price per participant | Starts at $59 | Starts at $39 | Starts at $10 |
Expert audit | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ (included with each order from User Panel) |
Ability to bring your own users | ✓ | ✓ (for a certain price) | ✓ (for free) |
Participant management solution | ✓ | ✓ (advanced plan and higher) | ✓ (available on all plans) |
Automatic QA of responses | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
Pricing and Plans Comparison
When selecting a user testing platform, it’s important to factor in pricing. Choose a platform that meets your research requirements without going beyond your budget. Next, let’s explore the affordability of these research tools.
PlaybookUX
- Pay as you go: No subscription required, from $59/participant.
- Grow: $267 per month (billed yearly), $290 per month (billed monthly).
- Scale: $450 per month (billed yearly), $490 per month (billed monthly).
- Enterprise: Custom pricing.
UserTesting
The pricing for UserTesting’s annual subscriptions begins at approximately $30,000 per year. However, the average spending for users typically reaches $50,000 annually. This cost can vary depending on the number of seats required and additional features such as User Panel credits and support for international teams.
UXtweak
- Free Starter Plan: Access to all features, one active study, up to 30 responses/month.
- Plus Plan: $708/year, ideal for individuals, 200 responses/month, unlimited studies.
- Business Plan: $1,812/year, for small to medium businesses, 1,000 responses/month.
- Enterprise Plan: Starts at $5,000/year, for large clients, unlimited responses, personalized support.
Billing annually or monthly, with flexible plan changes or cancellations. Visit UXtweak’s pricing page for detailed plan features.
Customer Reviews
To ensure an unbiased comparison of the three platforms, we’ve gathered data from G2, a leading website for B2B SaaS reviews. G2.com provides a platform for buyers to review, compare ratings, and evaluate software options.
PlaybookUX | UserTesting | UXtweak | |
Overall Score | 4.6/5 | 4.5/5 | 4.7/5 |
Ease of Use | 9.2/10 | 8.5/5 | 8.9/5 |
Quality of Support | 9.6/10 | 9.0/5 | 9.8/5 |
Ease of Setup | 9.4/10 | 8.6/5 | N/A |
Source: G2.com
🐝 Note from the author: Pros and cons on this page were formulated by aggregating user feedback from platforms like Capterra.com and G2.com.
PlaybookUX
Pros:
- Unlimited Participants: Allows collection of product feedback from an unlimited number of participants through unmoderated tests.
- Flexibility: Offers pay-as-you-go or subscription-based plans, providing flexibility based on needs.
- Comprehensive Features: This platform supports recruitment, moderated/unmoderated studies, card sorting, and tree tests.
Cons:
- Lack of In-Tool Analysis: Could benefit from in-tool charts for post-study analysis like customer sentiment analysis.
- Analytic Details: More detailed analytics or ways to compare current tests with previous ones could enhance user understanding.
- Technical Issues: Users have experienced non-working prototype links and difficulties in communicating these issues to researchers.
- Platform Bugs: Users have reported a significant number of bugs, leading to frustration and additional time spent troubleshooting.
Source: G2.com
UserTesting
Pros:
- Video Feedback: Offers valuable video feedback that helps in project development.
- Quick Panel Feedback: Known for rapid responses from its panel.
- SUS Evaluation: Provides System Usability Scale (SUS) evaluations.
- Sentiment Analysis: Available for Advanced plans and above.
Cons:
- Respondent Quality: Testers may rush, affecting results, and location mismatches occur, especially with US-specific requests.
- Stability Issues: Users report occasional platform glitches.
- Audience Targeting: Targeting and segmentation could be more refined.
- Pricing: Many users view this platform as expensive.
- Mobile Testing: Requires improvements for better mobile device testing.
Source: G2.com
UXtweak
Pros:
- Tool Variety: A broad range of tools with advanced features, reducing the need for additional software.
- Cost-Effective: Offers friendly pricing, making it an economical option.
- Quality of Respondents: Provides access to high-quality respondents.
- Questionnaire Flexibility: The platform allows for versatile design options in questionnaires.
- Audience Sourcing: Integrated within the app, this feature allows targeting specific respondents easily without needing external tools, providing quick responses.
- Responsive Customer Support: The customer support team is noted for its responsiveness and helpfulness.
Cons:
- Learning Curve: Initial familiarization with the dashboard may take some time.
- Feature Complexity: Regular addition of complex features can be challenging for users.
- UXtweak note: To address this, new tutorial videos are being produced.
Source: G2.com
Support options
Now, let’s examine the support options each user experience platform offers. Typically, these platforms provide a wealth of resources, including articles on various topics and guides for setting up tests.
PlaybookUX
The PlaybookUX Help Center offers numerous articles on using the platform, covering unmoderated and moderated research, card sorting, and more. If you need further assistance, you can directly message them for a quick answer.
UserTesting
UserTesting offers varied support services:
- Basic Support: 24/7 email support from Sunday 3 pm to Friday 10 pm PT, excluding major holidays, for all users.
- Enhanced Support: Includes Basic Support plus live chat and phone support during business hours for mid-tier users.
- Premier Support: 24-hour weekday support with fast email replies and Premier Power Sessions for top-tier subscribers.
- Additional Services: Consultations and scheduled sessions are available outside standard hours.
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.
PlaybookUX vs Usertesting: Conclusion
PlaybookUX stands out for its ability to gather feedback from an unlimited number of participants through unmoderated tests, offering significant flexibility with its pay-as-you-go and subscription models. It supports a range of functionalities, including recruitment and various types of UX studies. However, the platform could improve by including more in-depth in-tool analysis and better analytics to compare tests. Additionally, some users report technical glitches and issues with prototype links, which can hamper the research process.
UserTesting is ideal for businesses needing quick results and willing to invest more, offering a rapid turnaround on feedback. However, it faces challenges with tester quality; users often appear to rush through tests, affecting the data’s reliability. The platform also needs to refine its audience targeting capabilities and enhance its comparative testing for mobile devices. These areas, if improved, could significantly boost the platform’s overall efficacy and user satisfaction.
In contrast, UXtweak provides a robust and smooth user experience, free from the frequent bugs and tester quality issues seen in the other platforms. It offers high-quality respondents and prioritizes tester privacy, all at a competitive price point. Its diverse set of tools, flexible questionnaire options, and efficient audience targeting feature set it apart. Moreover, UXtweak’s customer support is noted for its promptness and effectiveness, adding an extra layer of value to its service.
