{"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":"2026-06-30T07:10:04.909Z"},"content":[{"type":"blog","id":"e621d4b4-11ac-43a5-a516-262983fcef57","slug":"maze-vs-lyssna-2026","title":"Maze vs Lyssna (2026): Unmoderated UX Testing Compared — and the AI-Moderated Layer Both Miss","url":"https://www.koji.so/blog/maze-vs-lyssna-2026","summary":"Maze vs Lyssna in 2026: both are fast unmoderated UX research tools (prototype tests, surveys, card sorts, preference tests). Maze wins on reach and integrations — a 3M+ participant panel, 400+ targeting attributes, and deep Figma/Sketch/Adobe XD connections, with a Starter plan at $99/month. Lyssna (formerly UsabilityHub) wins on value — its full research suite is unlimited on every plan including free, with paid plans from $75/month, though its panel is smaller (530K+) with 35 targeting attributes. Both are unmoderated and cannot ask an adaptive follow-up, so they reveal what users do but not why. Koji adds the missing layer: AI-moderated voice and text interviews that probe every answer in real time, six structured question types, and automatic thematic analysis, starting free then €29/month.","content":"# Maze vs Lyssna (2026): Unmoderated UX Testing Compared — and the AI-Moderated Layer Both Miss\n\n**TL;DR:** Both **Maze** and **Lyssna** (formerly UsabilityHub) are fast, **unmoderated** UX research tools — prototype tests, surveys, card sorts, and preference tests with built-in panels. **Maze wins on panel size and integrations**: a **3M+ participant pool**, **400+ targeting attributes**, and deep **Figma/Sketch/Adobe XD** connections, with a Starter plan at **$99/month**. **Lyssna wins on value and breadth per plan**: its full research suite (including unlimited tests) is available on **every tier including free**, with paid plans from **$75/month**, though its panel is smaller (**530K+**). Both are excellent at *what* users do — but neither can ask an **adaptive follow-up** to learn *why*. **Koji** adds that missing layer: **AI-moderated voice and text interviews** that probe every answer in real time, starting **free, then €29/month**.\n\n## Maze vs Lyssna at a glance\n\n| | Maze | Lyssna | Koji |\n|---|---|---|---|\n| **Category** | Unmoderated testing + analytics | Unmoderated testing + panel | AI-moderated interviews |\n| **Free plan** | Yes (limited) | Yes — full suite | Yes — 10 credits |\n| **Entry paid** | $99/mo (Starter) | $75/mo (Basic) | €29/mo |\n| **Panel size** | 3M+ participants | 530K+ participants | Bring your own or recruit |\n| **Targeting attributes** | 400+ | 35 | Custom screeners |\n| **Design integrations** | Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD | Figma | Context upload |\n| **Adaptive follow-ups** | No | No | Yes — AI probes every answer |\n| **Auto thematic analysis** | Limited | Limited | Yes — one-click report |\n\n## Maze: best for panel reach and design integrations\n\nMaze is the **design-team favorite**. It plugs directly into **Figma, Sketch, and Adobe XD**, so you can validate a prototype before a line of code is written. Its panel is large — **3M+ participants** — and its targeting is granular, with **400+ attributes** to refine who you test. Maze's Starter plan is **$99/month** (unlimited blocks, advanced features, 5 seats); full access to every tool requires the Organization plan (quote-based).\n\n**Where it shines:** prototype testing, [first-click testing](/docs/first-click-testing-guide), [five-second tests](/docs/5-second-test-guide), and quantitative usability metrics at speed.\n\n**Where it falls short:** some testing tools are gated behind the **$99 Starter** tier, and — like all unmoderated tools — Maze captures *what* happened, not *why*.\n\n## Lyssna: best for value and an all-in-one suite\n\nLyssna (the rebrand of UsabilityHub) bundles **five-second tests, first-click tests, preference tests, card sorts, [tree tests](/docs/tree-testing-guide), and surveys** — and crucially, gives you **unlimited access to the full suite on every plan, including free**. Paid plans start at **$75/month** with more seats. Reviewers praise its **fast feedback** and **clean UX**, and it offers **stronger moderated-testing support** than Maze. The trade-off: a **smaller panel (530K+)** and **fewer targeting attributes (35)**.\n\n**Where it shines:** affordable, broad method coverage for lean teams; quick design decisions.\n\n**Where it falls short:** smaller recruitment reach, and — again — **no way to ask a participant \"why?\" in the moment.**\n\n## Pricing: Maze vs Lyssna\n\n| Plan | Maze | Lyssna |\n|---|---|---|\n| Free | Yes (limited blocks) | Yes — full suite |\n| Entry paid | $99/mo (Starter, 5 seats) | $75/mo (Basic) |\n| Top tier | Organization (custom) | Pro / custom |\n| Pricing model | Tiered + some tools gated | Full suite on every tier |\n\nLyssna is generally the **better value per plan**; Maze is the **better reach and integration** play. But both price by seats and tiers, not by depth of insight — because depth of insight is exactly what unmoderated tools don't produce.