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Canada edition · 10 products ranked · Verified 2026-05-27

Top 10 Survey Software in Canada for 2026

Independent Canadian ranking of survey platforms with CAD pricing, CASL recruitment rules, PIPEDA + Quebec Law 25 residency notes and Bill 96 French-language survey guidance.

Canada verdict (TL;DR)

Verified 2026-05-27

Qualtrics dominates Canadian enterprise XM at RBC, TD, Scotiabank, BMO, CIBC, Telus, Bell, Rogers, Manulife and Sun Life; SurveyMonkey holds the Canadian SMB and mid-market default. Typeform is the modern conversational pick at Canadian SaaS scale-ups including Shopify and Hootsuite. CASL is the gating regulatory constraint: any unsolicited email or SMS recruiting survey respondents is a commercial electronic message and requires express or implied consent, with $10M per-violation fines. Quebec Law 25 layers privacy impact assessments and granular consent on top, and Bill 96 makes French questionnaire content a real requirement for Quebec respondents. StatsCan's large-scale national surveys set the gold-standard benchmark for Canadian market-research methodology.

Picks for Canada

  • Big 5 bank or large Canadian enterprise running NPS/CSAT/EX at scale: qualtrics Qualtrics is the visible XM standard at RBC, TD, Scotiabank, BMO, CIBC, Telus, Bell, Rogers, Manulife and Sun Life. Recognized brand for enterprise procurement and OSFI B-13 third-party-technology reviews. Flag Silver Lake + CPP take-private pricing pressure; CPP ownership is incidentally Canadian.
  • Canadian SMB or mid-market wanting ad-hoc surveys without enterprise commitment: surveymonkey SurveyMonkey remains the Canadian SMB and mid-market default, with French-language survey support for Quebec respondents and CAD billing. Factor recent vendor stability after Symphony Technology Group take-private.
  • Canadian SaaS scale-up wanting modern conversational surveys: typeform Typeform is the modern pick at Shopify, Hootsuite, Wealthsimple and Lightspeed Commerce for customer-facing engagement surveys, marketing forms and product-feedback loops.
  • Canadian market research firm or academic researcher: questionpro QuestionPro carries the Canadian market-research and academic-research workload, including U15 university research labs needing IRB/REB-friendly governance, conjoint analysis and large-scale panel work.
  • Federal government or provincial-government internal surveys: microsoft-forms Microsoft Forms inside Microsoft 365 Government Community Cloud or M365 Canada residency is the federal and provincial-government default for internal employee and ad-hoc surveys, given SSC Cloud guidance and existing M365 enterprise agreements.
  • Quebec-headquartered firm needing French questionnaire UI for Bill 96: surveymonkey SurveyMonkey, Qualtrics, Typeform, Alchemer and QuestionPro all ship French questionnaire UI. Validate the survey-distribution UI itself (not just translated questions) supports French for Bill 96 compliance with Quebec workforces.
Market context

How the survey software market looks in Canada

Canadian survey-software demand splits across three buyer cohorts. The enterprise tier, dominated by Qualtrics, runs structured NPS, CSAT, CES and employee-experience programs at Big 5 banks (RBC, TD, Scotiabank, BMO, CIBC), Big 3 telcos (Bell, Rogers, Telus), Big 4 insurers (Manulife, Sun Life, Great-West, Intact), and large Canadian retailers (Loblaws, Sobeys, Metro, Canadian Tire, Lululemon, Aritzia, Tim Hortons). Qualtrics is in the procurement catalog at all of these and the recognized brand satisfies OSFI B-13 and FRFI operational-resilience reviews. The Silver Lake plus CPP take-private at $12.5B in June 2023 created vendor-trust questions, but CPP's ownership stake means a Canadian institutional investor sits on the cap table, which Canadian enterprise buyers cite as marginally reassuring.

The mid-market and SMB tier runs SurveyMonkey, Typeform, Alchemer and QuestionPro. SurveyMonkey holds the Canadian SMB default for ad-hoc surveys and quick polls; the Symphony Technology Group take-private and subsequent rebranding shuffle has produced some buyer skepticism. Typeform is the visible modern challenger at Canadian SaaS scale-ups (Shopify, Hootsuite, Wealthsimple, Lightspeed Commerce, Vidyard, Top Hat, Clio, Jobber, FreshBooks) for marketing forms, customer-facing engagement surveys, product-feedback loops and recruiting forms. Alchemer (formerly SurveyGizmo) appears at Canadian mid-market wanting Qualtrics-style configurability without enterprise pricing. QuestionPro carries the Canadian market-research and academic-research workload at U15 universities including UofT, McGill, UBC, McMaster and Western, where IRB/REB-friendly governance and conjoint analysis matter. Google Forms and Microsoft Forms cover the bundled Workspace and M365 ad-hoc internal-survey use case; Microsoft Forms inside M365 Government Community Cloud is the federal and provincial-government default.

StatsCan (Statistics Canada) sets the methodological benchmark for large-scale Canadian survey research: the Canadian Census, the Canadian Community Health Survey, the Labour Force Survey and quarterly business-condition surveys define what serious survey methodology looks like in Canada and is referenced in academic-research procurement at U15 universities. The CASL regulatory regime is the dominant Canadian-specific procurement constraint for any survey workflow that recruits respondents via email or SMS.

