Questions — 36+ question types
18 base types plus variants: choice, text inputs, matrices, scales, ranking, heatmap, upload, signature, QR/barcode scan, info blocks. Questions or whole blocks can be carried over from existing surveys.
Product tour · four steps
Four steps. Here's how they work with us.
Create, design, distribute, analyze — you know the cycle. This tour shows what actually happens at each step in QUESTIONSTAR. What's standard, and what we built differently.
Free, no time limit, no credit card.
GDPR-compliant · DPA included
Servers in Germany · certified data center
Made in Germany
There's no secret fifth step. A survey is created, designed, distributed, analyzed. That's how every survey tool does it — and so do we.
What differs is the details: which question types you have available, how deeply you can adjust the branding, whether a pretest contaminates the real data, whether the analysis happens in the tool or only after the export, whether a low NPS score stays just a number or triggers an email to the team.
This tour goes through each of the four steps — and shows what you actually get.
Step 1 · Create
From a blank questionnaire to a finished draft.
Configurable through the interface — no programming required. If you want to go deeper, there's HTML/CSS/JS.
Conditional logic — branching, display logic, randomization
Respondents follow different paths. Questions and options appear depending on context. Orders are shuffled to avoid effects. A/B tests compare variants within the same survey.
Personalization — variables and piping
Variables from the URL or answers fill in content automatically. Answers reappear later in the questionnaire — no code, right in the interface.
Pretest — preview without saving data
The survey runs realistically: logic, timing, user flow. Multiple testers at once are possible. Answers aren't saved — the dataset stays clean.
Test scoring — points and thresholds
Answers can be scored. Total score and pass/fail can be defined. Combinable with logic and piping.
Reuse — copy instead of rebuilding
Questions, blocks or pages can be carried over. Saves time with similar surveys.
Choose question type
+ Carry over from an existing survey
Step 2 · Design
The survey carries your corporate design.
Several ready-made style templates as a starting point — or full design via code.
Layout templates as a style starting point
Fonts, colors, images preconfigured. Presentable even without your own corporate design.
Logo, colors, fonts
Adjustable directly in the interface — beyond the template.
Source-code editor (HTML, CSS, JavaScript)
Available in every plan — for full control when you want to go deeper.
Personalization in the text
Via variables — salutation, context, references are inserted per respondent.
Custom domain
Available as a paid add-on.
Preview on smartphone, tablet, desktop
See how the survey looks to respondents before it goes live.
* Full Whitelabel corporate design in all Business plans. In the free version and some Academic plans, a subtle QUESTIONSTAR notice stays visible.
How satisfied are you with the advice?
Next →
Ready-made templates as a starting point·plus your own corporate design on top
Step 3 · Distribute
Five ways to distribute one survey.
Email, token links, QR code, website embed or social link. The access varies — the data comes together.
Email sending
With personalization and scheduling. Reminders go only to recipients who haven't answered yet — those who finished get an optional thank-you instead.
Token links
One unique link per recipient, single-use, with an expiry date. Also as a short link for SMS, print or personal handover. (Not for public QR codes — that's what the QR channel is for.)
QR code
As SVG/PNG, scalable without limits — from business card to poster.
Embed in five modes
Inline, button, tab, modal, bubble.
Social link for open surveys
Title, description and preview image definable; OG tags ensure the preview looks clean automatically in LinkedIn, X, WhatsApp or Slack.
Scheduler — fixed times
Three weeks before: invitation. The day before: reminder. The day after: feedback. No relative triggers — fixed times, plannable.
Quotas and screening
Set a maximum per answer option or respondent profile. When the quota is full, you decide what happens: continue to the end of the survey, branch to another path, or politely decline.
Loops — several speakers
One question block repeats per speaker. One survey instead of duplicates.
Prevent multiple responses
Selectable per survey: cookie-based (one browser, one response) or via a personal token link (one person, one response). Both have limits — we tell you which upfront.
