Alternative to Tivian: Unlimited responses on paid plans, a native MCP server and editable Office reports.

When Tivian is the right fit

Tivian emerged in 2021 from Questback's spun-off EFS business; Questback continues as an independent provider. The EFS platform has been established in enterprise experience management for two decades; today Tivian offers an integrated XI suite. There are several situations where Tivian remains a good choice:

• If you are actively using Discover XI with text analytics, driver analysis and action-planning workflows, and you have established connected follow-up processes built on it. Tivian bundles surveys, analytics and action-planning modules in one suite; QUESTIONSTAR is deliberately a survey platform, not an XM suite. Comparable analytics and process integration you would solve with us via API, webhooks or MCP workflows.
• If your company runs EFS-Panel or EFS-Community as a tightly integrated panel product with respondent incentivization and community management, Tivian provides the closely interlocked operation including incentivization and compliance logic. QUESTIONSTAR has no panel marketplace of its own; QUESTIONSTAR can be combined with external panels such as Bilendi, Respondi or Toluna or run with your own contact lists.
• If EFS-Employee benchmark databases built up over years with industry peer groups are a fixed part of your HR governance and group reporting structure. These peer histories do not migrate automatically; an AI-assisted reconstruction covers the question structure, not the historical benchmark peer group.
• If a multi-year framework agreement with Tivian is in place and dual licensing is out of the question. In that case, QUESTIONSTAR is worth a look above all for new projects not tied to the license, and as preparation for the next procurement cycle.

Use QUESTIONSTAR if...

QUESTIONSTAR covers the classic enterprise survey needs (HR census, CX trackers, market research) and does so within a framework that is deliberately different from Tivian's XI-suite model.

• ...if you want to know the price before you decide, transparent and online up into the upper mid-market range. QUESTIONSTAR: MONTHLY from €59/month, STANDARD from €395/year, PROFESSIONAL from €995/year (10 simultaneously active surveys, unlimited users, SSO/SAML as an add-on), CUSTOM on request (unlimited in parallel, SSO included, on-premise possible). Tivian publishes no list prices for its enterprise products (Discover XI, EFS-Employee, EFS-Panel, Communicate XI, MX Analytics): price and configuration are settled in the quote process.
• ...if you do not want to lose responses or buy more. QUESTIONSTAR has no response limits on paid plans and no per-response fee. Tivian's pricing model is set in the quote conversation and is not publicly specified, so for census waves and seasonal CX peaks, check the exact volume terms in your quote.
• ...if you want to bring AI agents (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and others) into your survey and analysis workflows. QUESTIONSTAR offers a single MCP server (Model Context Protocol) on all plans: build surveys, cluster open-ended answers, prepare reports, transfer data. Tivian has AI features within the Discover XI suite (text analytics), but no natively documented open MCP endpoint for external AI-agent orchestration.
• ...if GDPR compliance and anonymity are a basic requirement, without a separate enterprise SKU. Granular anonymity settings per survey (one-way enforcement, private questions, minimum number of respondents), works council / employee representation requirements (where applicable) in employee surveys, GDPR-compliant processing on behalf of the controller with a DPA available for download. With QUESTIONSTAR this is configurable on all plans; with Tivian it is typically part of the enterprise package, without the separate SKU negotiation you have with us.
• ...if you want your report ready directly in Office format. QUESTIONSTAR exports native Office objects (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, directly editable, not as embedded images) plus PDF. Tivian has its own strong reporting suite (Discover XI dashboards, Tableau integration), but the native Office report as a standard output format is less prominent.
• ...if SPSS direct export on all plans is the deciding factor. QUESTIONSTAR exports SPSS on all plans, including Free and STUDENT, with full variable and value labels as well as measurement level. SPSS export is not separately documented on Tivian's product page; the EFS history suggests basic availability, with a concrete scope check in the quote. View a sample .sav · Screenshot of the QS export dialog
• ...if enterprise SSO/SAML should be activated predictably within 1-2 business days. QUESTIONSTAR: SSO/SAML in the PROFESSIONAL plan as an add-on (ordered from within the plan), included in the CUSTOM plan. Tivian: enterprise SSO is not separately documented on the product page; to be clarified in the enterprise quote.
• ...if a modern interface and quick onboarding are part of the switching decision. New HR/CX admin staff are usually productive on their first day: the interface is designed for quick onboarding.

Feature comparison

Point by point, with no marketing language. Note: the comparison looks at Tivian's enterprise portfolio. Features, availability and licensing differ by Tivian product (Discover XI, EFS-Employee, EFS-Panel, Communicate XI, MX Analytics) and by contract.

