Platform comparison
SMAAT vs ExpiWell
ExpiWell is a polished, commercial ESM platform with a strong feature set and turnkey usability for non-technical researchers. SMAAT is a newer, EU-hosted alternative built around an integrated survey-and-cognitive-task builder, built-in compliance monitoring, and academic-fair pricing — roughly four times cheaper at the academic-annual tier.
Researched and last updated: 27 May 2026. We try to keep this comparison factual. If you spot an inaccuracy, email info@open-lab.online and we'll update it.
ExpiWell
Commercial ESM/EMA platform with polished UX, broad question types, integrated incentives, and Fitbit / BACtrack integrations.
Typical academic price: Academic Plus plan ≈ $3,295 / year per researcher (published list price; verify with vendor)
Visit ExpiWell →SMAAT
Open, EU-hosted research platform with integrated survey-and-cognitive-task builder and built-in compliance monitoring.
Typical academic price: Pro €63/mo academic, billed annually (€756/yr); Free tier (1 study / 5 participants)
See SMAAT pricing →Approximate USD↔EUR conversion at time of writing. ExpiWell offers a Free plan with limits and a no-card trial.
Feature-by-feature
| Feature | SMAAT | ExpiWell |
|---|---|---|
| Public pricing on website | Yes — list and academic prices visible to all visitors | Yes — Academic Plus published; higher tiers quote-only |
| Free academic tier | Yes — 1 study, 5 participants, no card required | Yes — limited Free plan with unlimited mobile surveys |
| EU-hosted by default | Yes — DigitalOcean Frankfurt (Germany) | US-default; EU residency may require contract negotiation |
| End-to-end encryption with researcher-held key | Yes — optional per-study public/private key encryption | End-to-end encryption available; researcher-held key arrangement varies |
| Integrated cognitive-task library | Yes — Stroop, n-back, go/no-go, flanker, simple RT, trail-making, spatial span, finger tapping, matrix reasoning, symbol-digit | Limited — surveys focus; cognitive tasks via third-party or custom integration |
| Five notification schedule types | Fixed-time, random-within-window, interval, event-based, geofenced — all configurable per study | Calendar, rolling, fixed, randomized; adaptive time-zone support |
| Automated compliance alerts | Yes — built-in real-time response-rate dashboards and inactivity flags from Basic plan up | Yes — compliance reporting available, configuration varies by tier |
| Participant incentives (gift cards) If you need turnkey gift cards, ExpiWell is the easier choice. | No built-in gift-card disbursement; researcher handles incentives off-platform | Built-in Amazon e-gift-card compensation — turnkey for paid participant studies |
| Public, browseable template library | Yes — 30+ public templates, JSON-LD indexed for SEO | Template library available inside the platform |
| Question types | Text, image, text input, number, choice, slider, date/time, Likert, sorting, file upload, swipe/tap, AI chat | 12 question types including video and audio responses |
| Mobile sensors supported | GPS, accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, pedometer, barometer | Sensors via Fitbit and BACtrack integrations primarily |
| GDPR DPA + IRB submission text | Yes — IRB-ready paste-block at /security#irb; DPA available on request | Yes — IRB documentation provided |
| Maturity / track record | Newer platform (founded 2025); used in research projects at the University of Konstanz | Mature platform with many published studies in psychology and social sciences |
| Annual academic price benchmark | €756 / year (Pro, academic annual) | ≈ $3,295 / year (Academic Plus) |
When to pick ExpiWell
Pick ExpiWell when polished commercial UX, built-in participant incentives (Amazon e-gift cards), and a long track record matter more than EU hosting or price — and when the ~$3,295/year Academic Plus is within your grant budget.
When to pick SMAAT
Pick SMAAT when you want EU hosting by default, an integrated cognitive-task library, built-in compliance monitoring, end-to-end encryption with a researcher-held key, and academic-fair pricing (roughly 4× cheaper than ExpiWell Academic Plus).
Sources
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