---
title: "Moderated vs Unmoderated"
url: "https://help.getdecode.io/en/article/moderated-vs-unmoderated"
language: "en"
last_updated: "2026-08-20T13:57:33.730Z"
---

# Moderated vs Unmoderated

The key question is:

> **Do you need to interact with the participant and adapt the research based on their responses?**

#### **Moderated Research**

Choose moderated research when you need to:

-   Ask follow-up questions
-   Explore unexpected responses
-   Understand reasoning in depth
-   Adapt the conversation based on participant responses
-   Explore an unfamiliar or complex topic

#### **Unmoderated Research**

Choose unmoderated research when participants can complete a predefined study independently.

Use it when:

-   The task or questionnaire is clearly defined.
-   Real-time probing isn't required.
-   You want a consistent experience for participants.
-   You need to reach a larger number of participants.
-   Speed and flexibility are important.

#### **Rule of thumb**

> **Need to explore the unexpected? → Moderated**  
> **Have a clearly defined task and need scale or speed? → Unmoderated**