# Lighthouse Studio Software Pricing, Alternatives & More 2026 | Capterra

> With the help of Capterra, learn about Lighthouse Studio Software - reviews, pricing plans, popular comparisons to other Survey products and more.

Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/127963/Lighthouse-Studio

---

# 

 Lighthouse Studio Software Review 2026: Features, Integrations, Pros & Cons

Last updated on March 13, 2026

Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team.

[Description](#description)[Use cases](#use-cases)[Alternatives](#alternatives)[FAQs](#faqs)[Features](#features)[Pricing](#pricing)[Support](#support)[Reviews](#reviews)

Lighthouse Studio

## What is Lighthouse Studio?

Lighthouse Studio features general-interviewing capabilities as well as full integration (design and analysis) for conjoint analysis, discrete choice, and MaxDiff exercises. Includes complex skip logic, quota control, and list building. Export to CSV, Excel and SPSS. Surveys can be fielding online using your own web server, locally on a computer or Android device, or via paper and pencil.

## What is Lighthouse Studio used for?

[Market Research](https://www.capterra.com/market-research-software/)[Survey](https://www.capterra.com/survey-software/)[Predictive Analytics](https://www.capterra.com/predictive-analytics-software/)

Top alternative

Featured

Overall rating

Based on 168 user reviews

Reviews sentiment

Positive

96%

Neutral

4%

Negative

0%

Starting price

$4000

Flat Rate, Per Year

Free trial  
available

Capterra Shortlist charts the highest-rated and most popular products...

Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings...

Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings...

Do you work for Lighthouse Studio?[Manage this product listing](https://digitalmarkets.gartner.com/get-listed/claim-bx?url=http://www.sawtoothsoftware.com&name=Lighthouse Studio)

## Compare with a popular alternative

Capterra selects software alternatives based on relevant features, verified user reviews and user interactions. Placement may be influenced by client status.

### Lighthouse Studio

4.6 (168)

VS.

[4.8 (501)](https://www.capterra.com/p/197141/Tremendous-Rewards/reviews/)

Starting Price

$4000

Flat Rate, Per Year

Starting Price

Contact vendor

Free Trial

Free Version

Pricing Options

Free Trial

Free Version

Ease Of Use

4.1 (168)

Ease Of Use

4.9 (501)

Value For Money

4.3 (130)

Value For Money

4.8 (444)

Customer Service

4.6 (149)

Customer Service

4.7 (433)

## Lighthouse Studio alternatives

[4.5 (319)](https://www.capterra.com/p/72549/Alchemer/reviews/)

Starting price

$55.00

Per User, Per Month

Pricing Options

Free Trial

Free Version

User Rating

90%

of reviewers

rated it above 4 stars

[4.6 (82)](https://www.capterra.com/p/173343/Giftbit/reviews/)

Starting price

Contact vendor for pricing

Pricing Options

Free Trial

Free Version

User Rating

94%

of reviewers

rated it above 4 stars

[4.7 (971)](https://www.capterra.com/p/137289/Typeform/reviews/)

Starting price

$39.00

Per User, Per Month

Pricing Options

Free Trial

Free Version

User Rating

96%

of reviewers

rated it above 4 stars

[4.7 (2,904)](https://www.capterra.com/p/158456/JotForm-4-0/reviews/)

Starting price

$39.00

Per User, Per Month

Pricing Options

Free Trial

Free Version

User Rating

96%

of reviewers

rated it above 4 stars

## FAQs about Lighthouse Studio

Overview

### What problems does Lighthouse Studio solve?

Lighthouse Studio solves complex survey programming bottlenecks, limited design flexibility, and weak trade-off analysis by enabling advanced conjoint, MaxDiff, quota control, filter logic, and scenario modeling in one workflow. Market researchers, insights teams, strategic planners, and consultants use it to launch rigorous studies faster, analyze results accurately, and avoid building custom spreadsheets or workarounds.

Answer based on 121 reviews

Overview

### Which roles and teams benefit most from Lighthouse Studio?

Lighthouse Studio is most used by analysts, researchers, and programming teams that design surveys, manage complex conjoint studies, and analyze respondent data. Research directors, managers, and executives rely on it to oversee project quality, streamline reporting, and turn market insights into decisions for clients or internal strategy.

