Best Online Survey Tools
30 separate graph types supported
No
Yes
Over 7,000 templates available
Yes
Yes
Question library resource tool
Yes
Yes
Lets you choose from 27 different languages
Yes
Yes
Logic Editor function allows for advanced survey creation
No
Yes
Online surveys help companies understand their customers' needs and preferences. With the internet facilitating increasing levels of economic competition around the world, online surveys have emerged as a necessary tool for shaping key business decisions.
We've compiled a list of the five best online survey tools for a variety of common organizational purposes. You'll learn about their strengths, weaknesses and key features.
Our Top Picks For Best Online Survey Tools
- Qualtrics – Best For Complex Surveys
- Jotform – Best For Highly Customizable Themes
- SurveyMonkey – Best Survey App
- Survey Planet – Best For Multilingual Surveys
- Alchemer – Best For Advanced Reporting Features
Best Online Survey Tools Reviews
Why we chose it: Qualtrics offers premium-grade survey tools for enterprise-level businesses and serious academic researchers. It boasts dozens of third-party integrations including Apple Messages and Amazon Connect. Although its full array of features may appear superfluous, anyone with more complex survey needs will find themselves salivating at Qualtrics' robust analytic features.
Qualtrics offers multiple plan options ranging from $1,500 to $5,000 a year depending on your individual needs. Its high price tag means it's not well suited for every business. However, its AI-powered logic tree functions and non-modal questioning (these functions present users with different questions based on their past answers) make it ideal for creating complex surveys.
You can support virtually any survey with Qualtrics. However, the downside to its expansive customizations is a user interface (UI) system with a steep learning curve. To get the most out of your Qualtrics subscription, you need to devote a solid block of time to learning its ins and outs.
Why we chose it: Jotform took our top spot for customizable themes. With more than 7,000 templates and over 100 widgets to choose from, Jotform lets you tailor your surveys to your specific needs. Its intuitive features and step-by-step guidance make it easy for you to get the most out of the system. It also integrates with a number of leading third-party software systems, including Airtable, PayPal, Cash App, Asana and more.
Jotform offers five plan options ranging from a free online survey tool with limited functionality to an enterprise-level package that enables you to build and send out unlimited surveys. Unless you have the enterprise-level plan, Jotform caps the number of forms you can create, your monthly submission amount and your total number of submissions.
Jotform stands out for its customization options. From aesthetic branding to functionality and user experience (UX) design, Jotform gives you the tools necessary to create the right survey for your needs.
However, Jotform is not BBB accredited. Currently, it holds a 2.1/5 star average with 17 customer reviews on the BBB website. Many of its reviews complain about poor customer service and form errors.
Why we chose it: SurveyMonkey makes it easy to create and monitor surveys from your smartphone with its high-quality mobile app.
As one of the largest and most established players in the digital survey sphere, Survey Monkey has made serious efforts to provide a clean and easily navigable user interface (UI) for its mobile app. It also integrates with over 100 different third-party software platforms including Salesforce CRM and Google Drive.
You can choose from one of Survey Monkey's five pricing tiers. These range from a free plan to an enterprise-level package with unlimited surveys, priority email support and over 180 survey templates. Although its AI features aren't the most powerful on our list, they still pack a solid punch considering Survey Monkey's affordable cost.
Survey Monkey isn't the most customizable online survey tool on our list. It sacrifices expansive templates and tweaking options in exchange for straightforward survey-building tools. Although it may not offer thousands of templates to choose from, Survey Monkey gives businesses the essential features to get the job done.
However, Survey Monkey is not BBB accredited. It holds a 1.3/5 star average with 68 customer reviews. Customer complaints largely center on poor customer service, and a lack of transparency regarding what's included in the free plan.
Why we chose it: Survey Planet makes it easy to switch out one language for another. You can create surveys in 27 different languages using this software. Survey Planet can also integrate a number of third-party software systems including Google Analytics and Optimizely.
Survey Planet lets you choose from three plan choices. Unlike many of its competitors, Survey Planet lets you send out an unlimited number of surveys with its free plan option. You can upgrade to the Pro plan for greater customizations, access to data exporting tools, white-label surveys and more. Its enterprise-level plan offers a suite of advanced tools at an affordable price.
On the downside, Survey Planet lacks many of the more advanced AI tools and functions offered by its competitors. It makes up for this with its clean UI and lack of extraneous features. This makes Survey Planet a relatively simple online survey tool to navigate. At present, Survey Planet does not appear to have a BBB profile.
