PlaybookUX vs Smaply
PlaybookUX
playbookux.comSmaply
smaply.comSide by side
| Figure | PlaybookUX | Smaply |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $450/mo | $38/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 4 | 4 |
| Spec score · User Experience Software | 8.4 (#8) | 7.8 (#18) |
| Data protection | The security page states that data in transit uses TLS and data at rest is encrypted with AES-256, and that customers can permanently delete their data. | The security page says data is encrypted at rest with AES-256 and in transit with TLS 1.3, hosted on Google Cloud in the EU by default, with US hosting on request. |
| Purpose | PlaybookUX is an all-in-one platform for recruiting participants, conducting qualitative and quantitative research, and analyzing and organizing findings. | Smaply brings customer research, journeys, and metrics into one system to help teams prioritize and act on customer experience improvements. |
| Support | All customers have access to chat support, while enterprise customers are assigned a dedicated customer success manager. | Free and Repository plans include self-service helpdesk support; Framework includes helpdesk and email support with a stated 24-hour response time. |
Plans
PlaybookUX
- Self-serveFree
- Scale$5,400 a year
- Pro$8,800 a year
- EnterprisePriced on request
In their own words
PlaybookUX
PlaybookUX is a research platform for recruiting participants, running studies and organizing findings. Researchers can conduct unmoderated tests, moderated interviews, card sorting, tree testing, surveys, five-second tests, first-click tests and preference tests. Its stated panel has more than 7 million vetted consumer and professional participants, and users can also bring their own. Analysis tools include transcripts, notes, tags, video clips, highlight reels, heat maps and task-success analytics. AI features include follow-up questions, summaries, sentiment analysis, pattern detection, screener and script generation, and AI personas. The Figma integration imports prototypes and supports goal-completion metrics, misclick tracking, and heat and click map overlays. It also offers an API and MCP layer for connecting data with other tools and automating project creation. The platform supports web, Android, iOS, macOS and Windows, including native Android and iOS app research. Self-serve is free and allows 50 sessions annually; Scale costs $5,400 a year and Pro costs $8,800 a year.
Smaply
Smaply is a web platform that brings customer research, journey maps, and metrics together to help teams prioritize customer-experience improvements. Journey maps support eleven lane types, drag-and-drop stages and cards, emotion charts, live data, images, embeds, and planning cards. Maps have autosave, version history, bulk updates, and live links that display the latest version. Smaply AI can draft maps from descriptions and extract quotes, sentiment, and themes from research transcripts; the Governance plan includes Research Hub. Teams can comment on map cards and use admin, editor, and viewer roles, although viewer access depends on the plan. Listed integrations and embeds include Qualtrics, Tableau, OneDrive, Google Docs, SharePoint, Google Sheets, Linear, Trello, Azure DevOps, Asana, and Jira. Smaply states it is ISO 27001:2022 certified, SOC 2 Type II audited, and GDPR and DSGVO compliant. The Free plan is limited to one personal workspace, 10 maps, 10 personas, three advanced cards per map, and no viewer seats. Paid plans start at $38 a month per editor, billed yearly; the Free plan begins with a 14-day full-featured trial.