Answer based on 168 reviews

Talk to an expert

### More questions?

Ask our experts

Overview

### What company size and specific industries is Lighthouse Studio built for?

Lighthouse Studio is designed for marketing research teams and other organizations that need to measure how people trade off product or service attributes through conjoint analysis, or build general surveys. It fits companies of any size that conduct market research, especially those in research, marketing, and product development roles.

Features and Usability

### What are the key features of Lighthouse Studio?

Lighthouse Studio includes core customization and dashboard features, with differentiators in survey programming, survey design, and advanced research analysis. Key capabilities include skip logic and question branching, response quotas, mobile and offline survey collection, data import/export, and statistical analysis for conjoint and MaxDiff studies.

Answer based on 65 reviews

Pricing

### How much does it cost and what fees or limitations are included?

Lighthouse Studio starts at $4,000/year for the Basi Suite, with the Advanced Suite at 10,900/year and a free trial available. Both are flat-rate plans, and Basi includes free standard hosting with no per-response charges. Reviewers say it can save outsourcing and training costs, though some find it somewhat pricey and coding-heavy for complex surveys.

Answer based on 13 reviews

Integrations

### Which third-party tools and platforms does Lighthouse Studio integrate with?

Lighthouse Studio integrates with ActiveCampaign, Microsoft Azure, and Displayr through custom-coded connections rather than native integrations. Reviewer feedback indicates these setups rely on scripts, APIs, Azure Logic Apps, or custom project URLs, so connecting Lighthouse Studio to those platforms typically requires technical configuration and manual implementation.

Answer based on 19 reviews

Getting Started and Support

### How easy is it to onboard and train a team on Lighthouse Studio?

Lighthouse Studio offers in-person training, live online sessions, webinars, and documentation. Teams usually learn simple survey setup quickly, and some nontechnical users can handle basic logic without programming. Admins, advanced researchers, and first-time users often need more time for scripting, customizations, and complex conjoint work, with forums and videos commonly used during onboarding.

Answer based on 38 reviews

Getting Started and Support

### What customer support options does Lighthouse Studio offer, and how do users rate the experience?

Lighthouse Studio offers email/help desk, FAQ/forum, knowledge base, phone support, and chat. Users generally describe support as responsive, knowledgeable, patient, and helpful, with strong documentation and forum answers. Some report inconsistent help on complex questions, occasional incomplete responses, and difficulty reaching support quickly at times.

Answer based on 45 reviews

Ease of use

### Is Lighthouse Studio easy to use?

Lighthouse Studio feels intuitive for experienced researchers, but it takes more effort for beginners and nontechnical teams. Market research teams value its point-and-click workflow, customization, and analysis tools, while some users find the interface clunky, documentation uneven, and advanced study setup harder without programming knowledge or added training.

Answer based on 39 reviews

## Features

Features with the highest number of reviews are displayed first. Those that have no reviews appear next, sorted alphabetically.

Customizable Templates

4.0 (1)

100.00% of 1 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important

Pre-designed layouts that can be customized to match preferences and requirements

Question Branching

4.0 (1)

100.00% of 1 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important

Survey design technique that directs respondents to different questions based on their previous answers

Question Library

5.0 (1)

100.00% of 1 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important

Pre-written repository of questions that can be reused within a course or for assessment or interviews

Reporting/Analytics

1.0 (1)

0.00% of 1 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important

View and track pertinent metrics to find patterns and gain insights from data

Skip Logic

5.0 (1)

100.00% of 1 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important

Skip over or route respondents to different questions based on their previous answers

Survey Builder

5.0 (1)

100.00% of 1 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important

Create and manage surveys

Lighthouse Studio 23 features

Capability of a software or system to make decisions and perform actions based on specified conditions

Process of dividing customers into groups based on common characteristics

Tailored or customizable questions for more targeted and relevant data collection

Pre-designed layouts that can be customized to match preferences and requirements

Create labels for products that contain required information such as colors, sizes, dates, etc.