Email sending
live
Token links
live
QR code
ready
One survey · five ways · one shared dataset
Step 4 · Analyze
Analysis from answer #1 — no export detour.
Dashboard in the browser. The charts show the current state of the collection at any time — no export, no aggregation pause.
Real-time dashboard
Every new answer flows immediately into the running analyses. Live counter without refresh, the state is always current.
Charts by question type
Gauge, bar, histogram, word cloud, heatmap and more — matched to the question.
Statistics in the browser
Crosstabs, correlations, t-tests, regression — right in the dashboard, no SPSS export. Enough for many studies. (Factor analysis, clustering and similar methods aren't built in — export the raw data for those.)
Filters and crosstabs
With filters you build an analysis specifically for a particular group — region, department, time period, answer cluster. With crosstabs you see differences and relationships between groups — who answers how differently from whom.
Report export — presentation-ready
Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF — what's in the dashboard comes into the report unchanged. In Office formats the charts stay real, editable Office charts, not images — labels, colors, data points can be fine-tuned directly in PowerPoint or Word.
Raw data export
SPSS, CSV, XLSX for further analysis.
Pie chart
11 views·1 dataset·right in the tool, no export
Working as a team
One survey. Many hands.
Surveys are rarely a solo project. They grow when a colleague adds a question, a translator adapts it for another language, an analyst takes over the analysis. You don’t need a Business plan for that.
Stage 1 · in every plan
Share a survey
Share a survey with other users — even in the free plan. The invited person doesn’t need to be a member of your account; they get access to exactly this survey, with the rights you grant per person.
12 granular rights — from editing questions through layout, translation and sending to report access and data export. Plus an “administrator” switch that enables all rights at once when someone should get full access.
Stage 2 · with user management
Project groups, roles, policies
When several users work together on a lasting basis, the organizational tools come in:
- Project groups — share a survey with the group, all members get access automatically. Whoever joins later sees the existing surveys too.
- Define your own roles — Editor, translator and designer are set up as templates. You can create your own roles with their own rights profiles — matching your organization’s structure.
- Security policies — minimum password length, minimum number of special characters, automatic sign-out after inactivity. Configurable per organization.
- Activity log — visible: who started, stopped or deleted a survey.
- Company SSO — any OAuth 2.0 / OpenID Connect identity provider, e.g. Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD), Google Workspace, Okta, Auth0 or your own IdP stacks. Configurable on request.
- University SSO via Shibboleth — service provider in the DFN-AAI federation; connection to other Shibboleth federations (e.g. eduGAIN, InCommon) can be set up quickly on request, since the Shibboleth integration is already in place.
| Administrator | Edit survey | Copy survey | Edit layout templates | Translate survey | Change survey options | Send survey | Start survey | Send emails | Access reports | Edit reports | Export survey results | View/download private data | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MW | |||||||||||||
| JS | |||||||||||||
| AK |
5Members
12Surveys
4Roles
- ABactive
- CDactive
- EFactive
- GHactive
- IJactive
Shared surveys
- Employee pulse Q4shared
- Onboarding feedback 2026shared
- … and 10 more
Security policies
- Minimum password length12 characters
- Special characters≥ 1
- Auto-logoutafter 30 min
- Company SSOon request
- SSO via DFN-AAIon request
User management is available in Business plans and in Academic plans with the user-management option. Exact allocation on the Pricing page.
Beyond that · special capabilities
What goes beyond the standard cycle.
Features that aren’t always needed — but are decisive in the right context.
Auto notifications
Emails or webhooks on defined answers. Helps you follow up quickly on critical answers — before the customer churns.
Integrations, API and MCP (AI)
Webhook, REST API, Zapier, n8n, Data Studio, Power BI, plus MCP for AI assistants like Claude or ChatGPT. For when answers should flow on into a CRM, data warehouse, analysis tool or AI workflows.
