Outset alternative for teams that want public pricing
Moderators is an Outset alternative for teams that want an AI moderator with every price published and a plan they can buy today. You send a link to your own customers, the AI moderator interviews them by chat or voice, and you get themes with quotes. Plans start at $99 a month, or $49.50 a month billed annually, and the four plans are listed in full below.
Try to export last month's report. Say what you are thinking.
I expected it under Reports, so I am looking there.
What made you look there first?
The menu says Reports, and I assumed exports live there.
Quote from the interview
“Nothing told me if I had done it right.”
How do the two compare?
Both products use an AI moderator to run interviews and summarize them. The differences are in how you buy and who you interview. Outset describes its pricing as custom on its own site, so the right column reflects what it publishes, not a figure we have guessed. Check Outset's site for its current terms before you decide.
| Question | Moderators | Outset |
|---|---|---|
| Public price list | Yes, four plans on the pricing page | No public price list, quote based |
| Entry price | $99 a month, $49.50 a month billed annually | Ask for a quote |
| Who you interview | Your own customers and contacts, by link | Check Outset for its current recruiting options |
| Built-in participant panel | No | No panel of its own |
| Interview formats | Chat and voice | Check Outset for current formats |
| Output | Themes with quotes and full transcripts | AI summaries of interviews |
| Best fit | Product, UX and insights teams that want to start this week | Larger research programs that buy through a sales process |
What usually pushes a team away from a quote-based tool?
Time and budget certainty. A quote-based purchase means a demo, a call about volume and a wait for terms, and the person who needs interviews next week rarely has that long. A published plan lets a product manager read the limits, pick one and start. If your question is about your own users, the plan price is the whole cost of the study.
Where is Outset the better choice?
If your organization already runs a vendor process, wants a negotiated contract with a large volume and works with a sales team on setup, a quote-based platform can suit that way of buying. We would rather say so than pretend there is no reason to choose it.
How does a study run?
- Write the learning goal and describe your participants.
- Review the guide Moderators drafts and edit any question.
- Send your link by email, in-app message or support reply.
- Participants answer when it suits them, by chat or voice.
- Read the themes, open the quotes and check any transcript.
What is included in every plan?
- An AI moderator that asks follow-up questions instead of reading a fixed script
- Chat interviews and voice minutes
- Findings with quotes after every study
- Full transcripts for every conversation
Do you provide participants?
No. Moderators has no panel and is not a recruiting service. You interview customers you already have, which suits questions about your own product. If you need strangers matched to a profile, recruit them elsewhere and send them the same link.
What does Moderators cost?
Annual billing is the default and takes 50% off. There is no free plan, and a used limit does not return within the period.
- Starter: $99/month, $49.50/month billed annually. 100 chat interviews, 120 voice minutes, 1 seat.
- Team: $249/month, $124.50/month billed annually. 400 chat interviews, 300 voice minutes, 5 seats, custom-branded link.
- Scale: $599/month, $299.50/month billed annually. 1,000 chat interviews, 750 voice minutes, 15 seats, findings repository, API.
- Enterprise: $1,499/month, $749.50/month billed annually. 2,500 chat interviews, 1,800 voice minutes, SSO, roles, SLA, invoices, data retention controls.
See the full pricing page, the AI moderated interviews overview and the user interview software page for the workflow.
Run your first interview this week
Try the text demo on the home page, then send your own link to the customers you want to hear from.