Analyze survey results via statistical testing or crosstabs directly within the software

Import and export data to and from software applications

Distribute a survey via mobile devices

Practice of collecting data and responses for market research/surveys without an internet connection

Survey design technique that directs respondents to different questions based on their previous answers

Pre-written repository of questions that can be reused within a course or for assessment or interviews

Integration of respondents' answers from previous survey questions into subsequent questions or text

Randomize the displayed order of questions and answer options

View and track pertinent metrics to find patterns and gain insights from data

Limit the number of participants with certain characteristics you want to complete the survey

Skip over or route respondents to different questions based on their previous answers

Security protocol that ensures secure, encrypted communication over the internet, safeguarding sensitive data from unauthorized access

Apply statistical/mathematical models to sets of data

Allow media to be embedded in the question or answer options

Create and manage surveys

Manage sample of audience for conducting market research surveys

Gauge satisfaction and receive information for improvement and success

Modifying a website's URL to enhance readability, branding, or campaign alignment

Get Advice

We can help you find the software with the features you need.

Features

4.4 (168)

4.4

Based on 168 reviews

## Pricing

Value for money

4.3 (130)

Free Trial

[View pricing plan details](https://www.capterra.com/p/127963/Lighthouse-Studio/pricing/)

Basi Suite

$4,000

Flat Rate,Per Year

It includes:

-   15 Levels Each)
-   7 Standard Survey Question Types
-   Basic Conjoint Analysis (Up to 8 Attributes
-   Basic Maxdiff + TURF (Up to 30 Items)
-   CSS and Javascript
-   Custom HTML
-   Dynamic Lists
-   Free Standard Hosting
-   Knowledgeable & Friendly Support
-   Market Simulation Tools
-   No Per Response Charges
-   Online Collaboration
-   Quotas
-   Skip Logic
-   Streamlined Online Survey Authoring With Discover
-   Unlimited Standard Questions
-   Unlimited Surveys
-   Utility Estimation Tools

Advanced Suite

$10,900

Flat Rate,Per Year

It includes:

-   Adaptive Choice-Based Conjoint (ACBC)
-   Adaptive Rating-Based Conjoint (ACA)
-   Advanced Analytical Tools
-   Advanced Conjoint Analysis
-   Advanced Maxdiff (up to 2000 Items)
-   Advanced Scripting
-   Alternative Specific Designs
-   Anchored Scaling (Maxdiff)
-   Bandit Maxdiff
-   Choice-Based Conjoint (CBC)
-   Includes All Features From Basic Suite Plan Plus Powerful Windows Desktop Survey Authoring With Lighthouse Studio
-   Looping
-   Menu-Based Choice Analysis (MBC) (+$4400)
-   Offline Survey Collection (CAPI)
-   Relevant Items Maxdiff
-   Self Host Your Surveys
-   Traditional Full-Profile Conjoint (CVA)
-   Willingness to Pay (WTP)

Value for money

4.3 (130)

4.3

Based on 130 reviews

Connect with a Capterra advisor for a free 15-minute consultation

Get a personalized software list aligned to your business needs with guidance from our expert advisors. Our team has helped 1 million+ businesses like yours find options that fit their needs.

## Support, customer service and training options

Customer Service

4.6 (149)

Support

-   Email/Help Desk
-   FAQs/Forum
-   Knowledge Base
-   Phone Support
-   24/7 (Live rep)
-   Chat

Training

-   In Person
-   Live Online
-   Webinars
-   Documentation
-   Videos

Deployment

-   Web
-   Android
-   iPhone/iPad

Typical users

-   Freelancers
-   Small businesses
-   Mid size businesses
-   Enterprises

Customer Service

4.6 (149)

4.6

Based on 149 reviews

## User reviews

Overall rating

4.6

Based on 168 reviews

Filter by rating

5(106)

4(56)

3(6)

2(0)

1(0)

Mentioned topic

Sorted by most recent

AN

Anonymous User

Chief Solutions Officer

Market Research

### "Powerful survey and conjoint tool, but needs updating"

4.0

Overall Rating

4.0

4.0

Ease of Use

3.0

3.0

Features

4.0

4.0

Customer Service

5.0

5.0

Likelihood to Recommend

8/10

February 3, 2022

I have been using Lighthouse Studio for at least 7 years and it amazes me how powerful and customizable it is. Granted, to take full advantage you need at least some familiarity with CSS, JavaScript and Perl, but with some pretty basic knowledge you can create truly beautiful surveys. Over the past 18 months or so we have been moving more and more toward systems integration. For example I have a custom panel of participants living over in Database A. I want them to move into/thru a survey on Lighthouse, then depending on their responses send them to Database B or Database C, or send them follow-up SMS or email messages. Lastly, we have switched to reporting from a Dashboard and want pull data directly from lighthouse to the dashboard. While all of this is do-able, it requires a great deal of work and could be improved to make it easier and more fluid.

