Labvanced

Overview

A graphical builder lets researchers assemble experiments without code, then combine questionnaires, audio or video stimuli, mouse tracking and real-time participation by multiple people. Millisecond-precise reaction-time measurement and webcam-based eye tracking make it relevant to behavioral research beyond basic surveys. The breadth is useful, though studies involving offline collection require a group or departmental license.

Recruitment connections documented for Prolific, CloudResearch, Sona Systems, Besample, Panelabs, Amazon Mechanical Turk and Clickworker can help link a study to participant sourcing. Researchers still need to select and manage their recruitment service.

Key features

Study design and measurement

The visual builder is suited to researchers who want to create tasks graphically rather than program them. Alongside reaction-time measures and webcam eye tracking, Labvanced supports questionnaires, mouse tracking, audio and video stimuli, and real-time multi-participant studies. This combination supports diverse study formats in one platform; the stated participant limit is 10, so it should not be treated as an unlimited group-session tool.

Gaze visualizations include heatmaps, gaze coordinates, fixations, dwell time and time to first fixation. Researchers can export CSV, TSV and JSON experiment specifications, giving them several ways to work with study output and experiment definitions.

Integrations, offline work and privacy

Through Lab Streaming Layer, the desktop app can connect EEG systems, eye trackers, motion sensors and wearables. It can run locally without internet access, a meaningful option for labs with offline or hardware-linked protocols. That capability is limited to group and departmental license holders, rather than being a universal desktop option.

The Chrome Web Bridge extension supports controlled studies on live third-party websites, recording gaze, clicks, hovering and scrolling. It is specifically a Chrome workflow, so it is less suitable for researchers who need that live-site method outside Chrome.

Labvanced says its website is SSL encrypted and that participant names, email addresses and IP addresses are not saved, except for email collection used for repeated-measures reminders. Webcam eye-tracking video is not transmitted to Labvanced servers or experimenters by default, a useful privacy safeguard for studies using that measurement.

Pricing

Labvanced is freemium, with a free plan and a 7-day trial. The Free plan costs 0.00 USD per free and includes 300 MB of storage, 10 recordings and one active recruiting link. That is a practical starting point for a small study or an initial evaluation, but the recording cap and single recruiting link constrain ongoing or multi-cohort recruitment.

Researcher Basic has custom pricing: its price display gives euro amounts excluding and including VAT without a numeric figure. It is billed for one year, with 0% discount, and provides 3,000 MB of storage, 200 recordings per year and selected active recruiting links. The larger annual allowance suits a researcher whose needs exceed the free caps, but the one-year term and custom price make it harder to assess as a low-commitment step up. Documentation and study templates are included on Free; paid tiers list live chat, with premium email support or onboarding on some tiers.

Labvanced describes licenses for individuals, labs, departments and consortia, teaching, campuses and commercial use. Group and departmental license holders also gain the offline desktop app, making license audience relevant to researchers choosing that workflow.

Platforms

Labvanced supports web, Windows, MacOS, Linux, API and extension platforms. The desktop app is compatible with Windows, MacOS and Linux Ubuntu. Web Bridge is a Chrome extension, while supported browsers are web browsers generally for the platform and Google Chrome for Web Bridge.

Who it's for

Labvanced is a strong candidate for researchers who need to build behavioral tasks without coding and combine response measurement, stimuli, recruitment connections or research hardware. Labs planning offline, hardware-linked work should consider the group or departmental licensing requirement early. Researchers running only small studies may find Free sufficient; those planning repeated or larger recruitment need to weigh its limited storage and recording allowance against the annual Researcher Basic term and custom pricing.

Pros and cons

• Broad study toolkit: Reaction-time measures, webcam eye tracking, questionnaires, stimuli and mouse tracking support more than one kind of behavioral task.
• Research workflow connections: Multiple documented recruitment integrations and Lab Streaming Layer hardware connections can reduce the need to assemble every workflow component separately.
• Offline desktop option: Local operation is valuable for offline protocols, but is reserved for group and departmental license holders.
• Restrictive free allowance: Ten recordings, 300 MB and one active recruiting link make Free better for a small project or evaluation than continuing recruitment.
• Chrome-specific live-site method: Web Bridge captures interaction on third-party sites, but requires Chrome.
• Custom annual pricing: Researcher Basic expands capacity substantially, but the one-year billing term and undisclosed numeric price complicate budgeting.

Alternatives

Browse eye-tracking software for a broader category comparison. Choose GazePlotter if an open-source, free tool across desktop and mobile platforms is the priority. GazeRecorder is a free option for non-commercial use. Hawkeye may suit a small project that fits its free allowance of one project and five sessions, with a Starter plan at 39.99 USD per month billed monthly.

OpenGazer is a free, open-source gaze tracker for Linux that requires a webcam and Linux build dependencies. Feng-GUI is a paid API and web option with a Basic plan at 99.00 USD per month billed monthly, including up to 400 credits monthly, five users, 5 GB storage, three months’ retention, and image and website processing. GazeSense is a paid Linux and Windows option with a 1-Month License at 199.00 USD per month, billed for the first month of use, and a 7-day risk-free trial invite plus a 7-day money-back guarantee. Pupil Core is a paid wearable eye-tracking headset and open-source software suite at 3615.00 EUR per once. Retra is a free, open-source Android option.

Verdict

Choose Labvanced if you need a flexible behavioral-study builder that combines measurement methods with recruitment and research-hardware connections. Its offline desktop capability is valuable for labs, but depends on group or departmental licensing; the free plan’s small caps and Researcher Basic’s custom annual price are reasons to look elsewhere when predictable, generous capacity is essential.