QuestionPro vs Sawtooth Software (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, QuestionPro and Sawtooth Software share a 2.4 GPA, both have a free plan and their prices can't be set side by side, so the choice depends on whether you care more about features, where QuestionPro grades higher, or value for money, where Sawtooth Software does.
Checked Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
QuestionPro
Survey and market research platform with a free plan
Sawtooth Software
Survey software for conjoint and MaxDiff market research
Which one is for you
Pick QuestionPro if
- Fits if you're a market researcher who needs conjoint, MaxDiff or an audience panel
- Works for field teams that have to collect answers with no connection
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you're a small business, since paid plans start at $99 per user a month
- Not for you if you want to pay month by month, as the pricing page shows annual billing only
- Tight if you stay free: 1 user and 200 responses per survey
- Watch out: Team Edition needs at least 5 users and the Research Suite at least 10, with its price on request
- Watch out: the customer and employee experience products are sold separately, with pricing on request
Pick Sawtooth Software if
- Fits if you need conjoint or MaxDiff, not a general survey tool
- Works for students and small projects under 50 respondents
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you run real studies, as the free plan stops at 50 respondents per survey
- Skip it if you want a price list, since Professional and Premier are quote-only
- Skip it if you want monthly billing, as only annual subscriptions are sold
- Watch out: Lighthouse Studio, the Premier tool, is a Windows-installed program
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAQuestionProFair | 2.4GPASawtooth SoftwareFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D$99 per user a month is well past the $74 where this category's dearest tenth begins, and four times the $24 middle, for 1 user and 25,000 responses a year. No monthly option is published, and the cheaper Team rate needs at least 5 users. | COnly the free plan has a published price; paid plans are by quote, so value sits at C. |
| Free plan and trial | CEssentials is free for one person with 30 question types, logic, integrations and 24/7 chat support, but each survey stops at 200 responses, which anything public will pass. There's a 10-day trial of Advanced as well. | CFree Discover plan: unlimited surveys and questions, conjoint and MaxDiff, up to 50 respondents per survey. |
| Features | ACovers the survey job and more than the rest of the category: up to 52 question types, branching, piping and skip logic with a Path Simulator that flags questions no one can reach, surveys in 100-plus languages, SPSS exports, an offline fieldwork app that tracks quotas, and conjoint and MaxDiff in the Research Suite. | BChoice-based conjoint, MaxDiff, standard questions, analysis, AI open-end help and a respondent panel. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in this narrower job. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and a platform of this size takes learning: dozens of question types, logic and piping, panels and data centers. The AI Survey Agent drafting questions, scales and logic is the shortcut. | CNo rating on record. Conjoint design has a learning curve. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb plus both phones, with the app collecting answers offline, and integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics, Google Sheets, Tableau, Power BI, Zapier, webhooks and an API. No desktop app, which is what an A needs. | BWeb plus a Windows program (Lighthouse Studio), with two integrations listed. |
| Best for | market research surveys with a free start | conjoint and MaxDiff studies |
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: QuestionPro and Sawtooth Software. How we grade
Where they differ
- QuestionPro also covers templates.
At a glance
| QuestionPro | Sawtooth Software | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $99 per user / month, billed annually | Not published |
| Free plan | Essentials plan: 1 user, 200 responses per survey and 30 question types, with basic surveys, logic, integrations and analysis, and 24/7 chat and email support. | Free plan on Discover: unlimited surveys and questions, choice-based conjoint and MaxDiff, up to 50 respondents per survey. |
| Free trial | Free 10-day trial of the Advanced plan | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | QuestionPro | Sawtooth Software |
| Price read from | questionpro.com | sawtoothsoftware.com |
| Checked | Nov 9, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
QuestionPro
- The free Essentials plan covers 1 user and 200 responses per survey.
- Paid plans are priced per user and billed annually; the pricing page shows no monthly option.
- Team Edition needs at least 5 users, and the Research Suite at least 10, with pricing on request.
- The customer experience and employee experience products are sold separately, with pricing on request.
