Creating online surveys in 2024—the best tools

Whether you are a student, market researcher, marketer, designer, or business leader, a well-crafted questionnaire can be a huge help in your daily work—and with an online survey builder, you can collect and analyze valuable feedback in any field quickly and efficiently. In this article, we present the free and paid solutions you can choose from!

‍What can online survey builder tools be used for?

Online survey builder tools cater to a wide range of needs: they can be used in any area where you want to get answers to your questions or get to know your partners or customers better—meaning their use can range from personal life and education to the highest levels of business.

#m1-y#To mention just a few examples:##

• As a business owner, you can use them to assess customer satisfaction or the perception of your brand.
• As a market researcher, you can collect valuable feedback on the expectations of a specific target group.
• During product development, you can use them to gather suggestions from the development team or even your customers.
• To increase trust in your brand, you can collect customer feedback, which you can then (with their consent, of course) publish on your website.
• During UX research, you can use them to assess how well a website aligns with user expectations and needs.
• You can set up polls regarding new ideas and suggestions.
• You can also create online exams or quizzes for educational purposes or team building.

In summary, the power of online surveys lies in their ability to collect large amounts of data from your target audience faster and more efficiently than ever before, paving the way for further growth.

A few questions to ask yourself before creating an online survey

Before creating an online survey, you need to set aside enough time to draft your research questions. If you have ever conducted any kind of research or interview, this may be a painfully familiar memory—but you likely also remember that it is truly not a step you should skip. So, let’s look at how to put together an effective online survey!

First, you must define the main goal of your research, followed by logically structured questionsthat align with it. If you skip this, you might find yourself scratching your head later when you realize during the evaluation phase that you didn't actually get answers to your most important questions.

#m1-p#Here are the fundamental questions you should ask yourself to create an effective survey:##

• What is the goal of your research?
• Who is the target audience you want to collect information from?
• What kind of information do you want to collect?
• Do you need to collect sensitive or personal data? If so, it is important to handle this responsibly during the analysis and inform your respondents about it in advance!
• Would quantitative research (measurable in numbers) or qualitative research better help you obtain this information?
• What decisions will the answers to your questions help you make?
• How many responses do you need to make that decision?
• Which data protection and privacy regulations (such as GDPR) must you comply with, considering the data you are collecting and your target audience?

The last question is particularly important to consider, because if too few people complete your survey, you may get a distorted picture of the area being studied—and if too many do, the time spent on evaluation could increase significantly, thereby delaying your decision and wasting valuable days.

Creating online surveys: benefits

You have likely noticed that many websites and social media platforms are now filled with surveys, and surprisingly, they are even appearing as online advertisements (just think of the satisfaction surveys YouTube inserts into its pre-roll ad blocks!).

Data collection and analysis in the online space have grown exponentially: companies are asking us questions about more products and services across an increasing number of platforms. It is easy to see why: collecting data via surveys has never been easier.

#m1-y#Let’s look at the main advantages of online survey builders:##

• Cost-effective solution – Online forms can save you a lot of money by replacing paper-based documents. While printing and distributing paper surveys consumed significant time and financial resources, a digital survey can be reproduced and distributed in large volumes at a low cost, making it a truly budget-friendly solution.
• Fast – With online surveys, you don't have to rely on the post or a staff member to handle distribution: you can reach your target audience directly in seconds. This significantly shortens feedback time, allowing you to complete a survey in just a few days.
• Customizable for the client – Online surveys can be tailored to different target groups using various settings: the content or order of questions can automatically change based on pre-set criteria or the options selected by the respondent. This not only makes our job easier (we don't have to filter out irrelevant answers) but also makes the process much smoother for our respondents.
  

Creating online surveys: disadvantages

The disadvantages pale in comparison to the benefits listed above, but it is important to mention them, as online surveys are not always the best choice.

• Lack of verification – While it is much less likely that someone would claim to be 26 when they are actually 40 in an in-person survey, this is much more common with anonymous online surveys. Since the survey creator has no real way to verify the accuracy of the answers, it is easy to end up with skewed results that could hinder rather than help your work.

If it is critical that your survey be completed exclusively by, for example, company executives or a specific group of university students, and you do not have their contact information, it is worth sticking to slower but more verifiable in-person surveys.

• Certain technical and other factors can make online completion difficult – You should be prepared for the fact that an unstable internet connection, power outages, slow or glitchy digital devices, or a lack of technical proficiency can easily lead to poorly or incompletely filled-out surveys. This is especially important to consider if your target audience's location, social status, health, age, or other characteristics increase these risks.
• Not all of them can be completed on a smartphone - Regarding the point above, it is definitely worth considering in advance which device you want your survey to be completed on. If your target audience is likely to open it on mobile (as well), you should definitely find a tool that can display the online form responsively.
  

What makes an online survey builder software good?

With the help of online form builder programs, you can create surveys that are easy to share with others and capable of displaying numerous question types. More advanced software also includes analysis features and survey access controls.

