9 Best Qualtrics Alternatives in 2024 (including open source options)

If you’re in the market for customer feedback surveys, you’ve likely come across Qualtrics. While it’s one of the biggest names in the biz, it also comes with a substantial price tag, a sizable learning curve, and a tight grip on your company data.

To the dismay of the academic community, Qualtrics recently removed its Academic Plan which was widely used by universities due to its lower relative cost. The changes in licensing left these users a choice between substantially higher cost structures for the same features, or migrating to new tools. Seeing this situation unfold, we decided to dive in and do our research.

Luckily we uncovered a number of viable Qualtrics alternatives for organizations of all types and sizes – and we’ve spent a full day testing them out. Here are9 alternatives to Qualtrics, including open-source options, that could completely change the way you collect data.

Why Are Users Seeking Qualtrics Alternatives?

Before we dive straight into the options, have you considered why some users are choosing to migrate away from Qualtrics?

We’ve done our research, and some of the most commonly cited reasons include:

The price tag: Changes in license structure and expensive quote-based pricing. Steep learning curve: An interface that can feel overwhelming and non-intuitive for many users, particularly non-researchers. Overall, the tool feels dated and bloated. Limited customization: The lack of native survey embedding features and other missing customization options. In-app XM is hard to do on Qualtrics. Data privacy concerns: Survey data is stored on Qualtrics servers, unideal for companies with stringent data security requirements. These factors have left businesses searching for other options that allow them more freedom and control. That’s why we dove into the alternatives, and took our time to understand what each solution offers its users.

During our analysis, we kept a special eye out for:

• ✅ Self-hosting ability and open-source options
• ✅ Overall user-friendliness and design
• ✅ Range of templates, survey types and questions
• ✅ Analytics and reporting features
• ✅ What’s offered on the free plans

Summary of Best Qualtrics Alternatives

• Formbricks as up-and-coming open source alternative to keep an eye on
• Delighted for quick, simple deployment
• AskNicely for service-oriented teams
• GetFeedback for Salesforce Users
• LimeSurvey for a great selection of question types and complex survey design
• GuidedTrack for academic research
• Checkbox for intuitive survey creation
• SurveySparrow for chatbot-like surveys
• SurveyMonkey for straightforward surveys

Top 9 Qualtrics Alternatives in 2024

1. Formbricks - Developer-first, AI-native and Open Source

Formbricks is the closest solution on our list to a true Qualtrics alternative: a comprehensive experience management suite that’s focused on privacy, allowing businesses to collect and analyze data from surveys of all different types.

Key considerations:

• 👍 Various survey types (link surveys, pop-up surveys, in-app micro-surveys)
• 👍 Open API allowing for extensive customization
• 👍 Fully GDPR and CCPA compliant, easily self-hostable with Docker
• 👍 A dedicated team and community ready and willing to develop new features
• 👍 Ability to survey specific users in-app for targeted insights
• 👍 Fully open-source with open API to develop custom integrations
• 👍 AI-native from the ground up. Future-proof solution, no matter what’s coming.
• ⚠️ Can’t match Qualtrics’ feature depth and width yet

Formbricks Pricing: Freemium model with generous free plans that allow for self-hosting. Paid plans starting at 59€/month on the cloud and €99/month self-hosted. Formbricks does not charge on a per-user basis to give all team members in large organizations the chance to capture and analyze user insights first hand.

2. Delighted - Optimized for Simplicity and Quick Deployment

Delighted is owned by Qualtrics, and positions itself as a simpler, faster-to-deploy solution for those not requiring the full suite of features. It does a decent job of covering the basics of experience management, though may not be optimal for organizations who need more complex analytical abilities or customization options. Overall, it’s highly intuitive and has an onboarding flow that’s to-the-point.

Key considerations:

• 👍 Optimized for quick deployment and ease of use
• 👍 Can use across multiple channels (SMS, web, link, email)
• 👍 Has well-designed templates for NPS, eNPS, CSAT, CES, PMF and more
• 👍 Supports multi-language surveys and has more than 45 integrations
• 👍 Allows for immediate access to customer feedback through real-time insights
• ⚠️ It lacks the depth of analysis that a fully fledged experience management suite offers
• ⚠️ Though it offers good basic templates, users are limited in terms of customization options

Delighted Pricing: Freemium model with free plan allowing for 25 responses per month and 1 user. Paid plans start from $19/month but have low response limits compared to competitors. Many users will require the Premium plan ($249/month) or Custom plan which requires a sales call.

3. AskNicely - For Service-Oriented Teams

AskNicely is a solution that caters to frontline businesses prioritizing quick response times to customer feedback. While not an XM suite that offers the full spectrum of features that Qualtrics does, it does cover the basic aspects of experience management – including customer feedback, employee performance, net promoter scores, and real-time action.

Key considerations:

• 👍 Great at relaying real-time feedback to customer-facing staff
• 👍 Offers a well-developed mobile app
• 👍 Highly touted to help boost team morale and performance
• 👍 Does a good job of driving accountability for team members
• ⚠️ No transparency in pricing
• ⚠️ More of a specialized frontline tool than a full experience management suite
• ⚠️ May have limited applicability for many business types not focused on NPS

AskNicely Pricing: Custom pricing model. Teams are required to get in touch to receive a quote for their exact requirements and business size.

4. GetFeedback - Deep Salesforce Integration

GetFeedback is a CX solution owned by SurveyMonkey that focuses on integrating feedback solutions and data into the apps, tools and processes that your business is already using on a daily basis. It’s highly focused on mobile, and offers a number of integrations (although many companies use it for the Salesforce integration). It’s important to note that SurveyMonkey has been making a push for power users to switch over to the SurveyMonkey Enterprise solution, and it’s unclear if this is the start of a move to phase out GetFeedback.

