Userlytics Review–The Good and Bad

Userlytics is a powerful suite of UX research tools that helps teams collect qualitative and quantitative data. Key strengths are its in depth data analytics powered by AI, its extensive pool of global research participants, and translations in more than 20 languages.

While Userlytics lacks the robust integrations of its closest competitors, it is still a solution to consider for larger research teams with bigger budgets. Smaller teams with only occasional research needs can also benefit by choosing Userlytics project-based plan.  

How Does Userlytics Compare to its Closest Competitors

Any organization searching for a comprehensive tool to help with UX research usually has a shortlist that contains familiar names. UserTesting, Maze, and Optimal Workshop tend to show up on these lists. The one right for you largely depends on your precise needs and the budget you have to work with.

Here’s how Userlytics stacks up to its competition.

UserTesting vs. Userlytics

UserTesting and Userlytics both put a lot of emphasis on qualitative data. Both tools leverage AI to deliver in-depth, actionable insights. Userlytics integrates its suite of analytics into its core platform. UserTesting requires the EnjoyHQ platform to be added to extract the full value of its AI insights. It will cost extra, but you can use integrations to pull data from external sources and share more robustly across your organization.

Where Userlytics comes out ahead is with its participant pool. It keeps things in-house and still offers more than 2 million participants from 130 countries. Contrast this with UserTesting’s 30 countries in its in-house research pool (no numbers are provided). Yes, UserTesting has access to additional participants, but you have to rely on its network of third-party service providers. 

If pricing is a concern, Userlytics will likely also come out ahead. It keeps all its offerings on one platform–and one pricing structure. With UserTesting, you need to subscribe to all three of its platforms–Human Insights, EnjoyHQ, and UserZoom–to access their full suite of offerings.

To dive deeper into UserTesting, check out our full UserTesting review. You can also see how UserTesting stacks up against the competition in our Five Best Usability Testing Tools review. 

Maze vs. Userlytics

Maze understands that a great template can dramatically speed up the kick-off of a new UX test. Maze offers 55 templates that cover everything from research to design to marketing. Userlytics does also offer templates but at a much smaller scale, 11 to be exact.

Userlytics offers more quantitative tests, including card sorts, tree tests, time on task, surveys, and success/failure analysis. Maze sticks to card sorts, tree tests, and surveys. But Maze also gives you the ability to build your quantitative tests into your product itself, giving you real-time data as a customer moves through the experience in real life. This functionality is something Userlytics doesn’t mention.

Maze built its reputation on prototype testing, and offers integrations with the design tools you’d expect like Adobe XD, Axure, Figma, and Sketch. However, Userlytics takes its prototype testing one step further by integrating with even more design tools. It also offers project management for mobile apps in Test Flight and Google Play Console.

If you want to know more, check out our full Maze review. Then see how Maze stacks up against other top UX research tools.

Optimal Workshop vs. Userlytics

Optimal Workshop puts its emphasis on quantitative testing. It offers first-click tests, card sorts, surveys, and tree tests, and gives you six templates to jump-start the testing process. Userlytics offers a similar line-up but provides a broader array of templates. 

Userlytics also dives deeper with its qualitative testing and analysis tools. While Optimal Workshop does offer a qualitative insights tool that pairs with user interviews, this functionality doesn’t come close to the functionality offered by Userlytics.

Userlytics also offers testing tools that go beyond UX research and design, with things like its Net Promoter Score, System Usability Scale, and Single Ease Question templates. Optimal Workshop doesn’t venture beyond UX research methodology. For organizations that want the versatility to test beyond UX, Userlytics makes sense.

Two places where Optimal Workshop comes out ahead is in the size of its participant pool and in price. Optimal Workshop has more than 80 million participants spanning 130 countries. Userlytics offers 150 countries but just two million participants. Pricewise, Optimal Workshop is available for as low as $107 per month for individual researchers. Userlytics plans are more complex. 

Discover more about Optimal Workshop in our Best UX Research Tools analysis.

Userlytics: The Good and The Bad

Userlytics is a standout if your research is global in nature, as Userlytics offers a participant pool from 135+ countries and in-platform translation for more than 20 languages. Userlytics also has a robust AI- and machine learning-powered suite of qualitative analysis tools, accessibility testing, and customer service that consistently receives exemplary marks. Where Userlytics stumbles a bit is with limited integrations and high costs.

What Userlytics Is Good At

Easy for participants to use: Userlytics is a research tool that recognizes the importance of eliminating friction on the participant side. A study participant can access all Userlytics tests via URL with no need to download anything to their device. This means that there are no firewall blocks, and highly-qualified participants don’t self-select out due to onerous technical requirements.

Test results delivered within 24 hours or less: Getting testing results quickly is essential for fast iteration throughout the product lifecycle. Userlytics delivers actionable results within a day, sometimes even within hours, as noted by Derrick K., a small business owner.

Great customer service: The company takes a customer-centric approach, starting with onboarding. There’s a simplified process that guides you from registration to launching your first test. The process is also recorded, so you have it for reference later on. You also get a one hour onboarding session with your dedicated account manager, access to a team of senior UX consultants, and availability of an online resource hub.

Userlytics customers like Larry A., creative director and principal, also rave about stellar customer support, citing dedicated account managers who stick around for the long-haul and help with no upsell pressure. 

