Best Free Survey Makers 2026: 7 Compared
- Technology & Gadgets
Compare seven free survey makers in 2026, including response limits, account requirements, exports and the real cost of unlimited surveys.
Choose Google Forms for straightforward questionnaires, collaboration and Google Sheets workflows; choose SurveyMonkey for formal research, more advanced logic and analysis. SpaceForms is worth trying if you want a free-forever builder with unlimited response collection advertised, but its free plan also states that only 10 responses are visible, so it is not a clear replacement for paid reporting.
Prices and limits below were checked on 8 September 2026. SurveyMonkey displays its individual-plan prices in US dollars, while Google publishes UK Workspace pricing in pounds.
| Tool | Price checked 8 September 2026 | Free or included? | Response position | Logic and export | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyMonkey Basic | Free; USD pricing page | Free Basic plan | 25 responses visible per survey; more may be collected but not viewed without upgrading | 10 questions; logic and data exports are paid features | Short trial surveys |
| SurveyMonkey Standard Monthly | $129/month, billed monthly | Paid | 1,000 responses per month | Unlimited questions, skip logic, data exports and integrations | Structured research and reporting |
| Google Forms consumer version | Standalone public price not stated | Free consumer access; business access may be through Workspace | No simple commercial cap advertised; Google documents technical thresholds at 10,000, 50,000 and 100,000 responses for certain features | Section routing and Google Sheets or CSV export; answer-based routing is limited to Multiple choice and Dropdown questions | Basic forms and Google workflows |
| Google Workspace Business Starter | £7/user/month, or £5.90/user/month with annual commitment | Forms included with Workspace | No separate Forms allowance shown | Forms, Sheets, Drive, Gmail and other Workspace apps included | Small organisations already using Google |
| SpaceForms Free | $0; free-forever plan advertised | Free | Unlimited collection claimed; the comparison table also states that 10 responses are visible on the free plan | AI form creation, branching and CSV/JSON export advertised; no account is required to create a form | Free, modern and conversational surveys |
SurveyMonkey’s published individual pricing can be checked on its pricing page. Its Basic plan distinguishes between collecting responses and viewing them: the 25-response figure is a viewing limit, not necessarily a collection limit. Paid plans can also charge up to $0.15 per response after the included allowance.
Google Forms is the most practical option for a questionnaire that needs quick sharing, collaboration and a direct route into Google Sheets. It can also download responses as CSV. Its branching is section-based, and Google limits answer-based routing to Multiple choice and Dropdown questions. That makes it less suitable for complex research paths.
Google does not advertise a simple commercial response cap for the consumer version. It does document technical thresholds: some response views may fail above 10,000 responses, response summaries may be unavailable above 50,000, and Sheets synchronisation may fail above 100,000. Calling it entirely unlimited would therefore be inaccurate.
SurveyMonkey makes more sense when the survey needs structured logic, exports, integrations or more formal analysis. Standard Monthly includes 1,000 responses per month, while Advantage Annual lists 15,000 responses per year at $39/month when billed annually at $468/year. Premier Annual lists 40,000 responses per year at $139/month when billed annually at $1,668/year.
The trade-off is cost. Basic is limited to 10 questions and 25 visible responses, and logic and exports sit behind paid plans. SurveyMonkey’s plan documentation confirms those paid-feature restrictions.
SpaceForms advertises free-forever use, unlimited response collection, AI-generated forms from a description, branching, CSV/JSON export and voice or chat modes. It also provides free NPS and CSAT calculators, plus guides covering Likert scales, employee surveys and course evaluations. Creating a form does not require an account.
The important qualification is the free-plan wording: SpaceForms claims unlimited collection but states that 10 responses are visible in its comparison table. Clarify that point before relying on the service for a survey where every response must be reviewed. It is also newer and less established than SurveyMonkey and has fewer integrations than larger platforms such as SurveyMonkey, Jotform and Typeform. Readers can review the product through SpaceForms.
SurveyMonkey has a free Basic plan. It allows 10 questions per survey and displays 25 responses per survey. More responses may be collected, but viewing responses above that figure requires an upgrade.
Not necessarily. The consumer version has no standalone public price stated in the reviewed material. Google Workspace Business Starter, which includes Forms, is listed at £7 per user per month or £5.90 per user per month with an annual commitment.
Yes, it supports routing respondents to different sections. The “go to section based on answer” option is limited to Multiple choice and Dropdown questions.
SpaceForms advertises unlimited response collection on its free plan, but its own comparison table says that only 10 responses are visible on that plan. Treat the collection claim and the visibility restriction as separate conditions.
