Alternatives to UserTesting.com --Updated after company response

[timesharecmo]

_***Update: August 8, 2016: Chris Hicken, the President and COO of UserTesting.com, resolved my client's issues to my (and most importantly their) satisfaction. Chris also listened carefully to the questions I raised here, and his specific answers and vision for the company demonstrated that to me, to my great relief given that I think usertesting.com is one of the most important and effective tools in my marketing toolbox. __Chris' and Usertesting.com's plans, if executed, should not only benefit their clients but also agencies of all sizes.  _

_In my opinion, usertesting.com acted in good faith to resolve this issue fairly, and they deserve credit for it. Isn't that what social media is for? _

Also, because I know someone will wonder, I'll be clear: neither I nor my company TimeshareCMO, LLC has ever been asked for or ever been offered, or ever received any money or special consideration for writing this addendum or for recommending usertesting.com's (or any other) product or services.

To those competitors and marketers who reached out to me, thank you! I will be following up to learn more about your services and products.***

I am seeking direct competitors to usertesting.com that are appropriate for global brands.

I used to be a big proponent of usertesting.com but have lately become rapidly disillusioned with them. This gives me no satisfaction, as for years I would have said they were one of my favorite SaaS companies, with excellent customer service.m

Allow me to explain.

• There is no middle ground between a very limited, nearly useless $99 test, and a pro plan that appears to only start at about $20,000.
• If you are an agency, plans START at 20,000 and while tests are unlimited, you are REQUIRED to reveal your clients' names. Ostensibly this is so they won't "bother" your clients, but who are we kidding? You know exactly what they plan to do.  Undercut you.
• True story: When client themselves wants to set up account: big brand name. We warned them about the pro pricing and hardline sales tactics, and sure enough, when the trial period was up, usertesting.com blocked access to tests already paid for (anything over 25) including download access and the ability to make highlight reels.  This is a company who is willing to spend the money for the tests at $99/per and probably would spend $5-10k a year with them, minimum, and maybe more as they gain traction inside their organization.  But since they don't want to commit in advance to $20k, usertesting refuses to play ball.
• In short, I will never use or recommend them again, and I'm eagerly researching competitors. if you know of or are one and are interested with working on a global brand who will be willing to endorse you publicly, let me know.

[Igor.Go]

Alternative to is a great place too start searching
http://alternativeto.net/software/usertesting-com/

[ChrisHicken]

Hi Melinda,

My name is Chris Hicken and I'm President of UserTesting.

We've always considered UserTesting a company that delivers world-class service, so it's disappointing to read about the bad experience you had with us.

Are you willing to give us a chance to make it up to you?  I think I know what happened -- if we can have a brief conversation, I think we can fix this.  We're also in the middle of changing our agency/partnership strategy, and your feedback would be helpful.

My apologies again,
Chris

[Loop11]

Hi Melinda,

I work at a company called Loop11 who provide a slightly different offering to UserTesting.

We have many different price points and services to tailer a solution exactly for your requirements. We can help whether you need the control to run the project yourself or want us to provide fully featured consulting services.

Loop11 works with all manner of clients from solo consultants right up to Fortune 500 companies. We'd love to give you a free demo of our services to see of it fits your needs.

If you're interested please email me personally at bnewton@loop11.com and I'll arrange a demo for you asap.

Best wishes,

Ben

[timesharecmo]

Hi Chris,

Yes, I will take your call for two reasons:

1. Your product has always been fantastic.

2. Your customer support team has been world class and excellent to deal with over the years.

I'm hopeful there's a resolution, and I'm heartened to see you taking this seriously. you can contact me at FirstName@timesharecmo.com

Best regards,

Melinda

[Jeff-Stillman]

Hi Melinda,

I'd like to recommend Validately. We specialize in remote moderated and unmoderated user research. Our plans start as low as $199/month.

• Validately gives you the flexibility to test anything from live websites to prototypes on mobile and desktop.
• In one platform you can record videos, take notes, create and share clips, and view analytics.
• There's no cost to use your own testers.
• You can collect unlimited responses for each test.
• We offer custom recruiting services that start at $10 per response for unmoderated and $50 per response for remote moderated.
• We'll never ask you to reveal your clients.
• Validately is used and trusted by over 1,000 companies, including Google, Salesforce, American Express, Allstate, and many more.

If you're interested in learning more, feel free to contact me at jeff@validately.com. I'd be happy to schedule a demo of our platform.

Jeff

http://www.validately.com