Compliance & local rules

Canadian survey-software compliance is shaped by four overlapping regimes. CASL is the binding constraint on respondent recruitment: any unsolicited email or SMS recruiting a survey respondent is a commercial electronic message and requires either express opt-in or a documented implied-consent basis (existing business relationship within 24 months, existing non-business relationship within 24 months, or business-card / referral exception), plus a clear unsubscribe in every message. CASL fines reach $10M per violation against businesses, the highest individual messaging-law fines in the G7, and the CRTC has enforced six-figure penalties consistently since 2014. Survey platforms that send respondent invitations directly (Qualtrics distribution, SurveyMonkey distribution, Typeform email distribution) must be configured to capture and respect CASL consent records. PIPEDA governs respondent personal data nationally and requires meaningful consent before collection and mandatory OPC breach reporting where the breach creates real risk of significant harm. Quebec Law 25 adds a designated privacy officer requirement, mandatory privacy impact assessments before cross-border data transfers, granular consent for Quebec respondents, and mandatory CAI breach notification. Quebec Bill 96 requires French-language survey content for Quebec respondents above the workforce thresholds; Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey, Typeform, Alchemer and QuestionPro all ship French questionnaire UI and French distribution flows. ITSG-33 and CCCS PROTECTED B controls apply to federal-government survey deployments; Microsoft Forms inside M365 Government Community Cloud or M365 Canada residency is typically the only option that meets full federal residency and assurance requirements. U15 academic-research surveys must additionally clear REB (Research Ethics Board) approval under the Tri-Council Policy Statement TCPS 2.

At a glance

Quick comparison, ranked for Canada

Product Best for Starts at 10-emp/mo* Pricing G2 Geo
1 Qualtrics
Global enterprises running XM programs
Quote - 4.4 Global; strongest in US, EU, APAC
3 SurveyMonkey
SMB + mid-market ad-hoc surveys
$0 $0 4.4 Global; strongest in US, EU, UK
2 Typeform
Tech-forward mid-market + B2B SaaS
$0 $0 4.5 Global; strongest in US, EU, UK
4 Alchemer
Mid-market configurable surveys
$49 $49 4.4 Global; strongest in US, EU, UK
8 QuestionPro
Market research + academic research
$0 $0 4.4 Global; strongest in US, EU, APAC, India
7 Microsoft Forms
Any Microsoft 365 customer
$0 $0 4.4 Global; aligned with M365 availability
6 Google Forms
Any Google Workspace customer
$0 $0 4.6 Global; aligned with Workspace availability
5 Jotform
SMB form + survey hybrid
$0 $0 4.7 Global; strongest in US, EU, UK, Turkey
9 Formstack
Mid-market healthcare + compliance-driven
$50 $50 4.4 Global; strongest in US, EU
10 Paperform
SMB brand-aligned forms
$24 $24 4.7 Global; strongest in US, EU, AU

*10-employee monthly cost = base fee + (per-employee × 10) using the lowest published tier. For opaque-pricing vendors, no value is shown.

Verified local pricing

What buyers in Canada actually pay

Median annual deal size by employee band, in CAD. Crowdsourced from anonymized buyer disclosures.

Product Employee band Median annual (CAD) Sample Notes
Qualtrics Big 5 bank or large Canadian enterprise (5,000+ employees) CA$380,000 9 Qualtrics XM Platform multi-module enterprise tier
Qualtrics Canadian mid-enterprise (500-5,000 employees) CA$124,000 11 Qualtrics CoreXM; verified post-take-private pricing pressure
SurveyMonkey Canadian SMB (under 200 employees) CA$1,900 28 SurveyMonkey Team Advantage tier in CAD
Typeform Canadian SaaS scale-up (50-500 employees) CA$9,800 18 Typeform Business tier with CRM integration
Alchemer Canadian mid-market (200-1,000 employees) CA$18,000 7 Alchemer Professional tier
QuestionPro Canadian university research lab or market research firm CA$6,400 12 QuestionPro Research Edition; academic discount available
Microsoft Forms Federal or provincial-government internal surveys CA$0 14 Bundled inside existing M365 enterprise agreement
Local challengers

Canada-built or Canada-strong vendors worth knowing

Not yet ranked in our global top 10, but credible options for Canada buyers and worth a shortlist.

StatsCan reference methodology

Visit ↗

Statistics Canada's large-scale national surveys (Census, CCHS, LFS) set the benchmark for Canadian survey methodology and panel design. Referenced in academic-research procurement at U15 universities.

Vision Critical / Alida (Vancouver)

Visit ↗

Vancouver-built insight community and customer-feedback platform (formerly Vision Critical, now Alida). Adjacent to traditional survey software; strong fit for Canadian insight-community-style continuous-feedback programs at Canadian banks and retailers.

Excluded for Canada

Global picks that don't fit here

  • Paperform
    Minimal Canadian install base for the aesthetic-led form/survey category; limited French UI depth for Bill 96 workforces.
The Canada ranking

All 10, ranked for Canada

Same intelligence as the global ranking, vendor trust, review patterns, verified pricing, compliance, reordered for the Canada market.

#1

Qualtrics

Enterprise experience management market leader, flag the take-private vendor trust gap.

