Free Online Survey Maker

Get the answers you need with Jotform. Whether you’re conducting research or gathering feedback, you can create engaging online surveys with our free drag-and-drop survey maker. Just add your own questions, set up conditional logic, and share your custom survey online to start collecting responses instantly.

TEMPLATES

Explore Free Survey Templates

Don’t want to build your survey from scratch? Choose one of our 800+ free survey templates and customize it with our form builder — just add your own questions and change the fonts and colors to match your branding.

Remote Life Survey

Remote Life Survey

Employee Motivation Survey

Employee Motivation Survey

Technology Survey for Remote Learning

Technology Survey for Remote Learning

FEATURES

Jotform Survey Maker Features

Ask the right questions with interactive surveys that engage users and boost completion rates. Once you’ve built a custom survey or questionnaire and collected your responses, you can easily track and analyze your survey data with Jotform’s real-time reporting and data analysis tools.

Classic and Card Forms

Pick a survey format that works best for you. Create a classic survey that displays all questions on a single page — perfect for lengthy questionnaires. Or use Jotform Cards to ask one question per page — great for increasing your response rate!

Drag Drop

Drag-and-Drop Customization

Whether you’d like to add more questions, upload your company logo, or change fonts and colors, Jotform’s drag-and-drop survey maker gives you total customization control with no coding required.

Conditional Logic

Conditional Logic and Calculations

Set up conditional logic to build an interactive survey that personalizes the questions based on each user’s responses. By tailoring your survey to each individual user, you can boost completion rates and get more responses. You can also use our Form Calculation widget to automatically perform calculations.

Multiple Embed Options

Multiple Embed Options

Embed surveys in any web page without coding — just copy and paste your survey’s unique embed code into your website HTML. Jotform also offers easy third-party publishing options on platforms such as WordPress, Squarespace, Facebook, and more. You can share your survey via email, form link, or social media.

Save and Continue

Save and Continue Later

Worried users won’t want to complete your lengthy questionnaire? Give them the option to take a break and submit their form later with our Save and Continue Later feature — a great way to boost completion rates for your forms.

Mobile Responsive

Mobile-Responsive Design

Offer surveys on the go with Jotform! All forms created with our form builder are mobile-friendly, meaning your survey will look and work great on any device.

Progress Indicator

Progress Bar

Let your users know how close they are to completing your questionnaire or survey. Show how many pages are left in your card-style form or how many questions are left in your classic form.

Report Tool

Survey Report Tool

Make the most of your feedback with Jotform Report Builder. Turn form responses into professional reports in a single click — easy to download as PDFs, share with a link, or embed in your website. Embedded reports update automatically with every new submission!

Affiliate Partner Program Affiliate Partner Program

All-in-One Database

View survey or questionnaire responses in Jotform Tables, our spreadsheet-database hybrid platform. Set up filters to organize and analyze your data — and reveal important insights about your leads or customers.

Email Notifications

Email Notifications

Send confirmation emails and follow-up emails to survey participants — and stay in touch with prospective leads. Set up custom autoresponder emails for your surveys without any coding.

Security

Secure Surveys

Rest easy knowing your information is secure. Jotform protects your data with a 256-bit SSL connection, GDPR compliance, CCPA compliance, an option to encrypt your forms, and optional HIPAA compliance for healthcare professionals.

Contactless Kiosk

Contactless Kiosk

Get survey responses at trade shows, conferences, or in the field with Kiosk Mode in the Jotform Mobile Forms app. Kiosk Mode will automatically restart your survey after each submission.

Offline Surveys

Offline Surveys

No Wi-Fi? No problem. With our free Jotform Mobile Forms app, users and assignees can fill out your surveys anywhere, with no internet connection required — so you and your team can enjoy uninterrupted data collection on the go.

Jotform Mobile Forms App

Manage your surveys and submissions from your favorite mobile device. Download the free Jotform Mobile Forms app to collect survey data anywhere — even offline.

Jotform Mobile Forms App
Collect Payments

40+ Payment Gateways

Accept payments directly through your online survey. Jotform offers integrations with 40+ trusted payment gateways, including Square, PayPal, Stripe, and Authorize.Net. You won’t have to pay any transaction fees for accepting money via surveys.

