The Qualtrics Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Qualtrics in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Qualtrics
The Insider’s Guide
Survey and experience research platform with a free account
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among form and survey tools, read from Qualtrics’s own pages.
Made by Qualtrics · checked Nov 12, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Qualtrics’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Qualtrics’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 12, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.2
GPA, above 13 of the 60 other form and survey tools we grade
Qualtrics is a survey platform sold for research and experience management, with a limited free account and a paid Strategic Research tier. Its wider platform covers customer and employee experience programs, and most of those products are priced through sales.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Qualtrics, taken from its own pages and our grades.
A large platform with a learning curve for its reports and programs.
- 1
Best for a free survey account for research and students
Qualtrics is a survey and experience research platform with a free account of 500 responses and 3 active surveys.
- 2
Paid plans start at $420 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $420 per month, billed annually ($5,040 a year).
- 3
There is a free plan
Free account: 500 responses, 3 active surveys of up to 30 questions each, 8 question types and basic skip, display and branch logic.
- 4
It runs on Web
Web.
- 5
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.
- 6
Distribution
Surveys go out by link, email, SMS, website, QR code or mobile app, and paid plans can draw on Qualtrics' integrated panels.
- 7
Analysis and reporting
Free accounts get reports; paid plans add dashboards, crosstabs, Stats iQ statistical tools, and text, sentiment and topic analysis.
- 8
A 2.2 GPA, above 13 of 60
That is against the other form and survey tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
The plain part of Qualtrics you could make: surveys, forms and reports. What surrounds it you could not. The 3 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
Qualtrics at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $420 per month, billed annually ($5,040 a year)
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- 30-day trial of Strategic Research
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Qualtrics
- Category
- Forms & Surveys
- Our grade
- 2.2 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for a free survey account for research and students
Qualtrics is a survey and experience research platform with a free account of 500 responses and 3 active surveys. The one published paid price is $5,040 a year, and everything above it is quoted through sales.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D | Strategic Research is $420 a month billed annually, $5,040 a year, far above the category's $66 dearest-tenth line. |
| Free plan and trial | B | Free 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 | B | Survey 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 | C | No store rating on record. A large platform with a learning curve for its reports and programs. |
| Platforms and integrations | C | Web only, and the listing names no integrations or apps. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Qualtrics is for
- Fits if you are a student or researcher running a small survey
- Works for universities and large companies already licensed
Who it is not for
- 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
Good to know
Good for
- Academic and market researchers who need quotas, weighting and statistics
- Large organizations running customer or employee experience programs
- Anyone who wants a free survey account for a small study
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$420
A month to start. There is a free plan too
Qualtrics has a free plan. Paid plans start at $420 per month, billed annually ($5,040 a year).
A student or one-off project can live on that.
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 solutions
Custom
Customer, employee and market research products priced by interactions through a sales request.
The free plan
Free account: 500 responses, 3 active surveys of up to 30 questions each, 8 question types and basic skip, display and branch logic.
Trying it first
30-day trial of Strategic Research
Read from qualtrics.com on Nov 12, 2026.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Survey and experience research platform with a free account. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: AI features, forms, surveys, reports, dashboards.
Survey builder, templates, distribution, analysis, AI help and connected experience programs cover the whole job.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
Its own pages name no integrations.
Qualtrics is made by Qualtrics.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
13/60
Other form and survey tools it is graded above
Qualtrics's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 13 of the 60 other form and survey tools we grade, and level with 10.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 43 of 60) and worst on value for money (D, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $420 a month, against a middle price of $19.50 for the category: 51 of the 51 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 25 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 61 form and survey tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Qualtrics’s own letter is outlined.
- DValue for moneyAbove 0 of 60
- BFree plan and trialAbove 43 of 60
- BFeaturesAbove 32 of 60
- CEase of useAbove 3 of 60
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 60
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 53 form and survey tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Qualtrics is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
The plain part of Qualtrics you could make: surveys, forms and reports. What surrounds it you could not. The 3 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 37 of the 60 other form and survey tools grade higher. It costs $5,040 a year.
What you could make
- Surveys, forms and reports: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Connections that pull numbers from dozens of other services.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Qualtrics’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
SurveyMonkey, Alchemer, QuestionPro, Sogolytics and Forsta
The 5 tools Qualtrics is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.4GPA
SurveyMonkey
Free plan · from $39/mo
Online survey and form platform with built-in analysis tools.
- Only SurveyMonkey lists iOS and Android apps.
- Qualtrics also covers dashboards.
- SurveyMonkey also covers templates.
- 2.4GPA
Alchemer
Free plan · from $315/yr
Survey platform with advanced logic and market research questions.
- Qualtrics also covers forms and dashboards.
- Alchemer also covers workflow automation.
- 2.4GPA
QuestionPro
Free plan · from $99/mo
Survey and market research platform with a free plan.
- Only QuestionPro lists iOS and Android apps.
- Qualtrics also covers forms and dashboards.
- QuestionPro also covers templates.
- 2.0GPA
Sogolytics
Free plan · from $66/mo
Survey software with a self-serve tier and enterprise suites.
- Only Sogolytics lists an Android app.
- Qualtrics also covers dashboards.
- Sogolytics also covers templates.
- 2.0GPA
Forsta
Paid
Enterprise research and experience platform for surveys.
- Qualtrics has a free plan. Forsta does not.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
12
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Qualtrics free?
Qualtrics has a free plan. Free account: 500 responses, 3 active surveys of up to 30 questions each, 8 question types and basic skip, display and branch logic.
How much does Qualtrics cost?
Qualtrics lists 3 plans. Free: $0.
What platforms does Qualtrics work on?
Qualtrics is available on Web.
Does Qualtrics have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Qualtrics is listed for Web.
Does Qualtrics have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Qualtrics is listed for Web.
Is Qualtrics open source?
Qualtrics is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
Does Qualtrics have a free trial?
Yes. 30-day trial of Strategic Research.
Who makes Qualtrics?
Qualtrics is made by a company of the same name.
What are the alternatives to Qualtrics?
The closest alternatives to Qualtrics in our directory are SurveyMonkey, Alchemer, QuestionPro, Sogolytics and Forsta.
How does Qualtrics compare with other form and survey tools?
Qualtrics's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 13 of the 60 other form and survey tools we grade, and level with 10.
Is Qualtrics good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Qualtrics D for value for money. Its paid plans start at $420 a month, against a middle price of $19.50 for the category: 51 of the 51 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Qualtrics?
The plain part of Qualtrics you could make: surveys, forms and reports.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Qualtrics’s own pages on Nov 12, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 12, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Qualtrics's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Qualtrics. Prices change, so check qualtrics.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
5,038
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
5,038
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Qualtrics, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/qualtrics
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Qualtrics: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 12, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/qualtrics
Know someone choosing between form and survey tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/qualtrics/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded form and survey tools after Qualtrics, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Forms & Surveys Insider's GuideEvery one of the 61 form and survey tools we grade, compared
- Google Forms Insider's GuideForm, survey and quiz builder that comes with a Google Account3.2 GPA
- Jotform Insider's GuideNo-code form builder with payments, e-signatures and workflows3.0 GPA
- Fillout Insider's GuideForm builder with unlimited seats, payments and scheduling2.8 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Qualtrics’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Qualtrics is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Qualtrics. Prices and plans change: check qualtrics.com before you buy.