{"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":"2026-10-14T09:47:15.751Z"},"content":[{"type":"blog","id":"a65b81e4-c6fa-470f-8e9c-19026273c05c","slug":"outset-vs-maze-2026","title":"Outset vs Maze (2026): Which AI-Moderated Interview Tool Fits Your Team?","url":"https://www.koji.so/blog/outset-vs-maze-2026","summary":"Comparison of Outset and Maze for AI-moderated interviews in 2026. Outset (founded 2022, $30M Series B December 2025) is built around AI interviews: text, voice and video, screen-shared usability sessions, 40+ languages, synthesis with reports and decks, partner panels such as Prolific and User Interviews, custom plans with no free tier. Maze is a product research platform (prototype tests, surveys, card sorting, tree testing) whose AI moderator launched in beta in June 2025; it has its own panel in 150+ countries and a Free plan, with the AI moderator listed on quoted plans. Koji is a self-serve alternative: voice, text and phone AI interviews in 28 languages, free previews, a quality gate, public pricing from free (Insights EUR 29/month, Interviews EUR 79/month), but no video or prototype testing.","content":"**Short answer:** Outset is a dedicated AI interview platform: text, voice and video interviews, screen-shared usability sessions, 40+ languages and deep synthesis, sold on custom enterprise plans. Maze is a broad product research platform (prototype tests, surveys, card sorting, tree tests) that added an AI moderator in 2025 as one more study type. Choose **Outset** if AI-moderated interviews are your main research method and you have an enterprise budget. Choose **Maze** if most of your work is prototype and usability testing and you want interviews in the same tool. If you want AI interviews without a sales call, **[Koji](https://www.koji.so)** runs voice, text and phone interviews on public pricing from free.\n\n## Outset vs Maze at a glance\n\n| | Outset | Maze |\n|---|---|---|\n| What it is | A platform built around AI-moderated interviews | A product research platform with an AI moderator added |\n| Interview formats | Text, voice and video | AI-moderated interviews and a voice feedback block |\n| Usability testing | Screen share on prototypes, live sites and apps | Prototype tests, card sorts and tree tests |\n| Participants | Your own, or partners like Prolific and User Interviews | Its own panel in 150+ countries, or your own |\n| Languages | 40+, per Outset | No published list for the AI moderator |\n| Buying model | Custom plans, no free tier | Free tier; AI moderator on quoted plans |\n| Best fit | Research teams that run interviews at volume | Product and design teams that test prototypes |\n\n![Table comparing Outset and Maze on what each is, interview formats, usability testing, participants, languages, buying model and best fit](/visuals/outset-vs-maze-comparison-table/outset-vs-maze-comparison-table.png \"Outset is built around the interview; Maze added one to a testing platform\")\n\n## Why AI moderation is the comparison that matters\n\nTwo years ago, Outset and Maze barely competed. Maze was where designers tested Figma prototypes; Outset was a young AI interview startup. AI moderation changed that.\n\nThe numbers show why every research tool now wants an AI interviewer. In Maze's own 2025 Future of User Research report, **58% of teams said they use AI tools in research, up from 44% in 2024**, and **55% saw demand for research rise** ([Maze](https://maze.co/resources/user-research-report-2025/)). Analysis was the top use, at **74%** of AI users. User Interviews' State of User Research found **80% of researchers now use AI**, up 24 points in a year, while **41% view AI negatively** and **91% worry about hallucinations** ([User Interviews via UserTesting](https://www.usertesting.com/user-interviews-state-of-research-report-2026)).\n\nThat mix of heavy use and real doubt is the right lens for this comparison. You want an AI interviewer that saves time and that you can check. Participants have a say too: in one 2026 study of AI-conducted interviews, **22.7% of participants (15 of 66) said they missed talking to a person** ([arXiv](https://arxiv.org/pdf/2607.14452)). That is a minority, but it is a reason to keep the conversation easy and short.\n\n## Outset: built around the interview\n\nOutset was founded in 2022 by Aaron Cannon and Michael Hess. Everything in the product starts from an AI-moderated conversation.\n\n- **Formats.** Text, voice and video interviews. Participants can share their screen on mobile or desktop, and the AI can show images and video as prompts.\n- **Usability sessions.** Picture-in-picture screen share on Figma prototypes, live websites and mobile apps, with an agent that flags friction such as dead clicks and hesitation.\n- **Languages.** Outset says it runs 40+ languages natively.\n- **Participants.** No panel of its own. Bring your own customers, or recruit through partners such as Prolific and User Interviews.\n- **Synthesis.** Summaries, themes, quotes, highlight reels, AI-written reports and slide decks, and you can ask questions of the interviews directly ([Outset](https://outset.ai/platform/synthesis)).\n- **Backing.