
Having the right CX tool for the implementation of your CX strategies uplifts your game as it not only automates many repetitive tasks but also makes different processes seamless. So, which CX tool are you using? If your answer is Qualtrics, then this blog is for you.
Qualtrics Pricing Plan: Overview
Qualtrics has three types of pricing plans.
Plans | Free Account | Strategic Research (Small Business) | Strategic Research (Enterprise) |
Target Users | Individuals with basic needs | Small teams, individuals, and academics | Enterprise organizations |
Price | Free | $420/month (billed annually at $5,040) | Custom pricing based on usage |
Number of Users | Single User | Unlimited users | Unlimited users |
Surveys | Up to 3 active surveys | Unlimited surveys | Unlimited surveys |
Questions Per Survey | 30 questions | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Total Responses | 500 | 1,000 shared across all users | 5000+ |
Analysis Tools | Basic response viewing | Video summarization (GenAI), crosstabs, stats tools | Video summarization (GenAI), crosstabs, stats tools |
Dashboards and Reports | Not available | Dashboards and highlight reels | Dashboards and highlight reels |
Free Trial | Always free | 30-day free trial available | 30-day free trial available |
Now, looking at the Qualtrics’ pricing plan, here’s how SurveySensum can offer better solutions at cost-effective prices.
- SurveySensum offers a free plan and paid plans starting at $299/month. While Qualtrics’ paid plans start at $420/month (billed annually).
- SurveySensum’s free plan allows 25 responses/month; paid plans offer from 2,000 to unlimited responses. And Qualtrics’ free plan allows 500 total responses; paid plans offer from 1,000 to 5,000+ responses.
- SurveySensum offers unlimited users and surveys across all plans. And Qualtrics’ free plan is limited to one user, and paid plans offer unlimited users and surveys.
- SurveySensum offers onboarding support ranging from 4 to unlimited hours, depending on the plan, along with dedicated CX managers for higher-tier plans.
So, Is Qualtrics Worth It?
Despite its advanced capabilities, fame, and popularity in the CX world, Qualtrics’ pricing is considered a dilemma for many organizations!
While the tool is generally considered ideal for enterprises that have the budget and resources, it digs a hole in the pockets of small and medium-sized companies. Plus, it comes with a steep learning curve.
And not just this, there are more drawbacks to this software. So, let’s talk about these drawbacks and how you can eliminate them.
Qualtrics: Cons
While Qualtrics is a widely used and powerful survey platform, there are a few potential drawbacks to consider.
1. Qualtrics: Cost
When it comes to subscribing to any type of tool for organizational use, cost becomes the number one priority, especially if you are not a multi-billion-dollar company.
With Qualtrics, that’s the exact case! Qualtrics pricing is so hefty that it digs a hole in the pocket of any small to large-sized organization. So, why use such a tool at such a high price that limits you and does not enable you?
The paid plans of Qualtrics start at $420/month. But for such a high price ,you only get 1000 responses total, across all users, along with other advanced features and settings like 23+ question types, advanced analysis, dashboards, etc. Also, in the free version, you only get 500 total responses with limited settings and features like skip, display, and branch logic, and limited styling options.
So, the tool might be an ideal choice for enterprise-level organizations with big budgets, but if you are a medium to small-scale industry, then paying such big bucks for limited settings and features is not an ideal solution for you.
*Source: Gartner, Feb 28, 2024
2. Qualtrics: CX Consultation
New to the CX world?
Where to start?
NPS or CES or CSAT?
Where to launch the survey?
What to ask?
Yes, these questions can break or make your CX program – especially if you want to launch a CX program that gives you actionable insights and improves your business performance. This is exactly where CX consultants come into the picture. They provide end-to-end implementation support from creating surveys from scratch to recommending the insights to make the most impact on your business objectives.
But Qualtrics lacks in this area.
The tool doesn’t provide any type of implementation support or consultation for new users to help them with different aspects of the tool. New users specifically get affected by this as they have little to no knowledge of how to use CX metrics to improve and boost their overall business metrics and performance.
3. Qualtrics: Customer Service
No tool is perfect! And there has not been a single first-time user in the world who didn’t need help with a new tool.
But with Qualtrics, the help often comes late. Or never comes. The only support channel is email, which takes a lot of time to respond to and resolve. Now, this is not something that you would expect from a product where you are paying $420/month, right?
