Frequently asked questions

The trial lasts 14 days, with one study and up to 5 participants. Test participants are free and unlimited. No payment details are needed. See Start your free trial.

Someone invited to, or taking part in, a study that is not closed. When a study closes, its participants stop counting. Test participants never count. See Plans and billing.

Owners pay under Settings, Plans and billing, monthly or yearly, by card or PayPal. In India you get a GST invoice in rupees and can pay by UPI or bank transfer. Every payment has a PDF invoice under Bills and payments.

No. The participant app runs in the phone's browser and can be added to the home screen. Participants sign in with the personal link from their invitation. See Taking part.

Open the participant on the Participants tab and send a new personal link. The old link stops working. See Invitations and personal links.

Usually the camera or microphone is blocked in the browser, or the connection is slow. The participant can allow the camera in the browser settings and try again; uploads continue when the connection comes back. See Something is not working.

One reminder when a task opens, by email, WhatsApp or text message, at most once a day per task and never between 22:00 and 07:00. Participants can switch reminders off. See Reminders.

Owners go to Settings, WhatsApp or Settings, Text messages, and click the Send through Zolensa switch. Each message uses credits. You can also connect your own Twilio or text message account, which uses no credits. See WhatsApp and text messages.

WhatsApp only goes to numbers that are on WhatsApp, and only when WhatsApp is switched on and there is credit. Otherwise Zolensa sends a text message, if that is on, and email as the last option. Each study also chooses email first or WhatsApp first in its details.

Yes. Under Settings, Email, choose Our own mailbox or email service and sign in with Google, Microsoft or Zoho, or connect another mailbox. Email is always free. See Connect your mailbox, step by step.

One balance pays for WhatsApp, text messages and AI through Zolensa. 1 credit is US$0.01. Your workspace gets free credits every month, and you can buy more under Settings, Credits. See Credits for WhatsApp, text messages and AI.

Free monthly credits end with the month and are used first. Credits you buy do not expire.

WhatsApp and text messages through Zolensa stop and participants get email instead. AI stops, and new transcripts wait until you add credit. Set a low balance email under Settings, Credits so it does not surprise you.

Transcripts cost 2 credits per minute of recording. Translations and analysis cost 1 credit per 1,000 characters. Reading a photo costs 1 credit and AI search is free. Failed uses cost nothing. Your own AI provider, under Settings, AI, uses no credits, except for transcripts, which always run on Zolensa's speech service.

Files sit in private storage. Each study deletes its participant data a set number of days after it closes, 365 days unless you change it. Owners get an email 7 days before. See Data, privacy and retention.

No. Clients see responses and highlights of their studies with participants shown by code only, and they cannot export. See Client view.

Download answers and highlights as CSV, and all files as a ZIP with one folder per participant. See Download all files as a ZIP.

In the app, click Support, then Report a problem or Ask for something. We reply by email and in the app, usually within one working day. Urgent problems that stop your work come first.

Yes. Click Help at the bottom right of any page for a short guide to that page, with pictures, and Show me for a guided tour.