The Best Alternatives to PollFish: Top Online Survey Providers

white bar charts on red background

When it comes to online survey providers, you’re never short of options. So, if you’re on the hunt for alternatives to PollFish, you’re in luck.

From full-service online survey companies to DIY market research tools there is something for everyone. 

Depending on why you might be considering alternatives to PollFish, the following options might be useful. Here's our list of the top 11 best PollFish competitors, with the full analysis & breakdown of each below.

Top 11 best PollFishcompetitors & alternatives

  1. Drive Research
  2. SurveyMonkey
  3. Google Forms
  4. Microsoft Forms
  5. SurveySparrow
  6. Alchemer
  7. QuestionPro
  8. Formstack
  9. AskNicely
  10. Qualaroo
  11. Mailchimp

Alternatives to PollFish

1. Drive Research - Full Service Market Research

Self-managed surveys can provide insight, but the simple truth is that no company will give you the same insight as a professional, full-service market research firm.

Drive Research is a national market research company that conducts professional, comprehensive, data-driven market research into your product or surface.

They don't only rely on self-selected internet surveys to get you the information you need.

Instead, they design, program, execute and analyze survey data by using the latest tools and research.

Features:

The above is a broad overview of the services managed by Drive Research. For more information on what we can offer - and on our pricing - you can contact us here.

George Kuhn, Owner and President of Drive Research

George Kuhn, Owner and President of Drive Research


2. SurveyMonkey

If you are familiar with the world of self-managed surveys, you've almost certainly heard of SurveyMonkey.

As one of the longest-established survey companies on the internet, SurveyMonkey comes with a slew of benefits.

This includes robust free, self-managed capabilities, highly flexible survey options, and customizable analytics. The program is used by some of the largest businesses on the planet and has established itself as a leader in this field.

It is a great alternative to Qualtrics or other expensive DIY survey tools.

Features: 

  • Integrations with various Microsoft and Google products.
  • Dozens of templates that you can customize to fit your needs.
  • The ability to send surveys in numerous ways, including on your website, via email, over Messenger, and more. 
  • Various training platforms and webinars can enable users to get the most out of the program.

Pricing:

  • SurveyMonkey offers limited free capabilities and allows you to send a small number of free surveys.
  • Basic plans start at $39 a month and come with unlimited options and the ability to collect up to 15,000 responses every year.
  • You can also purchase licenses for multiple employees, starting at $25 per user, per business. This allows for additional survey and response collections.
  • The company also offers a customizable enterprise-level solution. 

3. Google Forms

Google Forms are among the better-known DIY solutions for conducting your own market research.

They are highly customizable and offer a series of options for collecting data. 

The biggest advantage to Google Forms is that is free to use. Making it a top alternative to PollFish and SurveyMonkey

Read Top SurveyMonkey Alternatives for more options.

Features:

  • Extremely simple management and the ability to create various question types, including open-ended, multiple choice, and more.
  • Analytics that can give you insightful data based on the respondents of your survey. This includes graphs, sortable data, comparisons with past surveys, and more. 
  • Data that is accessible via computer or a mobile device. 
  • Integration with the entire Google software platform.

Pricing:

  • Google Forms is free to use, and there is no paid or free version. All you need is a Google account. 

example google forms survey

Source: NuLab Community


4. Microsoft Forms

Microsoft Forms are a Microsoft-managed product that comes with many different Microsoft accounts.

As part of the Microsoft 365 suite, the program can be used to execute numerous survey campaigns.

Features:

  • An easy-to-use and highly intuitive programming suite that can enable you to create forms or quizzes.
  • Highly customizable options that can customize the types of questions asked. You can also manage various other options, such as setting a start date and end date or shuffling the order of questions.
  • A sharp analytics database that can give you insightful and actionable data. That information can be exported to a Microsoft program for advanced analytics or presentation. 
  • Integration with the Microsoft program suite. This makes it easy to create and send a form in any Microsoft product, including Word, Excel, Outlook, and more.

Pricing:

  • Microsoft Forms comes with the Microsoft 365 program suite.
  • As such, it comes with a personal or business Microsoft account. 

5. SurveySparrow

SurveySparrow is an all-in-one alternative to Pollfish that pushes organizations to use more than just surveys for their market research needs. Surveys, Omnichannel, Automation, Case Management, and Business Intelligence are all available to improve the respondent experience. 

Features:

  • Conversational surveys that utilize mobile messaging, which has found 40% higher response rates.
  • Audience management compatibility including importing contact lists and creating audience lists.

Pricing:

  • Users can try SurveySparrow for free but are limited to 100 responses and shares per month.
  • The most popular business plans start at $99 per month and are ideal for small teams.
  • The Enterprise plan comes in at $499 monthly and allows 50,000 responses per month and 150,000 shares. 

engaging-conversational-surveys-by-surveysparrow

Image Source: Survey Sparrow


6. Alchemer 

Alchemer, formerly SurveyGizmo, is Drive Research’s trusted alternative to Pollfish.

Alchemer takes a step beyond other survey platforms for advanced research options without over-complicating survey design, programming and analysis. 

Features:

  • An industry leader in question types for surveys, giving users unique insights into their markets.
  • Integration with email, SMS, and audiovisual tools to effectively communicate with audiences.

Pricing:

  • The most popular plan, the Professional tier, costs $165 per user each month and is ideal for teams of one to three members conducting market research. 

7. QuestionPro

QuestionPro is designed to support beginners to advanced market researchers, consolidating all survey tools on one platform.

Users can build anything from basic surveys to customer experience and employee engagement surveys. 