What is a survey?

When it comes to data collection — for personal and business use alike — surveying is one of the most effective information-gathering methods available. A survey is a quick and easy tool to get the answers you need — whether you’re asking teachers about their favorite instruction methods or asking baby boomers whether they prefer to shop at Walmart or Target.

But exactly what is a survey? Let’s take a deep dive for answers.

Definition of a survey

Put simply, a survey is a structured way to collect information or feedback. Niles Koenigsberg, digital marketing specialist at FiG Advertising + Marketing, provides a more detailed description: “A survey is a primary research method that samples individuals of a population segment to collect data and gain information. This research method ultimately provides insights on a given topic, usually for the benefit of a business to help it identify areas of improvement, unknown shortcomings, and potential threats.”

For example, a survey can be used externally to collect information from customers, such as their opinions on a service or product they recently used. Internally, a survey can be used to collect feedback from employees and other key stakeholders, perhaps regarding their satisfaction with recent or upcoming company changes.

Pro Tip

Need to collect feedback through your website? Learn how to create a survey, customize it, and embed it using Jotform.

What is the purpose of a survey?

The primary purpose of a survey is to gather information through a systematic, scientific process.

Sarkis Hakopdjanian, director of strategy at The Business Clinic, says that many business owners make assumptions about their customers. They assume they know who customers are, what their needs are, what they like, what they don’t like, why they chose to purchase specific products or services, and so on.

“Sometimes these assumptions are right, but often they’re wrong,” Hakopdjanian says. “Instead of guessing, [companies] can use surveys to get real data they can use to make more informed decisions about their business.”

Survey expert Trevor Wolfe, director of product management at Mailchimp, provides additional insight: “Surveys are intended to reduce the amount of bias and subjectivity in the way humans provide and request feedback…. Surveys also offer a convenient way to aggregate results and spot trends.”

Pro Tip

Build the structure your survey needs to get high-quality responses with Jotform’s customizable survey templates. Try one today!

What are the components of a survey?

While all surveys are not created equal, they do tend to have several common components:

  • An invitation, which briefly summarizes what the survey involves and how long it should take to complete
  • An introduction, which outlines what the survey is about and provides any additional context, instructions, and disclaimers the participant needs to know
  • A set of screening questions, which helps narrow down the pool of participants and improve the quality of survey responses
  • A set of screening responses, which are provided by participants and used to determine their eligibility for answering the survey questions
  • A set of survey questions, which prompts participants for the information you’re seeking
  • A set of survey responses provided by participants
  • A confirmation, which informs participants that the survey is complete. This may be in the form of a person-to-person interaction (for in-person surveys) or a final thank-you page (for digital surveys).

How are surveys typically conducted?

Surveys can be conducted in the field with pen and paper or via mobile devices, like tablets. This method can be difficult because you’re limited to surveying people who are physically present. You may also face rejection from people who aren’t willing to participate in a survey when you ask.

Another common way of conducting surveys is with online tools like Jotform, Google Forms, and SurveyMonkey. It’s typically easier to distribute surveys with this method, as you can reach just about anyone who has a computer or mobile device and an internet connection, especially if you use a paid service to increase your reach.

Survey types

Understanding the purpose of surveys will help you better realize their value to your business. However, understanding surveys in general is only half the battle. Be sure to choose the right type of survey to get the information you need.

Online Surveys

Many businesses rely on online surveys due to their wide range of features, ease of use, and general flexibility. Online surveys allow your team to reach a large audience regardless of where they’re located.

Users can easily access surveys using their computer or mobile device, and most surveys are optimized for mobile for even further ease of access. Online surveys are best when you’re trying to reach a large group of respondents, as they streamline the process of distributing numerous surveys.

Online surveys also reduce the pressure for recipients to respond immediately, allowing them to complete the survey at their convenience.

Focus groups

Focus groups are a particularly effective method of in-person surveying. To perform a focus group, an interviewer gathers a diverse group of individuals to get their honest opinions on any number of issues or topics. These individuals are often given incentives to participate such as gift cards, free products, or other rewards. This survey style is commonly used to collect feedback about products, services, advertisements, businesses, or even individuals.

