Alternative to Qualtrics: Transparent pricing, EU hosting, all survey features included.

When Qualtrics is the right fit

Qualtrics is the established tool for comprehensive experience management programs. Several situations where this is more than marketing:

• When you run an ongoing XM program that integrates customer, employee and brand experience in one platform and runs them as a coherent program. Vertical XM integration is the core of the Qualtrics product, and QUESTIONSTAR deliberately does not cover it.
• When you actively use the Qualtrics iQ suite (Stats iQ, Text iQ, Predict iQ, Driver iQ) as an analytics layer built into the platform. QUESTIONSTAR delivers descriptive statistics, mean comparisons, correlations and crosstabs out of the box; advanced AI analytics runs through our MCP server (see below) and is therefore more flexible, but not preconfigured as a Qualtrics iQ module.
• When Qualtrics panels are part of your methodology: booking specialty samples (B2B decision-makers, healthcare professionals, HNWIs) directly in the Qualtrics marketplace. QUESTIONSTAR has no panel marketplace of its own. We work with external panel providers (e.g. Bilendi, Toluna and others) and can recommend a partner, with the contracting then handled by you.
• When you need Conjoint/MaxDiff at discrete choice modeling level, with a graphical design environment for choice experiments, automatic design balance checking, choice set generation and integrated model estimation. QUESTIONSTAR does not currently have MaxDiff and Conjoint implemented as standalone procedures. Choice scenarios can be mapped as a workaround using standard questions; choice set generation, design balance checking and final model estimation remain manual follow-up work.

Use QUESTIONSTAR when...

QUESTIONSTAR covers the classic survey part, and does so within a framework that Qualtrics offers in a structurally different way.

• ...when you want to know the price before you decide. All standard plans visible online, no sales call required: MONTHLY €59/month, STANDARD €395/year, PROFESSIONAL €995/year; academic: STUDENT €29/month, CHAIR €895/year, CAMPUS on request; CUSTOM (individual configuration) on request. Qualtrics offers paid plans on request (Request pricing); a limited free account exists: 500 responses, 8 question types, 3 active surveys, 30 questions per survey, no expiration (free account).
• ...when you don't want to negotiate per feature module. All survey features are included in every plan, including the free Free plan. Filter logic, branching, loops, multilingual support, mobile optimization, panel management, SPSS export, API, webhooks. Organization features such as SSO, Whitelabel and user management vary by plan, see Pricing. Qualtrics structures both survey features and CX/EX/BX modules across license tiers.
• ...when you don't want to lose responses because a response quota has been reached. QUESTIONSTAR has no response limits in paid plans. The pricing model is based on the number of simultaneously active surveys, not on response volume. Qualtrics prices on request, based on interactions or employee count.
• ...when you want your report ready directly in an Office format. Reports can be exported directly as Word, PowerPoint or Excel, with charts and labels. Ready to present for the executive team, the research group or the department.
• ...when direct SPSS export is the deciding factor for you. Variable labels, value labels and measurement level are exported along with the data, so the usual metadata rework is unnecessary. View sample .sav · Screenshot QS export dialog
• ...when GDPR-compliant EU hosting and a DPA are part of your baseline. Servers at IONOS in Germany (EU), ISO 27001 certified data centers. DPA available for direct download. On-premises on request in the Custom plan. (Qualtrics also offers EU/UK data residency.)
• ...when you want to use AI agents for analytics and automation. QUESTIONSTAR provides a single MCP server (Model Context Protocol) for all workflows: building surveys, clustering responses, preparing reports, transferring data, included in every plan. Qualtrics also provides MCP, but separately per API (depending on the API program). For QS-typical survey workflows, our setup is more straightforward to set up.

Feature comparison

Point by point, without marketing phrasing.

See sample exports: View sample .sav · Screenshot of QS export dialog · Sample Office report (PPTX)

Switching over: direct import or AI-assisted transfer

For Qualtrics, QUESTIONSTAR offers a dedicated import path that transfers both survey structure and response data. Qualtrics is the only competing product with this direct data path.

For enterprise and university operations

QUESTIONSTAR is not an XM tool, but for the classic survey part it is enterprise- and university-ready.

• Hosting: IONOS in Germany (EU), ISO 27001 certified data centers. On-premise available in the Custom plan.
• GDPR: DPA available for direct download, sub-processor list public.
• University SSO: eduGAIN and national federations (InCommon, UKfed, SWITCHaai; DFN-AAI as the German example). Available from CHAIR on request; included in CAMPUS. Setup of a test login in 1-2 business days. More at University SSO.
• Enterprise SSO/SAML: As an add-on in the Professional plan, included in the Custom plan.
• Pricing model: Per concurrent survey, unlimited responses in paid plans. From PROFESSIONAL or CHAIR, the number of users is not price-relevant.

From around 30 to 50 concurrently active surveys, complex role models or individual compliance requirements, get in touch with us directly: this is quicker to discuss by phone or email than through a plan comparison.

What Qualtrics does more strongly in enterprise programs: integrated XM with action loops into CRM/ticketing (we cover this via API and webhooks, but not as a pre-configured XM framework), the Qualtrics iQ suite as analytics built into the platform, the Qualtrics Panels marketplace, discrete-choice-modeling conjoint at XM level.

Enterprise customers such as LANXESS, Vodafone, METRO, RCI Banque, Tommy Hilfiger and Rohde & Schwarz have used QUESTIONSTAR for several years for employee and customer surveys. In academia, Technical University of Munich, LMU Munich, the University of Zurich, the University of Bern, FU Berlin, the University of Vienna and more than 30 other universities are active.

Discuss an enterprise setup

Your data stays your data

If QUESTIONSTAR ever stops convincing you, you get all your data out: as SPSS, CSV or Excel, regardless of the import format. Any time, without cancellation, without extra fee, without us asking why. Fear of vendor lock-in is one of the legitimate reflexes when leaving an enterprise contract. We treat data export as a baseline, not a bargaining chip.

Who is QUESTIONSTAR a good Qualtrics alternative for?

For universities and research teams

If you need direct SPSS export with variable labels, university SSO (eduGAIN) and academic plans (STUDENT from €29/month, CHAIR €895/year, CAMPUS on request), QUESTIONSTAR. Limit: if your university already runs Qualtrics XM with iQ analytics and is continuing the program, integrations, analysis requirements and migration effort should be examined before switching.

More on academic research

For HR teams

If you need employee surveys with granular anonymity (one-way enforcement, private questions) and easy-to-integrate SSO/Shibboleth, QUESTIONSTAR. Limit: an integrated employee-experience framework with pulse/360°/lifecycle automation like Qualtrics EX is not something QS offers.

More on HR surveys

For CX teams

For CX teams

More on customer feedback

For market research with large response volumes

If you need surveys with unlimited responses in all paid plans and want to buy panels externally, QUESTIONSTAR. Limit: if your methods stack requires the Qualtrics Panels marketplace and discrete-choice-modeling conjoint at XM level, Qualtrics remains stronger.

More on other use cases

More comparisons