For decades, market researchers built authority through methodological rigor by doing it all on their own: designing studies, crafting questionnaires, and validating data. But in an AI-driven world, the role of researchers is shifting rapidly.
AI now accelerates almost every operational part of research - from data collection to synthesis to interpretation. What once took weeks can be done in hours.
As a result, the unit of work is no longer the individual study, but the entire research system.
Clear boundaries help you find the right solution
InsightGig is designed as an AI‑native Operating Layer for research teams that need repeatable, auditable, and scalable insight workflows. This page clarifies who is not an ideal fit today and points to better‑suited paths, so you can make an efficient, low‑risk tooling decision.
For product and policy specifics, see our overview, pricing, and FAQs: InsightGig Operating Layer, Pricing, FAQs
Profiles that are not a fit (today)
- Very small businesses and solo entrepreneurs with occasional, basic research needs who expect a fully DIY, ad‑hoc workflow and a permanent free plan. Our model is pay‑as‑you‑go with a short free trial, optimized for teams that run research repeatedly. See Pricing.
- DIY‑only researchers who are satisfied with generic LLM summaries (e.g., “chatbot‑only” answers) and do not require provenance, guardrails, or expert oversight. Our view is that generic LLMs alone are often insufficient when accuracy, depth, or context matter. Read AI for Research: When GPT Isn’t Enough.
- Buyers who only need a participant panel or respondent recruitment. InsightGig focuses on insight workflows and expert augmentation rather than being a panel marketplace. See FAQs.
- Organizations unable to meet basic data‑governance expectations (ownership, review, audit). InsightGig implements research‑grade privacy, provenance, and ESOMAR‑aligned guardrails, which assume process discipline. See FAQs.
Why these profiles aren’t a fit
Operating Layer, not a point tool: InsightGig is engineered as middleware that unifies study design, analysis, synthesis, and reporting. It delivers the most value when research is recurring, multi‑source, and requires traceability. Read Operating Layer vs Platform vs Tool
Human + AI by design: Our approach blends automation with expert oversight for rigor. If you prefer “AI‑only” with no verification, lower‑risk DIY tools are typically sufficient. Read AI for Research: When GPT Isn’t Enough
Governance and ethics: We prioritize privacy, auditability, and ESOMAR‑aligned practices; your data is not used to train models and can be hosted in select regions. This orientation benefits teams with compliance needs more than one‑off DIY workflows. See FAQs
Decision guide: common scenarios and better‑suited paths
| If this sounds like you | Recommended path |
| “We run a simple survey once or twice a year and are fine with basic charts.” | Consider DIY survey tools or panel marketplaces. If you later need rapid synthesis across files, you can use InsightGig’s on‑demand synthesis without adopting the full stack. |
| “I want a chatbot to summarize a couple of PDFs; accuracy stakes are low.” | Use a general LLM. When the stakes rise (traceability, bias checks, multi‑source synthesis), revisit InsightGig’s Operating Layer. |
| “I only need transcription occasionally.” | Specialist transcription tools can suffice. If you need research‑grade outputs (speaker tags, quote extraction, emotion cues, synthesis), use InsightGig’s modular tasks on credits. |
| “I just need access to participants.” | Use a participant recruitment/panel provider. When you need methodology, analysis, and reporting with expert oversight, InsightGig’s experts + AI fit better. |
How to proceed if you’re not a fit today
- Use DIY survey/UX tools for low‑stake, one‑off research; revisit InsightGig when you need multi‑source synthesis, guardrails, or expert input.
- Use a participant panel provider if your need is recruitment only; add InsightGig when analysis and reporting become bottlenecks.
- Use generic LLMs for lightweight summarization; switch to InsightGig when you need reviewable, explainable insight workflows with human‑in‑the‑loop controls.
When a small team may still be a good fit
Even if you’re a lean team, InsightGig fits when:
- You run studies frequently and want repeatable, governed workflows with audit trails. Operating Layer
- You need to synthesize qual + quant + secondary in one place, with provenance and export‑ready deliverables. FAQs
- You need on‑demand expert augmentation for specialized methods or surge capacity. FAQs
- You need data privacy, region‑select storage, and ESOMAR‑aligned practices. FAQs
If you’re on the fence, start with a single use case to validate fit. Explore our current use cases on the Capabilities page.
New users receive a two‑week trial with $150 in credits free; see details on the Pricing page.
