Compare Sondar.Ai and UserTesting.com
In 2025, many research teams are finding themselves priced out of traditional user research platforms. Despite their high costs, their feature sets have remained largely unchanged, prompting teams to seek more affordable ways to gather valuable user feedback without compromising on research capabilities.
Sondar.Ai is a modern alternative in the user research space that is offering a comprehensive feature set at a budget-friendly price.
Why companies choose Sondar.Ai over UserTesting.com?
When it comes to user research, companies are increasingly choosing Sondar.Ai for its comprehensive feature set, global research panel, transparent and affordable pricing.
Frustration with non transparent pricing
UserTesting.com doesn't publish their pricing, requiring teams to engage in lengthy sales conversations just to receive a quote. Researchers on Reddit express frustration with this lack of transparency, coupled with hidden costs and varied quotes, makes budgeting and comparing alternatives incredibly difficult.
Enterprise Tier Pricing
UserTesting.com primarily targets enterprise clients, often requiring a substantial financial commitment. Researchers on Reddit revealed that they are paying $15k+ per year for an ultimate license. For startups and growth companies with leaner budgets, Sondar.Ai offers a compelling alternative, focusing on affordability and value without sacrificing powerful features.
No Feature Gating
UserTesting.com locks essential features like Advanced demographic targeting and Screener questions behind higher-tier plans. With Sondar.Ai, every feature is available on all plans. You get the full toolkit from day one, empowering comprehensive research without hidden costs or frustrating limitations.
Sondar.Ai vs UserTesting.com - Feature Comparison
Pricing
Sondar.Ai
UserTesting.com
Free Plan
Team Plan
Enterprise Plan
Research
Website Testing
Video Recording
Prototype Testing
AI Led Behavioral Insights
Mobile App Testing
Preference Testing
Surveys (w Conditional Logic)
First Click Testing
Five Second Testing
Card Sorting
Tree Testing
Recruiting Participants
Shareable Study Links
Research Panel Access
Advanced Targeting
Screener Questions
Panel Credits
Self Recruitment
Analysis & Results
Heatmaps / Click Maps
Common path visualizations
Recording Transcriptions
AI Summaries
AI Usability Insights
Support
Live Chat & Email Support
Customer Success
Security & Privacy
GDPR Compliance
Single Sign-On (SSO)
👀 Looking to Switch to Sondar.Ai but Locked into UserTesting.com subscription?
If you're currently a UserTesting.com customer but planning to switch to Sondar.Ai, we will provide free access to Sondar.Ai for the remaining duration of your UserTesting.com subscription.
No need to worry about extra costs or initiating a new procurement process. Simply reach out to us at sales@sondar.ai, and we'll set you up.
Pricing & Plan Comparison
Choosing the right user research platform often comes down to balancing features with cost. While UserTesting.com is a known vendor, its pricing structure can quickly escalate, especially when you need advanced capabilities. Sondar.Ai offers a more transparent, accessible, and ultimately, more valuable solution.
Here's a breakdown of how Sondar.Ai stacks up against UserTesting.com:
UserTesting.com Pricing
Pricing is made up of two components: the software subscription plus the research panel costs. Here is a high level breakdown.
Software Subscription Pricing:
UserTesting.com offers two main plans: Advanced and Ultimate. Here's a breakdown of the pricing and features based on what researchers have revealed on Reddit:
- •Advanced Plan: Pricing is typically around $1500–$2500 per seat. This plan includes basic user testing capabilities, which are often not sufficient for many teams.
- •Ultimate Plan: This plan is approximately $1000 more per seat compared to the Advanced plan. It offers additional features and insights, such as limited panel targeting, custom screeners, card sorting and tree testing.
Research Panel Pricing:
- •Credits: Both plans use a credit system for conducting tests. Each credit typically costs $8–$10, and the number of credits required varies by test type. Foe example, unmoderated tests requires 10 credits ($100), while moderated tests could need 30 credits ($300).
- •Customization: UserTesting.com allows for some customization of plans, so you can tailor the package to fit your specific needs and budget.
Sondar.Ai Pricing
Sondar.Ai takes a different approach, prioritizing transparency, predictability and accessibility to every feature across all plans:
- •Forever FREE Plan: Ideal for freelancers, this plan offers all premium features, including AI-driven insights, website, prototype testing, session recording and essential usability testing. It's a truly functional free option, not just a limited trial.
- •Team Plan ($75 / month, billed yearly): Building on the Free plan, this is designed for teams getting started with user research, includes 3 seats, centralized billing and unlimited studies.
- •Enterprise Plan (Custom): Tailored for teams with sophisticated requirements, this plan offers everything from the Team plan with additional features and support, including bulk pricing options.
Why Sondar.Ai Offers Better Value:
- •No Feature Gating: Unlike UserTesting.com, Sondar.Ai provides all premium features across every plan, including:
- • Global participant panel (33 countries)
- • Advanced Participant Targeting (300+ filters)
- • Prototype Testing
- • Live Website Testing
- • Mobile App Testing
- • AI Transcriptions & Summaries
- • AI Analysis & Thematic Tagging
- • Unmoderated and AI-moderated testing
- •Flexible Participant Recruiting: Our advanced targeting with hundreds of demographic and location filters is available on all plans, not just the most expensive one.
- •Transparent and Friendly Pricing: Sondar.Ai's pricing is clear and designed to be accessible for various team sizes and budgets. As a profitable, bootstrapped company, our focus is on customer satisfaction and long-term sustainability, not maximizing investor returns. This translates to more stable and customer-friendly pricing.
- •Comprehensive AI Capabilities: Sondar.Ai leverages AI for much more than just transcriptions. We offer adaptive questions, dynamic follow-ups, and AI analysis for sentiment and theme detection, all designed to give you deeper, actionable insights faster.
Summary
When Sondar.Ai Makes Sense:
- •You want access to all research methodologies without being forced into enterprise pricing.
- •Your team needs advanced participant targeting and AI-driven insights at an affordable price point.
- •You value transparent, predictable pricing and want to avoid feature-gating.
- •You need comprehensive research capabilities including website testing, prototype testing, and AI-led behavioral inquiry.
UserTesting.com Might Be a Better Fit If:
- •Your organization already has an established workflow and integration with UserTesting.com.
- •You have an existing enterprise agreement with favorable terms or volume discounts.
- •Your research requires features like moderated interviews, tree testing or card sorting.