Pros

Lighthouse is an incredibly powerful survey tool that allows for a great deal of customization. It also has a very strong Conjoint exercise creator.

Cons

It is built on an older programming language (perl) which limits the ease of doing things such as connecting data to a dashboard or working with API's.

Alternatives considered

[XM for Customer Experience](https://www.capterra.com/p/152924/Customer-Frontlines/)

Reasons for choosing Lighthouse Studio

Customizability, strength of conjoint

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

Response from Vendor

February 7, 2022

Thanks for your fair and honest review. We've shared it with the team, so they can be aware of your desire and need for data integration improvements.

MT

Mamadou T.

CEO

Human Resources

### "Sawtooth software is good"

3.0

Overall Rating

3.0

3.0

Ease of Use

4.0

4.0

Features

5.0

5.0

Customer Service

3.0

3.0

Likelihood to Recommend

8/10

July 6, 2021

Pros

Sawtooth software (lighthouse studio) is perfect,is vers good.

Cons

Your quality is lite,but is very very good, thanks.

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

EM

Ellie M.

Student

Marketing and Advertising

### "Unique software platform!"

5.0

Overall Rating

5.0

5.0

Ease of Use

4.0

4.0

Features

5.0

5.0

Customer Service

0.0

0.0

Likelihood to Recommend

9/10

July 18, 2020

Pros

This is a powerful tool that runs great conjoint analysis! I have yet to find a platform that does what Sawtooth Software does with Lighthouse Studio.

Cons

Its a little tricky to learn how to set up the software for a first-time user. The UI could be improved - its helpful if you have someone show you the ropes.

Review source

Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

IM

Ingo M.

Postdoctoral Researcher

Research

### "Powerful product with excellent customer service"

5.0

Overall Rating

5.0

5.0

Ease of Use

4.0

4.0

Features

5.0

5.0

Customer Service

5.0

5.0

Likelihood to Recommend

10/10

May 2, 2020

Overall, this is powerful software that I am happy to use and work with for my research projects.

Pros

We use Lighthouse Studio for an Adaptive Choice Based Conjoint design. The great benefit is certainly excellent customization possibilities, which gives a lot of flexibility to collect the data the way we intend to. What I enjoyed was the overall great responsiveness of the customer service team/their employees, if I had questions where I could not find an answer. This resulted several times in receiving recommendations/customized solutions to solve my problem. You do get the feeling the employees care about the success of their users.

Cons

The high level of customization comes with the downside of complexity which may need some time to get everything set up and find answer to the specific questions. I higher amount of "how to videos" for the different analyses types/could be helpful here (seeing screens is quicker than reading through their very extensive how to guides.

Review source

Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

PS

Praveen S.

VP

Market Research

### "User friendly"

5.0

Overall Rating

5.0

5.0

Ease of Use

4.0

4.0

Features

4.0

4.0

Customer Service

5.0

5.0

Likelihood to Recommend

9/10

March 19, 2020

Excellent product - keep up your good work!

Pros

Relatively straightforward to use, works efficiently, Sawtooth Software responds when there is an issue.

Cons

CCEA is a bit of a black box. For example, will prefer to see clear description of the differentiation between K Means and ensemble. Also, the approach for CCEA results sounds convincing. However, invariably, my latent class analysis solutions stand out for clients. In choice modeling, will prefer a more clear description of the dual response coding in the software itself rather than having to search in manuals.

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

CB

Cody B.

Product Manager

Construction

### "Awesome Product"

5.0

Overall Rating

5.0

5.0

Ease of Use

4.0

4.0

Features

5.0

5.0

Customer Service

5.0

5.0

Likelihood to Recommend

10/10

March 18, 2020

Pros

The HB Estimation suite was the best part about this software. Very effective!

