Choosing an online insight platform is one of the biggest decisions in a qualitative research programme, whether you're running a three-day pre-task or a panel that lasts for years. The platform shapes how participants experience your study, how your team works day to day, and how much of your budget goes on insight rather than admin.
Feature lists only tell you so much. Most platforms offer discussions, diaries and video in some form. The differences that matter usually come out later: a surprise invoice for extra video minutes, a seat limit that leaves a colleague locked out, or a support ticket that sits unanswered while fieldwork runs.
So before you sign anything, here are the questions we think every researcher should ask, whichever provider they choose. We've answered each one for incling too, so you can see exactly where we stand.
The questions to ask
What exactly is included in the price?
Many platforms quote a low headline fee, then charge for video minutes, extra task types, uploads or AI features. Ask for a full list of what costs extra, and what happens if your study grows mid-fieldwork.
Our answer: one platform fee covers everything. That includes all asynchronous task types, video focus groups and interviews, unlimited media uploads, every incAI tool, and all support and training. We don't ask you to estimate minutes, tasks or uploads up front, because we know that's almost impossible before a project starts. The only extras are research services you choose to add, like moderation or community management.
Will I be limited on seats, accounts or observers?
Research is a team sport. Clients want to watch, colleagues want to help moderate, and stakeholders want to dip in. Per-seat pricing quietly discourages all of that.
Our answer: invite as many moderators and observers as you like. There are no limits on accounts.
How long do I have to commit for?
Some providers require annual contracts before you've had a chance to see how the platform works with your team.
Our answer: no long contracts. You can hire the platform for a single project, starting from as little as three days. If you're considering an ongoing community, you can run a one-to-three-month trial first. When you're ready for something bigger, we offer annual licences for long-term communities and yearly multi-platform subscriptions for agencies and in-house teams running several studies.
Who built the technology, and who maintains it?
If a platform relies on third-party tools for key features, a change outside its control can break your study. Requests for new features can also disappear into someone else's roadmap.
Our answer: everything is built in-house. Our own developers build and maintain the platform, working side by side with our researchers. When clients ask for something, we can build it without waiting on outside teams. Long-term clients get every update and new release as part of their hire.
What support do I get, and from whom?
There's a big difference between a ticketing system and a team that knows research. Ask who answers when something goes wrong, and whether they can help with the research itself, not just the software.
Our answer: our team is researchers, psychologists, anthropologists, marketers and developers, with more than 80 years of combined market research experience. Training and technical support are included, and we monitor support channels and help participants directly. If you want more, we can step in at any stage: activity guide design, set-up, recruitment liaison, community management, moderation, analysis and reporting. You decide how much help you want, whether that's doing it yourself, doing it together or leaving it to us.
Can I combine live and asynchronous research, and qual and quant, in one place?
Many studies need a pre-task, a diary, a few focus groups and a short survey. Using separate tools for each means more logins, more exports and a fragmented view of your participants.
Our answer: yes, all on one platform with no extra costs. You can mix video interviews and focus groups with discussions, diaries, collages, concept evaluations, screen recordings and surveys. The same platform works for a three-day pre-task or a customer panel that runs for years.
How does the provider use AI, and is it extra?
AI can save hours of transcription and first-pass analysis. But it's often sold as a premium add-on, and it should support researchers rather than replace their judgement.
Our answer: incAI is included in every platform hire. It covers auto-transcription, auto-translation, thematic summaries, suggested probes, auto-moderation and an AI query tool. You set the tone and objectives, so its prompts stay aligned with your research. Our AI interviews tool also lets you run AI-moderated interviews alongside any other task in the same community.
Can the platform handle multi-market work securely?
If you research across countries, you need translation, local hosting where required and strong data protection.
Our answer: we support 30+ languages with automatic translation, localised hosting where required, and a China proxy for in-country access. We're ISO 27001 certified and GDPR compliant, and members of the MRS, ESOMAR, AQR, QRCA and Greenbook. For moderation in multiple markets, we work with a trusted network of local consultants under our guidance.
The question behind all the questions
Every question on this list comes down to one thing: will this provider make your research easier, or add friction you only discover once fieldwork starts?
We founded incling in 2013 as researchers building for researchers, and we've worked as a fully remote, global team ever since. We don't just build online communities. We are one. That's why we built a platform with no limits and no surprises, backed by a team that acts as a partner rather than just a provider.
Whether you want to do it yourself, do it together or leave it to us, we'd love to show you how it works. Request a demo or share your brief for a platform quote, and one of our researchers will walk you through the tools that fit your project.
