--- url: "https://questionstar.com/alternatives/smartsurvey/" title: "SmartSurvey alternative: no per-seat pricing | QUESTIONSTAR" description: "QUESTIONSTAR as a SmartSurvey alternative: no per-seat pricing, significance tests, SPSS with labels and Office reports in every plan. Pricing, SSO and UK hosting compared." lastmod: "2026-10-22" type: "marketing" --- # Alternative to SmartSurvey: No per-seat pricing, with significance tests and Office reports in every plan. With automatic translation into 106 languages and SPSS export with labels, in the Free plan too. Team use with unlimited users from PROFESSIONAL (business) or RESEARCHER (academic). 9.70 million fully completed questionnaires · **130,000+ users**. Used by companies, universities and public institutions across Europe. > **SmartSurvey** is a fit if you are a UK public body or NHS organization that needs UK-hosted survey data, G-Cloud procurement and an independently certified WCAG 2.2 AA survey experience. > **QUESTIONSTAR** is a fit if several people need to work on surveys without paying per seat (from PROFESSIONAL or RESEARCHER, the number of users is not price-relevant), and results need significance tests, SPSS with labels and editable Office reports, in every plan. [Start for free](/order/?code=free) · [See pricing](/pricing/) · [View sample report](/assets/proof/questionstar-office-report-sample.pptx) Universities and companies trust QUESTIONSTAR: Technical University of Munich · LMU Munich · University of Zurich · University of Bern · FU Berlin · Audi · Vodafone · LANXESS · METRO · Charité · [more customer references](/#customers) ## When SmartSurvey is a fit SmartSurvey is run by SmartSurvey Ltd from Tewkesbury, England, and was [launched in 2010](https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/company/about-us). In several situations, SmartSurvey may be the better choice: - **When you are a UK public body buying through G-Cloud.** SmartSurvey is listed on [G-Cloud 15](https://www.applytosupply.digitalmarketplace.service.gov.uk/g-cloud/search?q=smartsurvey) with published public-sector price bands and names [300+ public sector customers](https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/solutions/public-sector). If your procurement must run through the Digital Marketplace, SmartSurvey is the shorter path. Its Full Access plan for government organizations covers unlimited users under one contract. - **When you work in the NHS or with UK health data.** SmartSurvey is registered with the [NHS Data Security and Protection Toolkit](https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/platform/security) (org code 8K376), holds ISO 27001 and Cyber Essentials Plus, and offers a ready-made [NHS Friends and Family Test program](https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/solutions/healthcare). - **When your policy says "UK", not "EU".** SmartSurvey states that survey data is [kept in a UK data center](https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/policy/gdpr) and that staff are UK based; the AI sub-processors listed are [UK-based](https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/policy/sub-processors). If UK hosting is a hard requirement, SmartSurvey meets it; QUESTIONSTAR hosts in the EU. - **When accessibility must be independently certified.** The SmartSurvey survey-taking experience is [certified by the Digital Accessibility Centre to WCAG 2.2 AA](https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/policy/about-accessible-surveys), on desktop and mobile, in all plans. - **When you run a CX program from one vendor.** On Scale, SmartSurvey combines offline/kiosk surveys, AI translation, thematic analysis and paid add-ons for case management and reputation management. Sentiment analysis and word clouds are listed [from Advanced](https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/pricing). QUESTIONSTAR has no built-in AI text analysis. ## Use QUESTIONSTAR when... SmartSurvey covers logic, crosstabs and SPSS export from Advanced. QUESTIONSTAR includes all survey and analysis features in every plan and never prices per seat. - **...when several people work on surveys and you do not want to pay per seat.** QUESTIONSTAR charges by the number of simultaneously active surveys; from PROFESSIONAL (€995/year) or RESEARCHER (€295/year), the number of users is not price-relevant. At SmartSurvey, Advanced is for 1 user; Growth, where user roles and permissions start, costs [£100 per user per month billed annually (£1,200 per user per year) or £125 per user per month](https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/pricing), excluding VAT. - **...when you want to know whether a difference is statistically significant.