*Source: Gartner, Oct 4, 2023
4. Qualtrics: Learning Curve
Qualtrics has a steep learning curve for new users, which requires a lot of time and resources to become proficient in using the platform seamlessly.
And no one wants to learn the workings of any new platform!
*Source: G2, May 22, 2023
No need to scratch your head looking for a cost-effective CX solution and a powerful Qualtrics competitor. Just sign up for a demo with SurveySensum and discover a world of advanced survey capabilities at affordable prices and transform your feedback into revenue today!
So, if you are also stuck with these drawbacks and looking for a Qualtrics alternative, then scroll down.
Whose Pricing Plan is Better? SurveySensum or Qualtrics?
If you are looking for a cost-effective Qualtrics pricing alternative, here’s how SurveySensum can make a difference without compromising quality.
Features | SurveySensum | Qualtrics |
Pricing | Flexible (no hidden fees) Paid plan starts at $299/month | Expensive with hidden charges Paid plan starts at $420/month |
Support Responsiveness | Highly responsive 2-hour SLA support, dedicated CX professionals | Delayed for weeks |
Questionnaire Customization | Full | Complex |
AI-Text Analytics | Yes | Keyword/rule-based |
Closed-loop System | Yes | Yes |
User Experience | Intuitive (no-code, no IT training needed) | Requires extensive training |
Implementation Support | In-house support included | Third-party support (extra cost) |
Dashboard Analytics | Advanced, role-based with customization |
Now, let’s talk about these differences in detail.
SurveySensum: A Worthy Alternative
Cost Effective | 24* Support (On all channels) | CX Consultation (with no extra charge!)
SurveySensum is a customer experience management tool that enables users to create, launch, and analyze effective CX surveys across industries like B2B, NBFC, automotive, retail, SaaS, etc. It is known for taking action on customer feedback that ACTUALLY impacts your revenue.
The tool suits the needs of both new and seasoned CX individuals. Along with the basic necessities like cross-tab analysis, WhatsApp surveys, an analytical dashboard, and more, SurveySensum offers advanced features like AI-powered text analysis software, a closed-loop ticketing system, ease of DIY, better visualization, and more.
It focuses on basically extracting actionable insights and boosting the overall customer experience while driving the CX-driven ROI.
1. Cost-effective Prices – No Hidden Fees!
SurveySensum’s paid plans start at only $99/month and provide A LOT more than Qualtrics. Even with this basic paid plan, you get 500 responses per month and 5000 emails per month, along with all the website integrations, unlimited users, unlimited surveys, unlimited touchpoints, and unlimited questions [All inclusive]. And if you need more than 5000 responses per month, it won’t cost you more than $599/month.
So, with SurveySensum, to get better features and settings, you don’t need to break your bank and also don’t have to compromise on quality. Also, the tool has a transparent pricing policy with no hidden costs, unlike Qualtrics.
*Source: G2, Sep 11, 2023
2. End to End Support with CX Consultation
SurveySensum is not just a feedback tool. Along with the platform, the platform also provides CX consultation from experts. These experts provide end-to-end support – from creating effective surveys to analyzing them to creating a well-formed action plan by extracting insights from feedback and turning them into revenue. All of these will be aligned with your business KPIs and how feedback can help you achieve those.
*Source: G2, April 13, 2022
3. Proactive Customer Support With 2-hour SLA Support!
With SurveySensum, you get lightning-fast customer support with 2-hour SLA support guaranteed that too on all the channels 24*7, including email, live chat support, phone, etc. Also, the client retention rate of this tool is 100%.
*Source: G2, Jan 28, 2021
4. No Code and Easy to Use Interface
SurveySensum hosts a myriad of settings and features that are suitable for users of all levels but the best part is all these settings and features have an easy-to-understand user interface and navigation. This makes it easier even for a beginner, with zero knowledge of the CX industry, to understand and implement in their daily activities.
*Source: G2, Nov 09, 2023
5. Identify Critical Issues in Seconds With AI-Text Analytics
With SurveySensum’s AI-powered text analytics software you can quickly identify and prioritize actionable insights from customer feedback. Leverage AI and machine learning to automatically extract customer complaints and sentiments from open-ended feedback, and considerably reduce complaints by addressing the most pressing issues.
