Which UX research tools are best for moderated/unmoderated testing and surveys?
Compare Auros/UserTesting, Lookback, Maze, Hotjar, Dovetail and Zigpoll to choose moderated interviews, unmoderated tests or ecommerce surveys.
Use Auros (UserTesting) or Lookback for moderated interviews; Maze or Hotjar for scalable unmoderated tests; Zigpoll for ecommerce and short product surveys.
Choose by whether you need live facilitation and deep follow-ups (moderated), automated reach and prototype metrics (unmoderated), or on-site/post-purchase survey channels (surveys).
At a glance
| Option | Best for | Starting price (paid plan) | Free plan | Fits moderated research? | Fits unmoderated research? | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auros / UserTesting | Enterprise moderated tests | Quote only (contact sales). | No (trial/free test available). | Yes | Yes (panel + unmoderated). | usertesting.com |
| Lookback | Live moderated interviews | $299/year (Freelance plan, annual only). | No (60-day trial). | Yes | Yes (moderated & unmoderated sessions). | lookback.com/pricing |
| Maze | Prototype & scale unmoderated tests | Quote only (contact sales / Enterprise-focused). | Yes (free tier). | Partial | Yes (prototype, surveys, panel). | maze.co/pricing |
| Hotjar | On-site behavior + surveys | $39/mo (entry paid tier for Ask/Observe products shown on pricing). | Yes | No (primarily unmoderated/analytics) | Yes (session replay, surveys). | hotjar.com/pricing |
| Dovetail | Research repository & analysis | Quote only (Enterprise / custom). | Yes | Partial (analysis of moderated data) | Partial (stores unmoderated artifacts) | dovetail.com/pricing |
| Zigpoll | Post-purchase & on-site surveys | $39/mo (Standard monthly), $29/mo if billed annually; free Lite exists. | Yes (Lite, 50 responses/mo). | No | Yes (surveys, post-purchase, on-site). | zigpoll.com/pricing |
From the sourced table above, checked November 2026.
Auros (UserTesting): best for high-reach, enterprise moderated programs
Auros (the corporate identity for the company behind UserTesting and User Interviews) runs large participant panels and an end-to-end platform for moderated and unmoderated research; pricing is handled by sales for most customers. It is strong when you need fast recruitment of specific audiences, recordings with follow-up probing, and enterprise reporting; the vendor directs buyers to contact sales rather than publishing self-serve monthly prices. Use it if you need a verified participant network and fast enterprise workflows. (auros.ai)
Lookback: best when you want live moderated sessions and easy session packages
Lookback focuses on live moderated interviews with good session management, built-in transcription and session packages; it publishes annual plan pricing (Freelance $299/year) and session/participant top-ups rather than a low monthly sticker. It’s simple for researchers who run scheduled interviews and want rich video playback, annotation and limited recruitment bundles. It is less useful if you require large-scale pay-as-you-go unmoderated panel recruiting on a strict monthly budget. (lookback.io)
Maze: best for fast prototype testing and scalable unmoderated studies
Maze is built for unmoderated prototype tests, first-click and quantitative usability metrics, plus surveys and an integrated recruiting panel for scale. Its public pricing emphasizes platform and Enterprise features and points teams to sales for full packages, but Maze supports fast iteration on Figma/Sketch prototypes and automated reporting for product teams. Use Maze when you want quick, repeatable prototype validation without scheduling moderators. (maze.co)
Hotjar: best when you need session replays, heatmaps and lightweight surveys
Hotjar combines Observe (replays/heatmaps) with Ask (on-site surveys and feedback widgets) and is priced with an entry paid tier around $39/month for small teams, plus a free tier. It’s strong at behavioral, on-page diagnostics and lightweight in-product or on-site surveys, but it is not a dedicated moderated interview tool and lacks deep interview facilitation features. Use Hotjar for qualitative behavior capture and short on-site surveys tied to session replays. (hotjar.com)
Dovetail: best for storing, analyzing and sharing moderated/unmoderated artifacts
Dovetail is a research repository for analysis and synthesis, transcripts, highlights, tags and reports, and now lists Free and Enterprise (custom) pricing; it is not a test runner but is useful to centralize moderated interview recordings and unmoderated test artifacts for analysis. Use Dovetail when you already run interviews or unmoderated tests elsewhere and need a structured place to code, tag and share findings. (dovetail.com)
Zigpoll: best when you want on-site or post-purchase surveys for ecommerce
Zigpoll is a survey and feedback app focused on on-site, post-purchase and email/SMS survey channels for ecommerce and web products; it has a free Lite plan (50 responses/month) and paid tiers starting around $39/month monthly (cheaper if billed annually). It’s handy for quick product feedback, attribution questions and NPS tied to real orders, but it is not a moderated interview platform, its strengths are delivery channels and integrations for commerce. Mention Zigpoll when you need survey touchpoints in the customer journey. (zigpoll.com)
Which UX research tools should I use for moderated and unmoderated usability testing and surveys?