** QUESTIONSTAR: filters, crosstabs, group comparisons, t-tests and other significance tests, in every plan including Free. SmartSurvey offers filtering and [cross tabulation](https://help.smartsurvey.co.uk/article/creating-cross-tab-reports) from Advanced; significance tests are not publicly documented. - **...when results should go straight into SPSS or a slide deck.** QUESTIONSTAR: SPSS (.sav) with variable labels, value labels and measurement level, plus editable Word, PowerPoint and Excel reports and PDF, in every plan. SmartSurvey exports SPSS (.sav) and summary reports as PDF, Word and Excel ([export tool](https://help.smartsurvey.co.uk/article/using-the-export-tool)) from Advanced ([pricing](https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/pricing)); SAV labels and a PowerPoint export are not publicly documented. - **...when you need SSO via SAML or your university federation.** QUESTIONSTAR: SSO/SAML for user accounts as an add-on in PROFESSIONAL, included in CUSTOM and CAMPUS; eduGAIN and national federations (including UKfed) from CHAIR on request, included in CAMPUS. SmartSurvey offers SSO from Scale via OpenID Connect, with SCIM provisioning on Scale; per its [help](https://help.smartsurvey.co.uk/article/single-sign-on-sso), Shibboleth/SAML2 is not supported. - **...when your survey should be translated automatically.** QUESTIONSTAR: automatic translation into 106 languages and unlimited language versions, in every plan. SmartSurvey supports multilingual surveys in all plans; [automatic translation of surveys and responses is Scale only](https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/pricing). - **...when your own brand should be the only one respondents see.** QUESTIONSTAR: custom branding in every plan, Whitelabel from MONTHLY (academic from CHAIR). At SmartSurvey, hiding "Powered by SmartSurvey" requires Scale, and full Whitelabel is a [Scale add-on](https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/pricing). - **...when you connect surveys to other systems or your AI assistant.** QUESTIONSTAR: REST API, webhooks and native MCP server in every plan; you connect the AI chat of your choice. SmartSurvey includes API, webhooks and Zapier [from Growth](https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/pricing); a first-party MCP server is not publicly documented. ## Feature comparison Point by point, without marketing phrasing. **Note:** QUESTIONSTAR prices in EUR. SmartSurvey prices as shown on smartsurvey.co.uk/pricing on October 22, 2026, in GBP, displayed exclusive of VAT ("All prices are subject to VAT"). "Not publicly documented" means: not described in the public sources, not: not available. | | QUESTIONSTAR | SmartSurvey | |------|------|------| | Pricing model | Plan based on the number of simultaneously active surveys, never per seat; number of users not price-relevant from PROFESSIONAL or RESEARCHER | Advanced flat for 1 user; Growth priced per user; Scale on request; Full Access plan with unlimited users for government organizations | | Free entry | FREE: 1 active survey, 50 responses per survey, all survey features, QS notice in the questionnaire | Basic: 1 user, 100 responses per month, 15 questions per survey, unlimited surveys, results summary export to Word only | | Paid plans | MONTHLY €59/month per active survey (1-5 surveys); STANDARD €395/year (3 active surveys); PROFESSIONAL €995/year (10 active surveys); CUSTOM on request | \[Advanced £70/month billed annually (£840) or £90 monthly; Growth £100/user/month billed annually (£1,200 per user per year) or £125/user monthly; Scale on enquiry\](https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/pricing), excl. VAT | | Responses | Unlimited in paid plans | Advanced 30,000/year (annual) or 2,000/month (monthly); Growth 90,000/year or 4,000/month; Scale custom | | User roles and permissions | User management with unlimited users from PROFESSIONAL (business) or RESEARCHER (academic) | From Growth; SCIM provisioning on Scale | | Questionnaire logic | Multiple conditions, quotas, block randomization, loops, piping, in every plan | Skip and display logic, randomization, piping, carry-forward, response quotas from Advanced; loops not publicly documented | | Crosstabs | Yes, in every plan | From Advanced (two closed questions) | | Significance tests | t-tests