In our SurveyMonkey review, we will be looking at whether this cloud-based survey creation and data analysis tool is worth it or not.
Questionnaires and surveys have been around for a while – in fact, it is believed that ancient Roman, Greek, and Egyptian civilizations used some forms of questionnaires for gathering data about large groups of people.
And, surveys and questionnaires continue to be one of the most widely-used and efficient methods for gathering data.
That said, our methodologies for gathering data with surveys have gone a long way. We have transitioned from census records on clay tiles to sophisticated online tools that help us gauge information about large pools of people.
Today, we are looking at one of the most popular online survey creation tools on the market – SurveyMonkey.
This company managed to simplify the creation of online surveys and questionnaires. Thus, it quickly became an indispensable tool for many individuals and companies that work with large groups of people. These days, SurveyMonkey is used by more than 335,000 companies worldwide, some of which include members of the prestigious Fortune 500.
It is clear that SurveyMonkey is trusted and valued by many, but is it still the best tool of its kind in 2022, or are there better alternatives out there?
In this SurveyMonkey review, we will be taking an in-depth look at the key features, the advantages, the disadvantages, the pricing, and the target audience of this online survey creation tool.
- What is SurveyMonkey?
- Who Should Use SurveyMonkey?
- Advantages of SurveyMonkey
- Disadvantages of SurveyMonkey
- The Pricing of SurveyMonkey
- 10 Tips For Creating an Effective Survey
- Final Verdict – Is SurveyMonkey Worth It Or Not?
What is SurveyMonkey?
In very simple terms, SurveyMonkey is an online question-and-answer tool that businesses and individuals can use to create surveys, quizzes, polls, and forms. It also allows users to distribute their surveys online and collect responses in real-time.
SurveyMonkey was one of the first companies to offer an easy-to-use online survey creation tool, and it continues to be one of the most popular survey creation tools on the market.
The company uses a freemium business model. The most basic features of the tool can be accessed for free, while the more advanced features are only available with a paid subscription. The subscription comes with various different tiers that we will look at later in this article.
Who Should Use SurveyMonkey?
SurveyMonkey is a tool that can be used by anyone who needs to gather data from a large number of people. This includes individuals, small businesses, and large corporations alike.
Some of the most common use cases for SurveyMonkey include:
Customer satisfaction surveys
SurveyMonkey can be used to conduct both small-scale and large-scale customer satisfaction surveys. This makes it a solid tool for businesses that want to keep track of how they are performing from a customer perspective.
Employee satisfaction surveys
Similarly to customer satisfaction surveys, SurveyMonkey can also be used to measure employee satisfaction. This is an important metric for any business or organization. By measuring employee satisfaction, you can identify potential problems early on and take actionable steps to correct them.
Market research
SurveyMonkey can be used to conduct market research surveys. This is a great way of tapping into your target market and understanding the needs of your customers.
Product feedback surveys
SurveyMonkey can also be used to gather product feedback from your existing customers. You can see how your products and services are being received by your clients and to effectively identify potential areas for improvement.
Employee evaluations
SurveyMonkey is often used for evaluating employee performance. This is most often done by managers in order to decide on raises, promotions, and other forms of compensation. Of course, employee evaluation is also key to identifying potential problems in a team and improving on them.
Lead generation
SurveyMonkey can be used to generate leads. This is a good way of getting information from potential customers who might be interested in your products or services.
Event planning
SurveyMonkey can be used to gather information about events. This can include the type of event, the target audience, and the expected turnout.
Advantages of SurveyMonkey
In the following part of this SurveyMonkey review, let’s take a look at some of the most noteworthy features of this online survey creation tool.
Huge Number of Beginner-Friendly Survey Templates
As I already mentioned in the first paragraph of this SurveyMonkey review, this online tool was developed with beginners in mind. This means that organizations and individuals can use this tool without any prior knowledge in survey data collection.
SurveyMonkey comes with a catalog of over 230 well-categorized templates. As a beginner, you can simply choose a template that is relevant to your needs and start collecting data immediately.
I would recommend starting with one of the pre-made templates even if you have experience with other online survey creation tools. This will give you a good quick glimpse of how SurveyMonkey feels and operates.
AI Integration
Several of the main features of SurveyMonkey make use of AI.
This means that SurveyMonkey can automatically help you design data collection tools that accurately retrieve the information you need.