Founded 2002 · Provo, UT / Seattle, WA · pe backed · 1,000–500,000+ employees
G2 4.4 (1,840)
Capterra 4.6
Custom quote
○ Sales call required
Visit Qualtrics

Qualtrics is the enterprise experience management (XM) market leader, founded 2002. Acquired by SAP in 2018 for $8B; spun out via IPO in 2021; re-privatized by Silver Lake + Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP) in June 2023 at $12.5B. The Qualtrics XM Platform covers customer experience (CX), employee experience (EX), brand experience (BX), and product experience (PX) at enterprise scale. Strengths: deepest enterprise XM features (Predict iQ, Stats iQ, Text iQ), broadest XM use case coverage, mature governance and access controls, strong fit for $500M+ revenue companies, and Silver Lake-funded AI feature investment continuing post-take-private. Best fit for global enterprises running NPS/CSAT/EX programs at scale. Trade-offs: re-privatization in 2023 created vendor trust questions (executive churn, layoffs, post-IPO/post-take-private chaos), pricing escalations widely reported by mid-market customers, implementation complex (3-9 months), and Support response times vary as Silver Lake restructured.

Best for

Global enterprises ($500M+ revenue, 1,000+ employees) running structured NPS/CSAT/EX programs at scale needing deepest XM platform.

Worst for

Mid-market wanting fast time-to-value (Typeform/Alchemer better), buyers concerned about Silver Lake PE pressure pattern, or budget-conscious orgs.

Strengths

  • Deepest enterprise XM features
  • Broadest XM use case coverage (CX/EX/BX/PX)
  • Mature governance and access controls
  • Works for $500M+ enterprises
  • Predict iQ + Stats iQ + Text iQ AI
  • Silver Lake-funded AI investment continuing

Weaknesses

  • Vendor trust gap post-re-privatization 2023
  • Pricing escalations widely reported
  • Implementation complex (3-9 months)
  • Support is hit-or-miss post-Silver Lake
  • Executive churn during transitions
  • Per-response volume pricing scales fast

Pricing tiers

opaque
  • Qualtrics CoreXM
    ~$60K-$200K/year typical mid-enterprise
    Quote
  • Qualtrics XM Platform
    $200K-$700K/year
    Quote
  • Qualtrics Enterprise
    $700K-$3M+/year for global enterprises
    Quote
Watch for
  • · Per-response volume fees
  • · Per-module add-ons (Predict iQ, Text iQ, Conjoint)
  • · Implementation services ($50K-$500K)
  • · Annual price increases of 8-15% post-Silver Lake
  • · XM Discover (text analytics) separate fee

Key features

  • +CoreXM (CX/EX/BX/PX surveys)
  • +Predict iQ AI predictions
  • +Stats iQ analysis
  • +Text iQ open-end analysis
  • +Customer journey orchestration
  • +Conjoint analysis
  • +300+ integrations
300+ integrations
SalesforceMicrosoft DynamicsSAP SuccessFactorsWorkdayServiceNowSlack
Geography
Global; strongest in US, EU, APAC
#3

SurveyMonkey

Long-running SMB+mid-market survey leader, factor recent vendor stability.

Founded 1999 · San Mateo, CA · pe backed · 10–5,000 employees
G2 4.4 (2,240)
Capterra 4.6
From $0 /mo
● Transparent pricing
Visit SurveyMonkey

SurveyMonkey is the long-running SMB+mid-market survey leader, founded 1999. Renamed to Momentive in 2021; failed Zendesk acquisition attempt in 2022; private-equity buyout by Symphony Technology Group in June 2023 at $1.5B; reverted to SurveyMonkey brand. The platform covers SMB-friendly survey design, distribution, and basic analytics. Strengths: largest SMB+mid-market installed base, affordable pricing for SMB, simple UX, mature templates and question library, and broad integrations. Best fit for SMB+mid-market ad-hoc surveys without enterprise commitment. Trade-offs: vendor trust gap from rebrand-then-rebrand churn, executive turnover post-2023 PE buyout, AI feature velocity below Typeform/Qualtrics, conditional logic depth below Alchemer, enterprise XM depth meaningfully below Qualtrics, and pricing escalation reports post-Symphony Tech Group.

Best for

SMB+mid-market (10-2,000 employees) wanting affordable ad-hoc surveys with broad templates and simple UX.

Worst for

Enterprise XM (Qualtrics better), conversational engagement (Typeform better), or buyers concerned about Symphony Tech Group PE pattern.

Strengths

  • Largest SMB+mid-market installed base
  • Affordable pricing for SMB
  • Simple UX
  • Mature templates and question library
  • Broad integrations
  • Long-running execution since 1999

Weaknesses

  • Vendor trust gap from rebrand churn
  • Executive turnover post-2023 PE buyout
  • AI feature velocity below Typeform/Qualtrics
  • Conditional logic below Alchemer
  • Enterprise depth below Qualtrics
  • Pricing escalation reports post-Symphony Tech

Pricing tiers

public
  • Free
    Limited features
    $0 /mo
  • Standard
    Individual + team plans
    $39 /mo
  • Advantage
    Annual pricing, advanced logic
    $99 /mo
  • Enterprise
    ~$15K-$80K/year for mid-enterprise
    Quote
Watch for
  • · Response-volume overages at certain tiers
  • · Per-feature add-ons (advanced logic)
  • · Annual price increases of 8-15% post-PE

Key features

  • +Survey design
  • +Distribution (web/email/SMS)
  • +Question library
  • +Conditional logic (basic)
  • +Templates
  • +Analytics
  • +100+ integrations
100+ integrations
SalesforceHubSpotMailchimpMicrosoft TeamsSlackZapier
Geography
Global; strongest in US, EU, UK
#2

Typeform

Modern conversational survey leader with strongest engagement UX.