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

Start for freeDiscuss enterprise setup

Switching over: AI-assisted migration via MCP

For Tivian/EFS, QUESTIONSTAR currently does not offer a dedicated direct importer (EFS does not export an open questionnaire exchange standard). The AI-based MCP path handles the reconstruction.

For businesses and universities

On the enterprise survey side, QUESTIONSTAR is suitable for HR census, CX trackers, and market research panels, without forcing an enterprise plan for core functions. Prices are visible online up to PROFESSIONAL (SSO/SAML as an add-on), CUSTOM on request.

• Hosting: IONOS in Germany (EU), ISO 27001 certified data centers, in every plan. On-premise possible in the CUSTOM plan.
• GDPR: DPA available for direct download, sub-processor list public on our security page.
• Enterprise SSO/SAML: as an add-on in the PROFESSIONAL plan, included in the CUSTOM plan.
• University SSO: eduGAIN and national federations (InCommon, UKfed, SWITCHaai; DFN-AAI as the German example) from CHAIR on request, included in CAMPUS. More on university SSO.
• Pricing model: flat plan fee per simultaneously active survey, unlimited responses in paid plans, number of users not price-relevant from PROFESSIONAL onward.

From roughly 30 to 50 simultaneously active surveys, complex role models, or individual compliance requirements, talk to us directly: it's sorted out faster by phone or email than through a pricing page.

Where Tivian delivers more in enterprise XI programs: Discover XI as an integrated XI suite with text analytics and action planning modules (scope varies by product), EFS Panel/Community as a tightly connected panel product with respondent incentivization, the EFS Employee benchmark database with multi-year peer-group history, a native Salesforce app (SalesPulse) for CRM-adjacent experience flows, additional certifications (SOC, PCI, SSAE16) attributed to the data centers per Tivian Security: check product-specific scope in the quote.

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, University of Zurich, University of Bern, FU Berlin, University of Vienna, and over 30 other universities are active.

Discuss enterprise setup

Your data stays your data

If QUESTIONSTAR ever stops convincing you, you get your data out in full: as SPSS, CSV, or Excel, regardless of the import format. Anytime, without cancellation, without extra charge, without having to ask. The worry about vendor lock-in is legitimate, especially when switching away from a quote-based enterprise contract with a multi-year term. We treat data export as a baseline, not a bargaining chip.

Who is QUESTIONSTAR a good fit for as a Tivian alternative?

For enterprise HR teams

If you need employee surveys with granular anonymity (one-way enforcement, private questions, minimum respondent count), works council / employee representation requirements (where applicable), enterprise SSO/SAML, and HRIS connection without a separate enterprise SKU, QUESTIONSTAR. PROFESSIONAL €995/year with SSO/SAML as an add-on, CUSTOM with SSO/SAML included and unlimited simultaneously active surveys. Census waves with several thousand participants without a per-response fee, email triggers for reminder workflows. Limit: if your EFS Employee benchmark database with multi-year peer-group history serves as a governance foundation, check benchmark continuation before switching.

More on HR surveys

For CX teams

If you need NPS, CSAT, CES with transparent prices, automated email triggers, Office-ready reports, and no per-response fee during seasonal peaks, QUESTIONSTAR. Limit: QUESTIONSTAR is not an XM suite. If you need Discover XI text analytics, driver analysis, and action planning workflows as an integrated XI offering, Tivian (or Qualtrics XM/Medallia) remains more tightly integrated there; we complement for survey and feedback collection.

More on customer feedback

For market research with large response volumes

If you need complex study designs (loops, multilingual setups, randomization), unlimited responses in paid plans (even for MR waves with 5,000-50,000 participants), SPSS direct export with variable and value labels, a native MCP server for AI-assisted text clustering of open-ended answers, and GDPR-compliant EU hosting for data protection officers, and you want to buy panels externally, QUESTIONSTAR. Limit: if you use EFS Panel or EFS Community as a tightly connected panel product with respondent incentivization, Tivian remains more tightly integrated there; we work with external panel providers such as Bilendi, Respondi, or Toluna.

More on market research

For SMEs and upper mid-sized companies

If, as an SME, you need professional survey features (anonymity, GDPR-compliant EU hosting, unlimited responses in paid plans) without going through an enterprise sales cycle with scoping and quote negotiation, QUESTIONSTAR. STANDARD €395/year for the survey part, PROFESSIONAL €995/year with enterprise SSO/SAML as an add-on (included in the CUSTOM plan). Bookable online, productive on day one. Limit: if you're looking for a lean mid-market XM suite with text analytics and action planning modules, check your actual need against Tivian Enterprise or specialized mid-market solutions; QUESTIONSTAR complements for surveys and feedback collection, not as an XM suite.

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