Why we chose it: Formerly known as SurveyGizmo, Alchemer provides its users with a rich set of reporting features. This online survey tool lets you comb through your data whether you are analyzing it on a global level or a question-by-question basis. Alchemer integrates with a wide variety of third-party software applications including Slack, Salesforce CRM, Hubspot and more.
With Alchemer, you can choose between four plan options. At the low end, the Collaborator tier offers unlimited surveys, basic functionality and customer support for a reasonable price. As you move up, you gain access to more advanced reporting and question features. The enterprise-level plan offers white glove service. You must call to get a custom quote for this option.
Alchemer offers rich customizations. However, you may need to code in certain aspects. If tech isn't your strong suit, Alchemer's advanced tools may not be the right fit for you. Additionally, its rich feature set makes for a steep learning curve. Before sending out your first survey, it's advisable to set aside a few hours to take a walk through its various bells and whistles. If you find yourself stuck, Alchemer's customer support staff is available via email and over the phone (phone support is only available at the higher pricing tiers).
Alchemer is not BBB accredited. Currently, it holds a single one-star review on the BBB website.
Other Online Survey Tools We Considered
We assessed each survey tool by its plan options, customizability, ease of use, integration capabilities, and customer ratings. The following tools offer quality services. However, they failed to make our list because they did not excel in one or more areas.
eSurveysPro
eSurveysPro offers basic functionality at an affordable price. However, it failed to make our list due to its dated UI, limited functionality and lack of integrations.
Toluna QuickSurveys
Toluna QuickSurveys stands out for its deep integrations with other Toluna products. However, it failed to make our list due to its poor functionality and weak reporting features.
Checkbox Survey
Checkbox Survey comes equipped with strong customization features. However, it failed to make our list due to its weak analytic tools and poor UI design.
Online Survey Tools Guide
We put together the following guide to help you better understand what online survey tools are, how they function and what features you should look for when shopping around for one.
What Are Online Survey Tools?
Online survey tools let you solicit feedback from a wide audience via digital channels. These tools vary considerably in terms of features and sophistication. Some surveys may ask just a few questions, while others can go in-depth with dozens of questions that are automatically sorted using machine learning technology.
Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have simple, built-in questionnaire tools that you can use for basic, one-off surveys. For example, you might use a Facebook survey to find out which restaurant your friends want to visit or which date works best for a group event. However, these survey tools lack the sophistication necessary for more complicated business functions.
Other free online tools like Google Forms offer a solid baseline. However, they typically lack the more comprehensive analytic and reporting features offered by paid survey software. Online survey tools are often used to uncover customer preferences and spot trends in the marketplace. However, they may be used for internal purposes within an organization as well.
Online surveys are also commonly used in academic studies.
How Do Online Survey Tools Work?
Online survey tools begin with the design of the questionnaire. Less sophisticated survey forms may simply compile a list of questions. Some surveys let you import questions from an external document, while others require you to create all of the questions within the program itself.
Tools with more robust designs and programming let you edit and arrange questions based on their relationship and function. Longer surveys may use logic to let survey takers skip past redundant or unnecessary questions. For example, if a survey taker responds that they're a vegetarian, the survey could then skip over questions relating to meat consumption.
Display logic is another tool that uses past survey answers to influence which questions pop up next. A survey doesn't need to be a linear process where you move directly from A to B to C. In some surveys, your answer to A may cause B to appear, or you may be redirected to an entirely different question altogether. This function is best suited to complex surveys dealing with multiple subtopics.
Other cool tools that make use of AI software include piping, which integrates your previous answers into future questions. For example, if you responded that you own a Nissan Leaf on one question, the survey tool may ask you why you chose a Leaf instead of a Tesla on the next question.
Most online survey tools let you customize your survey's appearance with various layout features and color schemes. You can also usually do a test run of your survey before sending it out.
Once you've finished your survey and you're confident in its abilities, it's time to get it into the hands of your respondents. Most online survey tools will provide you with a hyperlink that you can send directly to your survey takers via a digital channel. This hyperlink can be sent through an email, an SMS message, a social media share or an online advertisement.
Once your survey has run its course, you'll need to access reporting and analytic tools. Most survey software automatically configures your data into easily digestible graphics like bar and line charts. Software with more advanced analytic tools may uncover trends for you and provide advanced analytics for an additional fee. More stripped-down survey platforms, however, may require you to go it alone. If you're advertising your survey across multiple platforms, you may need to use tracking tools to uncover where exactly your survey data originated.
