Best Survey Tools & Software for 2024

Creating, distributing, and analyzing surveys can be nice and easy rather than a chore requiring a full team to manage.

The best survey tool can transform customer feedback management into a simple, repeatable or even automated process.

Below we have a compilation of 12 best survey tools.

Survicate

Survicate is an easy-to-use and yet powerful, all-in-one customer experience platform. Along with many native, one-click integrations, it is dubbed by their users as an "additional team member". Survicate's ever-evolving product design streamlines and automates survey creation, distribution, analysis, and follow-up.

Survicate is a powerful customer satisfaction tool, NPS tool, and customer feedback management software that helps deliver a better customer experience. It allows users to create on-brand surveys in minutes, distribute them via multiple channels, and analyze the results easily with real-time, automated reports and an AI-assisted Insight's Hub.

Survicate is tailored to many use cases - product research, marketing, website feedback, customer success, and more. It's a perfect choice for scaling companies that want to focus on gathering user feedback and using it to drive growth—with no time wasted implementing complicated software or manually digging through results.

You can create surveys from scratch with a wide variety of question types to reach a specific purpose. There is sophisticated survey logic and targeting capabilities, so you can reach the exact audience you want. You can automate recurring surveys like NPS and CSAT to gather that feedback on an ongoing basis without putting in the effort and time over and over.

Survicate offers robust analysis features with their proprietary Insights Hub and Research Assistant.

The Insights Hub gathers customer feedback from more than just surveys. You can connect public reviews like from G2 or Capterra, App Store and Google Store reviews, as well as customer interviews, recordings, and CSV files.

The Hub will generate topics to group the data and make it easier to digest. Each insight will have a link you can use to trace the original piece of feedback used. The Research Assistant provides even further analysis - think of chat GPT that will reliably answer questions based only on real responses from your users.

Key features

• Intuitive, fully customizable survey creator
• 13 question types and a Question Library for speedy survey creation
• 400+ pre-built survey templates
• Smart surveys: skip logic, information recalling, custom actions and redirects
• Real-time visual reports dashboard with word-cloud-based text response analysis
• AI-assisted survey analysis based only on real responses (with links to sources for proof or follow-up - no AI hallucinations)
• Native integrations with tools such as Google Sheets, HubSpot, Intercom, Slack, Google Analytics, Mailchimp, and more
• Recurring NPS, CSAT, and website surveys (set up survey re-runs in regular intervals)
• Survey distribution via email, link, website, in-product surveys, and mobile apps (with a mobile SDK)
• Partial submissions (even if the respondent doesn't finish the survey, Survicate still saves the answers)

Pricing

All Survicate plans offer unlimited surveys, they rely more on a response limit. There is a 10-day free trial which comes with all Best plan features and up to 25 survey responses. You won't need to put down any credit card details for it.

Better and Best plans with advanced features are also available.

Choose Survicate if

You want to run online surveys with an all-in-one, flexible, easy-to-implement feedback management tool that supports multiple use cases and team collaboration.

Google Forms

It's hard to write about "the best survey tools" without mentioning the free mogul that is Google Forms.

You can create unlimited forms, collect unlimited responses, use templates, or create forms from scratch. The process is very intuitive, especially if you've used Google products before (who hasn't?).

There are 10 question types and some customization features. You can change colors and fonts and add images. And, this free survey maker has a great, dare we say, native integration with Google Sheets.

Google Forms are responsive, so they will adjust in formatting to any screen size. The responses will automatically generate visual representations in the form of charts, graphs, and bars.

The downsides of Google Forms include

• all forms look the same
• analysis is very limited
• survey logic is very basic
• Google Forms are link only, so no website or in-app feedback
• all online surveys are hosted on Google Docs

Survey participants will immediately know you used Google Forms, which may not look very professional. If that is not a deal-breaker, this free survey maker might be the way to go.

Key features

• free survey maker
• basic customization
• basic survey logic
• integration with Google Sheets and Analytics

Pricing

Google Forms is free, all you need is a Google account.

Choose Google Forms if

You want to run a one-off survey and you don't mind it not looking entirely professional or polished.

Microsoft Forms

Microsoft's response to Google Forms. It is also a free survey tool, kind of. It comes with the Microsoft 365. So, if you're using that for your business, you can consider Microsoft Forms a free online survey tool.

You can create surveys, polls, and quizzes without prior marketing or design skills. There is a built-in AI and smart recommendations to speed up the process. The tool will cumulate results and present data with basic charts and graphs for quick insights.

Key features

• compatibility with Microsoft products, like Teams and Excel
• intuitive survey builder
• visual representations of data
• built-in AI
• great for personal use like "virtual trivia night, choosing the next book club pick, tracking your health, managing party invites"

Pricing

Microsoft Forms is included with Microsoft 365. Subscriptions start at $69.99/year.

