What Is the Best Survey Software?

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Contributor, Benzinga
June 2, 2021

If you want to make solid business decisions, you need to be looking for ways to collect customer information in a relatively quick and easy manner. Online survey software will help you accomplish this, and some software is even free!

Online survey software is a way to get in touch with your targeted audience and collect valuable feedback. It gives your company insight into what you are doing correctly and where you need to make improvements. One of the best ways to gather that feedback is through online surveys.

Survey software is an application used to collect feedback from a targeted sample through a computer-assisted method. Survey software solutions help you design, send and analyze surveys, usually via the internet using drag-and-drop tools and automated functionality. 

This type of software makes the entire survey process faster, more accurate and easier to accomplish than manual surveys. 

What Are the Benefits of Using a Survey Software?

Online survey software offers several benefits over other forms of market research, including speed, ease of use, little-to-no costs, and simple analysis tools. 

Speediness 

Setting up, managing and tracking online survey software is a much quicker process than conducting other types of research. Also, most online software includes reporting tools so analyzing survey results is exceptionally easy.

Easy To Use

Online survey software is easy to use. It offers numerous templates and user-friendly navigation menus. 

Low Costs

Online survey software is cost-effective and scalable. Most SaaS survey companies offer packages on either a monthly or per-use basis.

Easy to Analyze

The best online survey software provides rich insights and valuable reports using its powerful dashboard. The software makes the analysis easier thanks to advanced filters, cross-tabulation, question-wise drill down and customized reports that you can easily export for your records.

What to Look for in the Best Survey Software

Online survey software is so popular because it makes life easy for both the survey creator and the survey taker. When choosing a survey software for your personal or business needs, consider the following factors: 

Expert Template Design

Intuitive, user-friendly templates are a must when choosing the best online survey software. The software needs to be user-friendly for both the business owners and the survey respondents.

Survey Logic

The ability to reveal or conceal questions based on specific parameters is critical. Survey logic keeps users engaged, reduces bounce rates and minimizes redundant questions on the survey. 

Flexibility

The best survey software offers extensive flexibility. You should be able to tweak and design surveys per your needs. 

Price

Online survey software costs vary greatly. Some providers offer a free trial or limited-feature versions of their plans. You should be aware that no-cost versions may contain ads, lack in-depth reporting or restrict the length of the survey. 

The Best Survey Software 

With the help of survey software, you can learn what clients think of your new product or service, predict what they’ll buy in the future based on what they’ve purchased in the past and measure your influence on an individual’s actions after they come across your brand. 

This article will outline our top six survey software options, including pros, cons and pricing.

Qualtrics: Real-Time Surveys

We chose Qualtrics because the survey software can create and test surveys in real-time. This platform features predictive intelligence and powerful analysis to gain rich insights. The surveys can reach your target audience through mobile devices, emails, websites and chatbots.

Qualtrics is popular for its user-friendly and simplified interface. 

A drawback of Qualtrics is that some people are overwhelmed by the advanced analysis and various question types. There is a big learning curve but cheaper options are also available if you are looking for simple surveys.

Qualtrics is best for marketing professionals, staff and students who want to create surveys, view reports and tabulate the responses.

Pricing plans are targeted for enterprises and academic institutions rather than individual researchers. Basic price packages start at $125 per month and go up to $415 per month. There is a free trial as well as a free version that does not expire, but it does have limited features. 

4 Stars

SurveySparrow: Surveys That Are Not Boring

We love SurveySparrow because it lets you turn boring surveys into pleasant conversations. It helps you create engaging mobile-friendly surveys and offers a chat-like experience for your respondents. 

A major pro of SurveySparrow is its ability to white label your surveys by adding your brand logos and colors. SurveySparrow also gives you complete customization of your surveys using custom CSS and unique survey templates. 

A drawback of SurveySparrow is that they only have customer support via chat. Users report that it often takes a long time to resolve a small problem, too. 

SurveySparrow is best suited for small businesses with a mobile audience.

Business pricing starts at $149 per month, which is billed annually. There is a free 14-day trial for your convenience. There is also a free version available but it comes with limitations. Still, the free version gives you 100 responses per month and 10 questions per survey.

4 Stars

SurveyMonkey: Wide Variety of Templates

We have to add SurveyMonkey to our list as it’s one of the most well-known survey software programs on the market. SurveyMonkey is a competent survey designer with a lot of flexibility and strong data reporting tools. The software has a lot to offer, but you will have to pay for a higher-tier subscription to access the more advanced features.

SurveyMonkey has an extremely user-friendly design interface with more than 230 survey templates. It also supports advanced survey logic.

The biggest cons of SurveyMonkey are that it forces you into an annual pricing plan and free users cannot export data to Excel. SurveyMonkey is suited for anyone wanting to measure and understand feedback so you can drive growth and innovation.

Pricing for businesses starts at $25 per user per month. This is called the Team Advantage Plan and costs are billed annually. The Team Premier Plan is also billed annually, though it’s far more expensive, coming in at $75 per user per month. There are discounts available for students and educators, which can be found on the corporate website. 

3 Stars

Typeform: Month-to-Month Payment Options

We had to choose Typeform because it matches SurveyMonkey on templates, integration, and ease of use but it can be paid for on a month-to-month basis. It’s also one of our top picks because it runs smoothly on all devices. It also comes with a unique interface that only shows one question at a time.

The biggest pro of Typeform is the free plan, which is called the Core Plan. This free version comes with features such as unlimited questions and answers, custom-designed themes, data export options, ready-made templates and basic reporting features for the fast-paced world.

Some users find that the Excel-style spreadsheets are outdated and wish that Typeform offered more modern reporting. Typeform is best suited for small businesses, large enterprises, design enthusiasts, NGOs, market research companies and freelancers.

Typeform pricing starts at $35 per feature per month. There is also an excellent free version, but you can also try Typeform with its free trial period. 

5 Stars

Alchemer: Solid Choice for Customer Coders

We had to choose Alchemer — formerly SurveyGizmo — as one of the best survey software platforms because it is an advanced and highly capable online survey tool that can accommodate a wide array of tasks, mainly through custom coding.

If you know how to code within Alcehmer’s scripting system or in JavaScript, you can tap into even more power than its already extensive out-of-the-box features. However, the user interface can be confusing at times and it does not support Google Docs. 

Alchemer is best for market research, sales operations, HR and customer success teams who want to find and keep their best customers.

Pricing starts at $49 per month for the Collaborator Plan, which is billed annually.

4 Stars

SoGoSurvey: Top-of-the-Line Reporting Logic

SoGoSurvey is not as well known as the other survey software platforms on our list, but we had to include it due to its advanced reporting logic. The software supports many different features, including graphical questions like image choice, text analysis, automatic scoring and customized messages.

Its best-in-class, 24/7 customer support differentiates SoGoSurvey from its competitors. It’s hard to find a negative review about their customer service whereas other software platforms lack accolades in this area. 

Some users find that the survey and email templates are not as engaging as other platforms. Still, SoGoSurvey is best for enterprises for carrying out detailed surveys using advanced logic.

Pricing starts at $25 per month per user. There is a 10-day free trial. Business plans require a custom quote directly from the vendor. 

4 Stars

It’s Time For Data Driven Decisions

Online survey software is more than just a tool used for collecting data. The software ultimately represents your company and brand. Take the time to research the best option for your particular needs, and don’t be afraid to try out the free trials as you make your decision. 

Remember that the customer comes first, so insights and feedback are essential if you care about the longevity of your business. Data-driven decisions are a proven way to gain a competitive advantage, increase profits and reduce costs!

See More: BEST SURVEYMONKEY ALTERNATIVES