** A $17M Series A led by 8VC in June 2025 ([Research Live](https://www.research-live.com/article/news/series-a-funding-for-aimoderated-research-startup-outset/id/5140703)) and a $30M Series B led by Radical Ventures in December 2025, with Microsoft's M12 taking part. Named customers include Nestlé, Microsoft, WeightWatchers and HubSpot.\n\n**Pricing.** No public prices. Plans are custom, with add-ons such as white-labeling and expert project support ([Outset pricing](https://outset.ai/pricing)), and third-party listings say there is no free plan.\n\n**Limits.** G2 does not have enough reviews to give buying insight. Independent reviewers note that AI-generated themes still need a researcher to check them, and recruiting is always a separate cost.\n\n## Maze: an AI moderator inside a testing platform\n\nMaze built its name on unmoderated prototype testing. Today it covers prototype tests, surveys, card sorting, tree testing, concept tests and interview studies. Maze's own comparison pages say its panel reaches 150+ countries.\n\nThe **AI moderator** launched in beta on June 18, 2025, switched on for selected accounts first ([Maze](https://maze.co/blog/ai-moderator/)). It works in three steps: you enter your research goals and the AI drafts an editable discussion guide; it runs the interviews on its own across time zones and asks follow-up questions; then it transcribes each session, tags key moments and groups themes against your goals ([Maze](https://maze.co/features/ai-moderated-interviews)). Maze has since added visual stimulus testing and different discussion styles, and has said screen sharing for prototype and website testing is coming. We could not confirm it has shipped.\n\n**Pricing.** Maze's public pricing is in flux. It has a Free plan and quoted Organization or Enterprise plans. A Starter plan at about $99 a month appeared in many 2026 listings, but pricing trackers report Maze removed it this year, and Maze's help center says it runs pricing experiments, so plans can differ by account. Third-party listings place the AI moderator on Enterprise plans. Check with Maze before you budget.\n\n**Limits.** G2 and Software Advice reviewers mention limited survey logic, basic analytics, some Figma prototypes failing on mobile, and a restrictive free plan with key features on higher tiers.\n\n## Where they differ\n\n### Depth of the interview product\n\nOutset's interviews are the product, so it has more options: video, screen share, stimulus, a richer synthesis layer. Maze's AI moderator is newer and sits next to a dozen other study types. If interviews are 80% of your research, that difference matters. If they are 20%, Maze's breadth may matter more.\n\n### Usability testing\n\nBoth cover it in different ways. Maze has years of unmoderated prototype testing with clicks, paths and heatmaps. Outset adds AI moderation on top of a shared screen, so you hear why someone hesitated as well as where. If you test prototypes every week, Maze's unmoderated speed is hard to beat. If you want to hear the reasoning, Outset's approach fits better.\n\n![A designer watching someone try an app prototype on a phone during a usability session](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1581287053822-fd7bf4f4bfec?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3w5NDUzMDN8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0fHxkZXNpZ25lciUyMHRlc3RpbmclMjBhcHAlMjBwcm90b3R5cGUlMjBwaG9uZXxlbnwxfDB8fHwxNzkxOTU3MDEyfDA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=1080)\n\n_Photo by [charlesdeluvio](https://unsplash.com/@charlesdeluvio?utm_source=koji&utm_medium=referral) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=koji&utm_medium=referral)_\n\n### Recruiting\n\nMaze has its own panel. Outset relies on partners, which gives you choice but adds a second contract and a second bill.\n\n### Buying\n\nNeither publishes a simple price for AI-moderated interviews. Expect a sales conversation with both.\n\n## A third option: Koji\n\nIf you are comparing Outset and Maze because you want AI interviews, not a whole testing suite or an enterprise contract, look at Koji. It is an AI-native research platform you run yourself:\n\n- **Voice, text and phone interviews** in 28 languages. Participants choose to talk or type; you can also send a call-back link or have Koji phone a list of numbers. Koji does not do video or screen-share usability tests, so it is not a replacement for Maze's prototype testing.\n- **Open and structured questions together.** AI follow-ups on open questions sit next to scales, choice, ranking and yes/no questions in one interview.\n- **Free previews.** [Take your own interview](/docs/previewing-your-interview) by voice or text before launch; previews never use credits.\n- **A quality gate.** Every interview gets a [quality score from 1 to 5](/docs/understanding-quality-scores), and only interviews scoring 3 or more use credits or enter the report.\n- **Participants your way.** Share a link, import a CSV for personal invite links (Interviews and Enterprise plans), or [recruit from Koji's panel](/docs/panel-recruitment) on paid plans.\n- **Public pricing.