and more, in every plan | Group significance tests not publicly documented; \[confidence-interval or control-limit lines on Friends and Family Test trend charts\](https://help.smartsurvey.co.uk/article/trend-chart-benchmarking-calculations) | | AI text analysis | No built-in AI text analysis; via MCP with your own AI chat | Sentiment analysis and word clouds listed from Advanced on the pricing page; thematic analysis on Scale (AI Credits) | | Data export | SPSS (.sav) with labels and measurement level, CSV, Excel, in every plan | XLSX, CSV, TSV, SPSS (.sav) from Advanced; SAV labels not publicly documented | | Report export | Editable Word, PowerPoint and Excel reports + PDF, in every plan | Summary reports PDF, Word, Excel from Advanced; PowerPoint not publicly documented | | Multilingual support | Unlimited language versions, automatic translation into 106 languages, in every plan | Multilingual surveys in every plan including Basic; automatic translation of surveys and responses on Scale | | Branding | Custom branding (CI) in every plan; Whitelabel from MONTHLY (academic from CHAIR) | Logo and theme from Advanced; hide "Powered by SmartSurvey" on Scale; full Whitelabel as a Scale add-on | | SSO for user accounts | SAML add-on in PROFESSIONAL, included in CUSTOM and CAMPUS; eduGAIN and national federations from CHAIR on request, included in CAMPUS | \[From Scale, OpenID Connect only (no Shibboleth/SAML2)\](https://help.smartsurvey.co.uk/article/single-sign-on-sso) | | API / AI | REST API, webhooks, native MCP server in every plan | API, webhooks, Zapier from Growth; first-party MCP server not publicly documented | | Offline surveys | No | Scale only, via offline link in the browser | | Hosting | GDPR-compliant EU hosting (IONOS, Germany), ISO 27001 certified data centers | \[UK data center for survey data (vendor statement)\](https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/policy/gdpr); some sub-processors in the EU | | Certifications | ISO 27001 certified data centers (IONOS) | \[ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials Plus, NHS DSPT\](https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/platform/security) | | DPA | Directly downloadable | Data-processing terms in the \[Terms of Use\](https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/policy/terms-of-use); custom DPAs on Scale | | Support | Email and phone on all plans, including Free | Basic: help guides and tickets; phone, email and live chat from Advanced; customer success manager on Scale | | Education | STUDENT €29/month, RESEARCHER €295/year, CHAIR €895/year, CAMPUS on request; proof of academic status required | \[Student plan £15 per user/month, or £90/year with annual billing ("6 months free")\](https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/pricing/student-plan), excl. VAT; includes cross tabulation and SPSS export | **See sample exports:** [View sample .sav](/assets/proof/questionstar-spss-export.sav) · [Screenshot QS export dialog](/assets/proof/questionstar-export-dialog.png) · [Sample Office report (PPTX)](/assets/proof/questionstar-office-report-sample.pptx) [Start for free](/order/?code=free) · [View sample report](/assets/proof/questionstar-office-report-sample.pptx) ## Switching over: AI-assisted migration via MCP SmartSurvey exports the questionnaire via ["Print Survey"](https://help.smartsurvey.co.uk/article/printing-surveys) as a print-friendly page or a Microsoft Word file. Responses can be exported as XLSX, CSV, TSV or SPSS (.sav) from Advanced; on the free Basic plan, only the results summary can be exported, as a Word file. QUESTIONSTAR currently offers no dedicated SmartSurvey importer; the AI-based MCP path handles the reconstruction. ### The path: AI-assisted migration via MCP 1. Download the questionnaire as a Word file via "Print Survey" or provide the survey link. 2. Hand the file or link to an AI agent (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and others) with a QUESTIONSTAR MCP server. 