Zoho Survey vs SurveyMonkey: Which Online Survey Platform Should You Choose?
Seeking the right online survey tool for your business needs boils down to a key face-off – Zoho Survey versus the legendary SurveyMonkey.
In this comprehensive feature and value comparison guide, I’ll equip you with everything to decide:
- Which platform reigns supreme for core features and use case fit
- How Zoho Survey and SurveyMonkey differ in special capabilities
- What expert users and industry statistics reveal
- Which delivers better pricing and support value
- When to prefer one over the other for your goals
By the end, you’ll confidently know how these leading solutions stack up and which makes the most sense for your surveying vision as an insightful tech insider. Let’s dive in!
Zoho Survey and SurveyMonkey at a Glance
I’ll briefly introduce the contenders before we dissect their differences.
Zoho Survey offers an intuitive online survey builder and analyser integrated into technology giant Zoho’s acclaimed SaaS ecosystem. Core highlights include:
- Streamlined drag and drop survey design
- Advanced logic flows and 30+ question formats
- In-depth analytics and tracking
- Top-tier security and compliance
- Native integrations with Zoho CRM, Zoho Analytics and more
- Affordable paid plans starting at $25 monthly
SurveyMonkey serves over 20+ million users as the world’s most ubiquitous online survey SaaS. Notable features cover:
- Easy templated survey creation for novices
- Strong analytics and reporting for data diggers
- Constant evolution and updates for two decades
- Integrations supporting 1000+ apps
- SOC 2 and ISO audited security
- Pricier but more recognized household name
Next let’s pit these nemeses head-to-head on what truly counts!
Comparing Core Features and Capabilities
While both platforms share broad feature overlap, notable differences manifest under the hood.
Drag and Drop Builder
SurveyMonkey prioritizes instant survey setup for beginners through templates and intuitive WYSIWG design. Zoho Survey makes customization more accessible for experienced survey designers via branches, variables and other logic flows.
But critically both incorporate visual drag and drop builders nowadays reducing the historical learning curves substantially.
Advanced Question Types
Having diverse questions goes a long way in improving survey completeness and data quality.
Zoho equips 30+ field types from ratings, multiple choice, video, file capture and more. SurveyMonkey trails at around 20+ slightly less exotic options until activating expensive add-ons.
Zoho Survey supports advanced question types like file upload fields
Skip Logic
This technique minimizes irrelevant questions by branching based on previous responses. SurveyMonkey enables logic flows out of the box, while Zoho Survey packages this in paid tiers.
Access Management
Both solutions support password protecting surveys and granular view/edit permissions for teams. SurveyMonkey offers more nuanced controls like read-only Analyze licenses.
For core essentials around survey flows, administration and responses analysis Zoho Survey competes solidly with SurveyMonkey’s pedigree. Let’s examine what else sets them apart.
Augmenting Surveys with Special Capabilities
Depending on your goals, niche auxiliary features can hugely boost surveys’ impact.
Zoho Survey collaboration tools
Zoho Survey edges out for:
- Real-time collaboration while building surveys
- Geotagging responses down to city-level regions
- iOS and Android apps so creators and takers can run natively on mobile
By comparison, SurveyMonkey unlocks useful perks like:
- Invitation-only respondent access without open web links
- Survey translation into 100+ global languages
- Custom styling for client branding continuity
Both share HIPAA compliance offerings, offline data collection, and social sharing integrations.
What the Statistics and Experts Reveal
While specs provide hints, real-world usage patterns highlight true platform advantages. Some standouts in numbers:
- SurveyMonkey touts 40,000 organizations on premium plansVS 2,100+ reported enterprise Zoho Survey subscribers
- User base skews 89% outside North America for global leader SurveyMonkey
- Expert Pick #1 in user satisfaction on G2 crowd since 2018
- 4.5/5 average user rating for Zoho Survey across review sites
Industry practitioners granted deeper insights too.
Molly Graham of Leading Edge Marketing told us:
We switched from SurveyMonkey to Zoho and found it much more reasonably priced for advanced features comparable solutions charge way more for. Their support has also been very responsive to our agency.
Compared to Zoho‘s smaller but more satisfied power user base, SurveyMonkey covers simpler use cases at greater scale – by a wide margin based on adoption metrics.
Integrations and Connectivity
Interoperating with existing business systems avoids manual duplication.
Zoho Survey streamlines blending survey data into Zoho Analytics, Zoho CRM, Zoho Campaigns and more apps universally used.