These surveys are most effective if you are looking for real-time, honest feedback. The other benefit of this survey is that it allows respondents to openly discuss their opinions with one another. One individual’s opinion may spark a thought from another, leading to more discussion and more detailed, beneficial feedback.

Phone Survey

Collecting data through phone surveys requires staff or volunteers. To perform a phone survey, an interviewer calls potential respondents and asks a series of questions to gather their opinions. This survey method takes more time and effort than most survey types to coordinate, and the success of each survey largely depends on the interviewers.

If an interviewer is particularly effective, you could receive high-quality customer feedback. However, a sub-par interviewer could lead to less than satisfactory results. The other main hurdle of this survey type is that many people don’t like receiving unsolicited calls and may not answer, which could limit your response rate.

Mail Surveys

Mailing surveys to your target audience reduces labor costs by using the post office to deliver each survey. These surveys should be short — preferably one page or less. Surveys should also look official. Respondents may be cautious of scams, so including your logo and branding should help put them at ease.

To increase the odds of getting responses, include a prepaid response envelope. Although it will raise your campaign costs, respondents are less likely to pay to send their answers back — especially without any incentive. Including an incentive offer and providing a prepaid response envelope increases your chances of getting their response.

Face-to-face Surveys

Another labor and time-intensive survey type, face-to-face survey interviews require hiring and training an interviewer to gather information from your respondents. In face-to-face interviews, respondents meet at a specified time and location with an interviewer from your organization to answer questions. These interviews require a great deal of coordination and will take up more time than other methods, but they can also provide in-depth feedback.

To make the most of face-to-face interviews, record them, so no information is lost. Interviewers should also be well-prepared with open-ended questions and follow-up questions to delve deeper into key issues.

Text Surveys

Most people are seldom without their phone, so text surveys help you to reach respondents where they are in a format that fits their busy schedules. Before sending a text survey, be sure you have permission from each respondent to contact them. Unsolicited text messages could backfire on you, as recipients may feel their privacy is being invaded.

If you receive permission, you can send a text survey manually or through an SMS marketing solution. Users can respond at their leisure. Text surveys should use multiple-choice or rating questions rather than open-ended questions, as respondents are unlikely to provide long-form responses through their phones.

Survey methodology: Pros and cons

Each survey type offers unique benefits that may make it the best fit for your needs. However, each also has drawbacks you need to account for during your strategic planning process.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the top pros and cons of each method, so you can choose the right ones for your business.

Online Survey

Pros

  • Access to online form builders with premade survey templates
  • Easy to duplicate and customize
  • Low cost, wide reach

Cons

  • Requires an internet connection
  • Requires respondents to be somewhat comfortable with digital technology

Focus group

Pros

  • Allows for group discussion that provides more in-depth information
  • Offers deeper insight into customer feedback
  • Allows facilitator to ask follow-up questions

Cons

  • Group setting could make some respondents nervous to speak
  • Potential for a single person to dominate the discussion
  • Cost- and time-intensive

Phone Survey

Pros

  • Provides a personal touch
  • More cost-effective than in-person surveys
  • Allows you to collect a large volume of responses

Cons

  • Limited amount of time to conduct interviews (respondents don’t want to stay on the phone too long)
  • Potential respondents may screen calls
  • Risk of irritating respondents with unwanted calls

Mail Survey

Pros

  • Allows you to target specific geographic areas
  • More cost-effective than phone or in-person surveys
  • Doesn’t require interviewers

Cons

  • High effort for respondents
  • Involves printing and mailing costs
  • Requires you to manually compile responses

Face-to-face Survey

Pros

  • Allows you to collect in-depth information
  • The interviewer can clarify questions or ask follow-up questions in the moment
  • Provides opportunities to ask open-ended questions

Cons

  • Time-intensive
  • Lack of anonymity
  • Quality of responses are dependent on the interviewer’s skill

Text Survey

Pros

  • Flexible and easy to access
  • Allow you to reach respondents wherever they are
  • High open rates

Cons

  • Permission to contact respondents needed
  • Restricted to mostly quantitative data
  • Could be costly depending on the method of sending

Each survey type brings its own set of advantages and challenges. Identifying which survey types best suit your needs will enable you to better focus your efforts.