Founded 2012 · Barcelona, Spain · private · 10–2,000 employees
G2 4.5 (1,180)
Capterra 4.7
From $0 /mo
● Transparent pricing
Visit Typeform

Typeform is the modern conversational survey leader, founded 2012 in Barcelona. Last valued $935M (2022 Series C from Sofina + General Atlantic + others). The product centers on conversational, one-question-at-a-time survey UX that drives 3-5x higher completion rates vs traditional grid surveys. Strengths: best-in-class conversational survey UX, strong fit for tech-forward orgs prioritizing engagement, mature integrations with HubSpot/Salesforce/Slack, transparent pricing, and aggressive AI feature velocity (Typeform AI for question generation). Best fit for tech-forward $5M-$200M revenue companies prioritizing engagement over enterprise depth. Trade-offs: enterprise XM depth below Qualtrics, response-volume pricing scales fast at upper-mid-market, weaker for academic/market-research workflows, Support depends on tier as scaled, and limited governance for regulated industries.

Best for

Tech-forward mid-market ($5M-$200M revenue, 50-1,000 employees) prioritizing high completion rates and brand-aligned conversational survey UX.

Worst for

Enterprise XM at scale (Qualtrics better), academic/market research (QuestionPro better), or buyers needing deep conditional logic for complex surveys.

Strengths

  • Best-in-class conversational survey UX
  • Built for engagement-focused use cases
  • Mature CRM/Slack integrations
  • Transparent pricing
  • Aggressive AI feature velocity
  • Beautiful brand-aligned forms

Weaknesses

  • Enterprise XM depth below Qualtrics
  • Response-volume pricing scales fast
  • Weaker for academic/market research
  • Support inconsistency reported
  • Limited governance for regulated industries
  • Conditional logic depth below Alchemer

Pricing tiers

public
  • Free
    Up to 10 responses/month
    $0 /mo
  • Basic
    Up to 100 responses/month
    $25 /mo
  • Plus
    Up to 1,000 responses/month
    $50 /mo
  • Business
    Up to 10,000 responses/month
    $83 /mo
  • Enterprise
    ~$25K-$120K/year for upper-mid + enterprise
    Quote
Watch for
  • · Response-volume overages at higher tiers
  • · Per-feature add-ons (logic, hidden fields)
  • · Annual price increases of 5-8%

Key features

  • +Conversational survey UX
  • +AI question generation
  • +Conditional logic
  • +CRM/Slack integrations
  • +Custom branding
  • +Mobile-optimized
  • +120+ integrations
120+ integrations
HubSpotSalesforceSlackZapierMailchimpGoogle Sheets
Geography
Global; strongest in US, EU, UK
#4

Alchemer

Configurable mid-market surveys with deepest conditional logic.

Founded 2006 · Louisville, CO · private · 50–2,000 employees
G2 4.4 (880)
Capterra 4.5
From $49 /mo
● Transparent pricing
Visit Alchemer

Alchemer is the configurable mid-market survey platform, founded 2006 (rebranded from SurveyGizmo in 2020). Privately-held by founder Christian Vanek. The product centers on deep conditional logic, advanced piping, and configurable survey design, making it the deepest survey platform short of enterprise XM. Strengths: deepest conditional logic and advanced piping, strong fit for buyers wanting Qualtrics flexibility without enterprise pricing, mature distribution channel breadth, transparent pricing, and stable founder-led execution. Best fit for mid-market wanting configurable survey design with conditional logic depth. Trade-offs: AI feature velocity below Typeform, Lighter market share than SurveyMonkey, weaker enterprise XM fit than Qualtrics, Support is hit-or-miss, and limited brand recognition for marketing-led teams.

Best for

Mid-market ($10M-$500M revenue, 50-2,000 employees) wanting configurable survey design with deep conditional logic and predictable pricing.

Worst for

Enterprise XM (Qualtrics better), engagement-led use cases (Typeform better), or buyers needing concierge support.

Strengths

  • Deepest conditional logic and advanced piping
  • Configurable survey design
  • Made for Qualtrics-flex without enterprise pricing
  • Mature distribution channel breadth
  • Transparent pricing
  • Founder-led stable execution

Weaknesses

  • AI feature velocity below Typeform
  • Narrower customer base than SurveyMonkey
  • Weaker enterprise XM fit than Qualtrics
  • Uneven support quality
  • Limited brand recognition
  • UX dated relative to Typeform

Pricing tiers

public
  • Collaborator
    Per-user/month
    $49 /mo
  • Professional
    Per-user/month with advanced logic
    $149 /mo
  • Full Access
    Per-user/month with all features
    $249 /mo
  • Enterprise
    ~$30K-$150K/year for mid-enterprise
    Quote
Watch for
  • · Per-user scaling
  • · Annual price increases of 5-8%
  • · Per-add-on for HIPAA/research panels

Key features

  • +Conditional logic + piping
  • +Distribution (web/email/SMS/embed/kiosk)
  • +Question library
  • +Templates
  • +Theme designer
  • +API + webhooks
  • +120+ integrations
120+ integrations
SalesforceHubSpotMailchimpSlackMarketoZapier
Geography
Global; strongest in US, EU, UK
#8

QuestionPro

Long-running mid-market market research and academic survey platform.