#m1-p#But let's look at what distinguishes the best online survey builder tools from the many features available:##

• Ease of use - A form builder program can have any number of features, but they are useless if they are presented in an opaque and overly complex way. The best online survey builder software is easy and quick to learn.
• Customizability - Depending on your needs, it is also important that the interface is not too simple: it is good to have various question types, scales, and scoring models available among the modules. Thanks to these, you can collect the information useful to you much more easily.
• Easy distribution - It is an important factor that just a few clicks should be enough for the survey to reach the users.
• Data protection features - Wherever you operate, some form of data management and data protection law applies to you - and it is good if the software you use also handles data with maximum security.
• Transparent pricing - Avoid tools where it is not clear which features you can access at what price.

#m1-y#It is worth starting with a survey builder that has a free plan or trial period, so you can try it out without obligation to see if it meets your needs.##

The best online survey builder tools

Google Forms - the simple but great crowd favorite

The Google Forms platform is excellent if you need to put together a survey quickly. It is so user-friendly that the program often guesses the question type while you are typing, which can save you a lot of time.

Pros:

• Perhaps its biggest advantage is that it has everything you need to create a general questionnaire, and it’s completely free!
• Since Google Forms is widely known, there’s a high chance your target audience will be much more comfortable using it than an unfamiliar tool, as they already know what to expect.
• You can choose a custom header image for your questionnaire, giving it a unique look that fits your theme. You can also browse through templates if you need a little inspiration.
• The completed questionnaire can be easily distributed via email, shared as a link, or embedded into your website using HTML.
• On the constantly updating dashboard, you can see how many people have filled out your questionnaire and how the responses are distributed for each question.
• Last but not least, the data can be easily exported to a Google Sheet, where you can immediately start organizing and analyzing your results.
• With Google Forms, you don’t have to worry about it being difficult to fill out on mobile devices; it displays perfectly there as well.
• It is also available in Hungarian.

Cons:

• It cannot be used to its full potential without a Google account. If it is important for your questionnaire that the respondent provides an email address or that they can only fill out the form once, enabling these features will unfortunately require users to be logged into a Google account.
• If for any reason (e.g., submitting entries for a video contest) you need to collect large files, this won't be the best tool for you—at least not in the free version, as a user can only upload 15 GB of data.
• You cannot customize the date picker tool to only accept responses within a specific date range. This can be inconvenient if you have to filter out many irrelevant responses during processing later on.
• Google generally only provides integration options with its own tools, and this is no different here. Even if you wanted to embed the questionnaire into your Mailchimp newsletter so your subscribers could fill it out directly, you don't have the option to do so with this tool.

We recommend it if:

• You are looking for a simple, quick, and easy-to-use online questionnaire builder that you can customize to your needs, both in terms of appearance and question types.
• You already have a Google account, as do most of your respondents. (This is necessary to access several features.)
• You want to use the Google Sheets interface for evaluation, where you can import results with a single click.
• You don't need advanced integrations, such as embedding into pop-up windows or newsletters.

#m1-y#TIP: We use it regularly at Selector, for example, during our semi-annual performance reviews!##

Microsoft Forms - the clean and intuitive member of the Microsoft family

A form builder similar to Google Forms - you can create online questionnaires easily and very quickly. The Microsoft Forms is free; you just need to sign in to your Microsoft account to use it.

Pros:

• Available for free with a Microsoft account.
• There are currently 6 design templates available to you.
• You can choose from several question types here as well.
• Adding questions is simple, and the interface is quick to learn.
• You can save responses in a list or chart format, and analyze the data in Excel.
• Available in Hungarian.

Cons:

• Microsoft also strongly protects its own products, so integration options are limited here as well; you can primarily connect the form builder with other Microsoft products.
• If you need advanced, interactive features like logic jumps or performing calculations within the form, then Microsoft Forms is not the best choice.

We recommend it if:

• You appreciate a fast, simple, and clean interface and do not need advanced settings or integrations.
• You have a Microsoft account.
• You would like to use MS Office programs (such as Excel or PPT) to analyze the questionnaire and present the results.

Jotform - the colorful and innovative

The Jotform has a massive template library, and its interface features vibrant colors, various animations, and is easy to navigate. You can use this platform for both professional and personal purposes, as it is exceptionally versatile and customizable.

Pros:

• A wealth of useful widgets and integrations are available: add checkboxes, embed PDFs, accept appointment bookings, insert emoji sliders, or even collect signatures with the DocuSign integration.
• You have access to more advanced customization tools for editing the design, plus you can choose from thousands (!) of templates.
• There is a free plan, which is especially useful if you only need to use it occasionally for a small number of surveys.

Cons:

• The analytics interface is a bit more complex and might be harder to navigate at first.
• Only limited features are available in the free plan, and the paid plans are quite expensive—especially for a Hungarian budget (for more details see here).
• Not available in Hungarian.

We recommend it if:

• You want to create truly unique-looking surveys.
• You need more advanced integrations, for example, to have documents signed.
• You want to spice up your survey with unique widgets and fields.
• It is not a problem for you or your target audience that the interface is not available in Hungarian.