3. The AI reconstructs question texts, answer options and pages in QUESTIONSTAR; you add logic and language versions during review. **Limits of reconstruction:** What gets carried over is what is visible in the source material. Skip logic, piping, custom variables, webhooks and themes are not transferred automatically; you set them up again in the editor. QUESTIONSTAR has no dedicated carry-forward feature; you rebuild SmartSurvey carry-forward questions with display logic. The time required depends on the complexity. For larger inventories we offer a guided migration service. **For ongoing data collection** a clear cut-off date is advisable: close running surveys at SmartSurvey, start new waves in QUESTIONSTAR. You export previous responses as SPSS, CSV or Excel and bring them over via the MCP path if needed. SmartSurvey annual plans are [committed for the full term, without partial refunds](https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/pricing), so the renewal date is a natural cut-off. More on the [MCP integration](/help/integrations/mcp-chatgpt/). ## For businesses and universities QUESTIONSTAR covers surveys from a single research group to a large corporation, with all survey features already in the Free plan. - **Hosting:** IONOS SE in Germany (EU), ISO 27001 certified data centers, in every plan. On-premise possible in the CUSTOM plan. - **GDPR:** DPA [directly downloadable](/legal/DPA-QUESTIONSTAR-EN.pdf), [sub-processor list](/security/) public. - **SSO:** for user accounts an add-on in PROFESSIONAL, included in CUSTOM; for universities eduGAIN and national federations (InCommon, UKfed, SWITCHaai, DFN-AAI as the German example) from CHAIR on request. - **Academic plans:** STUDENT €29/month, RESEARCHER €295/year, CHAIR €895/year, CAMPUS on request. - **Support:** by email and phone for all customers, regardless of plan. **From around 30 to 50 simultaneously active surveys or with individual compliance requirements**, get in touch with us directly. That is sorted out faster by phone or email than through a pricing page. What SmartSurvey does better in these situations: G-Cloud procurement with published public-sector price bands, survey data hosted in the UK (vendor statement), NHS DSPT registration, Cyber Essentials Plus, an independently certified WCAG 2.2 AA survey experience and offline/kiosk surveys on Scale. [Discuss an enterprise setup](/contact/) ## Your data stays your data Should QUESTIONSTAR ever stop convincing you, you get all your data out in full: as SPSS, CSV or Excel. Anytime, without cancellation, without extra fee, without asking. We treat data export as a baseline, not a bargaining chip. ## Who is QUESTIONSTAR a good fit for as a SmartSurvey alternative? ### For universities and research groups When the analysis needs significance tests and the data should land cleanly labeled in SPSS: QUESTIONSTAR RESEARCHER €295/year or CHAIR €895/year (proof of academic status required); login through UKfed or eduGAIN is available from CHAIR on request. Limit: for a student who needs crosstabs and an SPSS export but no significance tests, SmartSurvey's student plan at £90/year with annual billing is the lower entry price. [More on academic research](/use-cases/academic-research/) ### For HR teams When employee surveys need granular anonymity (one-way enforcement, private questions) and several HR colleagues work in one account without per-seat costs: QUESTIONSTAR PROFESSIONAL. Limit: if your organization is a UK public body that requires UK-hosted data or must buy through G-Cloud, SmartSurvey fits better. [More on HR surveys](/use-cases/hr-surveys/) ### For CX teams When NPS and satisfaction results go to management as editable PowerPoint and Excel reports with crosstabs and significance tests: QUESTIONSTAR, with unlimited responses in paid plans. Limit: if you need SMS distribution, offline kiosk surveys, case management or built-in sentiment and thematic analysis, SmartSurvey Scale covers more of the CX program in one product. [More on customer feedback](/use-cases/customer-feedback/) ### For international surveys and market research When surveys run in many languages: QUESTIONSTAR translates automatically into 106 languages in every plan, including Free, and exports SPSS with labels. Limit: if you have translations done professionally anyway, automatic translation brings little benefit, and SmartSurvey supports multilingual surveys in all plans. [More on further use cases](/use-cases/more/) ## Common questions when switching from SmartSurvey **Is SmartSurvey the better choice for UK public sector organizations?** Often, yes. SmartSurvey is listed on G-Cloud 15, states that it keeps survey data on UK servers, is registered with the NHS DSPT and holds Cyber Essentials Plus. If your organization needs UK hosting or G-Cloud procurement, SmartSurvey fits better. QUESTIONSTAR hosts in the EU (IONOS, Germany). **What does QUESTIONSTAR cost for a 3-user team compared to SmartSurvey Growth?