SurveyMonkey vs Qualaroo 2026: Best Customer Feedback Tool for SaaS?

SurveyMonkey is a widely used online survey platform built for teams and enterprises seeking extensive templates, integrations, and high response volumes.

Qualaroo is an in-context feedback platform that captures user sentiment through website Nudges designed to engage visitors while they are actively using the product. In this comparison, we break down pricing, features, and AI capabilities and show where each falls short.

SurveyMonkey vs Qualaroo: Feature & Pricing Comparison

SurveyMonkey vs Qualaroo: Key Differences

Pricing & Plans

SurveyMonkey uses a per-user subscription model with annual response quotas. At low volumes (100–1K responses/month), the cheapest annual plan runs $468/year. At 5K responses, it jumps to $1,668/year with no monthly option.

Qualaroo is actually cheaper than SurveyMonkey at low-to-mid response volumes. At 100–500 responses/month, Qualaroo's Starter plan costs $239.88/year. At 1K–5K responses/month, it runs $599.88/year, which is cheaper than SurveyMonkey's $1,668/year at 5K. At 10K responses, Qualaroo reaches $1,798.88/year.

feedback.tools charges a flat $35/month ($420/year) at all response volumes. It is cheaper than both tools above 500 responses/month, with no per-response fees or tier upgrades required.

AI Features

SurveyMonkey gates all AI features behind its Team Premier+ plan. Sentiment analysis and AI text analysis are unavailable on the standard $468/year plan.

Qualaroo uses IBM Watson for sentiment analysis and emotion detection, but these features are locked behind the Enterprise plan at $1,799/year. Teams on Starter or Business plans have no access to AI-powered analysis.

feedback.tools includes automated AI insights on all paid plans. Feedback is categorized, sentiment is detected, and a product backlog is generated automatically without any Enterprise upgrade.

Survey Types & In-App Targeting

SurveyMonkey uses URL-parameter-based targeting and lacks a full programmatic JavaScript SDK. Survey delivery is primarily link-based, limiting precision for in-app use cases.

Qualaroo excels at in-context website targeting through its Nudge format. Advanced custom variable targeting is available on Enterprise, and basic targeting is available on lower tiers. However, mobile SDK access requires Enterprise.

feedback.tools includes a JavaScript SDK on the Standard plan for programmatic in-app targeting without additional cost or Enterprise requirements.

Integrations & SDK

SurveyMonkey offers broad integrations but most enterprise-grade connectors (Salesforce, Power BI, Zoom) require the Enterprise tier. Core integrations are available on lower plans.

Qualaroo integrates with HubSpot, Salesforce, Slack, and Zapier, but premium integrations are locked behind the $1,799/year Enterprise plan. The white-label removal also costs an additional $300/year on top of any plan.

feedback.tools focuses on a JavaScript SDK for web integration with webhook-based connectivity. It is optimized for in-app surveys rather than broad CRM/enterprise integration.

Ease of Setup

SurveyMonkey is well-documented and familiar to many teams, but setup involves user management, quota configuration, and integration work that can be time-consuming.

Qualaroo is relatively easy to set up for website Nudges, but the pricing model based on pageviews requires careful planning to avoid hitting limits on high-traffic sites. Advanced targeting requires the Enterprise tier.

feedback.tools is built for software development teams with a straightforward JavaScript SDK integration. Setup requires developer involvement but is fast for engineering-led teams.

Hidden Costs

Hidden Costs of SurveyMonkey

⚠️ Response limits are annual, not monthly: Plans pool responses yearly, so you could run out mid-year if you front-load surveys.

⚠️ Free plan hides responses beyond 25: You can collect more than 25 responses, but must upgrade to view them.

⚠️ No free trial for paid features: Cannot test premium features before committing to an annual plan.

⚠️ Overage charges: $0.05-$0.10 per response when exceeding plan limits.

