When a research tool closes, the immediate temptation is to find something that looks as similar as possible. I'd first write down what I actually used it for. That distinction matters with GummySearch, because the next tool needs to preserve the work you care about, and that may involve more than one job.

ICPSignal is worth evaluating if you want to find relevant public conversations and follow up with potential customers. I wouldn't present it as a direct replacement for every audience research process you may have built in GummySearch. Start by separating those requirements.

Get the dates right first

GummySearch's official notice says new signups, purchases, and renewals stopped on December 1, 2025. Existing paid customers retain access until their current billing period ends. Full service shutdown and deletion of user data are scheduled for December 1, 2026.

As of this review on October 10, 2026, that final date is still ahead. Some existing paid access may therefore remain, depending on the billing period. Check your account and the notice. I'd make decisions from the access you actually have and the published timeline.

Sources: GummySearch service closure notice

Keep the reasoning behind your research

If you still have access, inspect which export or save options are available to your account. Preserve the material you're allowed to retain. Include the source links, your notes, the customer problems you identified, and why particular communities or conversations mattered.

A list of posts without the reasoning can be difficult to use later. I'd want to remember why a discussion changed my understanding of the customer. Was it a repeated constraint? A workaround? A requirement I hadn't considered? Those lessons are useful even when the original tool is gone.

Turn the useful findings into a clear profile

Pull out one audience and one problem you understand well. Write down who experiences it, what triggers it, and which requirements your offer can meet. Include exclusions. That becomes a starting ideal customer profile for ICPSignal.

Review the new matches against the original posts and your research notes. A past discussion can teach you about the market, but it doesn't establish that its author needs help today. Check the date and the current context before replying. There is no direct GummySearch import being promised here; you're carrying your understanding into a new process.

Choose each tool for the work you need

Broad audience research can help you explore themes and decide what to build. Customer discovery asks you to inspect a specific conversation and decide whether you can help that person. Those jobs overlap, but I would evaluate them separately.

For ICPSignal, test the profile, fit explanation, draft review, and conversation tracking. For any research replacement, verify the research features you relied on directly. Check sources, history, and plan limits. Familiar wording on a landing page isn't enough to establish equivalent coverage.

  • Write down three research outputs you cannot lose.
  • Write down one customer problem you want to monitor next.
  • Check source availability and past-post search limits in the current ICPSignal plans.
  • Try a small review cycle before rebuilding your entire process.

Move one useful process at a time

I'd start with the process you need to keep running this week. Preserve the relevant research, choose one audience, and test whether the new setup produces conversations worth reviewing. Expand after you understand the results.

You may end up with a different set of tools. That's fine if it supports the work. The part worth carrying forward is what you've learned about your customers and how you use that knowledge to make the next decision.