Let me give you an example of how this works in practice.
For example, if you are conducting a customer satisfaction survey and one of your questions is: “How likely are you to recommend our product/service to a friend or family member?”, the AI will use the responses to this question to generate follow-up questions.
Further, the integrated AI will also help with analyzing all of the information you have gathered.
This way, you can be sure that you are never missing out on any important data points.
A Large Variety of Data Reporting Tools
SurveyMonkey provides users with a wide variety of data reporting tools. These tools allow you to present your findings in an easily digestible format.
The data reporting features of SurveyMonkey are particularly useful for businesses or individuals that need to make data-driven decisions on a daily basis.
Some of the data reporting features that are worth mentioning include:
- Interactive charts and graphs
- Customizable dashboards
- Data filters
- Real-time results
- Downloadable reports
- API access
- Polls and quizzes
As I already mentioned at the beginning of this SurveyMonkey review, this tool can be used for more than just surveys. You can also use it to create polls and quizzes.
This can be a great way to engage your audience and collect information at the same time.
For example, you could use SurveyMonkey to create a quiz for your website visitors. This quiz could then be used to collect leads or to segment your audience.
The Mobile App is Efficient and Easy-To-Use
The included SurveyMonkey mobile app (available for both Android and iOS) is a solid way to keep track of your survey progress while on the go.
Among other useful features, this app will allow you to:
- View all of your ongoing surveys
- Monitor the status of your surveys
- Respond to surveys
- Modify survey settings on-the-go
Most of the SurveyMonkey alternatives are focused on the desktop experience. I was glad to see that this is not the case for SurveyMonkey. The app is an easy-to-use, yet efficient sidekick to the main SurveyMonkey software.
Versatile Payment Options
SurveyMonkey was tailored with the idea of making data gathering accessible to everyone. SurveyMonkey can accommodate the needs of a Fortune 500 company, a small business, or an individual looking to plan a good party.
How does it manage to do that? By offering a large number of different plans with different pricing and different features. Later on in this SurveyMonkey review, we will also take a look at the different payment plans in greater detail.
Disadvantages of SurveyMonkey
While I was very impressed with how versatile this tool is, there are still some shortcomings. In the following part of this SurveyMonkey review, let’s look at some of the disadvantages of this tool.
Features of The Free Plan Are Very Limited
While the basic plan is useful for getting an idea of how SurveyMonkey works, I am struggling to see any legitimate use for this plan in professional settings. The surveys created in the basic plan will be branded by SurveyMonkey and you will be limited to only 10 questions per survey.
Furthermore, you will not have access to any of the more advanced features like AI-assisted data collection or data analysis. And, in my opinion, these are the features that make this tool as valuable as it is.
In all honesty, the free plan seems to only serve as a carrot on a stick for potential paying customers of SurveyMonkey. Whether you consider this a shady business tactic or not is up to you.
The Dashboard Can Feel a Little Cluttered
The SurveyMonkey dashboard can feel a little cluttered and overwhelming at first. This is especially true if you are new to online survey tools.
However, I would argue that this is more of a minor inconvenience than an actual disadvantage. The reason I say this is because the dashboard is actually very well organized once you get used to it.
Lack of Customization Options
While SurveyMonkey does offer a lot of features, it lacks some of the customization options that users might be expecting from a service like this.
For example, I did not manage to find a way to use custom color schemes and fonts when designing surveys and polls. This can be a bit of a letdown for people and companies that want to personalize their surveys as much as possible. That said, this disadvantage is somewhat compensated with a very large number of selectable styles for your creations.
The Pricing of SurveyMonkey
SurveyMonkey has 6 different payment plans available. The main differences between the payment plans are in the number of responses you can get for your surveys and questionnaires.
For teams and organizations, SurveyMonkey offers 3 different payment plans:
- Team Advantage – The most budget-friendly payment plan that offers 4500 responses/per month. This plan will work well for small businesses and organizations.
- Team Premier – This is the most popular payment plan for teams and organizations. It offers up to 6000 responses/per month and comes with a wide range of features, such as team collaboration and advanced reporting.
- Team Enterprise – The most expensive payment plan that offers an unlimited number of responses/per month. This plan comes with all the features of the Premier plan plus some extras, such as a dedicated customer success manager. Another noteworthy addition is full integration with Salesforce, Marketo, Oracle Eloqua, and Tableau.
