One of the best ways to gather data and gain valuable insight is through conducting surveys. Whether you’re an individual, a marketing executive, or a business owner, surveys allow you to discover ways to improve your business or know what other people are thinking about.
With survey forms, you’re able to give your audience a more accessible way to interact with you and make their voices heard.
What Is an Online Survey and What Is It Used For?
An online survey is a structured questionnaire that’s administered through the internet. It’s an invaluable source of data and gives you access to your audience’s opinions and their needs.
Both of these are important factors that every organization or company should listen to and consider if they want to grow and succeed. If you’re running a company, success doesn’t just mean having the best email marketing service, the best email verification service, or the most innovative campaigns.
Online surveys are mainly used to gather information and feedback from your target audience or respondents. Through surveys, you can learn more about who your users are, what they’re looking for, and what they like or don’t like. Their feedback has the power of changing the way your institution works. Common uses for surveys include market research, social research, and politics.
Surveys come in different types, and they often vary in length. They can feature simple questions or present more complex queries.
Advantages of Online Survey Tools
Survey tools offer a whole host of benefits. They’re cost-effective, given that many tools offer free or affordable plans, which you can upgrade anytime. With these online tools, you won’t have to worry about using paper or incurring postage costs.
Moreover, with online survey tools, you have a quicker, more efficient way to gather valuable data. Unlike their traditional counterparts, which greatly limit your data collection, these online tools allow you to reach more people across the globe. As a researcher, you can also customize your parameters to get more accurate results.
Another advantage of survey tools is they can deliver results quickly, some even in real-time. They offer researchers incredible flexibility in terms of customization, design, and question types. They can also deliver more accurate data and offer you a number of methods for data analysis.
For respondents, most of these tools are designed to be mobile-friendly and easy to use. They can also be accessed using different platforms, making them easily accessible to anyone from your target audience. They incorporate different logic types that allow for more intuitive and effortless experiences for both you and your audience.
Features to Look for When Choosing Online Survey Tools
When looking for the best online survey tools for your organization, there are several factors and features that you need to consider. These include:
Your budget
While many online survey tools offer a free or basic plan, you also have to think about what other features you might need. Most of the features in free plans will be limited, so you have to consider how much you can spend on an online survey software while still being able to enjoy the features that you actually need.
Data output capabilities and analytics
Don’t forget about a survey tool’s data output and analytics capabilities. Make sure that you choose the option that gives you the data analyzing and reporting capabilities that your organization needs.
Safety and security
Surveys entail a lot of information and data, so take your time to do research on which tools offer exceptional security.
Range of question types
Multiple question types offer you the flexibility to ask the questions that need to be asked of your respondents. Opt for a tool that gives you access to a wide range of question types, so you can better customize your surveys.
Integrations
When selecting a survey tool, it’s best to choose one that integrates with the various tools or systems that you’re already using. This helps streamline operations and makes sharing and collaborating easier among teams.
The 10 Best Online Survey Tools
Finding a survey software that works for you can be especially tough, given the sheer number of online survey tools available. To help you out, we’ve curated a list of some of the best survey software available.
We’ve also covered some of the best free online survey tools for your consideration:
- Typeform
- Google forms
- SurveyMonkey
- Alchemer
- Zoho Survey
- SoGoSurvey
- Qualtricks
- Surveyplanet
- QuestionPro
- SurveySparrow
1. Typeform
Typeform is a unique survey software that lets you create engaging online surveys. It does away with the typical forms and allows you to create “typeforms” that emulate a conversation using conditional logic. One of the best online survey tools, Typeform enables you to get more thoughtful responses and better survey completion rates.
One of its more unique features is it lets you embed your responses into your survey text. This means that if a respondent writes down their name in one of your questions, then you can refer to them by their name in your subsequent questions. This, in turn, allows you to create more personalized surveys for better customer engagement. The basic plan starts at $25 per month when billed annually.