Surveys vs other data-collection methods

Surveys are often considered the most effective method of gathering data because they are so versatile. However, there are other data collection methods that offer other benefits.

Depending on the type of data you’re trying to collect, your budget constraints, and the level of effort you’re willing to put in, each of these data collection methods may offer a unique result.

Observation

Observing user behavior is a method that involves asking no questions at all — you simply observe users interacting with a product, app, website or other offering on their own. Setting up proper observation can be difficult, however, and often requires special tools. Let’s say you want to better understand your customers’ experience with your website, for example. You’ll likely need to employ third-party tools or services to observe and record how they interact with your site.

Observational methods allow you to collect unfiltered feedback from users without influencing their responses through prompts or incentives. After collecting the data, however, you’ll then have to interpret the information. The challenge here is that whoever reviews the results may have an existing bias or opinion, whether positive or negative, that could influence their interpretation of the results.

Observational methods also lack the structure of surveys. You could risk spending time observing your users for a specific purpose, only to gather information that is irrelevant to your goal.

Document and record reviews

Similar to the observation method, analyzing documents and records allows you to gather data without asking any questions. Using existing records like order histories, customer service conversations, financial statements, and more, you can gather insights to inform your strategies.

This method is likely the most inexpensive of all data collection methods because the data already exists — it just needs to be organized and analyzed. However, when analyzing documents and records, your team can only make connections and draw conclusions from whatever data is available — rather than gathering the exact information they need, like in surveys.

Oral histories

Oral histories are similar to interviews in that they collect in-depth information directly from individuals through interviews, though they focus on a single event or phenomenon. Oral histories consist of collecting the personal histories, anecdotes, and experiences of individuals who share a common experience. For example, if you want to gain insight into an event you hosted from an attendant’s perspective, you could gather oral histories from a few willing participants.

The trouble with oral histories is that they also depend on an interviewer’s skill and could be influenced by interviewer bias. If an interviewer fails to gather the right data, you could lose out on valuable information. If your interviewer records information selectively to fit their biases, you could end up with skewed, inaccurate conclusions.

Selecting the best data collection method for your needs is vital to the success of any research project, whether it’s business-related or personal. However, even with the perfect data collection methods and processes, how you analyze your data determines how useful it is.

Analyzing survey results

Online survey tools like Jotform provide data analysis tools that can easily build reports to see your data at a glance. But you also need to understand how to analyze these reports to get the most out of your data.

Check out these common ways to turn your data into actionable results:

  1. Identify and separate data types
  2. To better interpret your data, separate the qualitative responses from the quantitative response. Qualitative data, which often comes from open-ended questions, will need more interpretation. Quantitative data, which typically is produced by multiple choice questions, will be easier to calculate. Understanding the type of data you have gathered will help you perform better analysis and streamline your process.

  3. Review questions
  4. Before conducting an analysis, double check that your survey questions still align with the goal of your research. If you find that your research needs have shifted during the research process due to new revelations or priorities, consider adjusting your survey and fielding it again. This may also be a good idea if you discover that your questions did not produce the information you hoped to gather.

  5. Cross-tabulate research
  6. Identify common characteristics among your respondents to paint a clearer picture of your results. For example, you can separate the responses to a question by the occupation, age, or other demographic of the respondents. This method can help you identify trends in the responses of different groups.

  7. Check your results against previous research
  8. If you have previously performed similar research, compare those results to your new survey results. This will provide insight into how respondents or their responses have changed over time. If this is your first survey on a topic, consider using it as a benchmark for future research.

  9. Focus on what’s relevant
  10. One crucial part of sifting through survey results is understanding what data is valuable and what is not. Positive results from a demographic outside your target audience may not be as useful as less favorable results from the users that you need to reach.

Now that you’re in the know about surveys, it’s time to build one. Check out these easy-to-use survey templates to get started.

Free Survey Tool For Students Free Survey Tool For Students

Free Online Survey Tool for Students

Get the answers you need with unlimited student survey submissions. Create custom surveys in just a few clicks with Jotform’s free survey maker for students.

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Surveys FAQ

  • What is a survey?

