Medallia vs Qualtrics (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Qualtrics grades higher than Medallia: 2.2 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Medallia grades higher on value for money. Qualtrics grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Qualtrics
Survey and experience research platform with a free account
Free plan · from $420/mo
Which one is for you
Pick Medallia if
- Fits if you run feedback programs across a contact centre, digital channels and staff
- Works for large companies that want one contract covering several experience programs
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a quick survey or form, since this is built for enterprise programs
- Not for you if you need a price before talking to sales, because none is published
- Watch out: pricing is by experience data records in annual tiers, which is hard to estimate in advance
- Too light for nothing, but too heavy for small teams that just need a few surveys
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
| 1.8GPAMedalliaWeak | 2.2GPAQualtricsFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo price is published. The pricing page describes annual tiers based on experience data records, not seats or surveys, so there's nothing to compare against the forms category's $19 middle. | 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 | FNo free plan and no trial are listed. Access starts with a conversation with the vendor. | 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 | BFeedback capture across channels, text analytics with alerts, role-based reports and employee programs. The listing shows no gap in the job, only that it's a bigger job than a form tool does. | 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. It's an enterprise platform with programs to set up, roles to assign and alerts to route, so expect a learning curve. | CNo store rating on record. A large platform with a learning curve for its reports and programs. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only on the listing, and no integrations are named. | CWeb only, and the listing names no integrations or apps. |
| Best for | enterprise feedback programs across many channels | 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: Medallia and Qualtrics. How we grade
Where they differ
- Qualtrics also covers forms.
In commonWebAI featuresSurveysReportsDashboards
At a glance
| Medallia | Qualtrics | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | Not published | $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 | None listed | 30-day trial of Strategic Research |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Medallia, Inc. | Qualtrics |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | qualtrics.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Medallia
- No prices are published; the pricing page says to contact the company.
- Pricing is described as an experience data record model in annual tiers, not per seat or per survey.
- It is built for enterprise programs, so it is heavier than a form or small-survey tool.
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
Medallia
- Feedback capture across channels
- Collects surveys and signals from digital journeys, contact centers and employee programs into one platform.
- AI and text analytics
- Medallia says all data is analyzed with its AI-powered analytics, which drive alerts and closed-loop workflows.
- Role-based reporting
- Reports are shaped by role so that frontline teams and executives see the feedback relevant to them.
- Employee experience programs
- Listening programs cover the employee journey from candidate to exit.
- Agile Research
- Pre-built surveys for quick market insights, a product line that now also answers at the former CheckMarket address.
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
Medallia
Pricing could not be confirmed. See medallia.com.
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.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Medallia or Qualtrics?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Medallia has no price we could confirm, and Qualtrics starts at $420 per month, billed annually ($5,040 a year).
Which has a free plan, Medallia or Qualtrics?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Qualtrics has a free plan. Medallia does not.
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.