UserTesting vs Lookback: Complete Comparison
Quick Summary
Winner: UserTesting for most users because of its extensive participant panel, broader feature set, and enterprise-grade capabilities.
However, if you need a more affordable solution for conducting moderated research with your own participants, Lookback might be better suited to your needs.
Both platforms enable remote user research, but they target slightly different use cases and team sizes. Let's dive into how they compare across key dimensions to help you determine which tool better fits your research needs.
Pricing Comparison
| Feature | UserTesting | Lookback |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | Custom pricing (typically $15,000+/year) | $99/month (Starter plan) |
| Free Trial | Yes (limited) | Yes (14 days) |
| Panel Access | Built-in participant panel | BYO participants |
| User Seats | Enterprise tiering | 3 seats on Starter, 5 on Pro |
| Storage | Unlimited | Limited by plan |
| Contract Type | Annual commitment | Monthly or annual |
Note: UserTesting doesn't publish pricing publicly. Contact their sales team for current pricing for your specific needs.
Features Comparison
Research Capabilities
| Feature | UserTesting | Lookback |
|---|---|---|
| Unmoderated Testing | Extensive | Basic |
| Moderated Testing | Advanced | Excellent |
| Screen Recording | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Testing | Yes | Yes |
| Participant Panel | Built-in marketplace | None (bring your own) |
| Multi-device Testing | Yes | Yes |
| Prototype Testing | Yes | Yes |
| Live Observation | Yes | Yes |
| International Testing | 43+ countries | Depends on your participants |
| Demographic Targeting | Extensive | None (manual) |
Analysis & Collaboration
| Feature | UserTesting | Lookback |
|---|---|---|
| Clip Creation | Advanced | Basic |
| Transcription | Automatic | No |
| Highlight Reels | Yes | Limited |
| Team Collaboration | Advanced | Basic |
| Notes & Tagging | Advanced | Basic |
| Metrics & Analytics | Comprehensive | Limited |
| Integrations | Many enterprise tools | Limited |
| Sentiment Analysis | Yes | No |
| Custom Templates | Many | Few |
UserTesting Overview
UserTesting is an enterprise-grade user research platform known for its comprehensive testing capabilities and its large participant panel marketplace. It's built for organizations conducting regular research at scale.
UserTesting Pros:
✅ Extensive participant panel with specific demographic targeting ✅ Comprehensive unmoderated testing capabilities ✅ Robust analytics and reporting features ✅ Advanced clip editing and highlight reel creation ✅ Enterprise-grade security and compliance ✅ Automatic transcription and sentiment analysis ✅ Extensive template library
UserTesting Cons:
❌ High price point (typically $15,000+ annually) ❌ Complex interface with steeper learning curve ❌ Can be overwhelming for simple research needs ❌ Annual contracts required ❌ Overkill for small teams or occasional research
Lookback Overview
Lookback is a more streamlined remote user research platform that focuses primarily on moderated research sessions with your own participants. It provides essential tools for conducting live interviews and usability tests.
Lookback Pros:
✅ More affordable starting price ✅ Simple, intuitive interface ✅ Excellent for moderated research ✅ No long-term commitments on monthly plans ✅ Good mobile testing capabilities ✅ Easier to learn and implement quickly
Lookback Cons:
❌ No built-in participant recruitment ❌ Limited unmoderated testing capabilities ❌ Fewer analysis and collaboration features ❌ Limited integrations with other tools ❌ Storage limitations based on plan ❌ Fewer advanced features for enterprise needs
Best For
UserTesting is best for:
- Enterprise organizations conducting research at scale
- Teams needing access to a diverse participant panel
- Companies running frequent unmoderated studies
- Research requiring specific demographic targeting
- Organizations with significant research budgets
- Teams needing advanced analytics and reporting
Lookback is best for:
- Smaller teams and startups with limited budgets
- Researchers who primarily conduct moderated sessions
- Teams with their own participant recruitment process
- Organizations needing a simpler, more focused tool
- Companies that want to avoid long-term commitments
- Researchers who value ease of use over feature depth
Detailed Breakdown by Category
Ease of Use
UserTesting offers comprehensive capabilities but comes with a steeper learning curve. Its interface accommodates numerous features but can feel overwhelming to new users. It's designed for research teams who conduct regular studies and need depth of functionality.
Lookback provides a more streamlined experience focused on making moderated sessions simple. Its intuitive interface makes it quick to set up and run studies, though it sacrifices some advanced features for this simplicity.
Participant Recruitment
UserTesting shines with its extensive participant panel, allowing researchers to filter by detailed demographics, professional backgrounds, and technical attributes. This is a major advantage if you don't have your own participant pool.
Lookback requires you to bring your own participants, handling only the session logistics, not recruitment. While this means more work for researchers, it also offers more flexibility for teams that already have participant sources.
Research Types
UserTesting excels in both moderated and unmoderated testing, with particularly strong capabilities for automated unmoderated tests. It supports various study methodologies including card sorting, click tests, and longitudinal studies.
Lookback focuses primarily on moderated sessions where researchers interact directly with participants. While it does offer unmoderated capabilities, these aren't as robust as UserTesting's offerings.
Analysis Capabilities
UserTesting provides comprehensive analysis tools including automatic transcription, sentiment analysis, clip creation, and metrics tracking. It's designed to help researchers quickly find insights from large volumes of research data.
Lookback offers basic analysis features like note-taking and simple clips, but lacks the depth of UserTesting's analytics suite. For teams conducting straightforward research, this might be sufficient.
The Verdict
UserTesting is the more powerful platform with a comprehensive feature set ideal for enterprise organizations conducting research at scale. Its built-in participant panel, advanced analysis tools, and extensive capabilities justify its higher price point for large teams with significant research needs.
Lookback offers a more focused, affordable alternative that excels at moderated research sessions. It's an excellent choice for smaller teams, those with limited budgets, or organizations that already have participant recruitment figured out.
The decision ultimately comes down to your specific needs:
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Choose UserTesting if you need access to a diverse participant panel, require advanced analysis features, and have the budget to invest in a comprehensive research platform.
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Choose Lookback if you primarily conduct moderated research with your own participants, prefer a simpler interface, and need a more budget-friendly solution.
Looking for a Free Alternative for Card Sorting?
If you're specifically looking to conduct card sorting studies, consider Free Card Sort - a completely free tool designed specifically for card sorting exercises with no participant limits. Unlike both UserTesting and Lookback, Free Card Sort focuses on doing one thing extremely well without any cost barriers.
Try Free Card Sort Now and conduct unlimited card sorting studies with as many participants as you need.