# What are the best user research tools worth sticking with long term?

I’ve been comparing some of the best user research tools—particularly the ones offering a free tier or trial—and wanted to hear from folks who’ve used them for real projects.<p class="elv-tracking-normal elv-text-default elv-font-figtree elv-text-base elv-leading-base elv-font-normal" elv="true">Between session recordings, interviews, surveys, and usability testing, it feels like you either need multiple tools or a well-rounded one. I’ve seen some community threads mentioning issues with managing feedback across platforms or figuring out when it makes sense to move beyond free tools. A few I’ve come across include:</p><p class="elv-tracking-normal elv-text-default elv-font-figtree elv-text-base elv-leading-base elv-font-normal" elv="true"><a class="a a--md" elv="true" href="https://www.g2.com/products/usertesting/reviews"><strong>UserTesting</strong></a> – Offers structured ways to collect feedback through moderated and unmoderated tests. It seems helpful for getting reactions quickly from actual users.</p><p class="elv-tracking-normal elv-text-default elv-font-figtree elv-text-base elv-leading-base elv-font-normal" elv="true"><a class="a a--md" elv="true" href="https://www.g2.com/products/user-interviews/reviews"><strong>User Interviews</strong></a> – Focuses on participant recruitment. You can build your panels or use theirs, saving time when you need fast responses.</p><p class="elv-tracking-normal elv-text-default elv-font-figtree elv-text-base elv-leading-base elv-font-normal" elv="true"><a class="a a--md" elv="true" href="https://www.g2.com/products/hotjar-by-contentsquare/reviews"><strong>Hotjar</strong></a> – For heatmaps, recordings, and simple feedback widgets</p><p class="elv-tracking-normal elv-text-default elv-font-figtree elv-text-base elv-leading-base elv-font-normal" elv="true">Have you found a free tool that really delivered? Or hit a point where you had to switch to something paid to keep up with your workflow?</p>

##### Post Metadata
- Posted at: over 1 year ago
- Author title: SEO Specialist at G2 | AEO &amp;amp; LLM Visibility | Programmatic SEO | B2B SaaS Organic Growth
- Net upvotes: 2


## Comments
### Comment 1

&lt;p&gt;Have you had any great experiences using these tools specifically for small business?: https://www.g2.com/categories/user-research/small-business&lt;/p&gt;

##### Comment Metadata
- Posted at: over 1 year ago
- Author title: SEO Specialist at G2 | AEO &amp;amp; LLM Visibility | Programmatic SEO | B2B SaaS Organic Growth
- Net upvotes: 1


### Comment 2

&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: rgb(17, 17, 17);&quot;&gt;Your shortlist looks really good so far! I&#39;ve found a lot of success using UserTesting. I like to balance written and video feedback to better understand how users engage with my site. UserTesting makes that extremely simple.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

##### Comment Metadata
- Posted at: over 1 year ago
- Author title: Manager





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