** QUESTIONSTAR PROFESSIONAL costs €995/year for 10 simultaneously active surveys with unlimited responses; the number of users is not price-relevant. SmartSurvey Growth for three users: 3 × £1,200 = £3,600 per year billed annually, or 3 × £125 × 12 = £4,500 per year on monthly billing, excluding VAT, with 90,000 responses per year (annual) or 4,000 per month (monthly). Whether the Growth response quota applies per account or per user is not publicly documented. QUESTIONSTAR counts simultaneously active surveys, SmartSurvey Growth counts responses; check which limit your projects hit first. UK public bodies can also ask SmartSurvey about its Full Access plan with unlimited users. **Does SmartSurvey offer significance tests?** SmartSurvey offers basic statistics (mean, standard deviation and similar) in every plan, cross tabulation from Advanced, and confidence-interval or control-limit benchmark lines on Friends and Family Test trend charts; significance tests between groups such as chi-square or t-tests are not publicly documented. QUESTIONSTAR includes crosstabs, group comparisons, t-tests and other significance tests in every plan, including Free. **Where is the data stored?** QUESTIONSTAR is hosted in Germany (EU) by IONOS in ISO 27001 certified data centers; the DPA is directly downloadable. According to SmartSurvey, survey data is kept on UK servers (its pricing FAQ mentions UK/EU-based servers); its sub-processor list also names AWS (UK and Ireland) for file uploads and MessageBird (Netherlands/Belgium) for SMS. **Can we use SSO with SAML or our university federation?** Yes. QUESTIONSTAR offers SSO/SAML for user accounts as an add-on in PROFESSIONAL and included in CUSTOM and CAMPUS; eduGAIN and national federations such as UKfed from CHAIR on request, included in CAMPUS. SmartSurvey offers SSO from Scale, via OpenID Connect, and states that Shibboleth/SAML2 are not supported. **Can I bring my SmartSurvey surveys over?** Yes, via the AI-based MCP path from the Word download ("Print Survey") or the survey link. You bring previous responses over as SPSS, CSV or Excel via the MCP path as well; raw data export at SmartSurvey requires Advanced or higher. **Is there an academic plan comparable to SmartSurvey's student plan?** QUESTIONSTAR STUDENT costs €29/month, RESEARCHER €295/year, CHAIR €895/year, CAMPUS on request; proof of academic status required. SmartSurvey shows a student plan at £15 per user per month, or £90/year with annual billing. SmartSurvey has the lower entry price, and its student plan includes cross tabulation and SPSS export. QUESTIONSTAR includes significance tests, SPSS labels and editable PowerPoint reports in every plan; at SmartSurvey these are not publicly documented. **Is phone support included in every plan?** Yes. QUESTIONSTAR includes phone and email support on all plans, including Free, for all customers. At SmartSurvey, phone support starts with Advanced; Basic has help guides and support tickets. ## More comparisons - [Alternative to Alchemer](/alternatives/alchemer/) - [Alternative to easyfeedback](/alternatives/easyfeedback/) - [Alternative to evasys](/alternatives/evasys/) - [Alternative to Google Forms](/alternatives/google-forms/) - [Alternative to Jotform](/alternatives/jotform/) - [Alternative to LamaPoll](/alternatives/lamapoll/) - [Alternative to LimeSurvey](/alternatives/limesurvey/) - [Alternative to Microsoft Forms](/alternatives/microsoft-forms/) - [Alternative to Netigate](/alternatives/netigate/) - [Alternative to Qualtrics](/alternatives/qualtrics/) - [Alternative to Questback](/alternatives/questback/) - [Alternative to QuestionPro](/alternatives/questionpro/) - [Alternative to REDCap](/alternatives/redcap/) - [Alternative to Sogolytics](/alternatives/sogolytics/) - [Alternative to SoSci Survey](/alternatives/sosci-survey/) - [Alternative to SurveyHero](/alternatives/surveyhero/) - [Alternative to SurveyMonkey](/alternatives/surveymonkey/) - [Alternative to SurveySparrow](/alternatives/surveysparrow/) - [Alternative to Survio](/alternatives/survio/) - [Alternative to Tivian](/alternatives/tivian/) - [Alternative to Typeform](/alternatives/typeform/) - [Alternative to Unipark](/alternatives/unipark/) - [Alternative to Zoho Survey](/alternatives/zoho-survey/) [All comparisons at a glance](/alternatives/) _SmartSurvey is a trademark of SmartSurvey Ltd. QUESTIONSTAR has no business relationship with SmartSurvey Ltd. The mention serves product identification (nominative use). All comparison details refer to publicly available product information as of the last review on October 22, 2026._