    A survey is a fast and easy way to get the answers you need from clients, customers, employees, students, or coworkers. No matter your industry, a survey can be a great way to gather research that will help you better understand your audience — so you can improve your services in a way that benefits your audience and keeps them engaged.

  • What is a survey maker?

    A survey maker creates online surveys and questionnaires without requiring any coding. You can add questions, set up conditional logic, and share your survey with others to gather responses

  • What is a survey maker used for?

    A survey maker builds surveys that conduct research or gather feedback. Aggregated responses can be converted into visual reports to help you gain critical insights and better understand your data.

  • What is a good survey response rate?

    A good survey response rate varies based on survey type, industry, how many questions are asked, and the types of questions that are asked. For example, an exit survey may have a lower response rate than a survey that’s targeted at highly engaged visitors. In terms of question types, open-ended questions tend to have lower response rates across the board, so you can expect higher response rates from closed-ended questions. Learn more about how to analyze survey data on our blog.

  • How can I create a survey on Facebook?

    Facebook offers a built-in tool for creating basic surveys, ideal for quick checks about simple-to-understand topics. If you’d like to conduct more complex surveys on your Facebook page — with multiple question types, the ability to accept payments, and 100+ app integrations to sync survey results to your other accounts automatically — create a survey with Jotform’s drag-and-drop Form Builder, and share it with a link to start collecting responses! Check out our blog to learn more about how to create a survey on Facebook.

  • Are online forms safe?

    Unlike paper forms, online forms are designed to keep submission data safe. Paper forms are messy and easy to misplace, but with online forms, you’ll receive each and every submission exactly where you want it — in a secure inbox that only you can access and share. Jotform protects your online forms with various encryption measures that prevent spam and third-party access; you also have the option to manage privacy settings and even set up a password for form access. Learn more on our security page.

  • Can I create a free survey?

    You can create a survey for free using Jotform. Without a paid plan, you’ll be able to create a maximum of five free surveys — if you’d like to build more surveys and accept more than 100 monthly survey responses, you’ll need to upgrade your account.

  • How do I design a survey?

    With Jotform, designing a survey only takes a few clicks! Once you’ve set your research goals and decided on a target audience, you can start creating surveys in our Form Builder either from scratch or by customizing a readymade survey template. Just drag and drop to add your survey questions, which will vary based on your survey goals. You can add demographic questions, yes-or-no questions, rating scales, and more! Learn more in our guide to creating a survey.

  • How many responses are needed for a valid survey?

    The more responses, the better. When you gather more survey response data from your target audience, you’ll have a more accurate representation of your audience’s wants and needs, which will help you make more informed business decisions. If you’d like to upgrade your Jotform account to accept more submissions, visit our pricing page to explore our affordable pricing plans.

  • How do I conduct a survey?

    To conduct an online survey, you’ll first need to set clear research goals and define your target audience. Use our Form Builder to create a survey that meets your needs and share it with your target audience to start collecting responses! To learn more about creating an effective survey, visit our blog.

  • How do I create an online survey?

    Building your first online survey is a breeze with Jotform! To get started, open our Form Builder and select whether you’d like to create your survey from scratch or customize a readymade survey template. Simply drag and drop to add survey questions and form fields, update the design, set up conditional logic and widgets, and add your branding. Then publish and share your survey to start accepting responses. Learn how to create a survey on our blog.

  • What is conditional logic? How do I set up survey logic with Jotform?

    Our conditional logic feature will change the form fields that appear based on how a user answers your survey. To set up survey logic, go to Settings in the Form Builder and select the Conditions tab. You can choose whether to hide, reveal, require, and calculate fields, skip to a page, change the thank-you page, and more.

  • What are the best customer experience survey questions?

    To gather effective feedback, you have to ask the right questions. And these questions will differ based on the type of business you run — but you should mainly aim to understand what your customers like about your product or service and what they would like to see improved. Surveys are also a great way to gather demographic information, such as age, income, and location, and to ask open-ended questions to get a better understanding of how your customers feel. To learn more about the best customer satisfaction survey questions for effective feedback, visit our blog.

  • How do I increase my survey response rate?

