Custom Network: Frequently Asked Questions

Custom Network is available on the following subscriptions:

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who has access to Custom Network?

A: Customers on Premium and Ultimate subscription plans have access to Custom Network.

Q: What is the difference between Invite Network and Custom Network?

A: While similar, there are key differences between Invite Network and Custom Network. Both allow you to invite and test with your own contributors. With Custom Network, UserTesting collects onboarding information such as age and income, and compensates the contributors. Additionally, Custom Network allows you to test with the same contributors, again and again, making it easier and faster to gather insights. 

Q: How many people can I include on a Custom Network?

A: There is no cap on the number of contributors you can have in a Custom Network. When you launch a test to Custom Network, the current study size limits will apply. Also, consider that if a contributor on your Custom Network does not get tests very often, they may lose interest in the network.

Q: What happens when a contributor joins the Custom Network?
A: Once a contributor joins a Custom Network, they are prompted to fill out their profile with the required information (attributes and device information). They need to do this in order to be able to receive test invitations.

Q: Why would a Custom Network contributor not be invited to participate?

A: The most common reason custom network contributors are not invited to participate in a study is because they have not selected Chrome as a browser and the audience builder defaults to Chrome. One way to help ensure all contributors are invited is to select all browsers when building an audience.

Also if the contributor happens to be logged in to the test feed, they will not get sent an email invitation.

Q: What happens if I have unfilled sessions?
A: When a new contributor is added to an existing Custom Network, they're automatically sent invitations to unfilled tests for that network. This can cause confusion if those unfilled tests are old studies that you don't plan on revisiting. Make it a habit to go through your Dashboard and cancel any unfilled sessions that you no longer plan to use. 

Q: Can I only include contributors who live in the United States?

A: You can test with contributors all over the world including the United States, Canada, the UK, India, Germany, and Australia. See the list below of regions where contributors may come from. 

You can target test contributors in 30 more countries with the Additional country filters feature. Easily capture feedback from contributors from all over the world. Check out our "Additional Country Filters" article to learn more.

Please note: If a network is to be paid, contributors must reside in a country that allows PayPal payments to be sent and received. To view the list of countries that have enabled PayPal services, click here.

Q: Can I include contributors of any age?

A: UserTesting has specific rules and processes for testing with contributors under 18 years of age. To learn more about testing with minors, please review our policy for testing with minors.

Q: Do contributors have to agree to UserTesting's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy?

A: Yes! When a contributor joins a Custom Network, they agree to UserTesting's Contributor Terms of Service and also agree to abide by our Privacy Policy.

Q: Is there a cap on the number of networks I can create?

A: There is no cap on the number of networks you can create.

Q: What demographic information does UserTesting collect on Custom Network contributors?

A: You set up custom profiling questions for each of your Custom Networks and then use that information to filter audiences when launching a test. Check out our "Custom Network: Create a Network" for more information on how to set this up. All contributors are automatically asked about what devices they own, and what browsers they use.

Q: What does “Include PII in network data” do?

A: "PII," or Personally Identifiable Information, is defined as information that can be used to identify a particular individual, including name, date of birth, Social Security number, email address, postal address, phone number, and any other information that, either alone or in combination with other data, could be used to identify or contact a particular person.

To protect the privacy of your contributors, it’s important to avoid collecting prohibited PII and to collect sensitive PII only with a contributor's consent, which is usually acquired through a screener question. Selecting “Include PII in network data” will show contributors’ PII and email addresses when viewing contributor profiles or when exporting network information. Note that if you choose to “Include PII in network data,” all users on your account will have access to this information.

See our additional information PII, GDPR, and HIPAA.

Q: Can I change how much contributors are paid?

A: Custom incentives are currently not an available feature.

Q: Can I add Custom Network contributors to my Favorite contributors?

A: Custom Network contributors can not be added to your Favorite contributors. Only members from the UserTesting Contributor Network can make up Favorite contributors group.

Q: Can I add new people to a Custom Network at any time?

A: Yes! You can always invite new contributors to join any of your existing networks. By selecting Invite from the Custom Network Dashboard, you can get the invitation link and send it out to anyone you would like to include in the network. Or you can build your own test invitations.

Q: What do I do if a Custom Network contributor turns out not to be a good fit for Custom Network?

A: If you find that a contributor is not a good fit, you have the option to remove them from the network. 

Q: So I can I remove people from a Custom Network...is that correct?

A: Yes. You also have the ability to remove contributors from the network at any time. From your Custom Network Dashboard, select View Network to be taken to the Contributors tab. Here, select Remove next to the contributor whom you would like to exclude from the network.

Q: Can the same contributor be on more than one network?

A: Absolutely. You can invite the same contributor to multiple networks. Contributors will have to complete the attribute profile form for each network that you want them to join.

Q: Do the contributors on a Custom Network take tests from other UserTesting customers?

A: No. Contributors that you invite to UserTesting will receive invitations to test only from you. No other customers will be able to send tests to your contributors. 

Q: How will I know when my contributors elect to leave Custom Network?

A: While viewing any of your active networks, your contributors are marked as “active.” Any contributors who have chosen to leave your network will be marked as “inactive” and will no longer be invited to tests that are sent to that particular network. 

For contributor Support, visit the Custom Network Support center.