Updated October 2026. Outset, Listen Labs and Conveo are the three best-funded AI-moderated interview platforms. Between December 2025 and September 2026 they raised nearly $150M between them, and in September 2026 Salesforce agreed to buy Listen Labs. If you're choosing between them, this guide sets out how they differ, where each is strongest, and where a fourth option, Yazi, fits.

The Short Version

• Outset is the all-rounder for enterprise insights and UX teams: AI interviews plus prototype testing, and since August 2026, diaries. It's independent and builds in recruitment through 25+ partner panels.
• Listen Labs is the scale and polish choice: a large built-in panel, 120+ languages, ready-made decks and the fullest set of certifications. It is being acquired by Salesforce, which plans to offer it through Salesforce products.
• Conveo is the video-first choice for consumer brands: it reads facial expressions and emotion in video answers, and is built for concept, pack and ad tests. Its G2 listing puts enterprise plans from $45,000 a year.
• Yazi is different in kind: interviews, surveys and diaries run inside WhatsApp, where participants answer by text, voice note, photo or video, and a researcher can take over any conversation live.

Outset

San Francisco-based Outset, founded in 2022, raised a $30M Series B in December 2025 ($51M in total) and has been shipping fast: Visual Intelligence, an Outset Agent that works inside Claude, ChatGPT, Figma and Notion, prototype heatmaps, Co-Design, diary studies and digital twins all arrived in 2026.

Strongest at: AI interviews and usability tests in one tool. Screen share lets participants walk through a Figma prototype, live site or app while the AI asks questions.

Watch out for: No panel of its own; recruitment is built in through 25+ partner panels such as Prolific and User Interviews, or you bring your own. Outset recommends a desktop or laptop. Independent reviews are scarce.

Listen Labs

Listen Labs, founded in San Francisco in 2023, raised a $69M Series B in January 2026. On 29 September 2026 Salesforce signed a definitive agreement to acquire it, in a deal reported at around $2 billion and expected to close between November 2026 and January 2027.

Strongest at: Volume and polish. A panel it puts at 50M+, interviews and reports in 120+ languages, quant question types such as MaxDiff, a conversational tracker, and ready-to-share decks. It holds SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, ISO 27701 and ISO 42001.

Watch out for: The acquisition. Salesforce plans to make Listen Labs available through its own products, including Marketing Cloud and Service Cloud, and hasn't said what standalone access will look like. Pricing is quote only.

Conveo

Conveo was founded in Antwerp in 2024 and raised a $50M Series A in September 2026. It says it works with 400+ enterprises, including Unilever and AB InBev.

Strongest at: Video. Conveo reads facial expressions and emotion as well as words, and is built for concept, pack, ad and claims tests, with pricing questions and an always-on programme called StoryLines (July 2026).

Watch out for: Participants need a computer with a microphone, and often a camera. There's no panel of its own. Its G2 listing puts enterprise plans from $45,000 a year, prepaid, with a pay-as-you-go option.

Head to Head

Outset vs Listen Labs

Both run AI interviews by video, voice or text with screen share. Listen Labs has a built-in panel, more languages and more certifications. Outset is independent, adds diaries and digital twins, and fits teams already recruiting through Prolific or User Interviews. If Salesforce ownership is a concern, Outset is the safer like-for-like.

Conveo vs Listen Labs

Conveo is the stronger choice when the video itself is the evidence, for example consumer reactions to a pack or an ad. Listen Labs is stronger for large multilingual studies with its own panel and polished decks. Conveo lists a starting price on its G2 page; Listen Labs doesn't.

Conveo vs Outset

Both are independent and both recruit through partners. Conveo leans towards consumer brands and video analysis, Outset towards product and UX teams who need prototype testing next to interviews.

Where Yazi Fits

All three send participants to a web link and ask them to talk to an AI on a computer or phone, usually by voice or on camera. That works well with online panels in the US and Europe. It works less well with people who won't open a link or switch on a camera, and with studies that need to follow people over days.

Yazi runs the study inside WhatsApp instead. Participants reply by text, voice note, photo or video in a chat they already use, the AI moderator follows up on every answer, and a researcher can take over any conversation live and hand it back. The same study can mix a screener survey, AI interviews and a multi-day diary, with reminders in the thread. Yazi has a 1.8M+ panel with reach in 25+ countries, and studies hold a 90% completion rate.

Yazi isn't built for screen-share prototype testing or live video groups, so if that's the job, pick from the three above. For a closer look, see Yazi vs Listen Labs and Yazi vs Outset.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Outset or Listen Labs?

It depends on what you need. Listen Labs has a large built-in panel, 120+ languages and strong certifications, but is being acquired by Salesforce. Outset is independent, combines AI interviews with prototype testing and diaries, and recruits through partner panels.

Is Conveo cheaper than Outset or Listen Labs?

Conveo is the only one of the three to list a starting price, on its G2 page: enterprise plans from $45,000 a year, prepaid, with a pay-as-you-go option. Outset and Listen Labs price on a quote.

Which AI interview platforms have their own panel?

Of these three, only Listen Labs has its own panel. Outset and Conveo recruit through partners or your own lists. Yazi also has its own panel of 1.8M+.

Can a researcher take over an AI interview?

On Yazi, yes: a researcher can step into any conversation live and hand it back to the AI. We didn't find live human takeover on Outset, Listen Labs or Conveo's sites.

For more options, see our guides to Listen Labs alternatives, Outset alternatives and Conveo alternatives.

Details come from each vendor's website, release notes, help centre and funding news, checked in October 2026. Products change quickly, so confirm current features and prices with the vendor. Spotted something out of date? Email hello@askyazi.com.