Top 6 Free Survey Maker Tools For Marketers

The number of online surveys has skyrocketed in the past decade, according to Pew Research Center.

From short social media polls to lengthy feedback forms, it’s never been easier to survey your target audience and find out exactly what they think.

When it comes to free survey makers, you have a lot of options to choose from.

This is the good news.

The bad news is that you have to wade through your options to discover the best scanning tool for you.

In this article, I have done the dirty work for you.

Below I’ve outlined the six best free survey makers, with a simple bulleted list of their pros and cons, so you can quickly choose the best one for your needs.

But first, the caveats.

What are you missing out on with free survey makers

When something is free, there is usually a problem. The same goes for free survey makers.

Free survey tools, or the free plan offered by a paid survey tool, often come with the following limitations:

• Limited export options. You may not be able to export survey data for review in Excel or Google Sheets. There may be an option to export PDF only or no export capability at all.
• Limited analytics. Free survey tools often skimp on analytics. You may be left to your pivot tables and Excel expertise if you want to create anything cool out of survey data.
• Limited scanning functionality. This runs the gamut, from limiting the number of respondents or questions you can ask in each survey, to only allowing so many types of questions (ie, multiple choice, long, etc.).
• Limited additional privileges. By perks I mean those other features that make software from good to great. With survey makers, this could mean easy access to support, the ability to embed surveys in email or web pages, multiple user accounts, or integration with email marketing or other CRM software.
• There is no trademark. Free survey makers give you their tools for free. In return, you provide them with free brand awareness. Don’t expect to be able to swap out their logo for your own. You’ll likely be stuck on their branding, along with a prominent link to their site during the survey or on their thank you page (or both).

If any of the above is a problem for you, you should plan to drop a little dough on a push-pull tool. That’s why I’ve also included the starting price for all six of the tools below.

In case you have to upgrade later on, it’s easier to do so with a tool you’re already familiar with.

Top 6 Free Survey Tools

Without further ado, I present the best free survey makers you’ll find today. These are listed in no particular order.

1. google forms

Do you live and die by Google Drive?

Good news: Google also offers a free survey program via Google Forms.

Well, I know I just said they were presented in no particular order, but I will honestly admit that Google Forms is my personal favorite. Just take a look at all the features they include in their free plan!

All you need is a free Google account to get started.

Here’s what the free plan includes:

• Unlimited surveys.
• Unlimited questions.
• Unlimited responses.
• Export to Google Sheets.
• Survey logic (the ability to skip or raise questions).
• The ability to embed photos and YouTube videos.
• The ability to embed the survey on your website and share it on social media.
• Survey analytics, updated in real time.
• Integration with Google Docs, Sheets, Slides.
• Unlimited number of collaborators.
• Customizable survey templates.
• Free brands.

What’s missing in the free plan:

• Enhanced security and collaboration options.
• Integration with your existing Google Workplace account.

price: Completely free. Google Workplace pricing starts at $6 per user, per month.

Best for: Anyone and everyone, for business or casual use.

2. SurveyMonkey

SurveyMonkey is the Online survey tool. Founded in 1999, it is still the most popular online survey software.

Despite the limitations of its free plans, SurveyMonkey remains popular thanks to its intuitive interface and brand recognition. Notable clients include Allbirds, Tweezerman, and Adobe.

A great perk is that you can test out any of the paid features with your free plan. (You won’t be able to actually use it on your live survey until you pay.)

Here’s what the free plan includes:

• Unlimited surveys.
• 10 questions.
• 15 kinds of questions.
• 100 answers per survey.
• Over 250 customizable survey templates.
• The ability to embed the survey on your website.
• mobile application.
• 1 user.

What’s missing in the free plan:

• Unlimited questions, question types and answers.
• Data Export – This is a big deal!
• custom brands.
• Survey logic (the ability to skip or raise questions).
• cooperation team.
• Advanced security (single sign-on, HIPAA compliance).
• A/B testing.

price: Freemium. Paid plans start at $16 per month for individuals, and $25 for teams.

Best for: Those who want a tried and true survey maker with all the features you could ask for.