Founded 2002 · Austin, TX · private · 50–5,000 employees
G2 4.4 (580)
Capterra 4.5
From $0 /mo
● Transparent pricing
Visit QuestionPro

QuestionPro is the long-running mid-market market research and academic survey platform, founded 2002. Privately-held, profitable per public statements. The product covers survey design + market research panels + academic research workflows + customer feedback. Strengths: deepest market research feature set (panels, conjoint, MaxDiff, TURF), strong fit for academic research and market research firms, mature global delivery, transparent pricing, and stable founder-led execution. Best fit for market research and academic research buyers. Trade-offs: AI feature velocity below Typeform/Qualtrics, UX dated relative to Typeform, Smaller deployed base versus SurveyMonkey, weaker for B2B SaaS NPS/CSAT use cases, and Support is hit-or-miss.

Best for

Market research firms, academic researchers, and mid-market companies (50-2,000 employees) running structured market research with conjoint/MaxDiff analysis.

Worst for

B2B SaaS NPS/CSAT (Typeform/Qualtrics better), engagement-led use cases (Typeform better), or buyers prioritizing AI velocity.

Strengths

  • Deepest market research feature set
  • Best for academic research
  • Mature global delivery
  • Transparent pricing
  • Founder-led stable execution
  • Conjoint and MaxDiff analysis

Weaknesses

  • AI velocity below Typeform/Qualtrics
  • UX dated relative to Typeform
  • Thinner footprint than SurveyMonkey
  • Weaker for B2B SaaS NPS/CSAT
  • Uneven support quality
  • Brand recognition below SurveyMonkey

Pricing tiers

public
  • Free
    Up to 10 questions, 100 responses/month
    $0 /mo
  • Advanced
    Per-user, unlimited questions
    $99 /mo
  • Team
    Per-user, team collaboration
    $99 /mo
  • Research
    $15K-$80K/year for research-grade features
    Quote
Watch for
  • · Per-response volume above tier
  • · Per-feature add-ons (panels, conjoint)
  • · Annual price increases of 5-8%

Key features

  • +Survey design
  • +Market research panels
  • +Conjoint analysis
  • +MaxDiff
  • +TURF analysis
  • +Templates
  • +Mobile + offline
  • +80+ integrations
80+ integrations
SalesforceTableauSlackZapierPower BIGoogle Sheets
Geography
Global; strongest in US, EU, APAC, India
#7

Microsoft Forms

Free Microsoft 365-bundled basic surveys.

Founded 2016 · Redmond, WA · public · 1–500,000+ employees
G2 4.4 (720)
Capterra 4.5
From $0 /mo
● Transparent pricing
Visit Microsoft Forms

Microsoft Forms is the free survey tool bundled with Microsoft 365, launched 2016. The product covers basic survey design, distribution, and Excel-anchored response collection. Strengths: free with Microsoft 365, native Teams + Excel integration, Microsoft governance, and no separate vendor. Best fit for Microsoft 365 customers wanting basic surveys without separate tool. Trade-offs: feature depth below specialized survey platforms, conditional logic limited, distribution channels limited, no AI question generation, and Teams-anchored use cases dominant.

Best for

Microsoft 365 customers (any size) wanting free basic surveys integrated with Teams and Excel, internal polls, simple feedback, training assessments.

Worst for

Enterprise XM (Qualtrics better), conversational engagement (Typeform better), or buyers needing conditional logic depth.

Strengths

  • Free with Microsoft 365
  • Native Teams + Excel integration
  • Microsoft governance
  • No separate vendor relationship
  • SharePoint integration
  • Power Automate integration

Weaknesses

  • Feature depth below specialized platforms
  • Conditional logic limited
  • Distribution channels limited
  • No AI question generation
  • Brand-aligned design weak
  • Limited templates

Pricing tiers

public
  • Free with Microsoft 365
    Bundled with Microsoft 365 Business/E3/E5
    $0 /mo
Watch for
  • · Microsoft 365 license required

Key features

  • +Basic survey design
  • +Quizzes + scoring
  • +Teams integration
  • +Excel response collection
  • +Power Automate flows
  • +SharePoint integration
30+ integrations
TeamsSharePointExcelPower AutomateOneDrive
Geography
Global; aligned with M365 availability
#6

Google Forms

Free Google Workspace-bundled basic surveys.

Founded 2008 · Mountain View, CA · public · 1–500,000+ employees
G2 4.6 (11,200)
Capterra 4.7
From $0 /mo
● Transparent pricing
Visit Google Forms

Google Forms is the free survey tool bundled with Google Workspace, launched 2008. The product covers basic survey design, distribution, and Google Sheets-anchored response collection. Strengths: free with Google Workspace, simple UX, native Google Sheets integration, Workspace-aligned governance, and no vendor relationship beyond Google. Best fit for Google Workspace customers wanting basic surveys without separate tool. Trade-offs: feature depth dramatically below specialized survey platforms, conditional logic limited, distribution channels limited (no SMS, no embed), no AI question generation, and weaker brand-aligned design than Typeform/Jotform.

