Pay only for the interview minutes you use. No per-seat fees, no per-session charges, no surprises.
For individual researchers running small studies.
50 min included ($0.98/min)
For teams running regular research programs.
150 min included ($0.93/min)
For organizations with high-volume research needs.
400 min included ($0.87/min)
Overage minutes billed at $1.00/min. All plans include unlimited studies and participants.
Traditional user research costs $150-300 per interview session when you factor in recruiting, scheduling, moderator fees, and transcription.
Human Moderator | PopsicleAI | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per 10-min interview | $150 - $300 | ~$9 |
| Scheduling & coordination | Days to weeks | Instant |
| Interviewer availability | Business hours | 24/7 |
| Consistency across interviews | Varies by interviewer | Perfectly consistent |
| Transcription | $1-2/min extra | Included |
| Video recording | Extra setup | Included |
| Scale to 50+ interviews | Weeks + hiring | Same day |
| Interviewer bias | Hard to control | None |
People say 3-5x more in a voice conversation than they type. You get the full story, not bullet points.
The AI adapts in real time — probing deeper on interesting answers, just like a skilled human interviewer.
Participants just talk. No typing, no forms, no switching between questions. Completion rates are higher and responses are more honest.
Surveys and chatbots use text, which leads to short, shallow answers. PopsicleAI conducts real voice conversations — the AI listens, adapts follow-up questions based on what participants say, and probes deeper into interesting responses. Participants speak naturally, which surfaces richer insights you'd never get from a text box.
For structured and semi-structured interviews, yes — and in some ways better. The AI never gets tired, never leads the witness, never forgets to ask a question, and is available 24/7. It follows your research protocol perfectly every time. For deeply exploratory or sensitive topics, a human moderator may still be preferable.
Additional minutes are billed at $1.00/minute. You can upgrade your plan at any time to get a lower per-minute rate. Active sessions are never cut short — if a participant is mid-interview when your minutes run out, the session completes normally.
Yes. Participants join via a simple link — no downloads, no accounts, no apps. It works in any modern browser on desktop or mobile. They just need a microphone.
Each study has agent instructions where you define the research goals, topics to explore, and specific questions. The AI uses these as a guide while adapting naturally to participant responses. You can also set participant instructions, max session duration, and embed a website for usability testing.
Recordings and transcripts are stored securely and only accessible to the study creator. Participant data is never shared across studies or with other users. You can delete recordings at any time.
Yes. PopsicleAI has an MCP integration — just run npx popsicle-ai-mcp and connect it to your AI assistant. You can create studies, pull transcripts, and analyze research data without leaving your workflow.
The AI introduces itself as a research assistant. We recommend being transparent with participants that the interview is AI-conducted — this is both ethical and, in our experience, doesn't reduce response quality. Participants tend to be more honest with AI interviewers.
Your first 10-minute AI interview costs less than $10. Compare that to $200+ for a traditional moderated session.
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