3. typeform

Many online survey tools are designed for the general public.

Search Engine Journal readers will be happy to hear that there is a survey tool created just for us. Typeform is specifically designed with marketers, user experience researchers, and business owners like us in mind.

Here’s what the free plan includes:

• Unlimited surveys.
• 10 questions per survey.
• 10 responses per month.
• Basic question types.
• Basic reports and analytics
• The ability to embed the survey on your website.
• Integrate with MailChimp, HubSpot, Trello, Google Sheets, Zapier, and more.

What’s missing in the free plan:

• Unlimited questions and answers.
• Custom thank you screen.
• custom brands.
• Survey logic (the ability to skip or raise questions).
• cooperation team.
• The ability to accept payment.
• Ability for survey respondents to download files.
• Integration with Facebook pixel and Google Tag Manager.

price: Freemium. Paid plans start at $29 per month.

Best for: Enterprise users, user experience researchers, and marketers hoping to track customer behavior.

4. Zoho survey

Zoho Survey is part of the same suite of Zoho apps that cater to the needs of sales, HR, IT, finance, and almost any type of business user you can think of.

As they continue to create SaaS software for business, their survey tool is just as powerful as you might expect it to be. Clients include big names like Netflix, Amazon, Facebook, and Change.org.

Here’s what the free plan includes:

• Unlimited surveys.
• 10 questions per survey.
• 100 answers per survey.
• The ability to embed surveys in email or the website, or share them on social media.
• Export to PDF.
• 250 survey templates.
• Password protection and HTTPS encryption.
• 1 user.

What’s missing in the free plan:

• Unlimited questions and answers.
• Ability to export to XLS or CSV.
• Survey logic (the ability to skip or raise questions).
• custom brands.
• cooperation team.
• Real time responses.
• Multilingual surveys.
• Integration with Google Sheets, Tableau, Shopify, Zendesk, Eventbrite, and more.

price: Freemium. Paid plans start at $25 per month.

Best for: Zoho users, or anyone who needs an extra level of security for their surveys.

5. chimer

Alchemer is an advanced survey maker developed for the enterprise client.

Paid features include custom coding so you can customize every element of the survey, from the survey URL to the form logic.

They stand out among free survey makers for being one of the few (along with Google Forms) to offer unlimited questions and Excel export in their free plan. Clients include Disney, Salesforce, Verizon, and The Home Depot.

Here’s what the free plan includes:

• Three surveys at once.
• Unlimited questions.
• 100 responses.
• 10 types of questions.
• Export to Excel.
• Customizable templates.

What’s missing in the free plan:

• Unlimited surveys.
• Unlimited responses.
• Unlimited question types.
• Survey logic (the ability to skip or raise questions).
• custom brands.
• The ability to embed surveys into sites.
• Export to PDF, PowerPoint or Word.
• Ability for survey respondents to download files.
• Survey analytics and reporting.
• The ability to accept payment.

price: Freemium. Paid plans start at $49 per month.

Best for: Enterprise users need to create long surveys with advanced logic and question types.

6. Gutform

With over 10,000 templates, Jotform takes the cake as the survey maker with the most form templates on our list.

Jotform also stands out for letting you accept payments through the free plan (although you’re limited to 10).

The popular survey maker includes clients as wide as AMC and Nickelodeon to Redfin and the American Medical Association.

Here’s what the free plan includes:

• Five surveys.
• 100 questions per survey.
• 100 answers per survey.
• The ability to embed surveys into your email or website.
• Export to PDF or Excel.
• 10,000 survey templates.

What’s missing in the free plan:

• Unlimited surveys.
• Unlimited questions and answers.
• Survey logic (the ability to skip or raise questions).
• custom brands.
• HIPAA compliance.

price: Freemium. Paid plans start at $29 per month.

Best for: Users who want a template for every possible survey type.

What survey tool will you use?

There really is a survey maker for everyone.

The above options are all solid choices. Which one is right for you may depend on the needs of your organization and your personal preferences.

Take advantage of the free trials and see which one you like best.

More resources:

• 20 great free data sources
• 4 data sources to use to create the right content and focus on keywords
• SEO status report

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