One major error business owners and marketers should avoid is over-relying on their own perspectives. This is because studies frequently demonstrate a disconnect between what marketers believe consumers desire and what consumers actually want.

Online surveys present the most effective method for gaining genuine insights into your audience. This article will delve into eight top-tier, free online survey platforms for staying informed about your customers’ requirements, encompassing:

• Ideal applications
• Notable complimentary features
• Pricing structures and features of paid plans

Reasons to Use Online Survey Tools

Customer and employee satisfaction are pivotal to the enduring success of most businesses. Therefore, routinely gathering their feedback should be ingrained in your practices to:

• Conduct updated market analysis.
• Collect input regarding the standard of your customer service.
• Solicit product reviews from existing or prospective customers.
• Evaluate employee contentment.
• Ensure the clarity and persuasiveness of your messaging.

Furthermore, surveys, when appropriately executed, can act as a mechanism for customer interaction. The most straightforward method to organize this? Utilizing an online survey instrument. Many of these tools:

• Offer free plans (often with the possibility to upgrade for access to more powerful functionalities)
• Enable reaching out to and commencing data and feedback acquisition from sizable groups of individuals immediately
• Provide data interpretation features to aid in comprehending (and acting upon) the received feedback.

Top 8 Free Online Survey Platforms

Obtaining the unfiltered insights required to enhance your business has never been simpler. Here are the eight leading survey tools to assist you:

1. Google Forms
2. SurveyMonkey
3. Typeform
4. Jotform
5. SoGoLytics
6. SurveyPlanet
7. Zoho Survey
8. Crowdsignal

1. Google Forms: Optimal Completely Free Solution

Google is renowned for providing some of the finest and most commonly employed complimentary business utilities. Google Forms is a prime example.

Notable Complimentary Features

Some standout features of Google Forms include:

• Spreadsheet Integration: Responses are directly transferred to Google Sheets, enabling effortless viewing, filtering, and sorting of your data.
• Branding Consistency: Maintain a unified brand experience by incorporating your logo, bespoke banners, and brand colors.
• Skip Logic and Page Branching: Craft personalized, seamless experiences for survey participants by strategically guiding them through structured questions. This approach yields valuable insights without compelling them to answer extraneous queries.
• Multimedia Options: Enrich surveys with images or videos to provide context or instructions to respondents.
• Data Analysis Features: Swiftly identify trends and make more informed decisions by viewing the proportion of participants who selected specific answers. As you’ll observe, many free online survey tools are essentially free_mium_ tools. Alternatively, they might have restricted functionalities. Google Forms stands out as a truly free tool with generous features.

2. SurveyMonkey: Ideal for Concise Surveys

Boasting “20 million questions answered daily,” SurveyMonkey is a prominent player in the online survey realm.

• Survey Limit: Unlimited
• Maximum Questions per Survey: 10
• Maximum Responses: 10 per survey

Notable Complimentary Features

SurveyMonkey’s free plan grants access to:

• Three Collection Methods: Distribute surveys to participants through a variety of channels: links, website integrations, or email.
• 40 Pre-Designed Survey Templates: Expedite survey creation by customizing existing templates.
• A Filtering Tool: Analyze responses by comparing how different participant groups answered survey questions. This survey tool’s free version proves sufficient for creating brief, straightforward surveys without the need for advanced features.

Paid Plans and Features

SurveyMonkey offers paid plans tailored to individuals, teams, and enterprises:

1. Standard Monthly ($99/month): This plan unlocks features such as unlimited questions per survey, 1,000 monthly responses, unlimited collectors, 180 templates, and more.
2. Standard Annual ($192/year): This plan encompasses unlimited surveys, 10 questions and 40 responses per survey, three collectors, and more.
3. Advantage Annual ($384/year): This plan provides unlimited surveys, questions per survey, 5,000 annual responses, prioritized email support, and more.
4. Premier Annual ($1,428/year): This plan encompasses unlimited surveys, questions per survey, advertisement collectors, 7,500 annual responses, prioritized email support, and over 180 templates. Specialized plans for teams and enterprises are also available.

