Palette vs Maze: UX Research Tools for Product Teams
Palette and Maze help product teams learn from users, but their study allowances and testing workflows differ. Palette is a fit for teams running frequent research and testing working app branches. Maze is a fit for teams testing Figma prototypes or seeking an enterprise research platform. Both offer MCP access; compare the available actions and plan requirements alongside price.
Who this page is for
This comparison is for product managers, designers, and founders at SaaS startups evaluating AI-powered user research platforms. Start with the decision you need to make: understanding customer needs, testing a prototype, checking a working product, or bringing existing evidence into daily product work. Then compare the study volume, collaborators, and recruitment budget that decision requires.
What each tool does
Palette combines user studies, usability tests, and in-product microstudies with evidence from connected tools and uploaded documents. Ask Palette answers research questions using that evidence. The Palette website describes a shared source of user insight that teams can access while planning and building their product.
For usability testing, Palette’s published workflow connects a repository, selects a branch, and prepares a sandbox app where participants attempt tasks. This suits questions about a working implementation before deployment. See Palette usability testing and the guide to testing before deployment.
Maze supports prototype research, surveys, and usability testing. Its prototype testing workflow imports Figma prototypes so participants can attempt tasks before a working implementation exists. Maze also offers AI-moderated interviews and other research capabilities on its Enterprise plan.
Pricing and plan structure
Palette Free includes three studies per month and one member. Pro costs $79 per workspace per month, includes unlimited studies, and supports up to 10 members. The owner and pending invitations count toward that limit. See Palette pricing and workspace member limits. MCP and Palette in Slack require Pro, according to their MCP and Slack documentation.
Maze’s public pricing page currently displays Free with one study per month and five seats, plus custom-priced Enterprise with custom study quantities and unlimited seats. Request a quote for the paid package you need. Maze notes that available plans and features can vary; confirm the terms offered to your account against its current pricing page.
Separate the platform subscription from participant recruitment. Palette charges no recruitment fee for your own users, subject to your plan’s study limits; its public product fact sheet makes that distinction. Maze also lets you share studies with your own participants without using panel credits, as explained in its participant panel FAQ. With either tool, check how many recruited participants your budget covers.
Feature comparison table
| Feature | Palette | Maze |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan studies | 3 per month | 1 per month |
| Free plan seats | 1 member | 5 seats |
| Paid plan structure | $79/workspace/month; unlimited studies; up to 10 members | Enterprise: custom pricing and study quantities; unlimited seats |
| AI research tools | Ask Palette; MCP on Pro | AI-moderated interviews on Enterprise; MCP beta access listed on Enterprise |
| MCP clients | Claude Code, Codex, Cursor | Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, and other compatible apps |
| Slack integration | Ask research questions and launch studies on Pro | Study completion and results notifications |
| External participant panel | Credits-based recruitment; 10 credits = $1 USD | Pay-per-use panel credits available on Free; Enterprise panel recruitment |
| Bring your own participants | No recruitment charge; plan study limits apply | No panel credits needed; plan study limits apply |
| Usability testing workflow | Working app branches in a sandbox | Figma prototype testing; additional testing methods available |
Plan and recruitment sources: Palette pricing, Palette member limits, Maze pricing, and Maze panel FAQ. AI and workflow sources: Palette overview, Palette MCP, Maze MCP, Palette in Slack, Maze in Slack, Palette usability testing, and Maze prototype testing.
When to pick each
Pick Palette if:
- You want three studies per month while evaluating a free plan, or frequent studies with a fixed workspace subscription on Pro.
- Your team wants to query evidence and create or launch studies from AI coding tools through Palette MCP on Pro.
- You need to test working app branches before deployment and connect the findings with evidence from your other tools.
- Your workspace has up to 10 members, including its owner, and you want a published monthly workspace price.
Pick Maze if:
- You need five seats on a free plan and one monthly study is enough for your evaluation.
- Your design workflow centers on Figma prototypes that you want participants to test before implementation.
- You need an enterprise package and want to discuss research volume, AI moderation, and access requirements with sales.
- SOC 2 Type II certification is a procurement requirement. Maze states that it holds this certification on its security page.
A practical evaluation is to run the same focused research question through each tool. Compare the participant experience, the evidence behind each answer, and how easily your team can act on the findings. Use our research method comparison to choose the study, then review the research MCP workflow guide if access from AI tools matters to your team.