Alchemer vs Qualtrics (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Alchemer if

• Fits if you're a researcher who needs conjoint, card sort or heatmap questions
• Works for teams of one to three building long surveys full of branching, with answers going to Salesforce or HubSpot

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you just want a contact form, since paid plans start at $315 per user a year
• Pricey if you need advanced logic or file uploads, as those start at $1,075 per user a year
• Not for you if there are more than 3 of you, because that means a custom-priced Platform plan
• Tight if you're staying free, with 3 surveys at a time, 100 responses on each and basic question types
• Watch out: the API and single sign-on are Platform only, and kiosk mode and SPSS export need Full Access

Pick Qualtrics if

• Fits if you are a student or researcher running a small survey
• Works for universities and large companies already licensed

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you outgrow Free, as the one published paid price is $5,040 a year
• Tight if you need more than 500 responses, 3 active surveys or 8 question types
• Watch out: custom look and feel, quotas, dashboards and the workflow engine are not in the free account
• Not for you if you want an easy price check, since other products are quoted through sales

Alchemer

• Professional and Full Access allow at most 3 users; larger teams need a custom-priced Platform plan.
• The pricing page limits API access, single sign-on and security assessments to Platform plans.
• The Free account stops at 3 surveys and 100 responses per survey, with a short list of question types.
• Offline or kiosk mode, SPSS export and the market research question types all require Full Access.

Qualtrics

• The free account stops at 500 responses, 3 active surveys and 8 question types.
• The one published paid price is $5,040 a year; other products are quoted through sales.
• Custom look and feel, quotas, dashboards and the workflow engine are not in the free account.
• Many universities hold a full license; the free-account page offers a check by .edu address.

Alchemer

43 question types

Alchemer Survey lists 43 question types. File uploads need Professional, and card sort, heatmap and conjoint questions need Full Access.

Logic, piping and merge codes

Survey logic is on every paid license. Multiple conditions, piping and repeating count as advanced logic and start on Professional.

Link, email, SMS and QR distribution

Share a survey by link, QR code or SMS. Sending email campaigns to a contact list from inside Alchemer starts on Professional.

Reports and exports

Paid licenses share reports by URL, download them as PDF, PowerPoint, Excel or Word and export raw data to Excel. SPSS export is Full Access only.

Integration catalog

A catalog of integrations pushes survey data to, or pulls records from, Salesforce, HubSpot, Google Sheets, Tableau and other systems.

AI survey tools

An AI Survey Builder drafts a survey from a plain-language description, and AI Smart Question generates follow-up questions for respondents.

Qualtrics

Survey builder and templates

A drag-and-drop builder with 50+ templates. Paid plans offer 23 question types, branching, quotas and 20+ pre-built research solutions.

Distribution

Surveys go out by link, email, SMS, website, QR code or mobile app, and paid plans can draw on Qualtrics' integrated panels.

Analysis and reporting

Free accounts get reports; paid plans add dashboards, crosstabs, Stats iQ statistical tools, and text, sentiment and topic analysis.

AI assistance

A Research Agent guides study design, with AI-assisted analysis and generative summaries of video feedback on paid plans.

Video and audio feedback

Paid plans collect video feedback, audio feedback, video diaries, focus groups and interviews inside surveys.

Connected experience programs

Surveys sit in the same system as customer and employee experience data, so results can trigger actions across programs.

Alchemer

• Free$0

  Up to 3 surveys at a time and 100 responses per survey, with basic question types such as radio buttons, checkboxes, text boxes and ratings.

• Collaborator$315

  per user / year ($55 per user / month billed monthly)

  Unlimited surveys and questions, 75,000 responses a year per account, survey logic, report downloads and email support.

• Professional$1,075

  per user / year ($165 per user / month billed monthly)

  Up to 3 users and 100,000 responses a year, plus advanced logic, email campaigns, file uploads and phone support on annual plans.

• Full Access$1,895

  per user / year ($275 per user / month billed monthly)

  Up to 3 users and 125,000 responses a year, plus market research question types, SPSS export, open-text analysis and offline or kiosk mode.

• Platform PlansCustom

  For more than 3 users: API access, single sign-on, 24/7 support, a customer success manager and feedback collection across other channels.

Qualtrics

• Free$0

  500 responses, 3 active surveys with up to 30 questions each, 8 question types, 50+ templates and reports.

• Strategic Research$420

  per month, billed annually ($5,040 a year)

  23 question types, quotas, response weighting, dashboards, Stats iQ and text analysis, and a workflow engine.

• Enterprise and XM solutionsCustom

  Customer, employee and market research products priced by interactions through a sales request.

Alchemer

• Annual discount

  Save 43% to 52% with annual billing

  The pricing page marks annual billing as saving 52% on Collaborator ($315 a year against $55 a month), 46% on Professional and 43% on Full Access.

• Nonprofit

  25% off annual plans for non-profits

  Registered non-profit organizations get 25% off annual accounts after entering an EIN or international equivalent at checkout. Monthly accounts are excluded.

Qualtrics

No public discounts listed.