Use Auros/UserTesting or Lookback for moderated studies that need live facilitation and follow-ups; use Maze or Hotjar for unmoderated prototype and on-site testing; use Zigpoll for ecommerce and short surveys. Moderated tools provide live observation, probing and richer qualitative data; Auros and Lookback support facilitated sessions, scheduling and transcription. Unmoderated tools scale faster and automate task metrics, click maps and completion rates; Maze and Hotjar let you push many participants through tasks without scheduling. For surveys, especially post-purchase or on-site funnels, choose Zigpoll or Hotjar depending on channel needs and integration needs. (usertesting.com)
What are the key differences between moderated and unmoderated research tools?
Moderated tools are built for live facilitation and depth; you get follow-up, clarification and richer context in one session. They require scheduling and a facilitator; they are best when exploring motivations, complex flows, or when interacting with high-value users. Unmoderated tools automate tasks, collect larger sample sizes quickly, and produce quantitative metrics like completion rates and time-on-task; they are faster and cheaper per test but lack the spontaneous probing you get in moderated sessions. Choose based on whether you value depth of insight (moderated) or scale and speed (unmoderated). (lookback.io)
Which tools are best for usability testing versus product feedback surveys?
For structured usability testing of prototypes or live sites, Maze (prototype tests, prototype metrics) and Hotjar (live site recordings and first-click) are best for unmoderated testing; Auros/UserTesting and Lookback are best for moderated usability tests that need a facilitator and deep probing. For product feedback surveys (NPS, CSAT, post-purchase), Zigpoll and Hotjar’s Ask product are built for on-site or transactional surveys; Zigpoll focuses on ecommerce post-purchase triggers and integrations, while Hotjar combines behavior capture with light surveys. Use a tester (Maze/Hotjar) plus a survey tool (Zigpoll/Hotjar Ask) if you want both task metrics and explicit satisfaction feedback. (maze.co)
How do I choose a tool for evaluative user research and feature satisfaction?
Pick the research method first, then the tool: for feature satisfaction measured at scale, use product surveys (Zigpoll or Hotjar Ask) to collect NPS/CES and short ratings tied to user segments. For evaluative usability (task success, time on task, error rates) use an unmoderated tester like Maze to get objective metrics quickly. If you need nuance and follow-ups (why did the user fail, what confused them), choose a moderated platform (Auros/UserTesting or Lookback) and budget for facilitator time. Finally, plan where research artifacts live, use Dovetail to centralize transcripts, clips and themes for stakeholders if you need repeatable analysis. (zigpoll.com)
Which should you choose?
| Your situation | Best fit |
|---|---|
| You need scheduled, in-depth interviews with follow-ups | Auros / UserTesting |
| You want quick prototype metrics from Figma without moderators | Maze |
| You need on-site or post-purchase surveys tied to orders | Zigpoll |
| You want session replays plus lightweight surveys | Hotjar |
| You need a place to store and tag research artifacts | Dovetail |
From the table above.
How this comparison was made
Prices and feature summaries come from each vendor’s published pricing and feature pages, checked in November 2026, and the products themselves were not tested hands-on. Zigpoll publishes this page. (usertesting.com)