By comparison, SurveyMonkey‘s 1000+ integration library edges them for connecting broadly outside Zoho‘s ecosystem across tools like:
- Salesforce
- Microsoft Power BI
- Mailchimp
- Hubspot
- Slack
SurveyMonkey also uniquely offers domain staging to mask branding for white labeled surveying.
SurveyMonkey App Directory
So Zoho wins for out of box synergy with companion Zoho services, while SurveyMonkey extends surveys further into common SaaS platforms.
Comparing New Features and Roadmaps
Ongoing innovation signifies a platform’s long-term viability and commitment to users.
Over the past year, Zoho Survey unveiled capabilities like:
- Collaboration tools
- Additional security controls
- AI-powered text analysis
- Package deals with other Zoho apps
SurveyMonkey counters recent milestones around:
- Enhanced audience targeting
- New enterprise plan tiers
- Expanded language support
- Improved data visualization
Both show steady platform momentum and commercial success powering regular modernizations. SurveyMonkey‘s longevity edge gives them the benefit of the doubt for sustaining releases.
Accessibility and Localization
Certain scenarios like surveying global or disabled audiences heighten accessibility demands.
Zoho Survey provides fully accessible designer and mobile apps earning ADA Section 508 certification for disabilities compliance. But SurveyMonkey extends further supporting 180+ localized languages across survey taking and design.
For global survey reach, SurveyMonkey is the clear path forward given translation breadth. Technical assistance like screen readers leans to Zoho though.
Evaluating Customer Support and Experience
Even well-designed software has hiccups making reliable assistance key.
Help resources comparisons reveal:
- 80% first call resolution rate posted by Zoho Survey teams
- Sub-8 hour average response time claims for most Zoho tickets
- 94% satisfaction among SurveyMonkey users per Zendesk benchmarks
- Phone and chat support central to SurveyMonkey premium plans
While both earn praise, Zoho Dev teams directly handle the majority of technical issues achieving swifter turnaround overall – a huge perk for avoiding surveying delays.
Pricing Comparison Reflecting True Cost and Value
Let‘s drill into what budget-conscious shoppers care about most – bottom line costs!
| Plan | Zoho Survey | SurveyMonkey |
|---|---|---|
| Starter/Freemium | Unlimited surveys and questions | Up to 1 survey and 100 responses monthly |
| Intermediate Package | $25/month billed annually | $384+ annually |
| Premium Plan | $35/month billed annually | $1,524+ annually |
| Enterprise-grade | $75+/month | $300+ per user annually |
| +100K Survey Distribution | N/A | $0.75+ per response |
| Minimum Commitment Term | Monthly discounts | Annual sign-up required |
Zoho Survey’s free offering leaves SurveyMonkey’s trial in the dust for smaller needs. Their paid pricing also adds up to over 10X savings for mid-market buyers.
At enterprise levels, SurveyMonkey quotes on bespoke packages too opaque for apples comparisons. Yet observed rates historically exceed Zoho’s published premium plans indicating a consistent premium.
Factoring value outside largest clients, Zoho Survey decisively leads affordability across segments. Caveat emptor!
The Final Verdict: Zoho Survey Wins for Most Users
Let me leave no mystery on my verdict after dissecting dozens of criteria head-to-head.
Excepting specialized enterprise demands, Zoho Survey outclasses SurveyMonkey for a mainstream audience based on:
- Matching core builder and logic features
- Above average satisfaction and support
- Tighter cost control across plans
- Helpful niche capabilities
- Sufficient connectivity where required
For enterprises, SurveyMonkey’s longevity edge and deeper cross-platform synergies merit consideration before ruling out. They clearly dominate market share overall as well based on sheer adoption metrics.
Yet Zoho often gets you 95%+ of the functionality at a fraction of the price tag anyway. And their support reliably fills knowledge gaps quicker helping conquer the tool’s learning curve.
Ultimately unless you specifically value aspects like:
- Granting survey access to invited-only panelists
- White labeling for hidden branding
- Translations spanning 100+ languages
…I confidently recommend test driving Zoho Survey’s forever free plan without reservations. With responsive assistance easing onboarding plus scalable pricing that stays reasonable as usage grows, their solution strikes an accessibility and value balance SurveyMonkey simply fails to match today.
Your survey data is too essential to overpay! Let me know if any other questions arise when kicking the tires on Zoho.
