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.
UserTesting
UserTesting is a video-first experience research platform that allows you to see and hear how real people interact with your products, designs, and messaging.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Lookback | UserTesting |
|---|---|---|
| Website | lookback.com | usertesting.com |
| Pricing Model | Subscription | Custom |
| Starting Price | $25/month | Custom Pricing |
| FREE Trial | ✓ 60 days free trial | ✓ 0 days free trial |
| Free Plan | ✘ No free plan | ✘ No free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2013 | 2007 |
| Headquarters | Stockholm, Sweden | San Francisco, 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.
UserTesting
UserTesting helps you bridge the gap between what you think your customers want and what they actually experience. By connecting you with a global panel of real people, the platform provides video recordings of users as they navigate your website, mobile app, or physical product. You can watch their screen, hear their spoken thoughts, and observe their facial expressions to identify friction points and opportunities for improvement in real-time.
The platform is designed for product managers, UX researchers, and marketers who need fast, reliable feedback to validate ideas before launching. Whether you are testing a new prototype or auditing a competitor's checkout flow, you get actionable insights through AI-powered summaries and highlight reels. This allows your team to make data-driven decisions based on human empathy rather than just analytics.
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.
UserTesting Features
- Human Insight Platform. Watch video recordings of real people using your product while they think out loud to understand the 'why' behind their actions.
- Global Contributor Network. Access a diverse, on-demand panel of vetted participants filtered by specific demographics and behaviors to match your exact target audience.
- Live Conversation. Schedule and conduct 1:1 live interviews with participants to dig deeper into their experiences and ask follow-up questions in real-time.
- AI Insight Summary. Save hours of manual analysis with AI-generated summaries that automatically surface key themes and sentiments from your video sessions.
- Highlight Reels. Create and share short video clips of critical user moments to quickly align your stakeholders and prove your design decisions.
- Mobile Screen Recording. Capture the full mobile experience including gestures, taps, and swipes to ensure your app works perfectly on every device.
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
UserTesting Pricing
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
UserTesting
Pros
- Rapid turnaround time for receiving completed test results
- High-quality video and audio feedback from diverse participants
- Intuitive test builder with helpful pre-built templates
- Excellent customer support and dedicated account management
- Powerful AI tools for quickly synthesizing long videos
Cons
- Premium pricing may be high for smaller startups
- Occasional low-quality responses from professional test-takers
- Complex seat-based licensing can limit team-wide access
- Learning curve for mastering advanced demographic filters