Features:

  • Design professional surveys with personalized branding, multiple question types and logic with simple software and access to 24/7 support. 
  • Advanced research capabilities with the QuestionPro Research Suite, Customer Experience and Workforce software.  
  • Organizations can research with confidence because of enhanced security, real-time analytics and reports, and easy collaboration between teams.  

Pricing:

  • QuestionPro offers free surveys with options to customize, access statistics, with limits of the number of questions and survey responses.
  • The next tier is priced at $99 monthly with unlimited surveys, advanced analytics and 24/7 phone support.
  • There is also a Team plan which supports over five users, additional integrations and access to the QuestionPro mobile app. 

questionpro dashboard

Image Source: QuestionPro


8. Formstack

Formstack is a survey software trusted by over 25,000 businesses to make workflow more efficient. Formstack Forms is an online form builder, and the organization also offers Documents and Sign to reduce paperwork and streamline business processes. 

Features:

  • Drag-and-drop features are used to build forms in a user-friendly format, with no coding required.
  • Formstack has templates to jumpstart the building process including: applications, feedback forms, lead generation, and surveys. 
  • There are over 100 integration options to popular websites and mobile apps to automate data collection. 

Pricing:

  • The starter plan to use Formstack Forms is $50 per month which allows form building and basic data collection.
  • The next plan is Platform Teams which includes Forms, Documents and eSign software for $225 per month.
  • Organizations may choose the Enterprise plan with custom pricing based on their research goals. 

9. AskNicely

AskNicely has programs specially catered toward service businesses to improve the customer experience and employee performance.

The software is designed to receive actionable feedback from customers and use it to improve each location and build brand loyalty. 

Features:

  • Create customer satisfaction surveys and view responses in real-time via email, SMS, or online.  Rule-based automations can be utilized to send immediate responses aimed at both positive and negative survey respondents. 
  • AskNicely builds stronger teams as employee information is centralized on the software. Managers can send messages to employees about what they are doing well,  their tasks for the day, and why it is important. There are daily check-ins to ensure employee satisfaction and collect feedback.
  • AskNicely produces a daily customer feedback system that visualizes how each location is performing and identifies trends that managers should respond to. 

Pricing:

  • AskNicely has packages with their customer feedback survey systems and employee resources.
  • Before purchasing a package, researchers are urged to use the demo and a customized business plan will be created by AskNicely experts. 

asknicely dashboard

Image Source: AskNicely LinkedIn Page


10. Qualaroo  

Qualaroo offers simple solutions to many business problems and objectives. Surveys are highly customizable and targeted to get the most out of the insights. 

Features:

  • Qualaroo surveys can be programmed following four guided steps on the website. 
  • Nudge placement is unique to Qualaroo and reminds users to take surveys and provide feedback. 

Pricing:

  • Organizations may try Qualaroo in a 15-day free trial before purchasing one of the plans, which all include nudging, reports and analytics, and multilingual surveys.
  • The Essentials plan starts at $69 per month and accesses unlimited responses and targeting.
  • The Business plan gives organizations a dedicated success manager, sentiment analysis and unlimited Domains. 

11. Mailchimp

Mailchimp is a leading marketing automation software, perhaps most known for its email marketing services.

It is a viable alternative to PollFish and other survey platforms, especially if an organization already uses, or is interested in Mailchimp’s other services. 

Features:

  • Mailchimp users can build and send out a survey in under 5 minutes. Mailchimp has free and unlimited surveys that organizations can capitalize on. 
  • Use surveys to build contact lists of new or existing customers. The email collector surveys can add a number of potential survey respondents to your Mailchimp profile. 
  • Automated survey options to send out surveys when certain conditions are met. For example, sending a survey via email to a customer after they purchase a product. 

Pricing:

  • There are numerous pricing options for Mailchimp to combine email marketing services and survey programming.
  • The Standard Plan is recommended by Mailchimp for organizations with marketing experience.
  • For $20 a month, users have access to email templates, audience personalization, integration with outside marketing software and access to data analytics from surveys. 

Difference in Full Service Market Research As An Alternative

Right now, you’re probably narrowing your decision of an online survey provider on DIY tools and platforms. Consider a full-service firm instead. 

A team that can provide you with a range of survey findings, one that can handle research survey design, the analysis of appropriate analytics, and program execution. 

This is not a minor service, and it often requires real expertise and insight to properly execute.

Remember, the success or failure of your new business or product may rise or fall based on your market research.

The simple truth is that there are many alternatives to PollFish, each with a variety of positives and negatives. With a simple Google search, you’ll see hundreds of options.

But, maybe you’re better off hiring a full-service market research firm that offers more robust and comprehensive areas than a self-managed survey.

An online survey company that also provides deep analytics that goes beyond surveys you manage on your own. 

If that’s the case, we recommend using Drive Research (and yes we're 100% biased).

Recommended Reading: Is In-House or Outsourced Market Research Better?


Contact Our Online Survey Company

There is no question that PollFish is a leading company for online surveys. But for many reasons, your business may be looking for more. Drive Research is a great PollFish alternative.

Our online survey company provides businesses with end-to-end project management.

From survey design, survey programming, fieldwork, data cleaning, and reporting. All bases of your market research are covered by the industry’s leading experts.

To learn more about our services, contact us today.

  1. Message us on our website
  2. Email us at [email protected]
  3. Call us at 888-725-DATA
  4. Text us at 315-303-2040

emily carroll about the author

Emily Rodgers

A SUNY Cortland graduate, Emily has taken her passion for social and content marketing to Drive Research as the Marketing Manager. She has earned certificates for both Google Analytics and Google AdWords.

Learn more about Emily, here.


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