Free UX research tools compared
Our tools take up to 1,000 responses per study, free. Here's what each tool offers on its free plan, read from their own websites on 24 October 2026.
Start a studyFree plans cap responses. We cap each study at 1,000.
- UX Academy1,000responses per study, free
- 15self-recruited responses
- 10responses a month
- -no free-plan limit stated on its pricing page
Competitor free-plan limits as published on their pricing pages, checked 24 October 2026. Plans change, so check their sites. You bring your own participants; we don't run a panel. We aren't affiliated with any of them.
Feature by feature
Checked against each tool's own website on 24 October 2026. Plans change, so check their sites. Where a page doesn't say, the cell says "Not stated".
| Feature | UX Academy | Maze | Lyssna | Optimal Workshop | Useberry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study types | |||||
| Card sort (open, closed, hybrid) | Free | Plan not stated | Plan not statedFree plan lists "Core methods"; which are not named | Paid plansNo free plan listed | Plan not statedFree plan ticks "Research methods"; plan limits apply |
| Tree test | Free | Plan not stated | Plan not statedFree plan lists "Core methods"; which are not named | Paid plansNo free plan listed | Plan not statedFree plan ticks "Research methods"; plan limits apply |
| First-click test | Free | Not stated | Plan not statedFree plan lists "Core methods"; which are not named | Paid plansNo free plan listed | Plan not statedFree plan ticks "Research methods"; plan limits apply |
| Five-second test | Free | Not stated | Plan not statedFree plan lists "Core methods"; which are not named | Not stated | Plan not statedFree plan ticks "Research methods"; plan limits apply |
| Preference test | Free | Not stated | Plan not statedFree plan lists "Core methods"; which are not named | Not stated | Plan not statedFree plan ticks "Research methods"; plan limits apply |
| Prototype test (Figma) | Coming soonFigma or uploaded screens | Plan not stated | Plan not statedFree plan lists "Core methods"; which are not named | Paid plansNo free plan listed | Plan not statedFree plan ticks "Research methods"; plan limits apply |
| Survey as a study type | Not yetQuestions can be added inside any study | Plan not stated | Plan not statedFree plan lists "Core methods"; which are not named | Paid plansNo free plan listed | Plan not statedFree plan ticks "Research methods"; plan limits apply |
| Live website testing | Not yet | Plan not stated | Paid plans | Paid plansNo free plan listed | Plan not statedFree plan ticks "Research methods"; plan limits apply |
| Native mobile app testing | Not yet | Plan not stated | Paid plansListed as "Mobile testing" | Paid plansNo free plan listed | Not stated |
| Moderated interviews | Not yet | Plan not stated | Free"User interviews" ticked on Free | Paid plansNo free plan listed | Paid plansFree shows a dash; Growth has 5 a month |
| Screen, audio and face recordings | Not yet | Plan not stated | Paid plans"Think aloud recordings" | Paid plansNo free plan listed | Paid plansUploaded recording storage is a dash on Free |
| A/B test of designs with participants | Not yetThe A/B calculator checks significance only | Not stated | Not stated | Paid plansNo free plan listed | Plan not stated |
| Building a study | |||||
| Screening questions | Free | Plan not stated"Targeting and screening" | Plan not statedListed as "Screeners" | Not stated | Paid plans |
| Questions before or after the task | FreeUp to 3 before and 3 after, several types | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Free"Questionnaires" ticked on Free |
| Conditional logic or branching | Not yet | Not stated | Paid plans"Conditional logic" | Paid plansSurvey branching; no free plan listed | Paid plans"Logic Jumps" |
| Randomise order | FreeCards and tasks | Not stated | Paid plans"Randomize test sections" | Not stated | Paid plans"Randomization" |
| Redirect after the study | FreeThank-you redirect | Not stated | Paid plans"Test redirects" | Not stated | Not stated |
| Password on a study | Free | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Paid plans"Password Protect" |
| Study templates | FreeFive-second and preference | Plan not stated | Free"Templates library" ticked on Free | Not stated | Paid plans"Pro templates" and "Custom templates" |
| Your own branding on the study | Not yetStudies link back to UX Academy | Not stated | Paid plans"Custom branding & messaging" | Not stated | Paid plans"No Useberry branding" from Growth |
| Multi-language studies | Not yet | Not stated | Free"Multi language support" ticked on Free | Not stated | Not stated |
| Participants and recruiting | |||||
| Share a link with your own participants | Free | Plan not stated"Bring your own participants" | Free15 self-recruited responses | Paid plans"Invite your own participants"; no free plan listed | Free"Share Link" ticked on Free |
| Paid participant panel | Not yetBring your own testers | Plan not stated"Limits apply" | Paid plansPanel is "Pay-per-use" on every plan | Paid plans1 credit per participant | Plan not stated"Participant Pool" ticked on Free; price not stated |
| Recruit from your own site (widget or prompt) | Not yet | Plan not stated"In-Product Prompts" | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Swap responses with other researchers | FreeTake studies, earn responses | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Analysis and results | |||||
