Answers
How much does synthetic market research cost?
A traditional focus group often costs $4,000 to $12,000. Synthetic interview tools that publish prices sit at $2 to $60 per interview. Lewsearch publishes credit packs, a Pro plan, and an enterprise annual floor on its pricing page. Simile and Aaru do not publish prices on their sites. Cost is only comparable when the artifact is the same.
Price the deliverable, not the category
Twelve qualitative interviews, a 500-person tabulated panel, and an enterprise simulation of 40,000 investors are three purchases. Aaru's public Breakwater example is 71 judgments across 40,000 simulated investors. Synthetic Users' homepage band is $2–$60 per interview. Lewsearch sells studies in credits and seats. Current Lewsearch numbers live on /pricing. As of August 2026 the published structure is credit packs from a single-study price, Pro as a monthly plan, and enterprise from an annual floor.
Worked example: one human room vs a screen-then-field sequence
Take the low end of a live room at $4,000. If a synthetic screen kills one of two concepts, you did not save $4,000. You avoided spending the second $4,000 on the weaker idea. If both concepts survive, you still spent the facility budget, and the synthetic pass was a lint step. That is why Lewsearch prices entry as credits rather than as a replacement for the annual tracker line. The accuracy file that tells you whether the lint step is worth running is on methodology (7.47% MAE on 404 questions). Coverage is on coverage (27 live panels · U.S. national · 4 census regions (32 audiences)).
| Vendor / method | Public price | Artifact |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional focus group | $4,000 to $12,000 | 8–12 humans, weeks to field |
| Synthetic Users | $2–$60 per interview (homepage) | Qualitative interviews |
| Lewsearch | Credit packs, Pro, enterprise floor. See /pricing | Tabulated panel + optional room |
| Simile | Does not publish pricing | Enterprise simulation |
| Aaru | Does not publish pricing | Enterprise simulation |
Sources
FAQ
- How much does synthetic market research cost?
- It depends on the artifact. Synthetic Users lists $2–$60 per interview on its homepage. Lewsearch publishes credit packs, a Pro monthly plan, and enterprise from an annual floor; confirm current figures on the pricing page. Simile and Aaru do not publish prices.
- How does that compare with a human focus group?
- Lewsearch cites $4,000 to $12,000 and two to three weeks to recruit for a traditional room. That is the cost a synthetic study is usually replacing as a first pass, not as a legal sample.
- What does Lewsearch charge as of August 2026?
- The published structure is credit packs starting at a single-study SKU, a Pro monthly plan, and enterprise quoted from an annual floor. See /pricing for the live numbers. This page does not replace that page.
- Why do some vendors hide price?
- Enterprise simulation is often sold as a scoped engagement. That is a commercial choice. It is also a rubric cell: public or not.
Check the work
Related
Canonical: https://lewsearch.com/answers/how-much-does-synthetic-market-research-cost