Research when you need it. Pay only when you run it.
Strella and Robbie both run AI-moderated interviews. The difference is what you pay during the months you are not researching.
Strella and Robbie take a similar approach to qualitative research: an AI moderator runs text-based conversations with your participants, follows up on what is interesting, and synthesises the findings. The format is the same. The pricing model is not.
Strella is priced per seat, with published plans billed monthly and larger deals typically running on an annual agreement. Robbie charges per 30 minutes of interview time, billed monthly. That difference matters most when your research needs are uneven: heavy one quarter, quiet the next.
An annual seat subscription charges you the same amount whether you run one study or twenty. Usage-based pricing charges you for the interviews you actually ran.
What it looks like in practice.
| Comparison metric | Strella | Robbie |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Seat-based (monthly plans; enterprise usually annual) | £10 / 30 min |
| Typical annual cost | $10,000–$25,000+ (reported) | Pay only when you run interviews |
| AI-moderated interviews | Yes | Yes |
| Text interviews | Yes (chat-first) | Yes |
| Video interviews | Yes (chat-to-video) | No |
| Participant recruitment | Yes (8M+ panel) | No |
| 46+ language support | Yes | No |
| Annual commitment | Yes | No |
Strella pricing is not publicly listed. Figures are based on reported rates and third-party pricing databases. Contact Strella directly for a current quote.
What Robbie does
Robbie moderates interviews by text or voice. Your participants open one link, choose how they want to engage, and Robbie runs the conversation: asking your questions, following up on what is interesting, and adapting to each person.
After each interview, Robbie produces a synthesis: themes by confidence level, standout quotes, surprises, and recommendations. When you have run a full round, the cross-study view pulls patterns across all conversations. You can download the full report as a Word document.
What Robbie doesn't do
Robbie does not include a participant panel — you bring your own participants. Robbie does not offer video interviews or chat-to-video escalation. Robbie does not support the 46+ languages Strella offers; interviews are conducted in the language of your brief.
If a built-in panel, multilingual research, or video capability are essential to your programme, Strella may be a better fit.
Pricing
£10 per 30 minutes of interview time. Invoiced at the start of the following month, for all interview time used the month before.
A 20-interview discovery round at 30 minutes each costs £200. During quiet months, when you are not running research, you pay nothing. There is no seat, no subscription, and no renewal.
FAQs
- What is Strella?
- Strella is a chat-first AI interview platform with a built-in participant panel of over eight million people and support for 46+ languages. It is priced on a seat basis, billed annually, with reported costs ranging from $10,000 to $25,000 or more per year depending on scope.
- How is Strella's pricing model different from Robbie's?
- Strella charges per seat, billed annually, you pay the same amount whether you run one study or twenty. Robbie charges £10 per 30 minutes of interview time, billed monthly. If your research needs are uneven across the year, usage-based pricing means you pay nothing during quiet months.
- Does Robbie have a participant panel like Strella?
- No. Robbie does not include participant recruitment. You bring your own participants and share a link. If a built-in panel is essential to your programme, Strella is a better fit.
- Does Robbie support multiple languages like Strella?
- Robbie conducts interviews in the language of your brief. It does not have dedicated multilingual infrastructure or the 46+ language support Strella offers. For large-scale multilingual research programmes, Strella is better suited.