Survio - for business use, also available in Hungarian

The Survio is more of a "professional" platform, targeting business leaders, as well as marketing, market research, and HR professionals, among others. Regardless, it can naturally be used for many other purposes as well.

Pros:

• Available in Hungarian
• 100+ survey templates are waiting for you, primarily tailored for gathering customer and employee feedback
• They offer 24/7 customer support
• Various features ensure data privacy and security
• Basic features will always remain free
• As a company, you can also request a custom quote

Cons:

• Unfortunately, only basic features are available in the free version; after that, you can upgrade to a paid plan starting from 4575 HUF per month (for more details see here.)

For you We recommend it if:

• You are primarily looking for a professional online survey tool for business or non-profit use, and it is important that a variety of templates—available in Hungarian—are there to support your work.
• You don't mind paying for full access to the survey builder.

#promobox-newsletter-en###

Formstack - the enterprise player

Formstack is only available as a paid version, but it is very popular among large corporations because it offers a clean interface for creating online surveys, where you can design the form structure using a drag-and-drop method. It is a true wildcard choice—you can create anything from healthcare survey templates to financial performance reviews and higher education exam sets using pre-made templates with just a few clicks.

Pros:

• You can use it to execute more complex solutions.
• They have a huge number of templates tailored to different industries and their specific needs, workflows, and regulations—from education and healthcare to finance.

Cons:

• The price is quite steep, and there is no free version. (For more details, see here.)
• It is not available in Hungarian.

We recommend it to you if:

• You need a reliable survey builder (in a language other than Hungarian) for a large corporate environment in education, healthcare, law, finance, or other industries.
• It is important to you to have a wide range of integrations available, for example, for collecting signatures, connecting to sales or CRM systems, and so on.
• You don't mind paying a higher monthly fee for the online survey builder program.

QuestionScout - sophisticated elegance with plenty of extra features, including team collaboration

The QuestionScout is a tool that is less well-known here but excellent for creating online surveys, whether for personal or business use—and it also generates outstanding reports. English-language tutorials are available to help you master its use easily.

Pros

• A unique feature is that you can see the correlation between the answers given to two of your questions.
• You can choose from a total of 48 form templates and 42 themes.
• Numerous integration options are available: for example, we can collect payments via PayPal through our surveys, but web analytics purposes also allow us to connect them with our Google Analytics property or Facebook Pixel.
• Sharing won't be an issue either: you can share your online surveys via link, QR code, email, or on Facebook.
• The various plans include features that facilitate teamwork (e.g., inviting collaborators), as well as various customizable URL and SEO settings.

Cons

• Unfortunately, it is not available for free; plans start at 5 USD per month. If you want to create a larger number (10+) of surveys or collaborate with others, you will need to dig deeper into your pockets. (For more details, see here.)
• Not available in Hungarian.

Recommended for you if:

• As a company, you are looking for an aesthetic online form builder that offers a variety of question types and allows for extra features, such as processing payments directly through your forms.
• As a business or team leader, you want to invite guests or collaborators to your account to build surveys together.
• You don't mind that there is no free plan or Hungarian-language interface.

+ 3 Hungarian online form builders

Although several of the solutions listed above are available in Hungarian, we would like to briefly introduce three additional Hungarian survey tools.

Online Kérdőív - numerous templates for online market research, education, and much more

The Online Kérdőív site allows you to create 2 online forms for free, beyond which you can choose from various paid plans .

You can access a wide range of templates in Hungarian across the following areas:

• Online market research
• Customer satisfaction surveys
• Thesis questionnaires
• Customer feedback
• Online surveys for education and training
• Online forms for healthy living and sports
• Quizzes, tests, and exams - you can even create courses

Kérdőívem.hu - fast, simple, with a wide variety of charts

The Kérdőívem.hu platform also allows you to choose from pre-made templates and then customize your survey using 10 different question types. Form templates targeting employees, customers, or students are available here as well, catering to a wide range of needs. An additional advantage is that you can see who has not yet filled out your form and send them a reminder. It offers a unique solution for evaluating responses: you can continuously track incoming results on the interface in percentage format and through various charts, and then view individual responses in Excel. A disadvantage is that fewer templates are available, so if you don't find one that suits your needs, it may take more time to build your form.

Onlinekérdőívek.hu - for every need

One of the Onlinekérdőívek.hu platform's biggest advantages is that it provides email support for both free and paid plans alike. You can choose from basic, professional, and enterprise packages, which offer various features to help you create online surveys. You can add display conditions (logic jumps) so that respondents only see questions relevant to them based on their previous answers, download automatic reports in Excel or SPSS, and, of course, pre-made form templates are also available here for a smooth experience.

Summary

As a marketing agency, we also use surveys in many areas, both in-house and for our clients' projects, so we know how many valuable work hours can be saved by using the right tool from the start, rather than running in circles with form builders that don't meet all our requirements.  

We hope you found our summary useful, and that our help makes it easier for you to choose an online survey tool, whatever your purpose may be!

#promobox-en#We are also happy to help with online marketing and UX research to turn your online platforms into effective, profit-generating channels!##