The Survey System review

The Survey System is questionnaire software for creating, administering and reporting on surveys across web, mobile, phone, PDA and paper. Its mixed-mode approach lets researchers combine two or more of those methods in one project, rather than designing only for an online form.

The software includes survey logic to guide respondents, change questions and check whether answers are valid. It can also bring existing respondent data, such as demographics or previous purchases, into a questionnaire. Reporting covers tables, charts, text reports and cross-tabs, with customizable report styles. Other listed capabilities include recording spoken comments and creating surveys in alphabet-based languages, including Chinese and Korean.

There is a major caveat for anyone evaluating it as a purchase: Creative Research Systems says it has closed. The website remains available as a historical reference and for research resources, but that is not the same as a dependable software vendor for a new deployment.

The clearest strength is its range of survey modes. The listed support spans web, mobile, phone, PDA and paper, including combinations of methods. That makes the software relevant to research projects where an online-only questionnaire is not enough.

Its survey controls also cover more than basic question display. The system can route respondents through questions, modify questions and validate answers. Researchers can incorporate existing information such as demographics or previous purchases, which can help tailor questionnaires without asking respondents to provide every detail again.

Reporting is another broad area: the software lists tables, charts, text reports and cross-tabs, with customizable report styles. The Voice Capture module can record comments in respondents’ actual voices, and multilingual support includes non-Roman character languages such as Chinese and Korean.

On paper, that is a useful mix for organizations running varied research methods and needing more than a simple web form. The caution is that these are product capabilities described in the published materials, not evidence that the closed company can support a new implementation.

The main limit is operational, not a missing survey feature: Creative Research Systems says it has closed. We would not treat a historical product site as assurance of sales, support, updates or a workable new deployment.

The pricing information is low confidence, and recurring monthly or annual prices are not published. The listed editions use one-time license fees: Professional is $1,499 for one analyst, while Enterprise is $2,499 for two analysts. Enterprise supports two or more analysts, with additional analysts listed at $750 each. Both paid editions list unlimited respondents, up to 999 answer choices per question and 15-digit numeric answers; Enterprise also includes network file sharing.

The free Evaluation Edition has no time limit, but is restricted by question and data limits that are not specified. Some modules that are included in the evaluation version cost extra on paid editions: for example, the Professional Internet Module is listed at $750 and CATI at $3,999. Interview-station overage pricing is not published. With the vendor closed and key limits or recurring costs unclear, the listed fees are not enough to establish the real cost of adopting it.

The listed fees are one-time license prices, not monthly subscriptions. The pricing information checked on 2026-11-06 is low confidence, and monthly and annual-billing prices are not published.

• Evaluation Edition: free to download, with no time limit, but question and data limits are restricted and not specified. It is listed for one user and includes CATI, Internet, Advanced Statistics, Voice Capture and Mobile modules.
• Professional Edition: $1,499 for one analyst, with unlimited respondents and up to 999 answer choices per question.
• Enterprise Edition: $2,499 for two analysts, with network file sharing. Additional analysts are listed at $750 each.

That is a $1,000 jump from Professional to Enterprise, before add-ons. For Professional, the Internet Module is $750 and CATI is $3,999; Enterprise lists them at $1,500 and $3,999. Interview-station fees also vary by count and type. The site is described as a historical reference because Creative Research Systems has closed, so treat these prices as unconfirmed—not a current quote.

We would not choose The Survey System for a new deployment that depends on vendor support: Creative Research Systems has closed, and the site remains available as a historical reference. The published material does not specify data-export formats, migration tools or current support, so we cannot say how easily existing questionnaires or response data transfer to another platform.

Before leaving, inventory the parts of your setup that may need rebuilding: mixed-mode collection, survey logic, respondent data, voice recordings, multilingual questionnaires and custom reports. The Survey System lists these capabilities, but the available material does not explain whether they export in reusable formats. Ask a replacement vendor to confirm how it handles your actual files and report outputs before committing.

We were not given Reddit posts or comments for this review, so we can’t attribute common reasons for leaving to Reddit users. For a switch into the product, the bigger concern is that support and current purchasing terms are not dependable; the listed license fees are low-confidence historical pricing.