3. Typeform: Superior User Experience

Similar to SurveyMonkey, Typeform is a widely recognized online survey creation tool, particularly esteemed for its effectiveness in gather customer feedback and data. The company asserts that 87% of users extract deeper insights using their tool compared to competing options.

• Survey Limit: Unlimited
• Maximum Questions per Survey: 10
• Maximum Responses: 10 per month

Noteworthy Complimentary Features

The complimentary Typeform plan includes:

• Logic Jumps: Typically a paid feature, this allows survey-takers to navigate directly to relevant questions based on their responses, enhancing survey flow.
• Seamless Integrations: Streamline data management by automatically transferring collected data to other applications like Zapier, Automate.io, Slack, HubSpot, and more.
• Template Library: Choose to create surveys from scratch or utilize Typeform’s templates as a starting point.
• Data Downloads: Download survey data for convenient storage in your preferred location. Typeform excels in user experience from beginning to end. The onboarding is user-friendly, and the tool allows users to experience filling out Typeforms, bolstering their confidence in the platform. The interface is clean, minimalist, and modern, promoting efficient survey creation and positive respondent experiences.

Paid Plans and Features

For those considering an upgrade, here are the paid options:

1. Basic ($29/month): This plan includes 100 monthly responses with unlimited questions, file uploads, and payment processing.
2. Plus ($59/month): This plan accommodates up to 1,000 monthly responses, 3 user accounts, custom links and subdomains, redirects, and more.
3. Business ($99/month): This plan offers up to 10,000 monthly responses, drop-off rate tracking, advanced embedding options, in-depth analytics, priority support, and more. Enterprise plans are available for those requiring customized response and user limits, branding options, single sign-on, and other tailored features.

4. Jotform: Most Comprehensive Freemium Plan

Jotform earns its place among the most favored online survey tools due to its impressive suite of flexible features, even on the free plan.

• Maximum Number of Surveys: 5
• Maximum Questions per Survey: 100
• Maximum Responses: 100 per month (with a total storage capacity of 500 submissions)

Noteworthy Complimentary Features

What makes Jotform’s free plan exceptional?

• Extensive Template Selection: With over 7,000 templates available, Jotform boasts an unparalleled collection, minimizing the need to start from scratch.
• Extensive Integrations (100+): Effortlessly synchronize form data with tools you already utilize, saving time and optimizing information management.
• Diverse Payment Gateway Options: Unlike some tools with limited payment options, Jotform offers access to over 40 gateways, simplifying payment acceptance.
• Widget Library (100+): Go beyond standard form fields with widgets for e-signatures, calculations, checklists, inventory management, PDF embedding, and much more. Jotform’s free plan is anything but basic.

Paid Plans and Features

Jotform provides four paid tiers:

1. Bronze ($29/month): This plan includes up to 25 forms, 1,000 monthly submissions, 10,000 total submissions, 250 fields per form, and removal of Jotform branding.
2. Silver ($39/month): This plan offers up to 50 forms, 2,500 monthly submissions, a 25,000 submission storage limit, HIPAA compliance, and more.
3. Gold ($99/month): This plan encompasses 100 forms, 10,000 monthly submissions, a 100,000 total submission limit, and 1,000 monthly payment submissions.
4. Enterprise (Custom Quote): This plan offers unlimited usage across all features, custom domains, white-labeling, and more. Jotform does have more usage limits to track compared to some tools. However, the tool’s quality and comprehensiveness may well justify this minor inconvenience.

5. SoGoLytics: Optimal for Growth

SoGoLytics boasts a clientele that includes giants like Apple, IBM, Marriott, and Sony. However, it’s not just for industry titans. This fully-featured online survey software caters to businesses of all sizes, as evidenced by its free plan.

