Lookback
Lookback is a comprehensive user research platform that allows you to record high-quality remote or in-person interviews and usability tests while capturing screen interactions and participant facial expressions.
Google Meet
Google Meet is a video communication service that allows you to hold high-quality video meetings, share your screen, and collaborate with team members through any web-enabled device.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Lookback | Google Meet |
|---|---|---|
| Website | lookback.com | meet.google.com |
| Pricing Model | Subscription | Freemium |
| Starting Price | $25/month | Free |
| FREE Trial | ✓ 60 days free trial | ✓ 14 days free trial |
| Free Plan | ✘ No free plan | ✓ Has free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✘ No product demo |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2013 | 2017 |
| Headquarters | Stockholm, Sweden | Mountain View, USA |
Overview
Lookback
Lookback is a dedicated user research platform that helps you see through your customers' eyes. Instead of relying on static feedback, you can watch real people interact with your apps, websites, or prototypes in real-time. You can host live moderated sessions where you talk directly to participants or set up unmoderated tasks that users complete on their own schedule.
The platform automatically records the participant's screen, their face via webcam, and their voice, providing a complete picture of the user experience. You can invite your entire team to watch sessions live in a virtual observation room, where they can take timestamped notes and create highlight reels. It solves the problem of fragmented research data by keeping all your recordings, notes, and insights in one centralized, searchable home.
Google Meet
Google Meet provides a secure and easy-to-use platform for video meetings, whether you are catching up with a colleague or hosting a large-scale corporate event. You can join meetings directly from your browser or the mobile app without needing to install complex software. It integrates deeply with Google Workspace, allowing you to schedule calls directly from your calendar and attach relevant documents to the meeting invite for all participants to access.
You can manage large groups with features like breakout rooms, hand-raising, and live polling to keep everyone engaged. The platform prioritizes security by encrypting all video data in transit and providing host controls to manage who can enter your sessions. Whether you are a freelancer or part of a global enterprise, it offers a reliable way to stay connected and productive from anywhere.
Overview
Lookback Features
- Live Moderated Research Conduct face-to-face interviews and usability tests in real-time while recording the participant's screen and reactions simultaneously.
- Unmoderated Tasks Send a link to participants so they can complete research tasks at their convenience without a researcher present.
- Virtual Observation Rooms Invite stakeholders to watch live sessions behind a digital one-way mirror where they can chat and take notes privately.
- Timestamped Notes Type notes during a live session or while watching a recording to automatically link your observations to specific moments.
- Highlight Reels Clip the most important moments from your research sessions and combine them into powerful video presentations for your team.
- Prototype Integration Test your ideas early by running research sessions on prototypes from tools like Figma, Adobe XD, and InVision.
Google Meet Features
- Screen Sharing. Present your entire screen or a specific window to share documents, presentations, or spreadsheets with all meeting participants.
- Live Captions. Follow along easily with real-time automated captions powered by Google's speech recognition technology during your live video calls.
- Breakout Rooms. Split your main meeting into smaller groups for focused discussions and brainstorming sessions before bringing everyone back together.
- Noise Cancellation. Filter out background sounds like typing or dogs barking so your voice remains clear and professional during every call.
- In-Meeting Chat. Send messages, links, and files to participants without interrupting the speaker to keep the flow of information moving.
- Hand Raising. Signal that you have a question or comment without interrupting the current speaker to maintain an organized meeting flow.
Pricing Comparison
Lookback Pricing
- 10 sessions per year
- Unlimited collaborators
- Self-test (unmoderated)
- Live (moderated)
- 60-day free trial
- Everything in Freelance, plus:
- 100 sessions per year
- Unlimited projects
- Insights and highlight reels
- Remote moderated research
- Priority support
Google Meet Pricing
- 1:1 meetings up to 24 hours
- Group meetings up to 60 minutes
- Up to 100 participants
- Unlimited number of meetings
- Live closed captions
- Everything in Free, plus:
- Group meetings up to 24 hours
- Custom business email
- 30 GB cloud storage per user
- Standard support
- Security and management controls
Pros & Cons
Lookback
Pros
- Exceptional 60-day trial period for thorough testing
- Simultaneous recording of screen, face, and audio
- Seamless virtual observation for remote stakeholders
- Easy highlight reel creation for stakeholder presentations
- Works well across mobile and desktop platforms
Cons
- Participants sometimes struggle with initial plugin installation
- Requires a very stable internet connection for live sessions
- No built-in participant recruitment panel available
- Limited automated transcription features compared to competitors
Google Meet
Pros
- Incredibly easy to join meetings via browser
- Deep integration with Google Calendar and Drive
- High-quality video and audio even on slow connections
- No software installation required for desktop users
Cons
- Free version limits group calls to sixty minutes
- Fewer built-in fun filters than some competitors
- Advanced features require a paid Workspace subscription