Best for

Google Workspace customers (any size) wanting free basic surveys without separate tool, internal polls, simple feedback, ad-hoc data collection.

Worst for

Enterprise XM (Qualtrics better), engagement-led use cases (Typeform better), or any buyer needing conditional logic / advanced design.

Strengths

  • Free with Google Workspace
  • Simple UX
  • Native Google Sheets integration
  • Workspace-aligned governance
  • No separate vendor relationship
  • Mobile-friendly

Weaknesses

  • Feature depth dramatically below specialized platforms
  • Conditional logic limited
  • Distribution channels limited
  • No AI question generation
  • Weaker brand-aligned design
  • No advanced analytics

Pricing tiers

public
  • Free with Workspace
    Bundled; no separate fee
    $0 /mo
Watch for
  • · Google Workspace license required for governance features

Key features

  • +Basic survey design
  • +Google Sheets integration
  • +Templates (limited)
  • +Mobile-friendly
  • +Workspace governance
  • +20+ integrations via Apps Script
20+ integrations
Google SheetsGoogle DriveGoogle WorkspaceGoogle Classroom
Geography
Global; aligned with Workspace availability
#5

Jotform

Form-builder + survey hybrid for SMB at affordable pricing.

Founded 2006 · San Francisco, CA · private · 5–500 employees
G2 4.7 (1,840)
Capterra 4.7
From $0 /mo
● Transparent pricing
Visit Jotform

Jotform is the form-builder + survey hybrid platform, founded 2006. Privately-held by founder Aytekin Tank, profitable per public statements. The product covers form design + survey design + workflow automation + e-signature in one platform. Strengths: form + survey unified platform, affordable pricing for SMB, mature templates (10,000+), profitable bootstrapped execution since 2006, transparent pricing, and broad integrations. Best fit for SMBs wanting form/survey hybrid without separate tools. Trade-offs: pure survey depth below Alchemer/Qualtrics, AI feature velocity below Typeform, weaker for academic/market research, Support inconsistency reported for SMB, and brand recognition lower than SurveyMonkey.

Best for

SMBs (5-500 employees) wanting unified form + survey platform with broad templates and affordable predictable pricing.

Worst for

Enterprise XM (Qualtrics better), conversational surveys (Typeform better), or buyers needing deep conditional logic.

Strengths

  • Form + survey unified platform
  • Affordable pricing for SMB
  • 10,000+ templates
  • Profitable bootstrapped execution
  • Transparent pricing
  • Broad integrations

Weaknesses

  • Pure survey depth below Alchemer
  • AI velocity below Typeform
  • Weaker for academic/market research
  • Support response times vary
  • Brand recognition below SurveyMonkey
  • Conditional logic depth below Alchemer

Pricing tiers

public
  • Free
    Up to 5 forms, 100 monthly submissions
    $0 /mo
  • Bronze
    25 forms, 1,000 submissions
    $39 /mo
  • Silver
    50 forms, 2,500 submissions
    $49 /mo
  • Gold
    100 forms, 10,000 submissions
    $129 /mo
  • Enterprise
    Custom for $20K-$80K/year
    Quote
Watch for
  • · Submission overages
  • · Per-feature add-ons (HIPAA, signed PDFs)
  • · Annual price increases of 5-8%

Key features

  • +Form + survey design
  • +Workflow automation
  • +E-signature
  • +10,000+ templates
  • +Conditional logic
  • +Mobile + offline
  • +150+ integrations
150+ integrations
SalesforceHubSpotSlackPayPalStripeGoogle Sheets
Geography
Global; strongest in US, EU, UK, Turkey
#9

Formstack

Forms + workflow + e-signature combined for buyers wanting unified workflow.

Founded 2006 · Fishers, IN · pe backed · 50–5,000 employees
G2 4.4 (540)
Capterra 4.4
From $50 /mo
◐ Partial disclosure
Visit Formstack

Formstack is the forms + workflow + e-signature combined platform, founded 2006. PE-backed by Hg Capital since 2018 take-private. The product covers form design + workflow automation + e-signature + documents in one platform, making it the strongest fit for buyers wanting unified workflow across forms and documents. Strengths: combined forms + workflow + e-sign platform, mature workflow automation, HIPAA-friendly for healthcare, strong fit for compliance-driven buyers, and broad integrations. Best fit for buyers wanting form/survey + workflow + e-sign unified. Trade-offs: pure survey depth below Alchemer/Qualtrics, AI feature velocity below Typeform, Hg PE pressure has prompted price escalation reports, Support depends on tier, and brand recognition below SurveyMonkey.

Best for

Mid-market companies (50-2,000 employees) wanting forms + workflow automation + e-signature unified, especially healthcare and financial services with HIPAA needs.

Worst for

Pure survey use cases (Typeform/Alchemer better), engagement-led (Typeform better), or buyers concerned about Hg PE pattern.