Choose Microsoft Forms if

You are already using Microsoft 365 and don't need a sophisticated survey maker or deep feedback analysis.

CustomerGauge

CustomerGauge, the Account Experience platform, is here for every B2B company looking for a complete feedback management solution.

The term “Account Experience” was coined by CustomerGauge. It's defined as “the intersection between experience feedback management, monetization and account-based methodologies within the B2B business model.”

CustomerGauge lets you combine customer insights gathered via surveys with revenue data—to prioritize monetization on every step of the customer experience program.

On top of the Account Experience platform, CustomerGauge also offers an Employee Experience solution as well as Professional Services (workshops and consultations).

Key features

• NPS, eNPS, CSAT, CES across multiple channels
• intelligent action planning
• feedback from multiple stakeholders in an account
• reports with text and sentiment analysis of customer data
• mapping feedback to changes in revenue and customer metrics
• custom dashboards
• case management system

Pricing

To start with CustomerGauge, you need to book a demo and receive an individual offer on request.

Choose this tool if:

You're a part of an account-focused B2B company, looking for a complex customer experience system that will let you leverage customer data to drive maximum revenue.

SurveySparrow

SurveySparrow is an experience management platform with a conversational approach to surveys. It lets you create and run omnichannel surveys, automate feedback processes, and analyze the results with smart reports.

With multiple survey types and formats (NPS, chat surveys, offline surveys, chatbots) and delivery methods (website, email, SMS, QR code), SurveySparrow is a mobile-first, flexible solution for businesses of all sizes.

Apart from the survey-driven Customer Experience solution, Survey Sparrow also offers Employee Experience and Product Experience tools.

Key features

• easy-to-use survey builder
• multiple question types
• various distribution options: email, SMS, website pop-ups and chatbots, social shares, QR code
• executive dashboard for easier reporting and data analysis
• recurring survey feature
• Customer journey mapping feature
• API, webhooks, and integrations

Pricing

SurveySparrow offers a 14-day free trial. To get pricing information, you need to contact the sales team.

Choose this tool if

You're looking for a mobile-first customer experience tool that offers multiple distribution channels and various survey formats as well as reports, analytics, and automation options.

Alchemer

With Alchemer, you can design and run surveys (with many question types and branching options), set up feedback workflows across the whole organization, manage your contacts and close the feedback loop, as well as analyze data.

Alchemer's core product is a self-serving survey software for individuals and small teams. However, if you need an all-encompassing customer experience management system, Alchemer also offers an Enterprise Feedback Platform and Voice of the Customer and CX Automation solution.

Key features

• vast array of survey questions that let you run any type of survey and perform complex research
• advanced branching and skip logic
• multiple survey distribution channels, including an offline mode
• native integrations that include Salesforce, Google Sheets, and Google Analytics
• advanced automatic reports 
• A/B split testing

Pricing

Alchemer's survey software subscription plans start at $55 per month. Each plan has an unlimited number of surveys and questions per survey; yet, they vary in the number of responses and additional features. Alchemer also offers a free trial.

Choose this tool if:

You're a market researcher or CX professional looking for an easy-to-use tool that can handle long questionnaires and complicated research projects. 

Typeform

If you want to run beautiful, on-brand, conversational surveys, Typeform is the tool for you.

Typeform lets you design visually engaging surveys, forms, quizzes, polls, and tests that are easy to run and fun to answer. You can distribute them via chats, email, website, or web apps.

While forms are Typeform's core product, the company also provides a no-code chatbot and a video app that powers asynchronous face-to-face conversations.

Key features

• beautiful templates
• various question types, including legal and payment collection forms
• question branching and skip logic
• multiple integrations for better survey creation, data analysis, or marketing automation
• response breakdown and sharable reports

Pricing

Typeform subscriptions start at $29 per month (or $25/month when billed annually), allowing you to collect up to 100 responses from unlimited surveys.

The three available plans—Basic, Business, and Plus—vary in the number of responses and users, plus additional features and integrations. You can also request an individual offer for an Enterprise plan. 

Typeform's free plan lets you collect 10 responses a month. There are a few Typeform alternatives you can consider if you want more responses or a free tool.

Choose this tool if

You want to build static forms with easy customization features and lots of templates.

SurveyMonkey

Now a part of Momentive, SurveyMonkey is a big name in the online survey world. It's an easy-to-navigate survey solution with flexible subscription options, which makes it great for scaling businesses.

The tool lets you design and customize surveys, run them via multiple channels, analyze results, and export and integrate data. While reviews complain about a complicated user interface, it is still a go-to choice for many businesses.