Key considerations:

• 👍 Surveys are highly mobile-responsive and look great across devices
• 👍 Allows users to send customer feedback directly to the Salesforce record
• 👍 Ability to distribute surveys via email, website widgets or trigger within Salesforce
• 👍 Can trigger alerts or flows in real-time based on feedback given
• ⚠️ Pricing can be on the higher side compared to other solutions
• ⚠️ Can have a steep learning curve (especially for non-Salesforce users or those wanting to unlock the benefits of advanced features)

GetFeedback Pricing: Custom pricing model. Users must reach out to sales and go through a demo to receive a quote for their needs. Note: many users are being pushed to SurveyMonkey Enterprise, where the company is now focusing their CX development efforts.

5. LimeSurvey - Mature, Feature-Rich Survey Tool

LimeSurvey is a long-standing, open-source survey tool that comes with an active community of enthusiasts and numerous features and resources that allow for data collection at large scales. It’s not an experience management suite per se but many companies use it as such due to the permissive license which makes self-hosting free. Very popular amongst universities.

Key considerations:

• 👍 Comprehensive library of question types and templates
• 👍 Advanced options in terms of survey logic, conditions and branching
• 👍 Robust data analysis and reporting tools
• 👍 Support for more than 80 languages
• 👍 Open source with self-hosting option
• ⚠️ Very steep learning curve especially for non-techies and non-researchers

LimeSurvey Pricing: Freemium model allowing for self-hosting on the free plan. Paid plans with advanced features starting at 27€/month.

6. GuidedTrack - Academic Research and App Development Tool

GuidedTrack is a slightly lesser-known but adaptable platform for survey creation, training and app development geared largely towards academic researchers.

Key considerations:

• 👍 Allows for the creation of complex, branching surveys
• 👍 Can add different types of multimedia
• 👍 The ability to randomize and counterbalance out-of-the-box
• 👍 Multiple ways to collect and export data
• ⚠️ Steep learning curve for non-developers
• ⚠️ No ability to self-host

GuidedTrack Pricing: Freemium model. Free plan allows for 100 active participants per month, while paid plans (starting from $29/month) unlock additional users and features.

7. Checkbox - Intuitive, Modern Interface With Self-Hosting Option

Checkbox gives users a balance of user-friendliness and customization options, catering to both technical and non-technical users.

Key considerations:

• 👍 Intuitive drag-and-drop survey builder
• 👍 Wide range of question types and templates
• 👍 Conditional logic and branching capabilities
• 👍 Self-hosting option, but not open source
• ⚠️ Doesn’t allow for survey targeting and segmentation
• ⚠️ Lacks the feature set of other tools
• ⚠️ On-premise hosting is highly expensive compared to alternatives

Checkbox Pricing: Cloud-based paid plans start at $800/year for 1 user (with a 30-day free trial available). Self-hosted pricing is based on requirements and requires a sales call.

8. SurveySparrow - Conversational Survey Platform

SurveySparrow focuses on creating engaging, conversational surveys designed to increase response rates and gather new types of insights.

Key considerations:

• 👍 Intuitive survey interface
• 👍 Chatbot-like survey options
• 👍 Advanced reporting and analytics with custom dashboards
• 👍 A large number of integrations available
• ⚠️ Lacks some advanced features that enterprise-focused solutions offer
• ⚠️ No monthly billing options

SurveySparrow Pricing: Paid plans start at $39/month for 600 quarterly responses and basic features. No free option but a 14-trial available for your choice of plan.

9. SurveyMonkey - No-Nonsense Survey Tool

A well-known name in the survey and Experience Management world. SurveyMonkey is a straightforward solution offering a simple, user-friendly interface and a wide range of templates ready to use out-of-the-box.

Key considerations:

• 👍 User-friendly survey builder
• 👍 Large collection of survey templates
• 👍 Basic data analysis and reporting
• 👍 Integrations with popular tools
• 👍 AI-powered features including sentiment analysis
• ⚠️ Annual billing and user minimums on team plans
• ⚠️ Limitations of features on lower-tier plans
• ⚠️ Cloud-based storage of your data

SurveyMonkey Pricing: Freemium model. Free plan has limited features and paid plans starting at $99/month (billed annually) for individuals; advanced features and collaboration available only on Team and Enterprise plans and are charged on a per-user basis.

Why Choose an Open-Source Alternative to Qualtrics?

As you can see, there are a number of other options for users looking to switch away from Qualtrics – but only a select few are open source solutions.

One of the biggest upsides to choosing a self-hosted, open-source tool is that you take charge of your own data.

Not only that, but:

• ✅ You remove the risk of third-party cloud data storage
• ✅ You unlock the freedom to play by your own rules (both in terms of storage and customization)
• ✅ You’ll save money each month

You’re making the switch anyway, so it’s a good time to evaluate whether it might make sense to go this route for the long-term benefits.

Selecting the Perfect Qualtrics Alternative For Your Business

Many of the Qualtrics alternatives in our list have free trials available, so take full advantage.

Consider the following when weighing your options:

Your team’s development resources and technical know-how Features and integrations Complexity of survey requirements Data privacy needs Budget and recurring expenses

Narrow down your list, then give each a test run to see which platform best meets your needs.

Your Turn to Decide

Qualtrics might be a big name in the customer feedback and survey world, but as you can see it’s far from your only option. From open-source alternatives like Formbricks to simple solutions like SurveySparrow, there's a solution out there for every need (and budget).

So, is Qualtrics really worth the big investment? That’s something only you can decide. But with all these powerful alternatives out there, you don't have to settle for Qualtrics if it’s not meeting your needs.