Kiosk mode
Survey in full screen, automatic restarts after completion. Suited for iPads in waiting rooms, at reception, or at events.
Generate test data
Simulate answers to check the analysis in advance. Reports can be tested on the generated dataset before the real collection starts.
Qualtrics import
Carry over existing surveys instead of rebuilding. If you switch from Qualtrics, you keep logic, question types and analysis options.
Multilingual
One survey in several languages — automatically by the respondent's browser language or via a language selection at the start. Switching is possible any time. Answers land in one shared dataset, analyzable across languages. In every plan.
Product philosophy · irreversible actions
Some settings can't be undone. We tell you beforehand.
In a few places in the product you’ll see notices like “This action can’t be undone” or “Once saved: no longer editable” — with a red confirmation button that deliberately differs from normal actions.
That’s by design. When a change would break anonymity in the background or distort analyses, it’s either blocked — or we show the consequences beforehand, so you decide consciously.
- Anonymity as a decision, not a switch. Once you’ve defined a survey as anonymous, the status can’t be reversed afterward — not even by you. Only through a new copy of the survey.
- Shared layout templates. When a template is used in several surveys, a change affects all of them. We show that before saving — and you choose: apply to all or create a copy.
- Changing a question type during a live survey. If answers have already come in and you convert, say, a single-choice question into multiple-choice, the existing answers aren’t carried over one-to-one — one answer becomes a value per option (selected = 1, not selected = 0). The analysis looks different afterward. We warn you beforehand.
This isn’t a technical oversight. It’s how we ensure the data quality in your surveys.
This action can’t be undone.
Once the survey is saved as anonymous, the status can no longer be changed even by you — only through a new copy.
Common questions
What you should know upfront.
Do respondents need an account?
No. Respondents only need the link, QR code or embed. Account creation is for the survey owner — one time, free.
How many responses can I collect?
In the free plan: one active survey with up to 50 responses. In the Business plans, currently no fixed limit per survey — tiered response volumes aren't part of the model. Functionally, all survey features are identical in every plan — plans differ only in volume, Whitelabel and user management.
Where is the data stored?
By default in Germany — the IONOS data center in Frankfurt. GDPR-compliant by default, DPA included, no US sub-processor in the standard configuration. Hosting within the EU is available on request.
What happens to my data if I cancel?
Until the end of the paid term, you have full access. After that, the account is downgraded to the free plan — the data is preserved, but only what the free-tier limits allow stays visible (one survey × 50 responses). We recommend exporting before switching. On a later upgrade, full access is back. If you want to delete everything immediately — the profile setting “Delete account”: all data, including surveys and answers, is gone irreversibly. No support ticket needed.
Do we need programming skills for customizations?
No. Layout, colors, logos, personalization — all via the interface. An HTML/CSS/JavaScript editor is available in every plan, but isn't required.
Do we need SPSS or R for the analysis?
For many studies, no. Statistics (regression, t-tests, correlations, crosstabs) run in the browser. For special cases (factor analysis, clustering, structural equation models) you export the raw data as an SPSS, CSV or XLSX file.
Can we run QUESTIONSTAR on our own servers?
Yes, on-premise is possible — especially for larger organizations for which the online licenses aren't enough in volume. Get in touch and we'll check what fits your infrastructure.
Can we import existing Qualtrics surveys?
Yes. .QSF and .CSV are imported directly. Existing logic, question types and answer options are carried over.
Is there a free demo period?
You use the free plan indefinitely — no time limit, no credit card. Functionally, all survey features are identical to the paid plans; the free-tier limits are one active survey with up to 50 responses and a subtle QUESTIONSTAR notice in the layout. If you need more responses or full Whitelabel, you switch straight to a Business plan — no separate trial version needed.
Ready?
Ready to click through it yourself?
You can also take the tour in the tool itself. Free, no contract commitment. Stop any time.
Kostenlos, ohne Zeitlimit und Kreditkarte.