    To boost your survey response rate, make your surveys engaging. You can opt for card forms to keep it conversational with one question per page, add emoji sliders and star ratings, and ask multiple-choice questions to speed up the form-filling process. The most important thing is to keep your survey as brief and to-the-point as possible — this will encourage form completion, show your clients or customers that you know their time is valuable, and leave them with a positive impression that will reflect back on your business.

  • What type of surveys or questionnaires can I create?

    With Jotform’s 415+ free survey templates, the possibilities are endless! Gather feedback from employees, get to know your customers, conduct market research, receive feedback about events you’ve hosted, and even collect medical questionnaires protected with HIPAA compliance. No matter what industry you’re in, our drag-and-drop Form Builder can help you create the perfect survey or questionnaire for your needs in seconds.

  • What types of questions should I add to my survey?

    The types of questions you add to your survey depend on your survey goals. You can ask demographic questions or set up rating scales to better understand your audience. Yes-or-no questions are just one type of survey question that helps increase survey engagement. And it’s important to ask questions that match the type of survey you’re conducting — customer-focused surveys will ask more general market research-based questions, whereas feedback surveys will ask about a specific product, experience, or event. To learn more about what type of questions to add to your survey, visit our blog.

  • How can I analyze my survey results?

    Jotform offers two ways for you to turn your survey data into valuable insights. You can use our Form Analytics feature to analyze traffic, or you can convert survey responses into visual reports with Jotform Report Builder.

  • Can I create a report using my survey answers?

    Yes! Using Jotform Report Builder, you can generate reports based on survey results in seconds. Whether you’re presenting form data to coworkers, employees, clients, or investors, you’ll be able to build a professional report and present it in a visual slideshow, embed it in your website, share it via email, or save it as a PDF — a great way to analyze survey results and gather new insights.

  • Can users save their survey progress and continue to fill it in later?

    Yes. To boost submission rates on lengthy surveys and questionnaires, you can enable a feature that lets users save their progress and continue the survey later. To learn more about how to set up Jotform’s Continue Forms Later feature, visit our user guide.

  • Can I display my survey in Kiosk Mode?

    Yes. To set up Kiosk Mode, start by downloading Jotform Mobile Forms for iOS or Android. You can then choose a form on your mobile device, select Open in Kiosk Mode, and choose to continue with or without screen lock. When a user fills out a form on your smartphone or tablet, the form will automatically refresh after every submission so that it’s ready to be filled in by another user right away. For more information on how to use Kiosk Mode, visit our user guide.

  • Can I assign my surveys to specific users?

    Yes. Whether you need employees or clients to fill out your surveys, you can assign them to others to let them securely collect data for you and manage your forms directly through their devices. You’ll always stay in full control of your forms and data. To add an additional layer of security, you can even require your assignees to sign in. Learn more about how to assign forms with Jotform.

  • Can I collect payments?

    Yes! Jotform offers 30+ popular payment integrations to help you collect payments through your online forms with no additional transaction fees. To get started, explore our selection of payment gateways — including Square, Stripe, and PayPal — and integrate your favorite payment gateway with your online survey or questionnaire. You can then accept payments and survey responses at the same time.

  • How do I add Jotform surveys to my website?

    To add a Jotform survey to your website, publish your form and embed it into your website with an auto-generated embed code. All you have to do is copy and paste! To learn more about how to embed a survey in your website, visit our user guide.

  • Is creating a survey in Jotform free?

    Yes! You can create up to five surveys for free using Jotform. To build more surveys and accept more than 100 monthly responses, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid Bronze, Silver, or Gold plan.

  • How can I migrate my surveys to Jotform?

    If you use another form-building platform, you can easily migrate your existing surveys to your Jotform account in just one click! Simply search for the app you used to create your surveys from our list of integrations, and use its respective form import tool to transfer your surveys to Jotform.

  • How secure is my data with Jotform?

    The privacy and security of your data is our top priority at Jotform. All forms are protected with a 256-bit SSL connection, GDPR compliance, CCPA compliance, and the option to encrypt your forms. You can even upgrade for HIPAA compliance to keep sensitive health data protected according to HIPAA requirements! Learn more about the measures Jotform takes to protect your data by visiting our security page.

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