Fiuto vs Optimal Workshop: what you get with Fiuto
Fiuto writes the study, runs it with AI respondents and real people, recruits when you need it, and reads the results back. From the web app or the coding agent you already build in.Free forever plan, in minutes, no research experience required.
Fiuto's mark beside Optimal Workshop's, with "vs" between them.
Fiuto runs your full research loop
Paste a link or describe your product, and Fiuto takes it from there. No research experience needed.
What you get with Fiuto
Information architecture this week, and every other question after it, without a second tool.
A free plan that runs a real card sort or tree test
Every method including card sort and tree test, 1 live study a month, 10 responses per study and 600 AI credits, with no card. Core is $39 a month when you outgrow it. Optimal Workshop has no free plan; its Starter plan is $199 a month billed annually for 5 studies a year.
The card sort drafted for you
Paste your URL and say what you need to learn. Fiuto reads your product, picks the items worth sorting and drafts the card sort or tree test for you to review. No research experience required. On Optimal Workshop you build each study yourself.
Beyond IA, in the same account
When the structure is settled, test the prototype, the landing page, the pricing or the onboarding flow with the same tool: 18 methods, every one on every plan. AI respondents sort and navigate first so you catch a bad label before real people see it.
Your data is yours
Raw CSV and JSON export, a per-study API token and MCP access on every plan including Free. Findings, a readout and a deck you can share with as many collaborators as you like.
Side by side
Every row checked against Optimal Workshop's own pages in September 2026.
| Fiuto | Optimal Workshop | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Every method, 1 live study a month, 10 responses per study, 600 AI credits a month, no card. | None. A free trial, then Starter. |
| Paid plans | Core $39 and Pro $89 a month, published, flat per account. Upgrade, downgrade or cancel from the billing page. | Starter, $199 a month billed annually, 5 studies launched per year. Enterprise by sales. |
| Collaborators | Share with as many collaborators as you like on every plan, including Free. | Unlimited seats on every plan. |
| Study drafting | AI drafts the whole study from your URL and goal, on every plan including Free. | You build each study. AI-powered analytics, sentiment and thematic analysis on every plan. |
| AI respondents | Up to five per run on every plan including Free, up to two of them experts in conversion, usability, copy or SEO. | Not published. |
| MCP server | Read and write: create, launch and read results from seven coding agents, plus an API, on every plan including Free. | Search, analyse and report on existing research from any MCP client. Creating or launching studies is not described. |
| Recruitment | Prolific's global panel across 38+ countries, priced per response with no quote. Or share the link with your own people. | Standard recruitment at 1 credit per participant, pay as you go or credit bundles. Managed recruitment by sales. |
| Methods | 18 method blocks, every one on every plan. Card sort, tree test, first-click, five-second, preference test and click heatmap among them. | Card sort, tree test, first-click, surveys, qualitative analysis and video recording. |
Sources: Optimal Workshop's pricing page, checked 3 September 2026 and Optimal Workshop's MCP page, checked 3 September 2026.
Your data is yours. Stay in Claude Code
Create, launch, and read back studies over MCP from the coding agent you already build in. Every result is yours, out through a per-study token or MCP, on every plan including Free.
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Claude Code
Cursor
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Lovable
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Replit
BoltWho fits which tool
Fiuto fits people who need an IA test this week
You'd rather review a drafted card sort and tree test than build them, run them today on a free plan, and read the findings back in a deck this afternoon.
Fiuto fits teams that test more than structure
After the navigation you'll test the prototype, the copy and the pricing, and you want one account, one published price and no sales call for any of it.
Choose Optimal Workshop if information architecture is the whole job
You run card sorts and tree tests with hundreds of participants each, every month, and you have $199 a month for a tool that does only that.
Choose Optimal Workshop if your team authors every study itself
You have researchers who build each study by hand and a repository to fill, and drafting isn't something you want done for you.
Frequently asked questions
Is Fiuto an Optimal Workshop alternative?
Yes, for small teams that want a card sort or tree test drafted, run and analysed for them, with a free plan to start. Fiuto adds AI respondents and AI experts on every plan, recruitment with no quote, an MCP and API that create and launch studies, and 17 more methods in the same account.
Does Optimal Workshop have a free plan?
No. Its pricing page lists Starter at $199 a month billed annually for 5 studies a year, and Enterprise by sales, with a free trial to start. Fiuto's free plan runs 1 live study a month with every method, including card sort and tree test, and the AI included.
Can Fiuto run card sorts and tree tests?
Yes, on every plan including Free. Open and closed card sorts, and tree tests on a text-only outline of your navigation, with the most common group for every card and where the tree test lost people read back for you.
Does Fiuto recruit participants?
Yes. Describe the audience you need and Fiuto recruits it from Prolific's global panel, with demographic filters, priced per response and ordered from the launch page. Or share the study link with your own customers, waitlist or community.
Will Fiuto run AI interviews?
AI interviews are an upcoming feature, in development now, and this page will list them the day they are out of alpha. Until then Fiuto runs unmoderated studies, with AI respondents first and real people after.
Can I cancel Fiuto whenever I want?
Yes. You can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel your subscription at any time from the billing page in the app. There's no sales conversation at any point.