\n\n## What both miss: the adaptive follow-up\n\nMaze and Lyssna are **unmoderated by design**. That makes them fast and scalable — and structurally unable to probe. As the research literature puts it: *\"Without a moderator, you can't ask participants follow-up questions in the moment... you often have to infer the why from screen recordings or written comments.\"*\n\nThe 2026 best-practice pattern is telling: teams increasingly **pair an unmoderated test with a short conversational follow-up** to recover the reasoning a recording can't capture. That follow-up is the gap Koji fills.\n\n## The missing layer: Koji's AI-moderated interviews\n\n[Koji](/) isn't a replacement for a click-path test — it's the **depth layer** unmoderated tools can't provide:\n\n- **AI-moderated voice & text interviews** that **probe every answer in real time** — the adaptive \"why\" Maze and Lyssna can't ask. ([Voice interview experience](/docs/voice-interview-experience).)\n- **Six structured question types** (`open_ended`, `scale`, `single_choice`, `multiple_choice`, `ranking`, `yes_no`) so one study captures both the metric and the motivation. ([Structured questions](/docs/structured-questions-guide).)\n- **Automatic thematic analysis** into a **one-click report** with quotes — no manual tagging across hundreds of sessions. ([Thematic analysis](/docs/thematic-analysis-guide).)\n- **Fair, transparent pricing.** Voice costs 3 credits, text 1, and a **quality gate** means you're only charged for conversations that score 3+ — you don't pay for junk responses. Starts **free, then €29/month**.\n\n**The combined workflow that wins in 2026:** run your prototype test in Maze or Lyssna to see *what* users do, then run a Koji AI interview to learn *why* they did it — 10x faster than scheduling moderated sessions, with no moderator bias.\n\n## When to use which\n\n- **Maze** — design-led prototype validation, large panel reach, deep Figma/Sketch/XD integration, quantitative usability metrics.\n- **Lyssna** — best value, full method suite on every plan, quick design tests for lean teams.\n- **Koji** — whenever you need the *reasoning* behind the behavior: churn, discovery, concept and [message testing](/docs/messaging-testing-guide), pricing, and the qualitative follow-up to any unmoderated test. For the bigger picture, see [moderated vs unmoderated research](/docs/unmoderated-vs-moderated-research).\n\n## Method coverage: what each tool can test\n\n| Method | Maze | Lyssna | Koji |\n|---|---|---|---|\n| Prototype / usability test | Yes | Yes | Pair with interview |\n| Five-second test | Yes | Yes | — |\n| First-click test | Yes | Yes | — |\n| Card sorting | Yes | Yes | — |\n| Tree testing | Yes | Yes | — |\n| Preference test | Yes | Yes | — |\n| Surveys | Yes | Yes | Structured questions |\n| Moderated interviews | Limited | Limited | AI-moderated, at scale |\n| Adaptive follow-up probing | No | No | Yes |\n\nOn paper, Maze and Lyssna cover nearly the same unmoderated methods. The real dividing lines are **panel reach** (Maze 3M+ vs Lyssna 530K+), **targeting depth** (400+ vs 35 attributes), **design integrations** (Maze's Figma/Sketch/Adobe XD vs Lyssna's Figma), and **value** (Lyssna's full suite on every plan). What neither line covers is the **interview** column — the conversation that explains the numbers behind a heatmap or a task-success score.\n\n## Recruitment and panel quality\n\nPanel size isn't everything, but it shapes who you can reach. Maze's **3M+ pool with 400+ targeting attributes** is a genuine advantage for niche B2B or specific demographic targeting; Lyssna's **530K+ pool with 35 attributes** is ample for consumer and general design tests but tighter for hard-to-reach segments. With Koji you typically **bring your own audience** — your churned users, trial signups, or a recruited list — and use [screener questions](/docs/screener-questions-guide) to qualify them, so you interview the exact people who matter rather than a generic panel. The result is sharper, more relevant insight per conversation, which is why teams increasingly run unmoderated tests for breadth and AI interviews for depth.\n\n## Speed without losing the why\n\nThe reason unmoderated tools exploded is speed: you launch a test and have results in hours instead of scheduling a week of moderated sessions. The historical catch was that speed cost you depth — fast data, shallow understanding. AI-moderated interviews remove that trade-off. Koji fields voice and text conversations around the clock and [generates thematic reports automatically](/docs/generating-research-reports) as responses land, so you get interview-grade depth at unmoderated-test speed. For teams practicing [continuous discovery](/docs/continuous-discovery-user-research), that means you can run a Maze or Lyssna prototype test on Monday and have the \"why\" from a Koji interview round by Wednesday — inside a single sprint, with no moderator calendar to manage.