6. Take Prioritized Action With Analytical Dashboards
SurveySensum’s AI-powered dashboard highlights the key drivers behind customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction, giving each team member personalized insights tailored to their role. And the best part? You don’t have to decide which data points to analyze, the dashboard uses AI to give you detailed reports on which data points are important, streamlining the entire process.
7. Schedule Reports
With SurveySensum’s AI-powered reporting, you can automatically send reports to concerned team members by scheduling reports daily, weekly, or monthly directly to the inboxes of the concerned stakeholders, ensuring they always have the most relevant insights at their fingertips.
8. AI Closed-loop Ticketing System – Turn Detractor into Promoter!
With SurveySensum’s real-time ticketing system, every piece of detractor feedback is instantly flagged and escalated to the right team automatically and you can also see your ticket trends to determine resolution time, remaining open tickets, etc. Each team member gets personalized alerts and actionable insights, allowing them to close the loop efficiently.
Automate feedback collection, analyze insights in real-time, and close the loop effortlessly with SurveySensum’s AI-powered features and let AI do the heavy lifting!
Let’s now take a look at what factors to look for in a CX tool that aligns with your business needs.
How to Choose the Right CX Tool for Your Business Needs
Here’s a step-by-step guide to choosing the best CX tool for your business needs.
1. Define Your Business Objectives: Before selecting a CX tool, clarify your goals and priorities. Different tools serve different purposes, so identifying your main objectives will help narrow down your options.
Ask yourself:
- Do you want to improve customer retention and reduce churn?
- Are you looking to automate customer feedback collection and analysis?
- Do you need AI-driven insights to predict customer behavior?
- Are you managing a large-scale CX program across multiple locations?
Once you have a clear objective, choosing a CX tool that aligns with your business needs becomes easier.
2. Identify Must-Have Features: The best CX tool should include features that support your customer experience strategy. While some businesses may need basic survey tools, others might require advanced AI-driven analytics.
Some essential features to look for are NPS, CSAT, CES surveys across multiple channels, sentiment analysis, text analytics, and predictive insights, closing the loop on negative feedback with automated workflow, seamless connection with CRM, ERP, and helpdesk tools, and actionable insights for different teams.
3. Consider Ease of Use & Scalability: Even the most powerful CX tool is ineffective if it’s too complicated to use.
Key questions to consider:
- Is the tool user-friendly, or does it require extensive training?
- Can your team adopt the platform quickly without IT dependency?
- Does it support multi-location and multilingual feedback collection?
A scalable CX tool ensures that you don’t need to switch platforms as your customer base expands.
4. Evaluate Cost and ROI: Pricing structures vary across CX tools, and selecting one within your budget while ensuring high ROI is critical.
- Is the pricing based on the number of users or responses?
- Do you need additional payment for advanced analytics?
- Are there hidden costs for setup and support?
It’s essential to balance cost with capabilities – a cheaper tool may lack essential features, while an expensive platform may be overkill for your needs.
Conclusion
Although Qualtrics has several advanced features and settings and is a widely popular name in the CX industry, it may not necessarily be the right tool for you. It is indeed a great option for enterprise-level organizations with big budgets and seasoned professionals with years of experience.
But if you are a medium to small-scale industry, then it is not an ideal choice. So, if you fall into the latter category, then look for alternatives such as SurveySensum.
This tool will provide you with all the advanced features you need but also at an affordable budget without compromising on the quality. Not only that but with SurveySensum’s CX consultation, you can actually understand what action to take and which area to prioritize in order to transform your feedback into revenue.
Transform Your Journey of CX Excellency With SurveySensum Today!
Frequently Asked Questions
No, Qualtrics is not free but it does come with a free plan with 500 total responses on a single user account with 3 active surveys, 30 questions per survey, and limited survey settings and features.
The paid plan for Qualtrics starts at $420/month with 1000 responses in total across all users.
It depends on what you are trying to achieve. If you are an enterprise-level organization with big budgets and complex survey and analytics needs, then it will be worth exploring Qualtrics. However, if you are a small or medium-scale business looking for an affordable CX solution but also don’t want to compromise on quality then Qualtrics might not be ideal for you.
The paid plan of Qualtrics starts from $420/month with 1000 responses total across all users.