Checkbox Survey vs Qualtrics (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Qualtrics grades higher than Checkbox Survey: 2.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Checkbox Survey grades higher on value for money. Qualtrics grades higher on the free plan and features. They get the same grade on ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Checkbox Survey
Survey software for the cloud or your own servers
Qualtrics
Survey and experience research platform with a free account
Which one is for you
Pick Checkbox Survey if
- Fits if your IT team insists on surveys running on your own servers
- Works for small teams sending surveys by email, SMS or WhatsApp
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need a free plan, because it has only a 14-day trial
- Watch out: the REST API, webhooks and custom subdomain start on Business at $1,800 a year, and SSO is Enterprise only
- Tight if you collect a lot, as plans cap responses at 120,000, 300,000 and 1,000,000 a year
- Pricey if you add users, since extra seats cost extra and Business bills yearly only
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
How we grade them
| 2.0GPACheckbox SurveyFair | 2.2GPAQualtricsFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CSolo is $20 a month billed yearly, right at the middle of the category. Team is $83.33 a month for 5 users, about $17 each. | DStrategic Research is $420 a month billed annually, $5,040 a year, far above the category's $66 dearest-tenth line. |
| Free plan and trial | C14-day free trial and no free plan. The listing does not say whether a card is needed. | BFree account: 500 responses, 3 active surveys of up to 30 questions and 8 question types with basic logic. A student or one-off project can live on that. |
| Features | CSurvey builder, three invitation channels, dashboards and an on-premises option cover the job. The API, webhooks and custom subdomain are held back for Business. | BSurvey builder, templates, distribution, analysis, AI help and connected experience programs cover the whole job. Quotas, dashboards and workflows are not in the free account. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. A survey builder in the browser, with reports to set up yourself. | CNo store rating on record. A large platform with a learning curve for its reports and programs. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, with an on-premises version for IT teams. The listing names no ready-made integrations. | CWeb only, and the listing names no integrations or apps. |
| Best for | surveys in the cloud or on your own servers | a free survey account for research and students |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Checkbox Survey and Qualtrics. How we grade
Price against what you get
Checkbox Survey starts at $20 a month and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Qualtrics starts at $420 a month and scores 2.3.
Qualtrics scores higher, and starts $400 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other form and survey tools on the chart, 23 score higher than Checkbox Survey for less, and 25 score higher than Qualtrics for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Checkbox Survey is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Qualtrics also covers dashboards.
At a glance
| Checkbox Survey | Qualtrics | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $20 per month for 1 user, billed annually ($30 billed monthly) | $420 per month, billed annually ($5,040 a year) |
| Free plan | None | Free account: 500 responses, 3 active surveys of up to 30 questions each, 8 question types and basic skip, display and branch logic. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial | 30-day trial of Strategic Research |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Checkbox Technology | Qualtrics |
| Price read from | checkbox.com | qualtrics.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Checkbox Survey
- Plans are limited by responses per year (120,000, 300,000 and 1,000,000) and by user count.
- Business is sold on yearly billing only; additional users are available for a fee.
- The REST API, webhooks and custom subdomain start on Business, and SSO is Enterprise only.
- The Team price is the page's own yearly figure of $83.33 a month; the page's script may round it on screen.
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.
Key features
Checkbox Survey
- Survey builder
- All question types, advanced survey logic and custom branding are on every cloud plan, including the smallest.
- Email, SMS and WhatsApp invitations
- Email invitations come with each plan; SMS and WhatsApp invitations are an add-on from the Business plan.
- Reports and dashboards
- A standard report with charts is generated for each survey, and dashboards can combine charts from several surveys with filters. Exports go to CSV or SAV.
- Flexible hosting
- Cloud surveys can be hosted in the US, Canada, Australia or the EU, or the whole product can be installed on-premises.
- API and webhooks
- The public REST API and webhooks, which connect surveys to CRM and marketing systems, start on the Business plan.
- Business plan controls
- Business adds custom data retention policies and a custom subdomain, and Enterprise adds SAML SSO, a custom domain and full audit logs.
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.
Plans
Checkbox Survey
Solo$20
per month, 1 user, billed annually ($30 billed monthly)
120,000 responses a year for individuals and freelancers. All question types, advanced logic, email invitations and custom branding.
Team$83.33
per month, 5 users, billed annually ($100 billed monthly)
300,000 responses a year for up to 5 users, with the same features as Solo.
Business$1,800
per year, 5 users, billed annually
1,000,000 responses a year, 24-hour priority support, public REST API, webhooks and a custom subdomain. Extra users cost more.
EnterpriseCustom
Unlimited responses, SAML SSO, custom domain, audit logs, a dedicated account manager and custom SLA, BAA or DPA agreements.
On-PremisesCustom
Everything in Enterprise, deployed on your own servers, with Active Directory or LDAP sign-in and implementation support.
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.
Ways to pay less
Checkbox Survey
- Annual discount
Save up to 33% with annual billing
The pricing page has an annual toggle labelled as saving up to 33% against monthly billing on Solo and Team.
Qualtrics
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Checkbox Survey or Qualtrics?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Checkbox Survey is cheaper to start with: $20 a month, against $420 a month for Qualtrics. Checkbox Survey starts at $20 per month for 1 user, billed annually ($30 billed monthly), and Qualtrics starts at $420 per month, billed annually ($5,040 a year).
Which has a free plan, Checkbox Survey or Qualtrics?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Qualtrics has a free plan. Checkbox Survey does not, though it has a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.