** Free with 10 credits, Insights at €29 a month, Interviews at €79 a month, Enterprise on request. A text interview uses 1 credit and a voice interview 3.\n\n![Koji preview completion screen confirming a test interview is saved and does not count as a response](/email/shots/shot-preview-complete.jpg \"Test your own interview before launch: previews are saved with their own analysis and never charged\")\n\nWhichever tool you shortlist, ask each vendor the same questions before you sign:\n\n![Checklist of eight questions to ask before choosing an AI interview platform, from free previews to data storage](/visuals/ai-interview-platform-vendor-checklist/ai-interview-platform-vendor-checklist.png \"Ask every AI interview vendor these eight questions before a demo turns into a contract\")\n\n## Which should you choose?\n\n**Choose Outset if:**\n\n- AI-moderated interviews are your main method and you run them at volume.\n- You need video and screen-shared usability sessions with an AI moderator.\n- You have an enterprise budget and your own participants or a partner panel.\n\n**Choose Maze if:**\n\n- Your team mostly tests prototypes, flows and information architecture.\n- You want AI interviews as one study type in a tool your designers already use.\n- You value a built-in panel over interview depth.\n\n**Choose Koji if:**\n\n- You want AI-moderated voice or text interviews without a sales cycle.\n- You want to mix open conversation with structured questions and pay only for interviews that pass a quality check.\n- You want to start this week, for free.\n\n## Try Koji free\n\nThe fastest way to judge an AI interviewer is to sit through one. [Create a free Koji account](https://www.koji.so), type your research question, and preview the interview yourself. Your 10 signup credits cover ten text interviews or three voice interviews with real participants. For more detail, see [Koji vs Outset](/blog/koji-vs-outset-2026), [Koji vs Maze](/blog/koji-vs-maze-2026), or our guide to [voice vs text interviews](/docs/voice-vs-text-interviews).\n","category":"Comparisons","lastModified":"2026-10-14T06:20:13.390697+00:00","metaTitle":"Outset vs Maze 2026: AI-Moderated Interviews Compared","metaDescription":"Outset vs Maze: interview formats, usability testing, panels, languages and pricing compared, and when a self-serve AI interview tool like Koji fits better.","keywords":["outset vs maze","maze ai moderator","outset ai","maze ai moderated interviews","outset pricing","maze pricing","ai moderated interviews"],"aiSummary":"Comparison of Outset and Maze for AI-moderated interviews in 2026. Outset (founded 2022, $30M Series B December 2025) is built around AI interviews: text, voice and video, screen-shared usability sessions, 40+ languages, synthesis with reports and decks, partner panels such as Prolific and User Interviews, custom plans with no free tier. Maze is a product research platform (prototype tests, surveys, card sorting, tree testing) whose AI moderator launched in beta in June 2025; it has its own panel in 150+ countries and a Free plan, with the AI moderator listed on quoted plans. Koji is a self-serve alternative: voice, text and phone AI interviews in 28 languages, free previews, a quality gate, public pricing from free (Insights EUR 29/month, Interviews EUR 79/month), but no video or prototype testing.","aiKeywords":["outset","maze","outset vs maze","maze ai moderator","ai moderated interviews","usability testing","prototype testing","ai interview platforms","koji","research pricing"],"aiContentType":"comparison","faqItems":[{"answer":"Outset is built around AI-moderated interviews, with text, voice and video formats and screen-shared usability sessions. Maze is a prototype and usability testing platform that added an AI moderator in 2025 as one study type alongside surveys, card sorts and tree tests.","question":"What is the main difference between Outset and Maze?"},{"answer":"Yes. Maze launched its AI moderator in beta on June 18, 2025. It drafts a discussion guide from your goals, runs interviews with follow-up questions, then transcribes, tags and groups themes. Third-party listings place it on Enterprise plans.","question":"Does Maze have AI-moderated interviews?"},{"answer":"Outset does not publish prices. Plans are custom with optional add-ons, and third-party listings say there is no free plan. Recruiting through partners such as Prolific or User Interviews is billed separately.","question":"How much does Outset cost?"},{"answer":"Koji is self-serve. It runs AI-moderated voice, text and phone interviews in 28 languages, starts free with 10 credits, and its paid plans are €29 and €79 a month. It does not do video or prototype testing.","question":"Is there a self-serve alternative to Outset and Maze for AI interviews?"},{"answer":"Maze, if you run frequent unmoderated prototype tests with clicks and paths. Outset, if you want an AI moderator to ask people about their reasoning while they share their screen. Koji does not run screen-share usability tests.","question":"Which is better for usability testing?"}],"relatedTopics":["ai moderated interviews","maze alternative","outset alternative","usability testing","research pricing"]}],"pagination":{"total":1,"returned":1,"offset":0}}