For an individual, you will also find 3 distinct payment plans:
- Standard – The most basic payment plan that offers up to 1000 responses/per month.
- Advantage – The mid-priced payment plan that offers up to 2500 responses/per month.
- Premier – The most expensive payment plan that offers up to 3500 responses/per month and other useful perks like a custom URL and the ability to export data into different formats.
In addition to these 6 distinct payment plans, SurveyMonkey also offers a free basic plan and a custom enterprise plan:
- The basic plan – It’s completely free to use and offers an unlimited number of surveys with a maximum of 10 questions per survey and 40 responses per survey. For professional use, this will probably not get you far. Nevertheless, it is a great feature for learning about how SurveyMonkey works or using it as a novelty tool – for example, for organizing a dinner party.
- The enterprise plan – As the name suggests, this is the payment plan for SurveyMonkey’s enterprise customers. This plan is designed for large companies that need help with survey design, analysis, and implementation.
As you see, SurveyMonkey comes with several different payment plans that cater to very different research needs.
10 Tips For Creating an Effective Survey
If you or your organization are planning on using SurveyMonkey, it is also essential to know some tips for creating an effective survey. Especially if this is your first time gathering data via a survey, poll, or questionnaire.
Here are some quick tips that will make your survey connect with your target audience:
1. Use easy to read fonts and a simple design
Humans are visual creatures. This is why the design of your survey is as important as the questions presented. Keep the design simple and use easy-to-read fonts. This will ensure that your survey is accessible to all potential respondents.
2. Use closed-ended questions
Closed-ended questions are those that can be answered with a specific answer. For example, “What is your favorite color?” This question can only be answered with a selection from a finite number of answers. Closed-ended questions are preferable to open-ended questions because they are easier to quantitatively analyze.
3. Keep the survey short and sweet
The longer the survey, the less likely people are to complete it. This is why it is important to keep your survey short and sweet – ideally, 10 questions or less.
4. Be clear about the purpose of the survey
Before designing your survey, it is essential to be clear about its purpose. What are you trying to achieve with this survey? Once you know the answer to this question, it will be much easier to design an effective survey.
5. Ask one question at a time
Another mistake that people often make when designing surveys is to ask multiple questions at once. This can be confusing for respondents and make it difficult to accurately analyze the data. Instead, focus on one question at a time.
6. Avoid loaded questions
Loaded questions are those that are biased or leading. For example, “Don’t you think that taxes are too high?” This question is biased because it assumes that the respondent agrees with the statement. Loaded questions should be avoided at all costs because they will not yield accurate results.
7. Use visuals sparingly
Too many visuals can overload the respondent and cause them to lose focus. This is why it is important to use visuals sparingly in your survey. When you do use them, make sure that they are relevant to the question at hand.
8. Test the survey before release
It is always a good idea to test your survey before release. This will help you catch any mistakes and ensure that the questions are clear and easy to understand. You can test the survey by sending it to a small group of people and then soliciting their feedback.
9. Offer an incentive
Another great way to increase participation in your survey is to offer an incentive. This could be anything from a discount on a product or service to a free gift.
10. Be clear about confidentiality
Finally, it is important to be clear about confidentiality. Assure respondents that their answers will be kept confidential and their personal information will not be shared. This will help to increase participation in the survey.
Final Verdict – Is SurveyMonkey Worth It Or Not?
Overall, I find that SurveyMonkey has achieved exactly what it set out to do – making gathering and analyzing data accessible for everyone.
In my opinion, small and mid-sized businesses will find the most value from this tool. It offers a great way to collect data and feedback from customers without having to invest in expensive software, additional employees, or polling agencies.
We have not yet looked too deep into the features of the most expensive plans, but judging from the number of customers, the software has many fans among large-scale businesses as well.
When it comes to individual users, SurveyMonkey is a solid tool for someone looking to start their own business. SurveyMonkey can be used for market research, getting feedback from friends and family, and gauging reactions to products or services before they are released.
So, is SurveyMonkey worth it? In my opinion, yes – if you are looking for an affordable, beginner-friendly tool to help you gather and analyze data, SurveyMonkey is definitely worth considering.
If you are interested in trying out this survey creation tool for yourself, head over to the official site of SurveyMonkey to sign up for both the free plan and the premium plans of the software.