• Survey Limit: Unlimited
• Maximum Questions per Survey: Unlimited
• Maximum Responses: 100 email invitations and responses per survey annually, with a total of up to 200 email invitations and responses per year

Noteworthy Complimentary Features

With its robust free (Basic) plan, SoGoLytics offers:

• Template Repository: Leverage pre-designed templates and modify them to meet your specific requirements.
• Versatile Question Formats: Choose from various question types, including multiple-choice, text boxes, radio buttons, Likert scales, like/dislike options, ratings, and dropdowns.
• Engaging Multimedia: Incorporate audio or video, provide introductory or descriptive text, and display images to enrich surveys and gather high-quality responses.
• Social Media Publishing: Expand your reach and maximize responses by promoting your survey on social media platforms.
• Data Security: Benefit from secure data storage and SSL encryption to safeguard participant information. This tool is excellent for businesses anticipating growth. It allows you to start for free with minimal limitations and upgrade as your survey needs evolve.

Paid Plans and Features

SoGoLytics also offers paid plans:

1. Plus ($25/month): This plan includes features like skip logic, custom thank-you messages, single-use email invitations, real-time reports, data filters, and more.
2. Pro ($66/month): This plan encompasses automatic survey expiration, graded quizzes, downloadable results, survey embedding, and more.
3. Premium ($99/month): This plan provides all basic and advanced question types, survey participant anonymity, automated survey translation, pre- and post-population functionalities, autosave, and more.
4. Enterprise (Custom Quote): This plan offers live survey editing, customizable email alerts, personalized URLs and login pages, conditional formatting, nine export formats, and more. A dedicated plan for businesses is also available, catering to teams where multiple members are involved in survey creation, data collection, or analysis.

6. SurveyPlanet: Optimal Unlimited Freemium Option

Although not as widely recognized as some competitors, SurveyPlanet is a noteworthy free online survey platform.

• Survey Limit: Unlimited
• Maximum Questions per Survey: Unlimited
• Maximum Responses: Unlimited

Noteworthy Complimentary Features

SurveyPlanet’s free plan provides:

• Multilingual Support (30+ Languages): Gather insights from diverse audiences by creating surveys in over 30 languages.
• Flexible Survey Distribution: Embed surveys on your website, share them on social media, or distribute them via email for maximum reach.
• Anonymous Responses: Encourage candid feedback by offering anonymous responses, mitigating bias during data analysis.
• Pre-designed Themes (10+): Choose from various themes to streamline survey design. While SoGoLytics’ free plan offers a wider array of features, SurveyPlanet’s unlimited responses, surveys, and questions on its free plan make it a strong contender for the best unlimited freemium tool.

Paid Plans and Features

Should you outgrow the free plan, these paid options are available:

1. Pro ($20/month): This plan unlocks custom themes, question branching, results filtering, white-labeling, and more.
2. Enterprise ($250/year): This plan includes all Pro features along with team collaboration tools, survey insights, and custom URLs. SurveyPlanet showcases live previews on its website for various use cases, including market research. Explore these previews to assess the tool’s capabilities and user experience.

7. Zoho Survey: Ideal for Zoho Ecosystem Users

Zoho Survey is another highly-rated free online survey tool.

• Survey Limit: Unlimited
• Maximum Questions per Survey: 10
• Maximum Responses: 100 per survey

Noteworthy Complimentary Features

Zoho Survey’s free version offers:

• Comprehensive Question Types: Unlike some alternatives, this tool doesn’t restrict question types, although logic features are limited in the free version.
• Extensive Template Library (250+): Jumpstart survey creation with a wide array of pre-designed templates.
• Real-time Response Tracking: Monitor incoming data as it arrives.
• Mobile Responsiveness: Ensure accessibility for respondents on the go with support for iOS and Android devices.
• Embedding Options: Embed surveys on your website or incorporate videos and call links. This tool is a natural fit for Zoho users due to its integration with the Zoho suite. Even for non-Zoho users, it’s a viable option for short employee or customer feedback surveys.

Paid Plans and Features

Zoho Survey offers three paid tiers with enhanced functionality:

1. Plus ($35/month): This plan includes unlimited survey questions, 3,000 monthly responses, complete design customization, customizable reports, sentiment analysis, integrations, and more.
2. Pro ($49/month): This plan offers up to 5,000 monthly responses, custom variables, multilingual surveys and reports, webhooks, and triggers.
3. Enterprise ($109/month): This plan encompasses 7,000 monthly responses, user management, department creation, audit logs, personalized training, and onboarding support. Notably, opting for an annual plan on any tier unlocks unlimited responses, a significant advantage for large-scale surveys.

8. Crowdsignal: Optimal for WordPress Enthusiasts

Crowdsignal, developed by the team behind WordPress.com, is another top contender. Get started without providing credit card information.

• Survey Limit: Unlimited
• Maximum Questions per Survey: Unlimited
• Maximum Responses: 2,500 signals (each question represents a signal)

Noteworthy Complimentary Features

Crowdsignal provides:

• Familiar WordPress Design Themes: Maintain design consistency by choosing from well-known WordPress themes.
• Convenient WordPress.com Login: Simplify access by logging in with your WordPress account, which also syncs your Gravatar image.
• Essential Elements and Fields: Easily construct surveys using drag-and-drop functionality for various fields and elements like free text, multiple-choice, rating scales, matrices, names, email addresses, URLs, headlines, and more.
• Printable Results Overviews: Review and print concise survey result summaries, including responses, participant demographics, and survey completion rates. Crowdsignal’s free version is an excellent choice for WordPress users needing a user-friendly tool for basic survey needs.

Paid Plans and Features

Upgrade options are available to access features beyond the 2,500-signal limit:

1. Premium ($25/month): This plan offers unlimited signals, branching and logic trees, Google Sheets synchronization, exports, report filters, and more.
2. Business ($59/month): This plan includes custom domains, post-submission redirects, customizable CSS themes, API access, and more.
3. Team ($29/user/month, billed annually): This plan provides shared themes, templates, centralized company data, and team-based analysis, filtering, and export tools.

Bonus Tool: Qualaroo

For those seeking more advanced functionalities, consider the contextual online survey tool Qualaroo. Although not free, it offers a free trial.

Unlike conventional email surveys, Qualaroo enables targeted questioning at opportune moments using unobtrusive “Nudges.” Responses are then analyzed using its proprietary Sentiment Analysis technology powered by IBM Watson, providing actionable insights.

Noteworthy Features

• Unlimited Nudges.
• Feedback Campaign Consultation.
• Advanced Export Capabilities.
• Pre-Made Templates.
• Integrations with Google Analytics, Marketo, Zapier, Slack, and more. Qualaroo’s pricing starts at $80/month, with a free trial to explore its features. Regardless of the plan, all users have access to:
• Engagement Options: In-Product Nudge™, Link Nudge™, website overlay, lead generation forms, and NPS surveys
• Survey Customization: Branching and skip logic, visual customization, and Nudge placement
• Audience Targeting: Behavioral, URL-based, and technology-based targeting.

Choosing the Right Tool

While the ideal online survey tool varies based on your business’s needs and budget, Google Forms and Jotform are recommended starting points due to their generous free plans. Opt for Typeform if a modern, minimalist, and seamless user experience is paramount. SoGoLytics’ free and paid plans are excellent for those anticipating frequent or large-scale surveys. Don’t hesitate to explore other tools on this list to find the perfect fit. Prioritize your current and anticipated needs to choose a tool that can scale with your business.

To summarize, the top free online survey tools are:

1. Google Forms: Best 100% free tool
2. SurveyMonkey: Best for short surveys
3. Typeform: Best user experience
4. Jotform: Most complete freemium plan
5. SoGoLytics: Best for scaling
6. SurveyPlanet: Best unlimited freemium plan
7. Zoho Survey: Best for Zoho users
8. Crowdsignal: Best for WordPress users