✅ PROS:
- No coding required
- Generates shareable reports
- With integrations
⛔️ CONS:
- Limited questions and responses on their free plan
2. Google forms
Google Forms is one of the best free survey tools around if you’re looking to create professional-looking surveys. It’s user-friendly and lets you select multiple question types. Its interface allows you to customize values and drag and drop your questions to reorganize them.
It utilizes skip logic and page branching, allowing respondents to have a seamless survey experience. One of its best features is it automatically collects the survey answers and data in Google Spreadsheets, giving you easy access. Moreover, respondents don’t need to have Google accounts to participate in your surveys. The forms made using this software are shareable and can be embedded on your website.
✅ PROS:
- Open for collaborations
- Totally free
- User-friendly interface
⛔️ CONS:
- Limited customization options
- Limited templates
3. SurveyMonkey
An ideal choice for small business owners, SurveyMonkey’s free version lets you create 10 questions and collect up to 40 responses. With approximately 20 million questions being answered daily, SurveyMonkey is one of the most popular online survey tools.
It lets you build surveys and gather feedback via various channels. Moreover, it automatically analyzes your results, so you can quickly get important insights. The surveys are shareable, and all your data can be exported in popular formats, including CSV, XLS, PDF, and PPT. The Basic plan is free to use and lets you have three collectors per survey.
✅ PROS:
- Easy-to-share surveys
- Well-designed system
⛔️ CONS:
- Plans are prone to price increases
4. Alchemer
Formerly known as SurveyGizmo, Alchemer is a flexible, secure, and powerful survey software. More than just letting you create surveys, it lets you gather customer feedback and data according to your preference, allowing you to become a customer-centric company.
Alchemer takes survey creation to a whole new level, as it employs a holistic approach that focuses on five core aspects:
- Surveys
- Workflows
- Audience
- Communication
- Analysis
These enable you to cover important areas, including customer engagement, product direction, market research, and employee engagement. With their free plan, you can create three free surveys with unlimited questions.
✅ PROS:
- More question types
- Offers advanced logic conditions for professional and full access plans
⛔️ CONS:
- Limited collection of responses per survey
5. Zoho Survey
Create your ideal survey in minutes with Zoho Survey, a powerful and easy-to-use survey software. With Zoho Survey, you can create surveys using over 25 question types. Features, such as skip logic and piping, allow you to create the best survey for your needs.
Moreover, you can collect data and share it instantly with your collaborators while having peace of mind thanks to its SSL protection. Furthermore, you can create customizable reports and use Google Sheets to analyze the data you’ve collected. Zoho Survey’s free version lets users create unlimited surveys with up to 10 questions and gather 100 responses for each survey. Its basic plan starts at $25 per month when billed annually.
✅ PROS:
- Over 200+ templates
- Multilingual surveys
- Offers custom variables
⛔️ CONS:
- Free version lacks spam protection
- No survey tracking for free plan
6. SoGoSurvey
SoGoSurvey lets you build a better experience—not only for your customers but also for your employees. More than being just an online survey tool, it’s backed by advanced features and equally advanced security. It’s a user-friendly platform that gives you peace of mind every time you use it.
One of the best things about this survey software is, even if you’re using the free version, you can still have access to powerful features. These include:
- Multilingual surveys
- Branching or skip logic
- Access to a survey bank, or a collection of commonly used surveys
- Access to a question bank, where you can save your questions for quick access
- Securing your survey URLs with HTTPs
✅ PROS:
- Generous basic plan
- Capacity to print blank surveys in PDF or Word format
⛔️ CONS:
- Basic plan doesn’t allow you to add your own survey logo
- Free basic plan doesn’t allow you to download the results page and print the survey response
7. Qualtricks
Trusted by some of the world’s best brands, including Honda, CVS, and Samsung, Qualtrics is an all-in-one experience management software that also lets you create online surveys.
It offers more than 100 question types and pre-built survey templates. It lets you create and test your surveys in real-time. Moreover, it allows you to reach your respondents regardless of the device or channel they’re using, be it mobile, apps, or websites.
