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Listen Labs vs UserTesting

The AI-native alternative

UserTesting was built in 2007 to record people clicking through tasks, and has been adding AI on top since. Listen Labs was built AI-first: an AI moderator runs hundreds of in-depth interviews at once in 100+ languages, and the analysis is done before the last one ends. Teams who evaluate both tell us Listen beats UserTesting on depth, speed, data quality and support.

Run a side-by-side pilot

Send us one brief. We field the same study on Listen so you can compare like for like.

At a glance

Listen

UserTesting

AI moderator

Yes

Fraud checks

13+

Basic

Analysis

Full

Basic

Launches a month

15.2

—

Public information and customer feedback, September 2026.

At a glance

Listen

UserTesting

AI moderator

Yes

Fraud checks

13+

Basic

Analysis

Full

Basic

Launches a month

15.2

—

Public information and customer feedback, September 2026.

Built AI-native, not AI-added

See Listen Labs in action: a two-minute walkthrough with Alfred Wahlforss, CEO of Listen Labs.

An AI moderator on every session

Listen’s AI moderator runs every interview by video or voice and asks a follow-up on every answer. UserTesting’s core is still unmoderated recordings and human-led sessions.

Study design from a single line

Describe what you want to learn and Listen drafts the guide, screener and quotas for you to edit. On UserTesting, most tests are still built and programmed by hand.

Analysis that’s already done

Themes are quantified, highlight reels are cut and the deck is built in your company’s template, with every insight linked to its clip. UserTesting’s AI summarises sessions; the real analysis still happens outside the tool.

Shipping at AI speed

We ship 15+ product launches a month, many built from customer requests. UserTesting is still folding UserZoom and User Interviews into one platform.

The teams you benchmark against already made the call.

AI and technology

Consumer brands

Agencies and research partners

50M

participants

1.1M+

interviews and counting

1.1M+

interviews and counting

70+ years

combined experience on our in-house research team

Previously at

70+ years

combined experience on our in-house research team

Previously at

Why teams pick Listen Labs over UserTesting

Fraud control built in

13+ AI and human checks before and during every interview, a plain-language reason for every flag, and anyone caught is kept out of future studies. No more screener gamers in your results.

Global reach

50M+ participants in 100+ languages, plus a recruitment team that sources niche and B2B audiences for you. Field in one language and report in another.

Researchers on your account

Researchers from Kantar, Harris Poll and PSB work hands-on with your team, from study design to the readout. No ping-ponging between service reps.

No premium tiers to unlock AI

AI moderation, analysis and reporting come with every study. On UserTesting, advanced features sit behind higher Ultimate tiers.

Why teams chose Listen Labs, in their words

“Listen Labs is going to be the standard of how we run research and how we really connect with our customers to get this level of insight.”

Brian Davia

Head of Consumer and Business Insights, Sweetgreen

“Our leadership team was thrilled — not just by the speed and scale, but by how Listen brought the human stories to life.”

Romani Patel

Director of Data Science, Microsoft

“It compresses hours of work into minutes, reaches a broader audience than our schedule allows and uncovers qual/quant insights in real time.”

Lauren Haugh Neville

Director of Product Insights, Chubbies

How Listen Labs and UserTesting compare where it matters most

Teams who switched from UserTesting tell us the gap shows up most in AI moderation, analysis and data quality. We’ve also noted where UserTesting is ahead.

Key differences

Listen Labs

UserTesting

Recruitment

AI and human fraud checks, before and during the session

Listen Labs

13+ checks

UserTesting

Screener plus ID check

Plain-language reason for every flagged response

Listen Labs

Included

UserTesting

Not available

Removed fraudsters kept out of future studies

Listen Labs

Included

UserTesting

Not documented

Recruitment team sources niche and B2B audiences for you

Listen Labs

Included

UserTesting

Paid add-on

Global reach

Languages supported

Listen Labs

100+

UserTesting

Mainly English

Field in one language, report in another

Listen Labs

Included

UserTesting

Not available

Release cadence

Product launches per month

Listen Labs

15.2

UserTesting

Not published

Ease of use

Results update live while a study is fielding

Listen Labs

Live

UserTesting

After each session

Decks in your company’s slide template

Listen Labs

Included

UserTesting

Not available

Research depth

AI moderator asks follow-ups on every answer

Listen Labs

Included

UserTesting

Not available

Usability tests with screen share and live probing

Listen Labs

Included

UserTesting

Unmoderated recordings

Tone of voice and facial expression analysis

Listen Labs

Included

UserTesting

Sentiment only

Qual and quant in one study, with MaxDiff and TURF

Listen Labs

Included

UserTesting

Not available

Card sorting and tree testing

Listen Labs

Not available

UserTesting

Included

Pricing

AI moderation and analysis included, no premium tiers

Listen Labs

Included

UserTesting

Advanced features on Ultimate tiers

Selected differences reported by teams who evaluated both, not a full feature list. Based on public information and customer feedback, September 2026.

See all Listen features

Run a side-by-side pilot

Frequently asked questions

What teams ask when comparing

Is Listen Labs an alternative to UserTesting?

Yes. Teams use Listen Labs for the research they used to run on UserTesting, from concept and message tests to usability studies, with an AI moderator that asks follow-ups and analysis that’s done for them.

How is Listen Labs different from UserTesting’s AI features?

UserTesting has added AI summaries and test creation to a platform built around recordings. Listen Labs was built around an AI moderator from day one, so AI runs the interview itself, not just the write-up.

Can Listen Labs run usability tests too?

Yes. Participants share their screen while the AI moderator watches navigation and hesitation, asks follow-ups in real time, and turns every on-screen action into a timestamped record you can search.

How does Listen Labs prevent fraud and low-quality responses?

Every interview runs through Quality Guard: 13+ AI and human checks before and during the interview, across video, voice, response content and device signals. Flagged responses come with a plain-language reason, and anyone removed for fraud is kept out of future studies.

Who designs Listen Labs’ research methods?

An in-house team of 10+ researchers from firms like Kantar, PSB and Harris Poll, with 70+ combined years of experience. They’ve shaped the product since before it shipped and work hands-on with customers.

Can Listen Labs plug into the tools we already use?

Yes. Listen Labs has an open API and an MCP for running studies from ChatGPT and Claude, and connects to Qualtrics and Decipher so the same respondents move from your survey into a conversation.

Is Listen Labs only for large enterprise teams?

No. Our customers include global brands, dozens of agencies and startups with fewer than ten people.

When might UserTesting be the better fit?

If your designers mostly self-serve quick unmoderated tasks, card sorts and tree tests, UserTesting is an established choice that does that well. Listen Labs is for teams who want AI to run the research end to end, from the interview to the deck.

Evaluating UserTesting? Try Listen too.

Send us one study brief. We field it on Listen and share the full report, so you can judge recruitment, speed and depth on your own terms.

Book a demo to compare

Estd. 2023
A Human Company
AI Moderated Research
San Francisco, CA

Listen Labs

Estd. 2023
A Human Company
AI Moderated Research
San Francisco, CA