Research Studio Review, Pricing & Features

Research Studio uses AI widgets to turn UX research into personas, journeys and more. Plans start at $12/month with a free trial. See features and pricing.

Researched and fact-checked by Bartu Cavusoglu · Updated October 26, 2026

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Category
AI
Pricing
Subscription, from $12/month
Verified
Not yet
Last updated
October 26, 2026
Headquarters
Romania
SaaSSMBFree TrialFreelancersAgenciesMultilingualAINotion Integration

What is Research Studio?

Research Studio is a web-based tool that applies AI to the analysis stage of user research. Its homepage describes it as a way to streamline user research for freelance UX designers, user researchers and agencies, and claims a 10x speed improvement.

The product comes from Black Device, SRL, a team of two product designers from Romania. Their About page says they started the project to help smaller businesses with limited UX and marketing budgets automate research analysis and save time and money.

The stated goal is to let researchers, product managers, marketing specialists and even non-experts focus on running the research while the tool handles analysis and helps reduce human bias. The company says it can cut research time by almost two thirds.

How does Research Studio work?

Users start by uploading research material. The site says it handles PDFs, video and audio files, and Word or Excel documents, with support for 8+ formats in 99+ languages. Premium includes unlimited transcription in those languages.

Analysis happens on a canvas. Instead of writing prompts, users drag smart widgets onto it, and each widget produces a specific research output from the uploaded data. The company describes this approach as "No prompts. No hustle."

An AI assistant sits alongside the canvas for questions about the research. It can stay locked to the uploaded context, or users can enable a Broad Knowledge mode. When the analysis is finished, results can be presented in a click, styled to a brand and exported to Notion.

Key features of Research Studio

The core of the product is its set of widgets. Personas extracts detailed personas from research data. Jobs to be Done categorizes and ranks user goals and motivations. Statements classifies user comments by sentiment, and Questions Analysis reviews and classifies the questions asked in research.

Other widgets cover planning and context. User Journey charts customer processes and engagement and separates a team's suppositions from users' aims. User Stories creates and analyzes stories with drag and drop. The Competitors widget summarizes what rival companies do and links to their sites.

Around the widgets, the product offers multi-format import, unlimited transcription on Premium, the AI research assistant, branded presentations and instant export to Notion.

Key Features

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Draggable widgets mean no prompt writing is needed to produce personas, journeys and other research artifacts.
  • Supports 8+ file formats, including audio, video, PDF, Word and Excel, in 99+ languages.
  • Premium includes unlimited transcription hours.
  • Short free trials, no credit card for individual plans, and refund windows of up to 14 days.
  • Discounted plans, including 60% off for students and teachers.
  • AI assistant can stay locked to the research context or use Broad Knowledge.

Cons

  • No permanent free plan is shown; access is through short 3-day and 7-day trials.
  • The only named integration is Notion export; no other integrations are listed.
  • Business plans use a Contact Us flow rather than self-serve sign-up.
  • Made by a two-person team, and the site does not name the AI models behind the product.

Pricing

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Research Studio?

Research Studio is an AI-enhanced tool for analyzing user research data. Users upload files and use draggable widgets to create personas, jobs to be done, user journeys, user stories and more. It is aimed at freelance UX designers, user researchers and agencies.

How much does Research Studio cost?

The Individual (Freelancer) plan costs $12 per month on annual billing or $24 per month on monthly billing. The Business plan costs $15 per user per month annually or $30 per user per month monthly. Students and teachers can get 60% off Premium.

Does Research Studio have a free trial?

Yes. The Individual plan offers a free 3-day trial with no credit card required. The Business plan offers a 7-day trial for up to 5 users.

What file types and languages does Research Studio support?

The site says it supports 8+ formats in 99+ languages, including PDF, video, audio, Word and Excel files. Premium includes unlimited transcription in 99+ languages.

What does Research Studio integrate with?

The only integration named on the site is Notion, via an instant export feature. No other integrations are listed in the source material.

Does Research Studio offer refunds?

The pricing section lists refund periods of up to 14 days on annual plans and the Business plan, and up to 7 days on the monthly Individual plan. A separate Refund Policy page exists on the site.

Who is Research Studio best for?

It is best for freelance UX designers, user researchers and agencies that want to speed up research analysis. The company also names product managers, marketing specialists and non-experts as users.

Is Research Studio good for small businesses?

The founders say they built it for smaller businesses with limited UX and marketing budgets. Pricing starts at $12 per month for individuals and $15 per user per month for business teams on annual billing.

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