While it may appear sophisticated, don’t let its sleek interface and powerful features fool you. Qualtrics is surprisingly easy to use. It has an intuitive drag-and-drop feature that lets you easily create and rearrange your questions. Qualtrics also employs AI, so you know that every question is analyzed in real-time. What’s more, it has built-in predictive intelligence and powerful statistical analysis that allows you to discover new insights.
✅ PROS:
- Allows integration with systems, such as Zendesk and Adobe
- Has enterprise-level survey data security
⛔️ CONS:
- Ideal for more advanced users
- Limited customization
- Reporting limitations
8. Surveyplanet
The great thing about SurveyPlanet’s free version is it gives you access to unlimited surveys, questions per survey, and survey responses. With its intuitive and customizable survey platform, you can create surveys for just about anything, including brand development.
It’s a powerful tool that lets you create custom themes, upload images, employ a responsive layout, use multiple languages, access hundreds of pre-written questions, and more. It’s also versatile enough to be used for a wide variety of applications, including research, education, customer satisfaction, and human resources.
✅ PROS:
- With question branching
- Allows custom branding
⛔️ CONS:
- Free version limits data exportation
- Requires subscription to Pro version to export your data to Excel
9. QuestionPro
QuestionPro is a versatile survey software that can be used by anyone, from beginners to enterprises. It has a number of survey solutions that allow it to address a variety of needs.
These include research, customer experience, workforce, and academic, allowing you to use it for market research, community-based surveys, and customer satisfaction, among other applications.
QuestionPro has an impressive lineup of professional templates, with over 250 available options. Other notable features include:
- Point-and-click online survey logic
- Survey branching and skip logic
- Extractions
- Text piping
- Survey looping
- Randomization
With the free version, you can create unlimited surveys and get unlimited responses. You also get access to over 25 question types and a customized thank you page.
✅ PROS:
- Mobile-ready
- Features an automated and sleek-looking dashboard
⛔️ CONS:
- No offline data collection for the free version
- Free version lacks API integration
10. SurveySparrow
Similar to Typeform, SurveySparrow lets you create conversational surveys that allow you to better engage with your respondents. With this feature, you’ll be able to gather higher response rates and get more actionable feedback. It also features a dedicated dashboard where you can track and analyze your surveys.
With this software, you can create personalized, smarter surveys. It uses several logic types to deliver a seamless experience to you and your respondents. These include conditional logic branching, skip logic, and display logic.
✅ PROS:
- Has a white-label feature
- Features automated pulse surveys
- User-friendly interface
⛔️ CONS:
- Free version only allows 10 questions per survey
- Free version limits surveys to only three active survey projects
Final Thoughts
Online survey tools are changing the way you engage with your target audience. When paired with the best CRM software, these online survey tools can help you get better insights, thus allowing you and your company to continue to evolve, especially during these unpredictable times.
While there are a lot of options to choose from and factors to think about, the survey tool you opt for should be the one that fits your needs best and helps you achieve your goals.
FAQs
What are the tools for a survey?
If you’re planning on conducting an online survey, you’ll need online survey software. There are a number of free survey tools that you can find online, some of which are on our list.
What’s the best free survey tool?
The answer to this question depends on your goals and the features you need or are familiar with. While online survey tools may come across as similar, they do have their differences. Some survey tools might enable you to access a broad range of questions, while some allow you to offer surveys in different languages or personalize your branding. When searching for the best survey tools for your needs, it helps to look for features, such as:
- A wide selection of question types
- Skip logic
- Advanced targeting options
- Survey templates
- Report generation
- Integrations
- Security
What is the best platform for surveys?
Again, this depends on factors, such as what you’re looking to achieve and the features you want to have access to. Does this particular survey software offer security and safety? Is it mobile- and user-friendly? Does it allow project sharing? What range does it offer when it comes to question and answer types? These are some helpful questions you can ask when searching for the best survey software for your needs.
Does Google have a free survey tool?
Yes, it does. Google Forms is a survey software that’s free to use for anyone with a Google account. While free, it’s still packed with features, including customization options, collaboration options, templates, and a set of validation rules, among others.