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Lewsearch vs Synthetic Users
These products do different jobs. Synthetic Users sells qualitative interviews and reports 85–92% thematic parity with organic interviews. Lewsearch sells a tabulated panel and publishes mean absolute error against named public polls. Parity and MAE are not the same measurement.
Two products, two units
Synthetic Users, on syntheticusers.com, prices interviews at $2–$60 and states 85–92% synthetic-organic parity in independent comparison studies, measured on thematic overlap, depth, and qualitative alignment. It positions the product as a discovery co-pilot. Real user research stays essential, in its own words. It also states SOC 2 compliance and a science section at /science.
Lewsearch publishes 7.47% mean absolute error on 404 ex-electoral questions of a 460-question benchmark vs real polls (Pew, Gallup, UT/Texas Politics Project, PPIC). A typical study returns option shares, crosstabs, and a PDF, not a stack of interview transcripts. Focus groups on Lewsearch add a tracked room of 5–30 people on top of the full panel. Coverage: 27 live panels · U.S. national · 4 census regions (32 audiences). See coverage.
Worked example: cost of one qualitative pass
Twelve Synthetic Users interviews at the top of their published band is 12 × $60 = $720. Twelve interviews at the bottom of the band is $24. A traditional human focus group, the cost Lewsearch cites for live rooms, is $4,000 to $12,000. A Lewsearch focus group is priced in credits on the pricing page, and it returns both a statistical panel and a small room you can follow across questions. Those three numbers buy three different artifacts. Do not treat them as substitutes without looking at the deliverable.
| Rubric | Lewsearch | Synthetic Users |
|---|---|---|
| Primary artifact | Tabulated panel + optional tracked room | Interview transcripts and theme report |
| Published accuracy unit | MAE 7.47% (404 of 460 Q) | 85–92% thematic parity |
| Named public-poll benchmarks | Pew, Gallup, UT/TPP, PPIC, canvass | Does not publish a Pew/Gallup MAE |
| Public pricing | Credit packs, Pro, enterprise on /pricing | $2–$60 per interview on homepage |
| Vendor's stated limit | Not a replacement for probabilistic human sampling | Discovery co-pilot, not a replacement for real research |
Sources
FAQ
- Is Synthetic Users a survey panel?
- Synthetic Users describes itself as a discovery co-pilot for qualitative interviews and concept tests. It says it is not a replacement for real user research. Lewsearch is a tabulated survey panel with published option-share error against public polls.
- What accuracy number does Synthetic Users publish?
- Its homepage reports 85–92% synthetic-organic parity in independent comparison studies, measured across thematic overlap, depth, and qualitative alignment. That is not mean absolute error on option shares.
- What does Synthetic Users charge?
- The Synthetic Users homepage lists $2–$60 per interview, versus $100+ at traditional agencies. Lewsearch pricing is on the pricing page (credit packs, Pro, enterprise).
- When would I pick Lewsearch instead?
- When you need percentages, crosstabs, and a scored error against public polls. When you need 10 interview transcripts and a theme report, Synthetic Users is built for that job.
Check the work
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Canonical: https://lewsearch.com/compare/lewsearch-vs-synthetic-users