Strengths

  • Combined forms + workflow + e-sign
  • Mature workflow automation
  • HIPAA-friendly for healthcare
  • Fits compliance-driven buyers
  • Broad integrations
  • Healthcare and financial services depth

Weaknesses

  • Pure survey depth below Alchemer
  • AI velocity below Typeform
  • Hg PE pressure on pricing
  • Support inconsistency reported post-Hg
  • Brand recognition below SurveyMonkey
  • UX dated relative to Typeform

Pricing tiers

partial
  • Forms
    Per-user/month, basic forms
    $50 /mo
  • Suite
    Per-user/month with workflow + documents + e-sign
    $150 /mo
  • Enterprise
    ~$25K-$100K/year for mid-enterprise
    Quote
Watch for
  • · Per-user scaling
  • · Per-feature add-ons (HIPAA, advanced workflow)
  • · Annual price increases of 8-12% post-Hg

Key features

  • +Forms + survey design
  • +Workflow automation
  • +E-signature
  • +Documents (HIPAA)
  • +Conditional logic
  • +Salesforce integration
  • +120+ integrations
120+ integrations
SalesforceHubSpotSlackMicrosoft DynamicsStripeMailchimp
Geography
Global; strongest in US, EU
#10

Paperform

Modern aesthetic-led form/survey builder for SMBs.

Founded 2016 · Sydney, Australia · private · 5–200 employees
G2 4.7 (280)
Capterra 4.8
From $24 /mo
● Transparent pricing
Visit Paperform

Paperform is the modern aesthetic-led form/survey builder, founded 2016 in Sydney. Privately-held, profitable per public statements. The product centers on document-style aesthetic design, making it the strongest fit for SMBs prioritizing brand-aligned form UX. Strengths: document-style aesthetic design (the strongest in SMB), modern UX, transparent pricing, profitable bootstrapped execution, and broad integrations. Best fit for SMBs prioritizing brand-aligned form UX. Trade-offs: pure survey depth below Alchemer/Qualtrics, AI feature velocity below Typeform, Lighter market share than Typeform, conditional logic depth below Alchemer, and Support response times vary.

Best for

SMBs (5-200 employees) prioritizing brand-aligned aesthetic form UX with predictable transparent pricing.

Worst for

Enterprise XM (Qualtrics better), conversational engagement (Typeform better), or buyers needing market research features.

Strengths

  • Document-style aesthetic design
  • Modern UX
  • Transparent pricing
  • Profitable bootstrapped execution
  • Broad integrations
  • Works for brand-aligned forms

Weaknesses

  • Survey depth below Alchemer
  • AI velocity below Typeform
  • Smaller installed base
  • Conditional logic below Alchemer
  • Support is hit-or-miss
  • Limited enterprise governance

Pricing tiers

public
  • Essentials
    Up to 1,000 submissions/month
    $24 /mo
  • Pro
    Up to 5,000 submissions/month
    $49 /mo
  • Business
    Up to 20,000 submissions/month
    $99 /mo
  • Agency
    For agencies + freelancers
    $199 /mo
Watch for
  • · Submission overages
  • · Per-feature add-ons (custom domains)
  • · Annual price increases of 5-8%

Key features

  • +Document-style form/survey design
  • +Custom branding
  • +Conditional logic
  • +Payments (Stripe)
  • +E-signature
  • +Templates
  • +90+ integrations
90+ integrations
StripeMailchimpSlackZapierSalesforceGoogle Sheets
Geography
Global; strongest in US, EU, AU

Frequently asked questions

The questions buyers actually ask before they sign.

Does CASL require opt-in for survey-invitation emails to Canadian respondents?
Yes for unsolicited invitations. CASL treats a survey-invitation email or SMS as a commercial electronic message if it is sent for the purpose of encouraging participation in commercial activity, which includes most market research, customer feedback, employee surveys and academic research with commercial sponsors. Either express opt-in or a documented implied-consent basis is required (existing business relationship within 24 months, existing non-business relationship within 24 months, or a clear exemption), plus an unsubscribe in every message. CASL fines reach $10M per violation. Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey, Typeform and Alchemer all support CASL consent capture; configure consent records explicitly before distributing to any Canadian list.
Which survey platforms support French content for Quebec Bill 96 compliance?
Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey, Typeform, Alchemer, QuestionPro, Microsoft Forms, Google Forms, Jotform and Formstack all ship French questionnaire UI and French distribution flows. Bill 96 requires French-language communications for any survey marketed in Quebec or distributed to Quebec employees above the workforce threshold. Validate the entire respondent journey (invitation email, landing page, survey UI, thank-you page, follow-up) supports French before signing for any Quebec workforce.
Can federal departments use Qualtrics or SurveyMonkey for internal employee surveys?
Conditionally. Both Qualtrics and SurveyMonkey are SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certified, and Qualtrics holds FedRAMP authorized status in the US, but Canadian federal use requires CCCS PROTECTED B alignment and SSC Cloud guidance compliance. In practice federal departments default to Microsoft Forms inside M365 Government Community Cloud or M365 Canada residency for routine internal surveys, and use Qualtrics or SurveyMonkey only after a documented Privacy Impact Assessment and Threat and Risk Assessment under ITSG-33.
Does Quebec Law 25 apply to survey responses from Quebec residents?
Yes. Quebec Law 25 applies to any personal data of Quebec residents regardless of where the data controller is located. Survey responses are personal data when they can identify an individual or are tied to an identifier. Obligations include a designated privacy officer, a privacy impact assessment before cross-border data transfers, granular consent for Quebec respondents, and mandatory CAI breach notification. Document the data flows in a privacy impact assessment before launching any survey distribution to Quebec audiences.
What is the difference between a survey platform and an experience management (XM) platform?
Survey platforms (Typeform, SurveyMonkey, Jotform, Alchemer) collect structured feedback through questionnaires. Experience management (XM) platforms (Qualtrics, Forsta) extend surveys with closed-loop workflows: after a customer NPS comes in low, automatically trigger a CS playbook; after employee EX scores drop, trigger an HR action. Survey platforms stop at data collection; XM platforms close the loop on action. For SMB+mid-market ad-hoc feedback, surveys are usually enough. For enterprise CX/EX programs at scale ($500M+ revenue), XM is the right buying journey.
How does the Qualtrics 2023 re-privatization affect customers?
Silver Lake + CPP took Qualtrics private at $12.5B in June 2023, after SAP held it through the 2021 IPO. Post-take-private patterns: layoffs (March 2024), executive turnover, and renewal pricing escalations of 15-30% above prior trend per buyer disclosures. Silver Lake portfolio companies (also: Endeavor, Skype, Avast) typically follow a 3-5 year hold pattern with aggressive optimization. For Qualtrics customers: negotiate price-cap renewal clauses (5-7% annual maximum), bring competitive quotes from Forsta/Alchemer, document all promises in writing. The product is still the deepest in XM, but the trust gap is real.
Why did SurveyMonkey rebrand to Momentive then back to SurveyMonkey?
SurveyMonkey rebranded to Momentive in June 2021 to broaden its positioning beyond surveys into market research and feedback. The Zendesk acquisition deal collapsed in February 2022. Symphony Technology Group took the company private at $1.5B in June 2023. The Momentive brand was reverted to SurveyMonkey in March 2024 to reconnect with the established brand equity. For customers, the churn signaled vendor instability, executive turnover was significant through 2022-2024. The product remains capable; the trust gap is from the rebrand-then-rebrand chaos plus PE ownership pressure pattern. Factor renewal pricing escalation expectations.
Which is the better default, Typeform or SurveyMonkey?
Choose Typeform when (1) survey completion rate matters (Typeform users report 3x higher completion); (2) brand-aligned aesthetic design is important; (3) you are a tech-forward team comfortable with modern subscription tools; (4) you want fast time-to-value. Choose SurveyMonkey when (1) you have an existing SurveyMonkey workflow; (2) you need broad SMB integration support and templates; (3) cost matters more than completion rate; (4) you accept the recent vendor stability volatility. For new buyers in 2026, Typeform is the default modern choice. For migration from existing SurveyMonkey, evaluate both, but document expected switching cost.
When are Google Forms or Microsoft Forms enough?
Google Forms or Microsoft Forms are sufficient when (1) you only need basic surveys (multiple choice, short answer, NPS); (2) you can rely on Google Sheets or Excel for response analysis; (3) Workspace/M365 governance meets your compliance bar; (4) survey completion rate is not critical (these have weaker UX than Typeform). They are NOT enough when (1) you need conditional logic depth; (2) brand-aligned design matters; (3) you need CRM/HR system integration beyond Workspace/M365; (4) you run NPS/CSAT/EX programs requiring closed-loop workflow. Many orgs use Workspace/M365 forms for internal polls and Typeform/Qualtrics for external/customer-facing surveys.
How do AI agents change survey software in 2026?
AI agents are changing surveys at three layers: (1) Question generation, Typeform AI, Qualtrics Edge AI, Jotform AI Agents auto-generate questionnaires from a goal description; (2) Open-end response analysis, Qualtrics Text iQ, Typeform AI summarize unstructured responses by theme with citation back to source quotes; (3) Closed-loop action, Qualtrics auto-routes negative feedback to CS playbooks. The implication: survey design is shifting from manual question-by-question to goal-stated-then-AI-generated. Vendors stuck on classic question banks without AI orchestration are losing share. The honest read: AI question generation is real but requires human review for question quality and bias. Full autonomy is 12-24 months out at scale.
How should I evaluate vendor stability for a multi-year survey contract?
Survey contracts often run 1-3 years with moderate switching cost (export response data, re-link to CRM). Before signing: (1) confirm current funding status and profitability; (2) check executive churn over past 24 months (Qualtrics post-2023, SurveyMonkey post-2023 PE both have material exec turnover); (3) review renewal pricing patterns from peer buyers; (4) for PE-backed vendors, examine sponsor exit pattern (Silver Lake, Hg, Symphony Technology Group all have escalation patterns); (5) negotiate price-cap renewal clauses (5-7% annual cap typical). Qualtrics post-Silver Lake, SurveyMonkey post-Symphony Tech, Formstack post-Hg, Bynder post-THL all have material events worth factoring.
Should I use a survey platform or a customer feedback widget?
Different tools, different jobs. Survey platforms (covered here) are for structured data collection, NPS, CSAT, employee engagement, market research. Customer feedback widgets (Sprig, Hotjar surveys, Userpilot, covered separately in our Top 10 Product Analytics ranking for Hotjar) are for in-product micro-feedback at the moment of friction. Most modern orgs run both: feedback widgets in-product for moment-of-friction signal; survey platforms for structured periodic measurement (quarterly NPS, annual EX). For pure customer feedback, use widgets. For structured measurement programs, use a survey platform.

Final word

Looking at a different market? See the global Survey Software ranking, or pick another country at the top of this page.

Last updated 2026-05-27. Local pricing reverified quarterly. Found something inaccurate? Tell us.