Sawtooth Software
- Only the free plan has a published price; Professional and Premier are sold by quote.
- Only annual subscriptions are sold; monthly payment is not offered.
- The free plan stops at 50 respondents per survey.
- Lighthouse Studio (Premier) is a Windows-installed application.
Key features
QuestionPro
- Survey builder with logic
- Build surveys from 30 to 52 question types depending on the plan, with branching, piping and skip logic. A Path Simulator in the editor maps every route and flags questions no one can reach.
- QuestionPro AI
- A Survey Agent drafts a full survey, with questions, scales and logic, from a description. Smart Dashboards build a dashboard and an insight summary from the responses.
- Reports and research methods
- Reports include real-time shareable dashboards, and data exports to Excel, SPSS and CSV. Conjoint, MaxDiff and A/B testing are part of the Research Suite.
- Offline survey app
- The iOS and Android app collects responses without an internet connection and syncs them later. Quotas can be tracked in the app, and a full answer option can be hidden or end the interview.
- Multilingual surveys
- Field the same survey in more than 100 languages, so respondents in each market can answer in their own language.
- Integrations and API
- Connect to Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics, Google Sheets, Tableau and Power BI, or build on Zapier, webhooks and the QuestionPro API.
Sawtooth Software
- Choice-based conjoint
- Design and field conjoint studies to see which features and prices people pick. Advanced conjoint types are in the Premier plan.
- MaxDiff (best-worst scaling)
- Respondents pick best and worst from small sets of items. Up to 120 items per exercise on Discover and up to 2,000 on Lighthouse Studio.
- Standard survey question types
- Multiple choice, grids, open-ends, ranking, constant sum and numeric questions, with skip logic and quotas.
- Built-in analysis
- Real-time reports, crosstabs, key drivers and cluster analysis, with export to SPSS and Excel.
- AI follow-up and open-end analysis
- Smart follow-up questions and open-end analysis are listed in the plan comparison as AI features.
- Respondent panel
- Sawtooth says its panel service reaches over 200 million verified respondents worldwide.
Plans
QuestionPro
Essentials$0
1 user, 200 responses per survey and 30 question types, with basic surveys, logic, integrations and analysis.
Advanced$99
per user / month, billed annually
1 user, 25,000 responses per year and 38 question types, with standard surveys, logic, integrations and analysis, plus branding.
Team Edition$83
per user / month, billed annually, 5-user minimum
5-user minimum, 100,000 responses per survey, 46 question types, collaboration, regional data centers and a dedicated account manager.
Research SuiteCustom
10 or more users with custom response pricing, 52 question types, and communities, audience and qualitative tools.
Sawtooth Software
Free$0
Discover with up to 50 respondents per survey, unlimited surveys and questions, and choice-based conjoint and MaxDiff.
ProfessionalCustom
Discover with unlimited respondents per survey. Price is by quote; annual subscriptions only.
PremierCustom
Lighthouse Studio for Windows with advanced conjoint and MaxDiff and more customization. Price is by quote.
Ways to pay less
QuestionPro
- Nonprofit
Free Nonprofit license
Nonprofits can get the Nonprofit license, listed at $1,188 per year, for free in return for a backlink on their website. It covers one user and up to 10,000 responses.
- Education
Discounted academic licenses
Universities and colleges can buy a Survey & Analytics license at what QuestionPro calls a highly discounted price through its academic sales team. No figure is published.
Sawtooth Software
- Education
Academic pricing for students and educators
Sawtooth lists discounts for students or educators using the software for non-commercial use.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, QuestionPro or Sawtooth Software?
As of Nov 13, 2026, QuestionPro starts at $99 per user / month, billed annually, and Sawtooth Software publishes no starting price.
Which has a free plan, QuestionPro or Sawtooth Software?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both QuestionPro and Sawtooth Software have a free plan.
Which platforms do QuestionPro and Sawtooth Software run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only QuestionPro lists iOS and Android apps and only Sawtooth Software lists a Windows app. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.