Pollfish vs Qualtrics (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Qualtrics grades higher than Pollfish: 2.2 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Qualtrics grades higher on the free plan and features. They get the same grade on value for money, 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
Which one is for you
Pick Pollfish if
- Fits if you need answers from strangers rather than your own list
- Works for researchers who can set a budget per response
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you need many answers, because each response costs from $0.95
- Watch out: full-service projects start at $5,000 per market and enterprise at $10,000 a year
- Skip it if you only want to collect your own form entries, as it is built around its panel
- Tight if you want free responses, as the page gives no allowance or trial
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
| 1.8GPAPollfishWeak | 2.2GPAQualtricsFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DResponses start at $0.95 each, so 500 answers cost several hundred dollars, and full-service projects start at $5,000. That sits far above what form tools charge. | 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 | CThe builder and joining are free, including an AI survey builder, but the page gives no free responses or trial. | 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 | CAI and drag-and-drop builders, templates, your own audience and full-service research. It is a research product, not a general form tool. | 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. You design the survey and the audience yourself. | CNo store rating on record. A large platform with a learning curve for its reports and programs. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, and the page lists no integrations or apps. | CWeb only, and the listing names no integrations or apps. |
| Best for | surveys sent to a paid respondent panel | 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: Pollfish and Qualtrics. How we grade
Where they differ
- Pollfish also covers templates.
- Qualtrics also covers dashboards.
At a glance
| Pollfish | Qualtrics | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | Not published | $420 per month, billed annually ($5,040 a year) |
| Free plan | Free to join, with a free AI survey builder. There are no licenses or seats; you pay per survey response. | 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 | Pollfish | Qualtrics |
| Price read from | pollfish.com | qualtrics.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Pollfish
- The platform is free but responses are charged per response, from $0.95 each, so cost grows with sample size.
- Full-service projects start at $5,000 per market and enterprise packages at $10,000 a year.
- It is a research product built around its own panel, not a general form or data-collection tool.
- The page gives no free response allowance or trial; the free part is the builder and joining.
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
Pollfish
- AI survey builder
- Describe a research goal and the builder drafts a survey with questions and logic, which can then be edited by hand.
- Drag-and-drop builder
- A visual editor handles skip logic, branching, answer shuffling, exclusive options and image or video questions, with live preview.
- Survey templates
- Templates cover brand awareness, concept testing, pricing studies such as Van Westendorp, conjoint and MaxDiff.
- Own audience
- Responses come from Pollfish's own first-party panel, which the company says is drawn from Prodege's consumer programs.
- Full-service research
- Teams that want a managed study can buy a project with a dedicated research expert and finished reports.
- Team tools
- Single sign-on, shared access, folders and one-click survey duplication are listed for team use.
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
Pollfish
DIY Platform$0
Free to join and no seats. Responses from the panel cost from $0.95 each.
Full Service$5,000
per project and up
Simple general-population studies start at $5,000 per market, with a dedicated research expert and presentation-ready reports.
Enterprise$10,000
per year and up
Annual commitments from $10,000 with volume discounts, a dedicated account manager and both DIY and full-service options.
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, Pollfish or Qualtrics?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Pollfish publishes no starting price, and Qualtrics starts at $420 per month, billed annually ($5,040 a year).
Which has a free plan, Pollfish or Qualtrics?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Pollfish and Qualtrics have a free plan.
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.