Survey software has revolutionized the way surveys are conducted. Before the invention of these programs, the only tools to perform surveys were pens, paper, and clipboards. Answers were collected by approaching people in public or calling them on the phone. Even worse, analyzing the results involved manually counting and categorizing the responses collected.
Fortunately, survey apps have transformed this tiresome task into a pleasure. They offer several types of templates and pre-written questions, collect responses from hundreds of people through the internet, and provide easy-to-analyze reports. In fact, these apps aren’t only beneficial for researchers. With online survey software, businesses can get customers’ feedback, and marketers can capture leads.
Best Survey Software of 2023
Overall | Best for | Best for | Best | Best Free |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |  |
The market is filled with free and paid survey platforms, and Best Reviews is the perfect place to understand which one best fits your needs. Our reviews, comparisons, guides, FAQ, and blogs contain detailed information to help you decide.
Survey Software Buyer’s Guide
The best survey software depends entirely on each user’s specific needs. For example, those who wish to run surveys after every interaction with customers need to look for platforms that don’t limit the number of survey responses. Alternatively, people conducting surveys after fixed periods may benefit from platforms that send surveys automatically according to pre-set frequencies.
Users focusing on market research may want the option to target specific groups of respondents. On the other hand, companies surveying only their employees won’t require this extra feature. Instead, they need templates, pre-written questions related to employees’ feedback, and the option to get anonymous responses.
It’s also essential to check the service’s integration support. Users performing customer experience surveys need access to CRM platforms, whereas companies conducting employee-focused surveys may benefit from integrations with HR management platforms.
What’s more, every survey platform should provide advanced branching options, such as skip logic and question piping, and insightful reports so users can easily dissect the collected data.
Bringing us back to the basics, it’s always important to consider the pricing, customer service, ease of use, mobile device support, security, and privacy when looking for any type of software. The best way to see if these meet your requirements is to test platforms using free versions, which most providers offer.
Benefits of Online Survey Software
Conducting surveys offline using pen and paper is time-consuming and more likely to provide inaccurate results. For instance, handwritten forms often take longer to complete and are harder to interpret than typed responses.
Also, fewer people can be reached as they have to answer surveys in person or by phone. Even if a high response rate is achieved, manually analyzing and comparing results is an inefficient use of time and can only be done after all surveys are complete.
Online survey platforms provide a solution to all these issues. Creating goal-driven surveys takes no time, as there’s a wide range of customizable templates and pre-written questions to choose from. Also, automatically skipping irrelevant questions and pages according to the respondent’s previous answer is only possible with online surveys.
These platforms take advantage of modern technology in other ways too. It’s possible to embed a web link into a website, post it on social media, or share it via email, expanding the surveys’ reach infinitely. What’s more, the results are updated in real time, so they can be examined as soon as respondents start to take the surveys.
Finally, the data collected is presented in reports with different types of insights and trends, which are downloadable in PDF, CSV, SPSS, and other formats.
Free vs Paid Survey Software
Although many survey platforms have free versions, there are usually drawbacks. The number of resources provided tends to be limited. More advanced features like skip logic and brand customization are most likely available only in paid plans.
Still, free versions may be enough for businesses, students, or researchers who only need to run small surveys every now and then. Also, they’re perfect for users to test the software, learn how to use it, and see whether it’s worth the money to unlock the extra benefits.
Moreover, many survey platforms provide discounts for students, academic researchers, NGOs, and others. So, it’s always valid to check whether there are ways to enjoy all features while paying less.
5 Online Survey Best Practices
Running surveys is a great way of understanding people’s behaviors, preferences, and interests. But to get the right answers, you need to ask the right questions. Therefore, it’s essential to follow some best practices when creating surveys online: