GDPR Compliant Survey Tools: Stay Compliant with Self-Hosted Options

Studies show that customer-centric companies not only grow significantly faster but are 60% more profitable. However, GDPR and other privacy regulations have made it harder to collect and utilize customer feedback. With these challenges in mind, we’ve set out to identify the tools that make it easiest to comply with regulations while still gathering valuable insights from customers.

Struggling to find a balance between collecting useful survey data and staying in line with GDPR compliance? Good news: GDPR and surveys can play nicely together. Some survey tools just make it a lot easier to comply than others.

In this guide, we'll go over GDPR compliant survey tools that tick all the boxes you need to keep your business practices in line with regulations.

Top GDPR Compliant Survey Tools at a Glance

• Formbricks for an open-source survey solution with a self-hosting option
• SurveySparrow for conversational and video surveys
• TypeForm for aesthetic templates
• Zoho Survey for Zoho app users
• Jotform for its wide variety of forms beyond surveys
• Survicate for out-of-the-box integrations
• Startquestion for academic researchers

How We Created Our List of GDPR Survey Tools

With many of our users being based in Europe, we’ve witnessed all the changes play out firsthand. Yes, the GDPR compliance struggle is real, but luckily there are solutions. As a rapidly developing European company focused on data collection, we at Formbricks help companies understand their customers while being smoothly compliant.

We’re constantly evaluating XM software and survey tool offerings on the market, trying to get a feel for the features that companies prioritize and how other tools handle GDPR compliance.

When making comparisons, we took into consideration:

• ✅ GDPR compliance (and other security certifications)
• ✅ Data storage options
• ✅ Overall ease of use
• ✅ Effectiveness in collecting useful data
• ✅ Plan costs and what’s offered on free plans

Other privacy-focused businesses could benefit from our research, and that’s why we’ve summarized our findings in this article.

We’ve narrowed our focus in the commentary to features that are most relevant to users and businesses interested in GDPR compliance.

How GDPR Ties in to Surveys

Before we dive into the tools, let's make sure we’re on the same page about GDPR.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is an EU data privacy law that restricts how businesses handle people’s personal data. It’s of particular interest to companies that use surveys, since names, emails and other personal identifiable information (PII) like demographics are often collected via forms and survey tools. The GDPR laws were put in place to ensure this sensitive data doesn’t get compromised, and that respondents have access and control over their data.

Here’s a TLDR for survey users:

• The GDPR laws apply to you if your business is located in the EU or you’re processing data of individuals from the EU.
• It’s on you to ensure that you’re creating a GDPR compliant survey (even when using a GDPR-compliant tool).
• To do that, you’ll need to:
  • Get user consent to collect and process personal data
  • Inform respondents how the data is used and all of their rights
  • Have a plan in place to promptly handle requests for data access, changes or deletion (the right survey provider can help with that)
  • Make sure the data is stored in a secure manner (which is where GDPR-compliant survey platforms come in)

Read more about how to put this into practice with our GDPR compliant survey checklist.

When we speak about GDPR compliance and survey tools, most compliant solutions will have built-in features or capabilities that help meet the required standards. For example, the ability to port and delete data, or quick and easy processes that allow subjects to utilize their right to access data. However, be sure to familiarize yourself with your chosen survey tool and how they handle different aspects of compliance.

Now that you've got the basics down, let's explore some survey tools that can help make GDPR compliance simpler.

Formbricks is the only tool in the list that allows for self-hosting. This option simplifies GDPR compliance because data never leaves your organization. Self-hosting gives more direct control over data security as well.

Top 7 GDPR Survey Tools With Full Compliance

Let’s take a look at 7 survey tools that offer strong compliance with GDPR requirements without compromising on functionality.

1. Formbricks - Versatile Open-Source Survey Solution

Formbricks pros:

• 👍 Self-hosting allows for full control over data (available on free plan without a credit card)
• 👍 Modern, visually pleasing surveys with a highly user-friendly interface
• 👍 Unparalleled customization options as the only open source solution on the list

Formbricks cons:

• ⚠️ You’re limited to one question to per page, similar to Typeform (Note: The community has requested the ability to add multiple questions per page and this feature has been added to the backlog)

Formbricks is super easy to set up, and it's obvious for users from the onboarding sequence that it provides a superior interface and user experience compared to competitors. Without any previous knowledge or experience, you can create modern-looking surveys from scratch or via a number of preset templates. Users especially tend to appreciate the ability to collect highly targeted feedback via the in-app microsurvey feature.

More advanced users will appreciate the open API, which makes it much simpler to integrate survey collection into existing tools and workflows. Its open source nature along with self-hosting options are what makes Formbricks truly stand out as a survey provider that prioritizes freedom when it comes to development and data privacy.

In terms of GDPR regulations, Formbricks makes it easy for users to stay compliant by adding consent boxes to forms with the click of a button. This is built right into the survey creation process, where it’s not so intuitive or non-existent with other solutions.

You can rest assured that Formbricks is a privacy-first company.

The fact that Formbricks GmbH is a German legal entity makes GDPR compliance a lot easier than working with a US or UK corporation, since the invalidation of the EU-US Privacy Shield has led to legal uncertainty regarding transfers of data to US-based companies.

Formbricks Pricing: Free forever (including self-hosting capabilities), with paid plans starting from 49€/month with generous response limits

Open source: Yes

Read Formbricks’ GDPR compliance statement and learn about how they offer a Data Processing Agreement (DPA) to ensure the compliant processing of data.

2. SurveySparrow - Conversational and Video Surveys

SurveySparrow pros:

• 👍 Unique survey functionality including chatbot surveys (which they claim help to increase response rates by up to 40%) and video surveys
• 👍 Automated insights that highlight weaknesses to act on immediately

SurveySparrow cons:

• ⚠️ Less optionality when it comes to billing – only quarterly or annual billing options
• ⚠️ Data stored by default in US, need to make special request to have data stored in EU

SurveySparrow stands out in terms of the unique survey options it offers, including video and conversation surveys which may help increase completion rates and engagement levels of users. Overall, the survey builder is user-friendly and makes it easy to build surveys using a wide range of templates then share them across various channels. You can click one button and share via QR code, SMS, Slack, Facebook, X, and many others – or embed it into emails or inline, as a pop-up or in a side panel on a website. We also liked how there were many options in terms of configuration that not all tools offer, such as the ability to add cut-off dates, permit randomization or allow for partial responses.

In terms of GDPR compliance, it was fairly straightforward to add a consent box to the survey and customize the text, but we found it non-intuitive that it needed to be added with a question (as opposed to just a step in the survey). Some advanced compliance settings might require legal advice, however.

SurveySparrow Pricing: Free forever plan allows for 50 responses per month, paid plans are billed quarterly or annually and start at $39/month for individuals or $149/month for businesses

Open source: No

3. Typeform - Aesthetic Template Options

TypeForm pros:

• 👍 Intuitive and eye-catching surveys that feel conversational
• 👍 Exceptional in terms of mobile responsiveness

TypeForm cons:

• ⚠️ More expensive than some competitor tools when compared side-by-side in terms of features, users, and limits
• ⚠️ Requires users to entrust their data to third-party hosting providers

Maybe the most easily identifiable survey creation tool on our list thanks to its trademark survey look and feel, TypeForm makes it easy to create aesthetic surveys and stay GDPR compliant with your data collection. You can add and customize consent fields to get explicit permission from survey respondents easily.

When creating a survey using TypeForm, advanced users especially will appreciate the Logic Jump features which can personalize a user’s survey path based on their inputs or even hidden fields. But at the same time, users who require the ability to take things a step further and add advanced survey logic or customize the survey flow or interface will find themselves quite limited. In the end, whether or not TypeForm is a good fit comes down to what you’re optimizing for (and whether you can justify the price tag).

Want to compare TypeForm and Formbricks? We've preapred this comparison between Formbricks and Typeform for you..

TypeForm Pricing: Free plan highly limited in terms of responses (10 per month) while paid plans start at $29/month for 100 responses.

Open source: No

4. Zoho Survey - Seamless Integration With Other Zoho Suite Apps

Zoho Survey pros:

• 👍 Integrates easily with a range of other tools in the Zoho suite of products
• 👍 Allows the ability to conduct surveys offline (making it ideal for field researchers)

Zoho Survey cons:

• ⚠️ Lacks the design appeal of some of the other tools on the list
• ⚠️ Doesn’t offer many standout features for non-Zoho app users

The main advantage of Zoho Survey is its ability to integrate seamlessly with other tools from Zoho – including live chat, CRM, webinars and more. This makes it ideal for users who are already part of the Zoho ecosystem, but perhaps not so much for others. Still, Zoho does offer a number of great solutions that help users with experience management and other aspects of running their businesses and marketing, so it might be worth exploring possible integrations.

The Zoho Survey builder itself was intuitive and user-friendly, though the resulting survey outputs we found to be pretty lackluster. We were impressed, however, by the tool’s ability to allow users to conduct offline surveys and the comprehensive reporting features. For the cheap price point, Zoho seems to offer good value for users that don’t require all the bells and whistles but value integration with the company’s other tools.

Zoho Survey Pricing: Free plan with a 100 response limit, with paid plans starting at just $9/month

5. Jotform - Wide Variety of Forms Beyond Surveys

Jotform pros:

• 👍 Simple drag-and-drop builder with comprehensive form types beyond surveys
• 👍 Offers ability to collaborate on data management through integrated Jotform Tables

Jotform cons:

• ⚠️ To make full use of GDPR features, specialized configuration is required
• ⚠️ Users may find it lacks the feature set of dedicated survey platforms

Jotform is extremely user-friendly from the moment you sign up, where you’re offered the choice to select which type of form you’d like to create. It’s obvious from the vast number of templates and integrations that it’s much more than just a survey solution. There are literally thousands of templates for various types of forms – everything from e-signature docs to specialized order forms for different types of businesses to voting and RSVP forms. You build your surveys with an easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface then deploy them with a simple click. But while it does offer extensive coverage in terms of potential use cases, it seems to lack some of the advanced features that other dedicated survey tools offer (including randomization and logic branching).

GDPR-wise, the tool has processes in place for automated data removal and the ability to customize consent agreements. It’s important to note that if you want your data to be stored in the EU, it needs to be indicated in the settings.

The Jotform Tables feature is highly unique, which allows you to take the data you collected and visually collaborate with team members to analyze, organize and manage the data in a number of different ways.

Open source: No

6. Survicate - Out-of-the-box Integration Options

Survicate pros:

• 👍 Allows for targeting of web surveys based on user actions
• 👍 Has a high number of integrations compared to other solutions

Survicate cons:

• ⚠️ More expensive than comparable solutions with lower response limits
• ⚠️ Lacks the option to self-host

Survicate is a survey tool that’s been around for more than a decade, and has a number of integrations built in to show for it. In the Connect tab, you can easily integrate your surveys with a number of popular tools like Intercom, Salesforce and Zendesk. These integrations not only unlock the ability to send data from surveys to these tools and vice versa, but also to identify respondents by matching data previously collected via the integrated solution.

GDPR features include the ability to customize consent forms and options for anonymizing data.

Overall, the tool has a clean interface that’s easy to use plus some solid analytics and reporting features. But we couldn’t help but feel like it didn’t offer any standout features or characteristics beyond its integrations that set it apart from other tools (especially at its price point).

Survicate Pricing: Limited free plan allowing for just 25 responses per month; paid plans start at 99€/month for 500 responses.

Open source: No

7. Startquestion - Features for Academic Researchers

Startquestion pros:

• 👍 Offers a variety of question types (including unique ones that other tools don’t offer)
• 👍 Advanced reporting and analysis features like cross tables, trends, and rankings

Startquestion cons:

• ⚠️ Missing advanced features in terms of reporting and survey logic
• ⚠️ Lacks some security certifications that offer tools offer; no CCPA compliance

Startquestion is a robust tool for survey creation that offers a number of unique features that may be attractive to researchers, specifically in academic settings. For example, it allows survey creators to set quotas that cap respondents in different categories (eg., 500 men and 500 women) and analyze relationships between respondent types. It also has settings that can limit the time respondents spend on survey responses or the dates for response collection.

It actually surprised us with its templates, which were more aesthetic than a lot of the other solutions on this list (save for a select few).

Some users will appreciate the unique questions types, like drag and drop responses, points allocation, and sliders (though do note that access to these options require a premium plan).

On the GDPR front, Startquestion offers functionality like consent management, data anonymization and granular access controls. But American users specifically should note that the platform lacks CCPA compliance as well as some of the other security certifications that the other tools on our list have.

Overall, the platform’s biggest strength may be its data analysis features, accessible in the Results tab. You’re able to create custom dashboards and cross tables, analyzing data easily without detailed technical or statistics knowledge.

StartQuestion Pricing: Free plan allows for 25 responses per month, while paid plans start at $19/month for beginners (100 responses) and $69/month for businesses (750 responses)

Open source: No

Common Mistakes When Making GDPR-Compliant Surveys

We cover some common questions in our FAQ page about GDPR.

But as an overview, let’s cover some of the most common pitfalls for survey creators.

1. Assuming automatic compliance

   Just because you are using GDPR-compliant survey tools doesn’t mean your survey is automatically compliant.

   In brief, these tools listed are survey service providers and not the owners of the responses. As a survey creator using any of the tools listed, you’re in control of the respondent’s data and are responsible for ensuring GDPR compliance.

   This means you are responsible for ensuring each survey meets the requirements.

2. Vague consent collection

   You’ll need to collect consent from each survey participant to stay compliant, but you can’t assume consent by using pre-ticket checkboxes or use vague and confusing language.

   Be specific in your request, and make it explicit. The wording you use should be clear and easy to understand, with a separate consent request for the each intended usage of the respondent’s data (eg., for opting in to receive regular email updates, for storage of responses, etc).

   This is usually accomplished by adding a separate checkbox for each request that the user must agree to by ticking off.

3. Lacking a plan for handling data

   The right of access and right to erasure should be key considerations for businesses conducting surveys. Part of the GDPR regulations is the requirement that businesses adhere to a respondent’s request to have access to their data or for it to be removed swiftly. It’s important to have a plan in place for responding to these requests, with clear internal processes.

   In most cases, the customer support of your chosen GDPR survey tool should be able to help with this. But it’s important to research and implement such processes on day one.

4. Insecure data storage

   When collecting data, you need to ensure it’s stored on secure servers and only transferred if encrypted. Only use GDPR-certified hosting solutions (or better yet, self-host your surveys) and have a protocol in place for secure end-to-end encryption when transferring data.

   You can simplify your adherence by selecting the right survey tool that prioritizes GDPR compliance. But remember, it’s on you as the data collector to ensure your surveys are compliant, and you should seek legal advice to learn how the GDPR laws apply to your unique business practices.

Selecting the Right Survey Software for GDPR Compliance

You’ll need to carefully consider all of your needs when making a decision on which survey tool to use, especially when GDPR compliance factors in.

Be sure to evaluate:

• Your team’s technical know-how: Some tools are designed to be more user-friendly, while others require a lot of technical knowledge – especially for advanced options or integrations. Are your needs more basic or advanced?
• How complex your survey needs are: How complex are the surveys you plan on running? What type of data and analytics do you require? If you require advanced logic, then you can rule out some of the tools on the list right away.
• The importance of data privacy: Dig deep into each tool’s compliance and data storage policies. Get legal advice if necessary, or consider self-hosting with Formbricks for complete data ownership and to avoid the need for compliance reviews.
• What your budget is: For a fair comparison, crunch the numbers for each tool that fits your criteria based on your expected needs and number of responses. Compare this with the costs of self-hosting.
• What integrations are needed: How will you integrate your chosen survey tool into your current workflow? Do any of the GDPR compliant survey tools integrate seamlessly with your needs, can you use Zapier, or will you require custom development?

If you’re unsure which tool to choose, do what we did and test them by taking advantage of the free trials. Reading reviews can be helpful for shortlisting tools, but oftentimes some hands-on experience makes the final decision obvious.

And be sure to consider an open-source, self-hosted solution like Formbricks for the data ownership, customization and compliance benefits.

Staying Compliant With Surveys

There are a number of options out there when it comes to GDPR survey tools, but they’re not all built the same. Do your due diligence, select a solution that matches your criteria, and create robust processes for the handling of data. The right tool can help you do some of the heavy lifting, but it’s still on you to ensure you stay compliant.