⚠️ Auto-renewal by default: Accounts auto-renew indefinitely with a strict no-refund policy.

⚠️ Team plans require 3+ users minimum: Cannot get team collaboration features as a solo user or pair.

⚠️ Annual billing only for most plans: Standard Monthly ($99/mo) is the only monthly option.

⚠️ Advanced features locked to higher tiers: Sentiment analysis, advanced logic, white-label branding, and phone support require Premier plans or higher.

⚠️ Enterprise-only integrations: Salesforce, Power BI, Zoom, SMS surveys, and offline mode require the highest tier.

⚠️ HIPAA compliance is an add-on: Extra cost on top of already-expensive Enterprise pricing.

Hidden Costs of Qualaroo

⚠️ Free plan is a lifetime cap: The 50 responses in the free plan are total ever, not monthly, so once used they don't reset.

⚠️ AI features require Enterprise plan: IBM Watson sentiment analysis, emotion detection, and keyword identification are only available on the $1,799/year Enterprise plan.

⚠️ Mobile SDK paywalled: Native iOS and Android in-app SDKs are only available on Enterprise plans, limiting mobile app integration on lower tiers.

⚠️ Advanced integrations locked behind Enterprise: Premium integrations like Salesforce, HubSpot, Slack, and Zapier require Enterprise ($1,799/year minimum).

⚠️ White-label costs extra: Removing "Powered By" branding requires an additional $300/year on top of any plan.

⚠️ Pageview limits on Business plan: Business plan is capped at 100k pageviews/month, which can be quickly exhausted on high-traffic sites.

⚠️ Annual billing required for Enterprise: Enterprise features cannot be paid monthly, requiring a full year commitment upfront.

Hidden Costs of feedback.tools

No hidden costs! All features are available on the Standard plan with no limits except the number of surveys.

SurveyMonkey vs Qualaroo: Which Should You Choose?

Choose SurveyMonkey if: you need unlimited surveys, extensive templates, and a broad integration ecosystem with a well-known and widely-used platform.

Choose Qualaroo if: you need in-context website Nudges with basic targeting at a lower price point for low-to-mid response volumes, and you don't need AI features.

Consider feedback.tools if: you're a software development team that wants flat-rate pricing, built-in AI insights, and sentiment analysis without paying per user or per seat.

A Better Alternative for Software Teams

feedback.tools is built specifically for software development teams: response-based pricing, automated AI insights, sentiment analysis, and incident tracking — all on a single flat-rate plan.

Try feedback.tools free today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is SurveyMonkey better than Qualaroo?

SurveyMonkey is better if you need unlimited surveys, broad integrations, and a platform familiar to enterprise teams. Qualaroo is better if you need in-context website feedback at a lower price for small-to-medium response volumes.

Which is cheaper: SurveyMonkey or Qualaroo?

Qualaroo is cheaper at most volumes: $239.88/year for up to 500 responses vs SurveyMonkey's $468/year. At 5K responses/month, Qualaroo costs $599.88/year vs SurveyMonkey's $1,668/year. Above 10K responses, Qualaroo reaches $1,798.88/year and SurveyMonkey requires a custom quote.

Does SurveyMonkey have a free plan?

SurveyMonkey has a free plan, but it caps viewable responses at 25 per survey. Most useful features require a paid plan starting at $39/month billed annually.

Does Qualaroo have a free plan?

Qualaroo offers a free plan, but it provides only 50 total lifetime responses, not monthly. Once those 50 responses are used, the free plan is permanently exhausted.

What is a good SurveyMonkey alternative?

feedback.tools is a strong alternative for software teams: it charges $35/month for unlimited responses, includes automatic AI analysis and sentiment detection, and offers a JavaScript SDK for in-app targeting — all without Enterprise pricing.

Conclusion

Software teams that need AI-powered feedback analysis without paying $1,799/year for Enterprise features will find feedback.tools a more practical choice than either SurveyMonkey or Qualaroo.