Apart from the SurveyMonkey software, Momentive offers a wide array of tools that enable feedback collection, customer experience or employee engagement management, market and brand research, and more—enterprise-level clients are welcome to mix and match different solutions. However, the products require separate subscriptions (most on an individual offer basis).

Key features

• customizable surveys that you can create from scratch or start with templates and sample questions
• feedback collection via weblink, email, mobile chat, social media
• basic analytics dashboard
• text responses breakdown with Word Cloud and Sentiment Analysis
• multiple integrations for deeper data analysis (however, some of them don't automatically update contact properties with survey responses, e.g., HubSpot, ActiveCampaign, and MailChimp)

Pricing

SurveyMonkey subscription plans start at $25 (billed annually), and they're divided into individual and team versions. The plans vary in the number of available responses (for the individual plans) and additional features. You can also request a demo to purchase an Enterprise plan.

SurveyMonkey's free plan lets you create and distribute surveys with up to 10 questions or elements. The number of responses you can collect is unlimited, but the basic plan only allows you to see a small number of them. You will have to purchase a subscription to view them all. Some reviewers humorously call this "keeping responses hostage".

Choose this tool if

You're a scaling company looking for a tried and true survey tool with basic functions and an easy user interface. Otherwise, look for SurveyMonkey alternatives.

SurveyKiwi

For those in need of a simple, mobile-ready survey solution that doesn't break the bank, SurveyKiwi is the right choice.

SurveyKiwi is a cloud-based SaaS that lets you create, run, and analyze surveys and forms. In just a few minutes, you can have your campaign up and running on multiple devices, and it's highly customizable and very e-commerce-friendly.

Key features

• several customization options, including changing the color, logo, images, and fonts
• intelligent surveys: skip logic, variables, hidden fields, built-in calculator
• multiple distribution channels, including email, SMS, social media, or QR code (no mobile SDK or website pop-up survey options)
• e-commerce forms that support placing orders
• simple data analysis panel
• APIs, webhooks, and integrations (with HubSpot, Google Sheets, and Google Analytics) 

Pricing

SurveyKiwi plans start with as low as $9 and vary in the number of responses and additional features. However, the cheapest plan allows you to collect only 100 responses. You can choose to be billed monthly or annually.

SurveyKiwi also offers an unlimited free plan features up to 10 responses per campaign.

Choose this tool if

You're a small or scaling business looking for a cost-effective, mobile-first survey tool.

Jotform

Jotform is an established name among online survey tools.

With an easy user interface and code-free implementation, Jotform allows you to run, distribute, and analyze surveys, forms, or PDFs. If you need a specific type of form—e.g., for event registration, work application, or restaurant order collection—Jotform most likely has you covered. The wide choice of templates makes it easy to kickstart any survey campaign.

Key features

• drag-and-drop survey creator
• survey distribution via a sharable link or website embed
• over a hundred survey templates
• conditions tool that shows or hides answers depending on the respondents' previous answers
• a feature for table creation is available in every plan
• smart, easily fillable PDF form creator
• an option to pre-fill forms for the respondents
• payment collection feature

Pricing

The cheapest plan is $34 per month when billed annually and includes 25 forms and up to 1,000 monthly submissions. The tool offers two more paid plans that allow you to collect more responses, and an Enterprise plan.

The Starter plan is fairly limited with just 5 forms and up to 100 monthly submissions.

Choose this tool if:

You're looking for an easy-to-use tool that lets you design and distribute specific forms, especially if you want to accept payments or create PDFs.

QuestionPro

QuestionPro is an enterprise-oriented platform for collecting insights ranging from basic surveys to complex research.

QuestionPro's flagship product, the survey software, is one of the market leaders in its category. It lets you create surveys (although with very limited customization options), distribute them via multiple channels, and analyze results with an automated report dashboard.

Other QuestionPro products include a market research platform, customer experience software, and an employee experience platform. These products require contact with the sales team. 

Key features

• 40+ question types
• survey library with 20+ survey themes
• logic and branching options
• survey distribution via email, website, social media, SMS, and more
• shareable, real-time report dashboard
• multiple integrations, e.g., Salesforce, Zapier, Microsoft Dynamics

Pricing

QuestionPro's individual paid plans start at $83 per month. To purchase the Enterprise plan with 10 or more seats, you need to contact the sales team. A free plan with 1 user and 200 responses is also available.

You need separate subscriptions for other QuestionPro tools and solutions.

Nonprofit organizations can obtain a license for unlimited free access.

Choose this tool if

You require an enterprise-level, customizable survey and customer experience tool. Or, if you're a non-profit looking for a free survey solution.

Mopinion

If you want to fix your project and feedback management, check out Mopinion.

