{"site":{"name":"Koji","description":"AI-native customer research platform that helps teams conduct, analyze, and synthesize customer interviews at scale.","url":"https://www.koji.so","contentTypes":["blog","documentation"],"lastUpdated":"2026-05-22T20:30:54.707Z"},"content":[{"type":"documentation","id":"b335cdda-4700-46a7-a92f-71f851febcfc","slug":"koji-vs-genway","title":"Koji vs Genway: Comparing AI User Research Platforms (2026)","url":"https://www.koji.so/docs/koji-vs-genway","summary":"Comparison of Koji (methodology-guided AI voice and text research platform) vs Genway (AI-moderated interview and usability platform with sentiment and facial-expression analysis). Both automate user interviews, but Koji offers named methodology frameworks (Mom Test, JTBD, Discovery), 6 structured question types, a quality gate, Claude MCP integration with 15 tools, a developer API, webcam-free participation, and transparent credit-based pricing with a free tier. Best for product and research teams wanting methodology rigor without an enterprise contract.","content":"## The Short Answer\n\nKoji and Genway are both AI-native research platforms that automate user interviews, but they emphasize different things. **Genway** focuses on AI-moderated interviews and live usability sessions enriched with sentiment and facial-expression analysis, aimed at research, product, and insights teams. **Koji** focuses on methodology-guided voice and text interviews with named research frameworks, structured questions, and deep AI-assistant integration — built so any team can run rigorous qualitative research, not just trained researchers.\n\nBoth are credible AI research tools. Choose Koji if you want named methodology guardrails, voice-and-text flexibility, structured questions that blend qualitative and quantitative data, low-friction participation with no webcam required, and the ability to run research through Claude or a developer API.\n\n---\n\n## Platform Philosophy\n\n### Genway: AI-moderated interviews and usability sessions\n\nGenway launched in early 2023, founded by a team with backgrounds at Google and Salesforce. It runs AI-moderated interviews and surveys, lets you watch live web and app usability sessions, and layers on sentiment and facial-expression analysis. Its LLM engine turns raw conversations into tagged themes, sentiment scores, and shareable insight decks. Genway is positioned for research, product, CX, design, and innovation teams.\n\n### Koji: methodology-guided research for every team\n\nKoji is built so you do not need a research background to get research-grade insights. Describe your goal in plain language and Koji's [AI consultant](/docs/understanding-the-ai-consultant) produces a complete research brief — problem framing, target participant, methodology, and a typed question plan. Interviews run in **voice or text**, and participants choose the mode that suits them. Every study is anchored to a named methodology framework so the AI interviewer asks the right questions the right way.\n\n---\n\n## Feature Comparison\n\n| Capability | Genway | Koji |\n|---|---|---|\n| Interview format | AI-moderated interviews + live usability sessions | AI voice + text interviews |\n| Study design | AI-assisted setup | [AI consultant](/docs/understanding-the-ai-consultant) generates the full brief |\n| Methodology frameworks | General structured interviews | Named frameworks: Mom Test, JTBD, Customer Discovery, Exploration, Lead Magnet |\n| Structured questions | Survey-style questions | [6 typed question types](/docs/structured-questions-guide) |\n| Adaptive follow-ups | Yes | Yes — configurable probing depth per question |\n| Analysis | Tagged themes, sentiment, facial expression | Themes, quality scoring, structured aggregation |\n| AI assistant integration | — | [Claude MCP](/docs/mcp-overview) with 15 tools |\n| Developer API | — | [Headless API](/docs/headless-api-overview) |\n| Webcam required | Facial-expression analysis relies on video | No — voice or text, any device |\n| Pricing | Team and custom plans | Free tier + transparent credit-based plans |\n\n---\n\n## Methodology: Named Frameworks vs General Structure\n\nBoth platforms structure interviews intelligently, but Koji goes further by shipping **named methodology frameworks** that change how the AI interviewer behaves. Genway runs general structured interviews; Koji lets you pick the research method itself.\n\nEach Koji framework injects specific principles into the interviewer's instructions:\n\n- **The Mom Test** — ask about past behavior, not hypotheticals; dig for specifics; never pitch\n- **Jobs to be Done** — trace the timeline of a switch: trigger, push, pull, anxieties\n- **Customer Discovery** — validate that the problem is real and painful enough to pay to solve\n- **Open Exploration** — follow the participant's energy to surface the unexpected\n- **Lead Magnet Research** — capture quotable, benchmark-style insights for content\n\nFor a team without a trained moderator, this is the difference between interviews that drive decisions and interviews that produce agreeable but unusable feedback. See [choosing a methodology](/docs/choosing-a-methodology) for guidance on matching a framework to your goal.\n\n---\n\n## Structured Questions: Quant + Qual in One Conversation\n\nKoji's [structured questions](/docs/structured-questions-guide) let a single study collect statistical data and conversational depth at the same time. Every question carries a type that controls how the AI asks it and how the answer is charted:\n\n- **open_ended** — free-form answer with AI follow-up probing\n- **scale** — numeric rating such as NPS 0–10 or satisfaction 1–5\n- **single_choice** — pick one option\n- **multiple_choice** — pick several options\n- **ranking** — order items by preference\n- **yes_no** — a binary answer\n\nOne Koji interview can ask an NPS scale question, rank a list of features, and probe three open-ended \"why\" questions — then report distribution charts beside the verbatim quotes that explain them. You do not need a separate survey tool to get the numbers.