UserTesting vs IBM

About

UserTesting is a human insight platform providing on-demand access to targeted panelists who record their screen and voice while completing tasks on websites, apps, and prototypes — enabling product, UX, marketing, and research teams to watch real users navigate their products and hear authentic reactions within hours rather than weeks. Listed on NYSE (NYSE: USER) before being acquired by Thoma Bravo private equity in 2023 for approximately $1.3 billion, UserTesting is headquartered in San Francisco and serves thousands of companies including Apple, Salesforce, Microsoft, and Walmart for rapid user research.\n\nUserTesting's platform enables teams to recruit from a panel of over 2 million contributors globally, filtered by demographic characteristics, and have them complete structured tasks while recording their screen, voice, and facial expressions. Researchers receive video clips sorted by predefined test metrics within hours, rather than waiting weeks to schedule in-person usability studies. Machine learning tools analyze videos to identify emotional reactions, sentiment, and task completion rates across participants.\n\nIn 2025, UserTesting competes in the user research and experience insight market against Maze (prototype testing), Lookback (live user interview platform), Hotjar (behavioral analytics), and Medallia (enterprise experience management). The user research market has consolidated as companies invest in continuous discovery practices rather than periodic research sprints. UserTesting's acquisition by Thoma Bravo and combination with UserZoom (another Thoma Bravo portfolio company) created a more comprehensive research platform covering both unmoderated video testing and moderated live interview capabilities. The 2025 strategy focuses on the combined UserTesting-UserZoom platform, expanding AI-powered insight synthesis from video research, and growing enterprise adoption of continuous research practices.