Accessibility testing: One unique thing about Userlytics is the ability to run accessibility tests. Having a site that accommodates all visitors isn’t just a nice-to-have these days, it is critical to success. Offering a fully accessible site promotes inclusivity, encourages equity, makes your site user-friendly, and expands your global reach.

Userlytics also offers consulting services to help you design accessibility testing studies when participants require special accommodations.

Large international participant pool: Userlytics participant pool is another standout feature. 2+ million participants from 150 different countries, all fully vetted by the Userlytics QA team. And if you already have your own qualified participants? Not a problem. You can bring them into the Userlytics platform with a single link.

Extensive language translations: Userlytics makes it easy to work with its diverse participant pool by offering multi-language support for both landing pages and studies. There are more than 20 in-platform languages included. 

Can’t find your preferred language in the list? Reach out to the Userlytics team and they’ll add it within weeks.

Robust qualitative analysis tools: When it comes to synthesizing qualitative data, Userlytics eliminates the hours and days needed for manual review. It incorporates AI and machine learning into its suite of analytical tools.

• AI UX Analysis – Insights about user behavior are gleaned from session transcripts using AI. Data is synthesized and insights revealed within seconds, allowing for quick sharing with stakeholders and other decision makers.
• ULX Score® – This holistic UX metric assesses 18 different attributes (e.g. usability, affinity, distinction) to calculate an index score that represents a 360º view that can be used for benchmarking and evaluation.
• Sentiment Analysis – Glean insight into how interview subjects feel in real-time, reducing the need for manual reviews. You get instant data that can be used for further testing and analysis.
• Video Analysis Tool – Get video transcripts in multiple languages, time-stamped and linked to source material for quick validation. There’s also picture-in-picture playback and shareable highlights.
• System Usability Scale (SUS) – Quickly implement this industry-standard measurement tool to evaluate the usability of different designs. You can also study your competition, and implement design changes quickly to enhance the score.

All of this analysis functionality is included in the core Userlytics platform, no add-on plans required.

UX consulting services: The Userlytics UX consulting services team will assist with any aspect of UX research. The experts can provide advice, moderate sessions, analyze data, design test plans, and provide reports.

Consultants are located around the world, including the U.S., Spain, Brazil and beyond. More than ten languages are available, including English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Mandarin, Cantonese, Hindi, and Kannada.

Potential Userlytics Drawbacks

Transcription issues: While Userlytics offers a very large selection of languages, sometimes things get lost in translation. G2 reviewer Laila B. notes that inconsistent translations render some transcripts as less than trustworthy.

Data collection may be overwhelming: The more data the better when it comes to basing decisions on UX research. However, too much data when presented in a less than cohesive way, can overwhelm, as noted by a Userlytics customer in the higher education field.

Userlytics could implement better reporting functionality to aid in data analysis.

Integrations are limited: Most ux research tools brag about their integrations, but not Userlytics. You really have to dig (and search the Userlytics help articles) to find information at all. Even then, only four articles turn up that mention integrations. Our experience suggests that what brands don’t feature on their website is as telling as what they do.

Userlytics does have great integrations for prototype testing, working with most of the top design tools on the market. But that’s where the integration accolades stop. There are a few calendar integrations, as you would hope for in a tool that manages user interviews. But beyond that, things get murky.

Userlytics either needs to up its integration game, or do a better job spelling out what it offers on its website.

Userlytics Pricing, Plans, and Add-Ons

Userlytics offers two different pricing methods, depending on whether you intend to use its participant panel. After that, though, Userlytics is somewhat opaque when it comes to sharing pricing information on its website.

If you rely on the Userlytics participant panel, the following plans are available.

• Project-Based – best for researchers doing one-off projects, $99 per session (min. 5 sessions), number of seats is customized, as is maximum session duration, unmoderated/moderated participants. All factors impact final pricing. 
• Enterprise – as low as $34 per session on an annual plan with volume discounts. You get unlimited seats, 30 minute sessions, free BYO participants, and a dedicated account manager for plans over $7,500 per month. Pricing starts at $3,500 per month.
• Limitless – call for a quote, this plan gives you access to all Userlytics functionality, 30 minute sessions, a dedicated account manager, and more. This plan comes in at $69,000 per year.

If you self-recruit all your study participants, you can choose from the following plans.

• Premium – you get 5 seats, 60 minute maximum sessions, unlimited BYO participants for quantitative and unmoderated studies, 50 bring your own (BYO) participants for moderated studies, and 20 AI transcripts per month. $699 per month (paid annually). G2 shows pricing at $5,988 per year.
• Advanced – 10 seats, 60 minute maximum sessions, unlimited BYO participants for all studies, a dedicated account manager, and 100 AI transcripts per month. $999 per month (paid annually). G2 lists the price at $11,988 per year.

Is Userlytics Right for You?

If you’re an organization that leans hard into qualitative data, needs to reach a global audience, or wants to expand research beyond your UX team, Userlytics is a great choice. It offers the most countries and language translations of any tool out there right now, and its AI-powered suite of analytic tools makes quick work of synthesizing large quantities of qualitative data. Userlytics does cost a lot to fully leverage all this functionality, making it a challenge for smaller teams or organizations with limited research budgets.

If you’re a larger organization with deep research needs and a budget to support them, then Userlytics is an excellent option to consider. Likewise, if you’re a smaller organization that only does occasional UX research, opting for the project-based plan can be a solution that doesn’t sink your budget.

If you think Userlytics might be right for you, schedule a free demo today.