\n\n---\n\n## Analysis, Privacy, and Participation\n\nGenway's analysis includes sentiment and facial-expression signals, which means usability sessions rely on video and a webcam. That can add richness — but it also adds friction and consent complexity, and it excludes participants who will not turn on a camera.\n\nKoji takes a lighter, lower-friction path. Interviews run in **voice or text** on any device, with no webcam required. That keeps participation easy, lifts completion rates, and simplifies consent — a real advantage for [GDPR-compliant research](/docs/gdpr-compliant-ai-user-research). After each interview, Koji extracts structured answers, applies open and axial coding to surface [themes and patterns](/docs/understanding-themes-patterns), and scores response quality. A [quality gate](/docs/how-the-quality-gate-works) ensures only conversations scoring 3 or higher out of 5 count — and those are the only ones that consume credits. Reports update in real time as interviews complete.\n\n---\n\n## Pricing\n\nKoji uses transparent, credit-based pricing that scales with usage:\n\n- **Free** — 10 credits on signup, no card required\n- **Insights** — €29/month, 29 credits included\n- **Interviews** — €79/month, 79 credits included\n- **Enterprise** — custom\n\nA text interview costs 1 credit, a voice interview costs 3, and a report refresh costs 5, with flat €1/credit overage. Because of the quality gate, low-effort sessions never burn credits. Genway uses team and custom pricing oriented toward research and insights departments. Koji's published, usage-based model makes it easy to start small and scale predictably.\n\n---\n\n## When to Choose Genway\n\n- Facial-expression and sentiment analysis are central to your method\n- You need to watch live web and app usability sessions\n- You are an insights team comfortable with custom pricing\n\n## When to Choose Koji\n\n- You want named methodology guardrails because you lack a trained moderator\n- You want voice and text interviews, with participants choosing their mode\n- You want structured questions that combine survey metrics with qualitative depth\n- You need low-friction, webcam-free participation and simpler consent\n- You want to run research from [Claude via MCP](/docs/mcp-overview) or a [developer API](/docs/headless-api-overview)\n- You want to start free with transparent, usage-based pricing\n\n---\n\n## The Bottom Line\n\nGenway is a capable AI research platform with strong multimodal analysis for usability work. Koji is the methodology-first choice for product and research teams that want rigor, flexibility, and accessibility. Koji's named frameworks, voice-and-text interviews, structured questions, quality gate, and Claude and API integrations make professional customer research approachable for any team — without a webcam, a research department, or an enterprise contract.\n\nThe best way to compare is to try it. [Create your first study](/docs/creating-your-first-study) and run an AI interview in minutes.\n\n---\n\n## Related Resources\n\n- [Structured Questions Guide](/docs/structured-questions-guide) — the 6 question types that blend qualitative and quantitative data\n- [How AI Interviewers Work](/docs/how-ai-interviewers-work) — the technology behind Koji's adaptive interviews\n- [Koji vs Conveo](/docs/koji-vs-conveo) — compare Koji with another AI interview platform\n- [Voice vs Text Interviews](/docs/voice-vs-text-interviews) — choosing the right mode for your study\n- [Best AI Interview Software 2026](/docs/best-ai-interview-software-2026) — the full landscape of AI research tools\n- [Quick Start Guide](/docs/quick-start-guide) — launch your first AI interview study","category":"Comparisons","lastModified":"2026-05-22T03:19:28.411316+00:00","metaTitle":"Koji vs. Genway — Methodology-Guided AI Research vs. AI Usability Sessions | Koji","metaDescription":"Compare Koji and Genway for AI-moderated user research. See how Koji's named methodology frameworks, voice + text interviews, structured questions, and webcam-free participation differ from Genway's usability sessions and facial-expression analysis.","keywords":["Koji vs Genway","Genway alternative","best Genway alternative","Genway vs Koji","Genway.ai alternative","AI user research platform comparison","AI moderated interview alternative","AI qualitative research platform","automated user interview tool","AI research tool comparison"],"aiSummary":"Comparison of Koji (methodology-guided AI voice and text research platform) vs Genway (AI-moderated interview and usability platform with sentiment and facial-expression analysis). Both automate user interviews, but Koji offers named methodology frameworks (Mom Test, JTBD, Discovery), 6 structured question types, a quality gate, Claude MCP integration with 15 tools, a developer API, webcam-free participation, and transparent credit-based pricing with a free tier. Best for product and research teams wanting methodology rigor without an enterprise contract.","aiPrerequisites":["Familiarity with AI interview tools","Basic understanding of qualitative research"],"aiLearningOutcomes":["Compare methodology-guided research with general AI interviews","Understand the privacy tradeoffs of facial-expression analysis","Evaluate structured questions for blended qualitative and quantitative data","Choose an AI research platform based on integration and pricing needs"],"aiDifficulty":"intermediate","aiEstimatedTime":"11 minutes"}],"pagination":{"total":1,"returned":1,"offset":0}}