| Filter and segment results | FreeBy answer, source, tag | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Click maps and heat maps | FreeFirst-click test | Plan not stated"Behavioral usability analysis" | Not stated | Paid plans"Clickmaps and heatmaps"; no free plan listed | Plan not stated"Click Tracking" |
| Path analysis | FreeTree test paths | Not stated | Not stated | Paid plans"User paths"; no free plan listed | Plan not stated"User Flows" |
| Card sort similarity matrix | FreeAlso a dendrogram | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Tag and theme open-text answers | Free | Not stated | Not stated | Paid plans"Qualitative note taking"; no free plan listed | Paid plans"Tags" |
| AI summary of results | Free20 a day | Plan not stated"Maze AI" | Paid plans"AI summaries" listed on Growth | Paid plans"AI-powered insights and summaries"; no free plan listed | Paid plans"AI-powered features (coming soon)" on Business |
| CSV export | Free | Not stated | Paid plansListed as "CSV exports" | Paid plans"Data downloads"; no free plan listed | Paid plans"CSV export" |
| PDF report or chart images | FreePDF report and chart PNGs | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Shareable results link | FreeRead-only link or public page | Plan not stated"Shareable reports" | Not stated | Paid plans"Stakeholder-ready reports"; no free plan listed | Plan not stated"Share results via link" |
| Collaborative report builder | Not yet | Plan not stated"Automated reporting" | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Transcripts | Not yet | Plan not stated"Call transcripts" | Free"Transcription" ticked on Free | Paid plans"Automated transcripts"; no free plan listed | Paid plansDash on Free; 10 hours a month on Growth |
| Highlights and reels | Not yet | Plan not stated"Video Clips" | Not stated | Paid plans"Highlight reels"; no free plan listed | Paid plans"Highlights", "Highlight Reels" |
| Sharing and teams | |||||
| More than one person on an account | Not yetTeachers can run a class | Plan not stated"Private workspaces" | Free3 seats on Free | Paid plans"Unlimited seats"; no free plan listed | Free"Team management" and "Workspaces" ticked; 1 seat |
| Comments on a study or result | Not yet | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Paid plans"Comments" |
| Roles and permissions | Not yet | Plan not stated"Access control" | Paid plans"Role based permissions" | Not stated | Plan not statedAdmin, manager, member |
| Single sign-on | Not yet | Plan not stated"SSO" | Paid plansEnterprise | Paid plansEnterprise security | Paid plans"SAML-based SSO" on Business |
| Integrations | |||||
| Figma | Coming soonPlugin in beta | Plan not stated | Plan not stated | Paid plans"Figma integration"; no free plan listed | Plan not statedFigma, ProtoPie, Sketch |
| Slack | Not yet | Plan not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| MCP server | Not yet | Plan not stated | Paid plans | Paid plansListed as "MCP"; no free plan listed | Not stated |
| Calendar and video-call tools | Not yet | Not stated | Plan not statedGoogle Calendar, Meet, Outlook, Teams, Zoom | Not stated | Plan not statedFor interview scheduling |
| Limits and pricing | |||||
| A free plan | FreeNo paid plan | Not stated | Free$0, 3 seats | No free plan listedPricing page lists Starter and Enterprise only | FreeEUR 0 |
| Responses on the free plan | FreeUp to 1,000 per study | Not stated | Free15 self-recruited responses | No free plan listedNo free plan listed | Free10 a month |
| Studies on the free plan | FreeNo monthly allowance | Not stated | FreeUnlimited quick studies | No free plan listedStarter has 5 studies launched a year | Free1 project, 3 versions, 5 blocks |
| First paid plan | FreeNone | Not stated | Paid plansGrowth, $166 a month | Paid plansStarter, $199 a month billed annually | Paid plansGrowth, EUR 83 a month billed yearly |
Swipe the table sideways
"Coming soon" means built but not switched on yet. "Not yet" means we don't have it. "Plan not stated" means the tool lists the feature but its page doesn't say which plan includes it.
Sources
Pages read on 24 October 2026.
- Maze: maze.co/pricing/, maze.co/
- Lyssna: lyssna.com/pricing/
- Optimal Workshop: optimalworkshop.com/pricing/, optimalworkshop.com/
- Useberry: useberry.com/pricing/, useberry.com/
Comparing one tool in detail? See the free Maze alternative, the free OptimalSort alternative and the free Treejack alternative.
Frequently asked questions
Where do the competitor cells come from?
Each tool's own pricing and product pages, read on 24 October 2026. Where a page doesn't say which plan has a feature, the cell says so. Plans change, so check their sites. We are not affiliated with any of them.
What do the labels mean?
Free: on the free plan. Paid plans: not on the free plan. Plan not stated: the tool lists the feature but not the plan. Not stated: the page doesn't mention it. For us, Free is live now, Coming soon is built but switched off, and Not yet means we don't have it.
Is UX Academy really free?
Yes. There is no paid plan. Each study takes up to 1,000 responses. You sign in, free and by email link, to share a study or save work.
Do you provide participants?
No. You send a link to your own testers. We have no panel.