\n\n## The bottom line\n\nMaze and Lyssna are both strong unmoderated UX tools — pick **Maze for reach and integrations**, **Lyssna for value and suite breadth**. But neither answers *why*. **Koji adds the AI-moderated interview layer that turns \"what happened\" into \"why it happened\"** — at survey scale, starting free.\n\n> **Want the why behind your usability data?** [Start free with Koji](/) and pair your next prototype test with an AI-moderated interview.","category":"Comparisons","lastModified":"2026-06-29T03:19:28.499652+00:00","metaTitle":"Maze vs Lyssna (2026): UX Testing Compared + the AI Layer","metaDescription":"Maze vs Lyssna compared for 2026 — pricing ($99 vs $75), panel size (3M+ vs 530K+), targeting (400+ vs 35), and integrations. Maze wins on reach, Lyssna on value. Plus the adaptive follow-up both unmoderated tools miss, and how Koji's AI interviews add it from €29/mo.","keywords":["maze vs lyssna","lyssna vs maze","maze vs lyssna 2026","maze alternative","lyssna alternative","unmoderated usability testing","prototype testing tools"],"aiSummary":"Maze vs Lyssna in 2026: both are fast unmoderated UX research tools (prototype tests, surveys, card sorts, preference tests). Maze wins on reach and integrations — a 3M+ participant panel, 400+ targeting attributes, and deep Figma/Sketch/Adobe XD connections, with a Starter plan at $99/month. Lyssna (formerly UsabilityHub) wins on value — its full research suite is unlimited on every plan including free, with paid plans from $75/month, though its panel is smaller (530K+) with 35 targeting attributes. Both are unmoderated and cannot ask an adaptive follow-up, so they reveal what users do but not why. Koji adds the missing layer: AI-moderated voice and text interviews that probe every answer in real time, six structured question types, and automatic thematic analysis, starting free then €29/month.","aiKeywords":["maze","lyssna","usability testing","prototype testing","unmoderated research","ai moderated interviews","structured questions"],"aiContentType":"comparison","faqItems":[{"answer":"It depends on your priority. Maze is better for panel reach and design integrations — a 3M+ participant pool, 400+ targeting attributes, and native Figma/Sketch/Adobe XD connections — but some tools are gated behind its $99/month Starter plan. Lyssna is better for value, giving you the full research suite (unlimited) on every plan including free, from $75/month, though its panel is smaller (530K+). Neither can probe why a user behaved a certain way; an AI-moderated tool like Koji can.","question":"Is Maze or Lyssna better in 2026?"},{"answer":"Both have free plans. Maze's Starter plan is around $99/month (unlimited blocks, advanced features, 5 seats), with full tool access on the quote-based Organization plan. Lyssna's Basic plan starts around $75/month and includes the full research suite on every tier. Koji, the AI-interview alternative, starts free (10 credits) then €29/month.","question":"How much do Maze and Lyssna cost?"},{"answer":"Maze is design-integration and panel heavy — built to validate prototypes with a large, finely targeted audience. Lyssna (the rebrand of UsabilityHub) is a value-led, all-in-one suite — five-second tests, first-click tests, preference tests, card sorts, tree tests, and surveys, unlimited on every plan. Both are unmoderated, so both tell you what users do, not why.","question":"What is the difference between Maze and Lyssna?"},{"answer":"The adaptive follow-up. Because both are unmoderated, there is no moderator to ask a participant why they did something in the moment — you infer reasoning from recordings or written comments. The 2026 best-practice fix is to pair an unmoderated test with a short conversational follow-up, which is exactly what Koji's AI-moderated interviews provide.","question":"What do Maze and Lyssna both miss?"},{"answer":"Koji. Rather than competing on click-path tests, Koji adds the depth layer unmoderated tools lack: AI-moderated voice and text interviews that probe every answer in real time, six structured question types so a single study captures both the metric and the motivation, and automatic thematic analysis into a one-click report. It starts free, then €29/month.","question":"What is a good AI alternative to Maze and Lyssna?"},{"answer":"Yes — that's the recommended 2026 workflow. Run your prototype or usability test in Maze or Lyssna to see what users do, then run a Koji AI-moderated interview to learn why they did it. You get the scale of unmoderated testing plus the qualitative depth of an interview, without scheduling live sessions.","question":"Can I use Maze or Lyssna together with Koji?"}],"relatedTopics":["Maze","Lyssna","Usability Testing","Prototype Testing","Unmoderated Research","AI Moderated Interviews"]}],"pagination":{"total":1,"returned":1,"offset":0}}