{"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":"2026-08-21T00:56:47.879Z"},"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 pricing as low as €1 per qualified interview, 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, then from €1 per qualified interview |\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, published pricing:\n\nInterviews are as low as €1 per qualified interview and €3 per qualified voice interview. Choose what fits:\n\n- **Free**: 10 credits on signup, no card required\n- **Pay as you go**: no subscription needed, and you pay only for the interviews your study actually uses\n- **Volume pricing and plans**: there when you want them\n- **Only for what works**: a conversation that scores below 3 out of 5 is free and never charged\n- **Enterprise**: custom\n\nThere is no overage. You pay as you go, and you only ever pay for the conversations that bring insights.\n\nIf you run out, your study pauses until you top up. Nothing is ever charged automatically. Because of the quality gate, a conversation that scores below 3 out of 5 is free and never charged. 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":"2026-08-19T20:17:16.060032+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 pricing as low as €1 per qualified interview, 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}}