Both run card sorts and tree tests and both sell recruited participants. Lyssna (formerly UsabilityHub) is a broad UX testing toolkit; SortedResearch goes deeper on structure and priority, and checks every response for you. Every claim about Lyssna links to its own pages.
Lyssna includes more seats. SortedResearch costs less and does not count your studies.
| Plans and participants | SortedResearch | Lyssna |
|---|---|---|
| Paid plan | $49 a month, or $490 a year | Growth: $199 a month, or $166 a month billed annually1 |
| Studies | Unlimited | 5 in-depth studies a month on Growth1 |
| Seats | 1 on Individual, 3 on Team ($99 a month) | 5 on Growth; extra seats cannot be bought1,2 |
| Free option | One trial study, up to 10 participants, no card | Free plan: unlimited quick studies; you can see 15 self-recruited responses1,2 |
| Recruited participants | From $5 per completed response, shown before you pay, with no minimum. Under-filled orders are refunded automatically. | 1 credit (US$1 before bulk discounts) per minute of test length, plus 2 credits each for a screener. Credits never expire.2 |
| Smallest order | No minimum | 1 response3 |
Example: a 10-minute card sort with a screener costs about 12 credits a response on Lyssna before bulk discounts. On SortedResearch the live price depends on the audience you pick and is shown before you pay.
Lyssna checks its own panel by hand and replaces what you report. SortedResearch judges every response automatically, whoever sent the participant.
| Quality layer | SortedResearch | Lyssna |
|---|---|---|
| Bought participants | ✓Checked automatically; rejected responses replaced and refunded | ✓Manual checks on every panel response; replaced if you report one within 30 days3,4 |
| Participants you recruit yourself | ✓Up to eleven automatic checks on every response, including participants you recruit yourself. | –You can delete responses; they are not replaced4 |
| Speeding while it happens | ✓Asked to slow down, then the session ends | –Not documented |
| Sorting without reading the cards | ✓Checked on every card sort | –Not documented |
“Not documented” means we could not find it on Lyssna’s website or help centre on 12 October 2026, not that it cannot exist.
Lyssna covers much more of the UX toolkit. SortedResearch covers structure and priority.
| Method | SortedResearch | Lyssna |
|---|---|---|
| Card sorting | ✓Open, closed and hybrid; similarity matrix, dendrogram, 3D clusters | ✓Open, closed and hybrid, up to 100 cards; agreement and similarity matrices6 |
| Dendrogram | ✓Yes, with agreement shown as you change the number of groups | –Not found on their site |
| Tree testing | ✓Findability: first clicks, paths, a confidence range per task, participant replay, Adaptive Tree | ✓Success, directness, time and path analysis7 |
| Pairwise comparison | ✓Importance and satisfaction, with an opportunity matrix | –Not found on their site5 |
| Best–Worst (MaxDiff) | ✓Ranks 20 to 30 items on a 0–100 scale with a must-have line | ~A ranking question, where people drag items into order5 |
| One study feeding the next | ✓A finished card sort becomes a pairwise, Best–Worst or Findability study in one click | –Not documented |
| First-click, five-second, preference, prototype and live website tests, surveys, recordings, interviews | –Not offered | ✓All offered8 |
We would rather you picked the right tool. Lyssna is the stronger choice if:
If your work is concepts, needs, benefits and navigation, and you want each response checked for you, SortedResearch is built for it.
All pages read on 12 October 2026. SortedResearch facts come from our pricing page and help centre. Lyssna is a trademark of its owner. SortedResearch is not affiliated with or endorsed by Lyssna.
Try one study to see how it works. Every response is checked, and you only pay for the ones that pass.