SEO
Top 6 Free Survey Maker Tools For Marketers
The number of online surveys has risen dramatically in the past decade, according to the 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 what exactly they’re thinking.
When it comes to free survey makers, you have plenty of options to choose from.
That’s the good news.
The bad news is you have to wade through your options to figure out the best survey tool for you.
In this article, I’ve done that dirty work for you.
Below I outline the top six free survey makers, with a simple bulleted list of their pros and cons, so you can quickly select the best one for your needs.
But first up, the caveats.
What You’re Missing With Free Survey Makers
When something’s free, there’s usually a catch. 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 your survey data for review in Excel or Google Sheets. There may be a PDF-only export option or no export ability at all.
- Limited analytics. Free survey tools often skimp on the analytics. You may be left to your own pivot tables and Excel expertise if you want to create anything fancy from your survey data.
- Limited survey functionality. This runs the gamut, from a limit on how many respondents or questions you can have per survey, to only allowing so many question types (e.g., multiple-choice, long-form, etc.).
- Limited extra perks. By perks, I mean those other features that make software from good to great. With survey makers, that might mean easy-to-access support, the ability to embed surveys in email or webpages, multiple user accounts, or integration with other email marketing or CRM software.
- No branding. 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 probably be stuck with their branding, along with a prominent link to their site throughout the survey or on the thank you page (or both).
If any of the above is a dealbreaker for you, you should plan to drop a little dough on a paid survey tool. That’s why I’ve also included the starting price for all six of the tools featured below.
In case you end up having to upgrade later, it’s easier to do so from 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 your Google Drive?
Great news: Google also offers free survey software via Google Forms.
Alright, I know I just said these were presented in no particular order, but I’ll openly admit Google Forms is my personal favorite. Just look at all of the features they include in their free plan!
All you need is a free Google account to get started.
Here’s what’s included in the free plan:
- Unlimited surveys.
- Unlimited questions.
- Unlimited responses.
- Export to Google Sheets.
- Survey logic (ability to skip or trigger questions).
- Ability to embed images and YouTube videos.
- Ability to embed the survey on your website and share to social media.
- Survey analytics, updated in real-time.
- Integration with Google Docs, Sheets, Slides.
- Unlimited collaborators.
- Customizable survey templates.
- Free branding.
What’s missing from 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. Established in 1999, it’s still the most well-known online survey software.
Despite the limitations of its free plans, SurveyMonkey continues to be popular thanks to its intuitive interface and brand recognition. Notable clients include Allbirds, Tweezerman, and Adobe.
One nice perk is that you can test out any of the paid features with your free plan. (You just won’t be able to actually use it in your live survey until you pay up.)
Here’s what’s included in the free plan:
- Unlimited surveys.
- 10 questions.
- 15 question types.
- 100 responses per survey.
- Over 250 customizable survey templates.
- Ability to embed the survey on your website.
- Mobile app.
- One user.
What’s missing from the free plan:
- Unlimited questions, question types, and responses.
- Data exports – this is a biggie!
- Custom branding.
- Survey logic (ability to skip or trigger questions).
- Team collaboration.
- Advanced security (single sign-on, HIPAA compliance).
- A/B testing.
Price: Freemium. Paid plans start at $16 per month for individuals, $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.
Readers of Search Engine Journal will be happy to hear that there’s a survey tool created just for us. Typeform was built specifically with marketers, UX researchers, and business owners like us in mind.
Here’s what’s included in the free plan:
- Unlimited surveys.
- 10 questions per survey.
- 10 responses per month.
- Basic question types.
- Basic reporting and analytics
- Ability to embed the survey on your website.
- Integrations with MailChimp, HubSpot, Trello, Google Sheets, Zapier, and more.
What’s missing from the free plan:
- Unlimited questions and responses.
- Custom thank you screen.
- Custom branding.
- Survey logic (ability to skip or trigger questions).
- Team collaboration.
- Ability to accept payment.
- Ability for survey respondents to upload files.
- Integration with Facebook pixel and Google Tag Manager.
Price: Freemium. Paid plans start at $29 per month.
Best for: Enterprise users, UX researchers, and marketers hoping to track customer behavior.
4. Zoho Survey
Zoho Survey is part of the same Zoho suite of apps that caters to sales, HR, IT, finance, and virtually any kind of business user you can think of.
Given their tenure creating SaaS software for business, their survey tool is just as robust as you might expect. Customers include big names like Netflix, Amazon, Facebook, and Change.org.
Here’s what’s included in the free plan:
- Unlimited surveys.
- 10 questions per survey.
- 100 responses per survey.
- Ability to embed surveys in email or website, or share to social media.
- Export to PDF.
- 250 survey templates.
- Password protection and HTTPS encryption.
- One user.
What’s missing from the free plan:
- Unlimited questions and responses.
- Ability to export to XLS or CSV.
- Survey logic (ability to skip or trigger questions).
- Custom branding.
- Team collaboration.
- Real-time responses.
- Multilingual surveys.
- Integration with Google Sheets, Tableau, Shopify, Zendesk, Eventbrite, and others.
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. Alchemer
Alchemer is an advanced survey maker developed for the enterprise client.
Paid features include custom coding so you can customize every single element of your survey, from the survey URL to the form logic.
They stand out among free survey makers for being one of the few (besides Google Forms) to offer unlimited questions and Excel exports in their free plan. Clients include Disney, Salesforce, Verizon, and The Home Depot.
Here’s what’s included in the free plan:
- Three surveys at a time.
- Unlimited questions.
- 100 responses.
- 10 question types.
- Export to Excel.
- Customizable templates.
What’s missing from the free plan:
- Unlimited surveys.
- Unlimited responses.
- Unlimited question types.
- Survey logic (ability to skip or trigger questions).
- Custom branding.
- Ability to embed surveys in websites.
- Export to PDF, PowerPoint, or Word.
- Ability for survey respondents to upload files.
- Survey analytics and reporting.
- Ability to accept payment.
Price: Freemium. Paid plans start at $49 per month.
Best for: Enterprise users needing to create long surveys with advanced logic and question types.
6. Jotform
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 with the free plan (although you’re limited to 10).
This popular survey maker includes clients as wide-ranging as AMC and Nickelodeon to Redfin and the American Medical Association.
Here’s what’s included in the free plan:
- Five surveys.
- 100 questions per survey.
- 100 responses per survey.
- Ability to embed surveys in email or website.
- Export to PDF or Excel.
- 10,000 survey templates.
What’s missing from the free plan:
- Unlimited surveys.
- Unlimited questions and responses.
- Survey logic (ability to skip or trigger questions).
- Custom branding.
- HIPAA compliance.
Price: Freemium. Paid plans start at $29 per month.
Best for: Users who want a template for every kind of survey possible.
Which Survey Tool Will You Use?
There truly is a survey maker for everybody.
The above options are all solid choices. Which one works for you may depend on your organization’s needs and your personal preferences.
Take advantage of the free trials and see which one you like best.
More Resources:
Featured Image: Prostock-studio/Shutterstock
SEO
HubSpot Rolls Out AI-Powered Marketing Tools
HubSpot announced a push into AI this week at its annual Inbound marketing conference, launching “Breeze.”
Breeze is an artificial intelligence layer integrated across the company’s marketing, sales, and customer service software.
According to HubSpot, the goal is to provide marketers with easier, faster, and more unified solutions as digital channels become oversaturated.
Karen Ng, VP of Product at HubSpot, tells Search Engine Journal in an interview:
“We’re trying to create really powerful tools for marketers to rise above the noise that’s happening now with a lot of this AI-generated content. We might help you generate titles or a blog content…but we do expect kind of a human there to be a co-assist in that.”
Breeze AI Covers Copilot, Workflow Agents, Data Enrichment
The Breeze layer includes three main components.
Breeze Copilot
An AI assistant that provides personalized recommendations and suggestions based on data in HubSpot’s CRM.
Ng explained:
“It’s a chat-based AI companion that assists with tasks everywhere – in HubSpot, the browser, and mobile.”
Breeze Agents
A set of four agents that can automate entire workflows like content generation, social media campaigns, prospecting, and customer support without human input.
Ng added the following context:
“Agents allow you to automate a lot of those workflows. But it’s still, you know, we might generate for you a content backlog. But taking a look at that content backlog, and knowing what you publish is still a really important key of it right now.”
Breeze Intelligence
Combines HubSpot customer data with third-party sources to build richer profiles.
Ng stated:
“It’s really important that we’re bringing together data that can be trusted. We know your AI is really only as good as the data that it’s actually trained on.”
Addressing AI Content Quality
While prioritizing AI-driven productivity, Ng acknowledged the need for human oversight of AI content:
“We really do need eyes on it still…We think of that content generation as still human-assisted.”
Marketing Hub Updates
Beyond Breeze, HubSpot is updating Marketing Hub with tools like:
- Content Remix to repurpose videos into clips, audio, blogs, and more.
- AI video creation via integration with HeyGen
- YouTube and Instagram Reels publishing
- Improved marketing analytics and attribution
The announcements signal HubSpot’s AI-driven vision for unifying customer data.
But as Ng tells us, “We definitely think a lot about the data sources…and then also understand your business.”
HubSpot’s updates are rolling out now, with some in public beta.
Featured Image: Poetra.RH/Shutterstock
SEO
Holistic Marketing Strategies That Drive Revenue [SaaS Case Study]
Brands are seeing success driving quality pipeline and revenue growth. It’s all about building an intentional customer journey, aligning sales + marketing, plus measuring ROI.
Check out this executive panel on-demand, as we show you how we do it.
With Ryann Hogan, senior demand generation manager at CallRail, and our very own Heather Campbell and Jessica Cromwell, we chatted about driving demand, lead gen, revenue, and proper attribution.
This B2B leadership forum provided insights you can use in your strategy tomorrow, like:
- The importance of the customer journey, and the keys to matching content to your ideal personas.
- How to align marketing and sales efforts to guide leads through an effective journey to conversion.
- Methods to measure ROI and determine if your strategies are delivering results.
While the case study is SaaS, these strategies are for any brand.
Watch on-demand and be part of the conversation.
Join Us For Our Next Webinar!
Navigating SERP Complexity: How to Leverage Search Intent for SEO
Join us live as we break down all of these complexities and reveal how to identify valuable opportunities in your space. We’ll show you how to tap into the searcher’s motivation behind each query (and how Google responds to it in kind).
SEO
What Marketers Need to Learn From Hunter S. Thompson
We’ve passed the high-water mark of content marketing—at least, content marketing in its current form.
After thirteen years in content marketing, I think it’s fair to say that most of the content on company blogs was created by people with zero firsthand experience of their subject matter. We have built a profession of armchair commentators, a class of marketers who exist almost entirely in a world of theory and abstraction.
I count myself among their number. I have hundreds of bylines about subfloor moisture management, information security, SaaS pricing models, agency resource management. I am an expert in none of these topics.
This has been the happy reality of content marketing for over a decade, a natural consequence of the incentives created by early Google Search. Historically, being a great content marketer required precisely no subject matter expertise. It was enough to read widely and write quickly.
Mountains of organic traffic have been built on the backs of armchair commentators like myself. Time spent doing deep, detailed research was, generally speaking, wasted, because 80% of the returns came from simply shuffling other people’s ideas around and slapping a few keyword-targeted H2s in the right places.
But this doesn’t work today.
For all of its flaws, generative AI is an excellent, truly world-class armchair commentator. If the job-to-be-done is reading a dozen articles and how-to’s and turning them into something semi-original and fairly coherent, AI really is the best tool for the job. Humans cannot out-copycat generative AI.
Put another way, the role of the content marketer as a curator has been rendered obsolete. So where do we go from here?
Hunter S. Thompson popularised the idea of gonzo journalism, “a style of journalism that is written without claims of objectivity, often including the reporter as part of the story using a first-person narrative.”
In other words, Hunter was the story.
When asked to cover the rising phenomenon of the Hell’s Angels, he became a Hell’s Angel. During his coverage of the ‘72 presidential campaign, he openly supported his preferred candidate, George McGovern, and actively disparaged Richard Nixon. His chronicle of the Kentucky Derby focused almost entirely on his own debauchery and chaos-making—a story that has outlasted any factual account of the race itself.
In the same vein, content marketers today need to become their stories.
It’s a content marketing truism that it’s unreasonable to expect writers to become experts. There’s a superficial level of truth to that claim—no content marketer can acquire a decade’s worth of experience in a few days or weeks—but there are great benefits awaiting any company willing to challenge that truism very, very seriously.
As Thompson proved, short, intense periods of firsthand experience can yield incredible insights and stories. So what would happen if you radically reduced your content output and dedicated half of your content team’s time to research and experimentation? If their job was doing things worth writing about, instead of just writing? If skin-in-the-game, no matter how small, was a prerequisite of the role?
We’re already seeing this shift.
Every week, I see more companies hiring marketers who are true, bonafide subject matter experts (I include the Ahrefs content team here—for the majority of our team, “writing” is a skill secondary to a decade of hands-on search and marketing experience). They are expensive, hard to find, and in the era of AI, worth every cent.
I see a growing expectation that marketers will document their experiences and experiments on social media, creating meta-content that often outperforms the “real” content. I see more companies willing to share subjective experiences and stories, and avoid competing solely on the sharing of objective, factual information. I see companies spending money to promote the personal brands of in-house creators, actively encouraging parasocial relationships as their corporate brand accounts lay dormant.
These are ideas that made no sense in the old model of content marketing, but they make much more sense today. This level of effort is fast becoming the only way to gain any kind of moat, creating material that doesn’t already exist on a dozen other company blogs.
In the era of information abundance, our need for information is relatively easy to sate; but we have a near-limitless hunger for entertainment, and personal interaction, and weird, pattern-interrupting experiences.
Gonzo content marketing can deliver.
-
SEARCHENGINES7 days ago
Daily Search Forum Recap: September 11, 2024
-
WORDPRESS7 days ago
14 Tools for Creating and Selling Digital Products (Expert Pick)
-
SEARCHENGINES6 days ago
Daily Search Forum Recap: September 12, 2024
-
GOOGLE6 days ago
Google Warns About Misuse of Its Indexing API
-
WORDPRESS5 days ago
How to Connect Your WordPress Site to the Fediverse – WordPress.com News
-
SEARCHENGINES5 days ago
Daily Search Forum Recap: September 13, 2024
-
SEO6 days ago
OpenAI Claims New “o1” Model Can Reason Like A Human
-
SEO6 days ago
How to Build a Fandom by Talent-Scouting Great Content
You must be logged in to post a comment Login