Free Usability Testing for iOS Apps
Usability testing is easy to describe. You give a person your app and a task. Then you watch where that person has difficulty.
For an indie iOS developer, it is difficult to find people and to pay them. This page explains free and paid ways to do usability testing for iOS apps, and how unmoderated testing works. It also shows how a peer exchange lets you pay with time instead of money.
What unmoderated usability testing is
In a moderated test, you and the tester are online at the same time. You can ask questions during the test.
In an unmoderated test, the tester does the tasks alone, at a time that is good for them. You watch the recording later. The Nielsen Norman Group article on remote usability tests explains both types.
Unmoderated tests are easier to schedule, and testers use their own devices. But you cannot ask a follow-up question. Also, you find a skipped task or a bad session only after the session ends.
So your task text must do the work of a moderator.
What UserTesting, Maze and Userbrain cost
As of October 2026, these are the prices from the pricing page of each platform:
| Platform | Public price |
|---|---|
| UserTesting | Not published. For all three plans (Advanced, Ultimate, Ultimate+), you must request the price. |
| Maze | Not published. The page compares the features of each plan. Then it sends you to the sales team. |
| Userbrain | From $49 a month for 3 panel testers. The 30-day free trial includes 2 testers. |
By our calculation, the Userbrain Starter plan costs about $16 for each panel tester ($49 divided by 3). One round of five sessions in a month needs more testers than this plan includes. Our Userbrain comparison shows all the plans.
How a peer exchange replaces money with time
If you want a free alternative to UserTesting or Userbrain, a peer exchange is one option. Raizy is a free web app where indie iOS developers test each other's apps. It works like this:
- You test another developer's live app on your iPhone.
- You send a short screen recording or a screenshot with written notes.
- When a moderator approves the feedback session, you earn 1 credit.
- Each credit buys one feedback session on your own app.
There are no subscriptions and no fees. No task asks for an App Store rating or review. Our page on getting feedback on your iOS app shows each step.
The trade-offs, honestly
- Testers are developers, not your target users. A developer quickly sees a broken flow or an unclear label. But a developer is not a good substitute for a parent who has never used a budgeting app.
- Recordings are silent. The browser compresses each recording to about 480 px wide at 10 frames per second, with no audio. You do not hear the tester think aloud. The written notes are the only place where the tester explains what they expected.
- No targeting. You cannot choose testers by country or device.
- Live apps only. Raizy works with apps on the App Store. It does not work with TestFlight builds. Userbrain can test TestFlight builds.
If you need your real audience, their voice, or a pre-release build, a paid platform is the better choice.
How to write tasks for an unmoderated session
On Raizy, your instructions can have up to 500 characters. Use them like this:
- Give a goal, not steps. "Plan a 3-day trip to Lisbon" tests your app. "Tap Plus, then Trip" tests your instructions.
- Use the user's words, not your UI labels. If the button says "Collections," ask them to "save these recipes together."
- Say where to start and when to stop. "Start as a new user. Stop when you see your first report."
- Ask one question you need answered. "Was it clear what the paid plan adds?" gets a better answer than "Any thoughts?"
What to look for when you watch a recording
- Long pauses on one screen. The tester reads, or looks for something.
- Going back and forth between two screens. The path is not where the tester expected it.
- Text that the tester skips. If your onboarding text has an important instruction, check if testers read it.
- The point where the tester stops. Compare it with the goal that you set.
At 10 frames per second, examine the flow and the hesitations. Do not judge the smoothness of animations.
Then compare the notes with the recording. Give the highest priority to a problem that occurs in two or more sessions.
How many sessions per round
Nielsen Norman Group recommends small rounds of about 5 users instead of one big study. Between the rounds, you fix the problems that you found and test again.
On Raizy, one round costs 5 credits. Our guide on how many testers you need explains when to use more testers.