Mopinion is an all-in-one customer feedback software that allows you to capture clients' opinions via the website, email, or mobile app. However, you can only choose one distribution channel at a time (unless you're on an enterprise plan).

Mopinion prides itself on its intuitive survey creator, sophisticated targeting, and context-generating options. Real-time reporting, collaboration features, and multiple integrations will let you analyze user feedback, share it with your team, and close the feedback loop.

Key features

• drag-and-drop survey creator with many customization options
• survey distribution via email, website, and mobile app
• point-and-click or screenshot-based feedback collection (the user can point at the exact place in your app or on your website and leave a comment)
• survey targeting options
• multiple tool integrations, including project management tools like Trello or Asana

Pricing

Mopinion is available on Standard and Enterprise plans. The Standard plan is fairly pricey at $259 per month. To access Mopinion for Email and Mopinion for App, you'll need to pay extra. The cost of the Enterprise plan is available upon request.

There's no free plan available, although you can try the tool out with a 14-day full-access free trial. 

Choose this tool if:

You're looking for a tool with a well-working mobile SDK and feedback management options, especially if you're a project manager.

How to choose the best survey software?

Now, you know a bit more about the best paid and free online survey tools on the market. But the question still stands: how to choose a survey software that's right for you?

Every online survey tool, from the most basic to the most complicated one, covers four primary stages of the surveying process:

• creation
• distribution
• result collection
• analysis

Pay attention to each of these steps when reviewing survey tools. There might be situations when, for example, the survey creator is perfect for your needs, but the distribution options are too limited.

After you complete the initial stage of your research, ask yourself the following questions before you make the final decision:

1. Is the survey tool well-suited for my use case?

Are you a marketer looking for a tool that will let you use survey results to fuel workflows and campaigns? Or maybe you're in the product team, and your main goal is to create a feedback-driven product roadmap with a specialized product feedback tool?

If you have a specific use case in mind, check if the survey software you chose supports it.

Does it integrate with your favorite tools?

Does it provide the right question types?

Will it fetch you the user data you need?

It might help to check customer stories and testimonials and look for use cases similar to yours.

2. What is my budget?

This one seems quite obvious. However, you should always check the price for each subscription plan, especially if you plan to scale up in the future.

But also beware when considering free survey tools. They often have limited customizability, limited response limits, and it may be impossible to remove their branding. The last point makes for a less than professional experience for your respondents.

3. How long can I wait before I run my first survey?

Do you need your surveys up and running by yesterday, or do you have some time to spare? Check how easy it is to get started with your tool of choice. You might not have time to wait for a demo and custom implementation.

4. How many team members need access to the online survey tool?

Are you going to be the only person responsible for the surveys, or do you want your team members onboard? Think about your surveying needs and double the check the number of seats available for each subscription plan.

5. Am I looking for a simple survey tool or a customer experience platform?

An enterprise that wants to move its whole customer experience management system to one tool has different needs than a small business that just wants to survey a couple of clients.

Take a look at the list of must-have survey features below, especially if it's your first time choosing an online survey tool. They're the absolute basics that will allow you to run successful surveys that bring reliable results. Many free survey tools will lack these capabilities.

1. Response limits that match your sample size. You don't want to wake up to hundreds of responses you can't see. It's a waste of your customers' time.
2. Data exporting options. You need this for sharing, analyzing, and reporting on your survey results.
3. Customizable design. Can you customize your survey to fit your brand, add your logo, and embed the surveys in your emails or on your website?
4. Integrations. Check how easy it is to integrate the survey software with tools you are already using. With smooth integrations, you'll save a lot of time and enrich your customer experience program.
5. Multiple question types. Double-check if the survey tool of your choice supports all the question formats you need.
6. Survey logic. Survey skip logic will let you create various paths for respondents by omitting specific questions, showing new question branches, and segmenting users. It's crucial to develop a personalized survey experience that will boost your completion rates.
7. Targeting. If you don't want your surveys to pop up randomly and you only need to target a specific group of website users, pay attention to targeting options. 
8. Automatic real-time reports. Some free or cheaper survey tools don't include an analytics dashboard, which makes it harder to collect and interpret data. Think about what level of analytics you need and make sure your survey tool has you covered.

Summary

Customer and product feedback are the key to a successful, sustainable business. And the best way to capture feedback is with the help of the right survey tool.

But in the competitive survey software market, it's hard to choose the best tool for the job. We hope that this article will help you make the right decision and discover a tool covering all your needs. Especially that most survey tools offer a free trial or even freemium versions, so you can take them for a spin risk-free.

Survicate offers a generous 10-day free trial that lets you check out all its Best plan functionalities before you upgrade. If you register now, you can have your first survey up and running in a few minutes, thanks to the simple user interface.