No matter what platform you use, the final interpretation of the data rests on you. Depending on the online survey tool, you may be able to export your data into another software program like Microsoft Excel or Google Spreadsheets. Some platforms integrate directly with customer relationship management (CRM) software.
Common Types Of Surveys And Their Purpose
Online survey tools are used for a variety of functions and purposes. In this section, you'll learn about the five most common types of surveys and why they're used.
Net Promoter Score (NPS) Surveys
First developed in 2003, net promoter score (NPS) surveys have become de rigueur for organizations of all stripes. An NPS survey simply asks customers to rate your product or service on a scale ranging from zero to 10. Customers are classed into three groups:
- Promoters score between nine and 10. You can count on these loyal customers to advocate for your business. This leads directly to organic growth via word of mouth.
- Passives score a seven or an eight. They don't hate your product, but they probably won't go out of their way to buy it, and they're probably not raving about it to their family and friends.
- Detractors score a six or below. You can't count on their repeated business, and they may go out of their way to bad mouth you.
To find your total NPS score, you simply take the percentage of promoters and subtract the percentage of detractors to get a number ranging from -100 to 100. For example, if you survey 100 people and you have 60 promoters, 30 passives and 10 detractors, then your total score would be 50.
By reducing your survey data to a single, digestible metric, the NPS score makes it easy to track customer satisfaction over time. You can add qualitative elements to an NPS survey by asking your customers to leave feedback in the form of comments. Ask them about their likes and dislikes to get a better understanding of your strengths and weaknesses.
Customer Satisfaction Surveys
The goal of customer satisfaction surveys is to get a sense of how happy your customer base is with your product or service. These services are typically sent as follow-up messages to customers who have already made purchases. They are often sent via email, although you can also use social media channels. NPS surveys are one common form of customer satisfaction surveys. However, they aren't the only way of soliciting customer feedback.
Before we get into the how of customer satisfaction surveys, let's talk a little about the why. According to Nielsen survey data, 84 percent of respondents said that word-of-mouth recommendations are the most influential form of advertising. Satisfied customers are not only more likely to recommend your business to their family and friends, but they're also more likely to turn into return customers, thus increasing their total lifetime value.
Customer satisfaction surveys often ask customers to rank their recent interactions on a scale from one to five. The scores typically break down in the following manner:
- Very dissatisfied
- Dissatisfied
- Neither dissatisfied nor satisfied
- Satisfied
- Very satisfied
Other close-ended questions might ask if they would make a repeat purchase or recommend your business to a friend. Open-ended questions might solicit direct feedback regarding the quality of your service and areas for improvement.
Market Research Surveys
Market research surveys are used to better understand your target audience, and to create ideas that can shape the growth of your business as a whole. You can use these surveys to solicit demographic feedback related to your customer base. Variables such as age, gender, geographic location, household income and more can help you tailor your marketing campaigns for maximum effectiveness.
You can also use these surveys to uncover pain points and customer preferences. For example, questions such as "What's the biggest obstacle in your path to home ownership?" can help mortgage lenders tailor their marketing campaigns, products and services to the specific needs of the customers in their area.
Employee Surveys
Employee surveys help companies increase morale among their workforce. Responses to these surveys can pinpoint areas for improvement within the company. Heightened morale can lead to greater worker efficiency and better worker retention. Oftentimes, surveys are anonymized to facilitate more honest feedback from workers who might otherwise be afraid to speak their minds.
These surveys typically make use of a combination of open- and closed-ended questions. Questions regarding employees' satisfaction with various workplace policies can be numerically quantified on a score ranging from one to 10. It's also a good idea to leave a text box at the end of the survey so workers can leave more specific feedback about any items that weren't included.
Event Surveys
Event surveys rate attendee satisfaction with various aspects of an event, such as a concert, work conference or trade show. As with other survey types, an event survey may ask participants to rank their satisfaction level on a numerical range.
Binary questions such as "Would you recommend this event to a friend or family member?" or "Will you return to next year's conference?" can provide neat insights. Opportunities for open-ended feedback can present event planners with valuable information on what to change and what to keep for future gatherings.
Online Survey Tools FAQ
How We Chose The Best Online Survey Tools
We evaluated each online tool on our list along the following lines:
- Plan options: We favored online survey tools with feature-rich plan options available at affordable prices.
- Customizability: We selected online survey tools that offer greater customizations within the survey form.
- Ease of use: We assessed each survey tool based on how easy it is to learn and use.
- Integration capabilities: We looked at third-party software integration capabilities for each item on our list.
- Customer ratings: We used trusted review platforms like the BBB to ascertain overall customer satisfaction with each product.