Cons

UI not as straight forward and familiar looking as some software is.

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

SS

Swati S.

Analysis

Market Research

### "Overall Very good."

5.0

Overall Rating

5.0

5.0

Ease of Use

3.0

3.0

Features

4.0

4.0

Customer Service

5.0

5.0

Likelihood to Recommend

10/10

March 16, 2020

Pros

It is ahead of the current requirements we get in our projects.

Cons

There needs to be examples and test data to learn the software.

Switched from

[IBM SPSS Statistics](https://www.capterra.com/p/250819/IBM-SPSS-Statistics/)

Sawtooth has all the options covered.

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

DF

Dino F.

President, Market Research & Data Science

Market Research

### "Continuous Improvements"

5.0

Overall Rating

5.0

5.0

Ease of Use

4.0

4.0

Features

5.0

5.0

Customer Service

5.0

5.0

Likelihood to Recommend

10/10

March 13, 2020

We haven't taken the step of running full surveys on the platform (we link to the choice exercises from within our own survey engine), but we should consider this. Also, since we link to the choice exercises from our own survey, some respondents never make it back to our survey to finish up.

Pros

Features in the software are implemented with extensive input from users, and the new features are applicable to many, if not all, other users as well.

Cons

There have been vast improvements in the simulator, but it's still a bit difficult to use and, importantly, explain to clients.

Reasons for choosing Lighthouse Studio

N/A

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

MR

Max R.

Senior Research Manager

Market Research

### "Easy to learn, difficult to master survey software with a lot of freedoms"

4.0

Overall Rating

4.0

4.0

Ease of Use

3.0

3.0

Features

5.0

5.0

Customer Service

5.0

5.0

Likelihood to Recommend

8/10

March 12, 2020

All in all, Lighthouse is a very good choice for all those who want to set up complex online surveys and who need a lot of freedom (e.g. in filter management, design customization or quota control). If you regularly carry out conjoint analyses, there is no getting around the program. If you prefer fancy user interfaces and want to carry out relatively simple surveys, where nothing can go wrong with the programming, even with infrequent users, you should use something else.

Pros

Sawtooth is incredibly flexible and lets the user conduct even the most complex online surveys. Especially the conjoint features are absolutely unbeaten. The design of the online surveys is modern and automatically optimized for mobile use. Even the integration of a dedicated survey server is relatively simple. Customer service is excellent and fast.

Cons

The freedoms come at a price: anything that goes beyond a simple survey is quite complex and requires employees who are at least familiar with a little coding. The design of the user interface could also use a few updates.

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

MG

Maxwell G.

Analyst

Market Research

### "Deep Software That Empowers Users"

5.0

Overall Rating

5.0

5.0

Ease of Use

3.0

3.0

Features

3.0

3.0

Customer Service

5.0

5.0

Likelihood to Recommend

8/10

March 11, 2020

It's been our bread and butter survey publisher for over 10 years! We love it! What else is there to say.

Pros

Nothing is impossible. While many of the new slick, glossy software competing with Sawtooth prioritize aesthetics and wide-spreading integrated functionality, they sacrifice the deeper levels of customization and flexibility that Sawtooth enables with it's native scripting language, unverified perl, and advanced skip logic functionality. While many other softwares offer you a "boxed" solution that may be easier to use for casual users, Sawtooth rewards those willing to learn by empowering them to be able to do whatever they want.

Cons

Some interface items could be streamlined (nested menu only enable you to interact with whatever window is in focus) and the styles could be more robust with animations - Although this has never been Sawtooth's comparitive advantage, in my opinion.

Alternatives considered

[XM for Customer Experience](https://www.capterra.com/p/152924/Customer-Frontlines/)

[QuestionPro](https://www.capterra.com/p/135455/QuestionPro/)

[SurveySparrow](https://www.capterra.com/p/168823/SurveySparrow/)

Reasons for choosing Lighthouse Studio

All other publishers are boxed solutions without the robust scripting capability of Sawtooth.

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

[View all Reviews](https://www.capterra.com/p/127963/Lighthouse-Studio/reviews/)

## Top-rated software of 2026

### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox.