search legion

Head-to-head · Forms & surveys

SurveyMonkey vs Qualtrics

SurveyMonkey is easier to price for feedback collection; Qualtrics covers broader research and experience needs with more opaque costs.

SurveyMonkey

5.2/10
VS

Qualtrics

6.3/10

We may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page. It never changes a score or a ranking. How we make money

Short answer

Most buyers should pick Qualtrics.

Choose SurveyMonkey if you want straightforward feedback collection and visible self-serve pricing: Team Advantage starts at $30 per user monthly with annual billing, but requires three users. Choose Qualtrics if you need research, experience management, prediction, or automated action; its free account caps responses at 500 total, and Strategic Research costs $420 monthly with annual billing. Qualtrics has the edge for broader programs; SurveyMonkey is easier to size for price-aware teams. Month-to-month rates for those annual plans aren’t published.

01Side by side

SurveyMonkeyQualtrics
Starting priceTeam Advantage: $30/user/month annually; 3-user minimumStrategic Research: $420/month with annual billing
Free planUnlimited surveys; 10 questions; response cap not published3 active surveys, 30 questions, 500 total responses
Best forEmployee, customer, market, and event feedbackResearch and customer or employee experience programs
Core strengthFeedback collection and online formsResearch insights, prediction, and automated action
Learning curveNot specified on the vendor's siteNot specified on the vendor's site
Integrations & dataIntegration details not providedIntegration details not provided
Team/seat costs3+ users; $30 or $92/user/month, annual billingUnlimited users on listed paid plans; custom pricing
SupportTeam Premier includes phone supportSupport terms not published

Choose SurveyMonkey if

  • You need employee, customer, event, or market feedback.
  • You want a free plan with unlimited surveys.
  • You need published team seat pricing and response allowances.

Choose Qualtrics if

  • You need research-led strategy, product, or messaging validation.
  • Your program needs prediction and automated case routing.
  • You can accept custom pricing tied to interactions or employee count.

02Pricing compared

SurveyMonkey is easier to price for a team that wants a self-serve plan. Team Advantage is $30 per user per month with annual billing, requires at least three users, and includes 50,000 responses per year. Team Premier is $92 per user per month with annual billing and includes 100,000 responses per year. Its Standard Monthly plan is $149 per month for up to 1,000 responses per month. Month-to-month rates for the annual plans are not published.

Qualtrics’ free account includes 500 total responses. Strategic Research is $420 per month with annual billing and includes 1,000 total responses; month-to-month pricing is not published. Higher-volume research and CX or EX plans use custom pricing. Qualtrics offers a 30-day trial of Strategic Research. Both products have free options, but their limits and paid pricing structures differ.

03Features and depth

SurveyMonkey covers the core feedback jobs: employee and customer feedback, market research, product development, event feedback, and online forms. Its plans include unlimited surveys, while question and response limits vary by plan. Team plans add shared assets and user roles; Team Premier also lists white labeling and phone support. That makes it a fit for organizations that need ongoing feedback collection and a defined response allowance.

Qualtrics reaches further into research and experience management. Its listed capabilities include research insights, synthetic audiences for validating strategies and creative, product feedback on concepts and pricing, omnichannel feedback, prediction, and automated action that routes complex cases to teams. Its offer also spans customer and employee experience plans. The trade-off is less pricing clarity: higher-volume research and CX or EX pricing is custom, and some volume limits are not published. Choose Qualtrics for a broader research or experience program; SurveyMonkey covers more straightforward collection needs.

04Ease of use and learning curve

For a team primarily collecting survey responses, SurveyMonkey is the more straightforward place to start: its plans spell out response allowances, and its product covers surveys and forms alongside common feedback use cases. Check the cap before choosing, since Basic has a limited response count that is not published and paid plans have different allowances.

Qualtrics’ free account is limited to three active surveys, 30 questions per survey, and 500 total responses. Its broader research, prediction, and automated-action capabilities may suit more involved programs, but custom pricing and unpublished limits make scoping harder. We would compare the required workflows and response volume before treating either product as the simpler option for a particular team.

Questions people ask

What is the Qualtrics survey tool?

Qualtrics is an experience management platform for research and customer and employee feedback. Its listed capabilities include research insights, product feedback, prediction, omnichannel feedback, and automated action. It also offers a free survey account and paid Strategic Research and experience plans.

Is there still a free version of SurveyMonkey?

Yes. SurveyMonkey’s Basic plan is free and includes one user and unlimited surveys, but it limits each survey to 10 questions and has a response cap whose count is not published. Qualtrics also has a free account, with three active surveys and 500 total responses.

What are the key differences between Google Forms and SurveyMonkey?

The information available for this comparison does not establish Google Forms’ features or pricing, so we can’t make a sourced, direct comparison. For SurveyMonkey, the listed plans include unlimited surveys, with questions and response allowances varying by plan.

What companies are similar to SurveyMonkey?

Qualtrics is another platform in this comparison for collecting feedback and conducting research. Its scope includes customer and employee experience, prediction, and automated action. The available product information does not support a broader list of SurveyMonkey alternatives.