None of the dedicated employee-engagement platforms — Officevibe, Lattice, 15Five, Leapsome, Culture Amp, CultureMonkey — has a free plan, so free engagement surveys mean a general survey tool: Qualtrics’ free account (500 responses, 30 questions), Zoho Survey (100 responses, 10 questions), SurveyMonkey Basic (10 questions, response view capped) and the forms built into Google and Microsoft. The table below is ordered by how many of your staff can answer before you hit a wall. Prices are USD and were checked on 23 October 2026. How we score · All Kurums Free lists
TL;DR — the free survey tool that fits
- Company of up to 500 running a proper engagement survey: Qualtrics free account — 500 responses, 30 questions, logic, anonymous link, no card, no expiry.
- Small company, quarterly pulse: Zoho Survey Free — unlimited surveys, 100 responses and 10 questions each.
- Already on Google Workspace or Microsoft 365: Google Forms or Microsoft Forms — included; caps not published on the pages we could read.
- Want the conversational one-question-at-a-time style: Typeform or SurveySparrow free — very low response caps.
Which employee engagement & performance surveys tools have a free plan in 2026?
Every tool below lets you build and send a staff survey at no charge, indefinitely. The limits are on responses per survey — Qualtrics 500, Zoho 100, SurveySparrow 50–75, SurveyMonkey ‘limited’ with the number hidden until sign-in — and on questions per survey (10 at SurveyMonkey, Zoho and SurveySparrow; 30 at Qualtrics). Google Forms and Microsoft Forms publish no caps on the pages we could reach.
What is missing is every purpose-built engagement platform. Officevibe (now Workleap), Lattice, 15Five, Leapsome, Culture Amp, CultureMonkey and TINYpulse were all checked: none has a free plan, most sell per employee at $4 or more a month, and Lattice sets a $4,000 annual minimum. Their pulse templates, benchmarks and manager dashboards are what you pay for; a free survey tool gives you the survey and a spreadsheet.
The table shows the response cap, the question cap and the Free Score. Open a row for the full Scorecard.
| Company | Free as | Key limit | Card | Free Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q |
Free forever | 500 responses · 30 questions · 3 active | No | 88 | Scorecard ↓ |
| Z |
Free forever | 100 responses · 10 questions · 1 user | No | 78 | Scorecard ↓ |
| S |
Free forever | 10 questions · response view capped | No | 66 | Scorecard ↓ |
| G |
Free forever | Caps not published · Google account | No | 64 | Scorecard ↓ |
| M |
Free forever | Caps not published · in Microsoft 365 | No | 60 | Scorecard ↓ |
| J |
Free forever | Starter caps in a help guide · branded | No | 56 | Scorecard ↓ |
| S |
Free forever | 50–75 responses · 10 questions · 3 surveys | No | 52 | Scorecard ↓ |
| T |
Free forever | Free plan · caps not on pricing page | No | 48 | Scorecard ↓ |
Free tiers verified 23 October 2026 on each vendor’s pricing page (third-party sources named in the Scorecard where the vendor page was silent). Order is by Free Score only; sponsorship never changes it.
What do the free survey tool plans actually include?
Open any row for the eight-field Scorecard. The “Why it ranks here” note under each row explains the score in plain terms.
1Q
QualtricsUS · a free account with logic, 50-plus templates, reporting and an anonymous link; 500 responses and 30 questions per survey, no expiryFree forever500 responses · 30 questions · 3 activeNo card88⌄
- What’s free
- Free account: 50+ templates, 8 question types, skip, display and branch logic, ExpertReview, reporting, distribution by social, QR or anonymous link
- Hard limits
- 3 active surveys at a time · 30 questions per survey · 500 responses per survey · no quotas, weighting or Stats iQ
- Time limit
- None — the page states no account expiration
- Card required
- No. ‘No credit card required’ is stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- A fourth active survey, a 31st question or a 501st response; advanced analytics
- Cheapest paid step
- Not stated — enterprise quote
- Best free for
- A company of up to 500 that wants a serious anonymous engagement survey without buying a platform
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · qualtrics.com/free-account
2Z
Zoho SurveyIndia · unlimited surveys free for one user, 100 responses and 10 questions eachFree forever100 responses · 10 questions · 1 userNo card78⌄
- What’s free
- Free plan: unlimited surveys, one user, the core feedback features
- Hard limits
- 10 questions per survey · 100 responses per survey · no question randomisation or document merge
- Time limit
- None; a 7-day Enterprise trial is ‘credit card free’
- Card required
- Not stated for the free plan; the trial states no card.
- Upgrade trigger
- An 11th question or a 101st response on one survey
- Cheapest paid step
- Basic — price not confirmed on the vendor page (G2 lists Plus $20 and Pro $25 a month, April 2026)
- Best free for
- A company under 100 running quarterly pulses
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · zoho.com/survey/pricing
Why it ranks here. Clear, published caps and unlimited surveys make it the honest small-company option; ten questions is enough for a pulse, not for an annual engagement survey.
3S
SurveyMonkeyUS · Basic: unlimited surveys with 10 questions each; you can collect more responses than you are allowed to viewFree forever10 questions · response view cappedNo card66⌄
- What’s free
- Basic plan: 1 user, unlimited surveys, core question types, AI build, web link, social sharing, embeds, Zapier
- Hard limits
- 10 questions per survey · a limited number of responses viewable per survey — the number is only shown after sign-in · no logic or export
- Time limit
- None stated
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- An 11th question, viewing more responses, logic or export
- Cheapest paid step
- Advantage Annual $39/month ($468 billed annually); Standard Monthly $149/month; Team Advantage $30/user/month from 3 users, annual
- Best free for
- A ten-question pulse to a small team
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · surveymonkey.com/pricing/individual
Why it ranks here. The best-known name with the least transparent cap: the page says you may collect responses you cannot see. Scored on what is published, which is not much.
4G
Google FormsUS · forms with a Google account; the product pages we could reach state neither the free tier nor its capsFree foreverCaps not published · Google accountNo card64⌄
- What’s free
- Forms with response collection and collaborative analysis; encrypted in transit and at rest
- Hard limits
- Not stated on the vendor pages · free personal use is widely known but was not page-verified · anonymity and pulse templates not stated
- Time limit
- Not stated
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- Business features through Google Workspace
- Cheapest paid step
- Workspace Business Starter $7/user/month (a 50% intro offer runs 5 Nov 2026 – 5 Feb 2027)
- Best free for
- Any team already on Google that wants a quick anonymous pulse
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · workspace.google.com/products/forms
Why it ranks here. Almost certainly the most-used free survey tool in the world, and the one we could verify least. Scored on the page, which says nothing about limits or anonymity; re-verify when Google’s help pages load.
5M
Microsoft FormsUS · included in Microsoft 365 business plans; free personal use and response caps not stated on the pages we could readFree foreverCaps not published · in Microsoft 365No card60⌄
- What’s free
- Surveys, polls and quizzes; included in Microsoft 365 business plans alongside Bookings and Planner
- Hard limits
- Not stated · anonymity and response caps not page-verified
- Time limit
- Not stated
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- A Microsoft 365 subscription for business features
- Cheapest paid step
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic (no Teams) $5.40/user/month paid yearly
- Best free for
- A company already on Microsoft 365 that wants internal surveys with no new vendor
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · microsoft.com
Why it ranks here. The same verification problem as Google Forms with less evidence of a free personal tier. Listed for the many companies that already pay for 365 and have it.
6J
JotformUS · the Starter plan is free with Jotform branding; its numeric limits have moved off the pricing pageFree foreverStarter caps in a help guide · brandedNo card56⌄
- What’s free
- Starter plan for individuals and small teams, with Jotform branding on forms
- Hard limits
- Not stated on the pricing page — the page says a paid plan is needed to increase limits · commonly reported 5 forms and 100 submissions, not page-verified
- Time limit
- None stated
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- Higher submission, form or view limits; removing branding
- Cheapest paid step
- Bronze — ‘paid plans start at $19 per month’; monthly versus annual not separated on the page
- Best free for
- A form-builder style survey with approval workflows at low volume
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · jotform.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. A strong form builder whose free caps could not be confirmed from the vendor this month. Scored low on capacity for that reason, not because the caps are known to be small.
7S
SurveySparrowUS/India · a forever-free plan after the trial: three active surveys, ten questions, and a response cap the page states two waysFree forever50–75 responses · 10 questions · 3 surveysNo card52⌄
- What’s free
- Forever free plan: conversational surveys, 3 active Classic surveys plus 1 CX survey
- Hard limits
- 75 responses per quarter (table) or 50 per month (FAQ) — the page conflicts · 10 questions · 1 user · 1,000 contacts · 200 emails · no API
- Time limit
- None; 14-day trial of paid plans, no card
- Card required
- No for the trial; not stated for the free plan.
- Upgrade trigger
- More responses, surveys or questions; the 360 assessment product
- Cheapest paid step
- Basic (2,500 responses) — price not confirmed; billed quarterly or yearly
- Best free for
- A very small team that likes the chat-style format
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · surveysparrow.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. Pleasant to answer and too small to survey a company with: 50 to 75 responses a period is a department, not a workforce. The 360 product that would suit HR has no published price.
8T
TypeformSpain · a free plan exists, but the pricing page lists none of its limits; Basic starts at 100 responses a monthFree foreverFree plan · caps not on pricing pageNo card48⌄
- What’s free
- Free plan with the conversational builder; limits not listed on the pricing page
- Hard limits
- Not stated on the pricing page · Basic, the first paid tier, is 100 responses a month and 1 user, which bounds what Free can be
- Time limit
- Not stated
- Card required
- Not stated for Free; a card is required only for the Growth trial.
- Upgrade trigger
- More responses or removing Typeform branding
- Cheapest paid step
- Basic $39/month monthly or $28/month yearly ($468/year) — the comparison table shows $29/$25, conflicting
- Best free for
- A beautifully designed pulse to a handful of people
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · typeform.com/pricing (two page variants; figures conflict)
Why it ranks here. The design leader of the category, with a free plan the vendor will not quantify on its pricing page and a paid tier whose price appears two ways. Scored on what is published.
Which free survey tool has no credit-card requirement?
Qualtrics states no card for its free account; Zoho and SurveySparrow say so for their trials. SurveyMonkey, Typeform, Jotform, Google and Microsoft do not state it. Nothing here auto-converts — SurveySparrow’s trial drops to the free plan when it ends.
The friction in this category is not the card, it is the response cap you discover after sending. SurveyMonkey lets you collect responses you cannot view on Basic; Typeform and Jotform publish their free caps in help articles rather than on the pricing page. Qualtrics and Zoho put the numbers on the page, which is why they lead.
When does the free plan stop being enough?
Kurums Match: which free survey tool fits your situation?
Company of 200, annual engagement survey
Qualtrics free account.
Company of 60, quarterly pulse
Zoho Survey Free.
Team of 15 on Google Workspace
Google Forms.
Company on Microsoft 365
Microsoft Forms.
Ten-question check-in to a department
SurveyMonkey Basic.
Approval-style HR forms, low volume
Jotform Starter.
Design-first pulse to a few people
Typeform or SurveySparrow.
How we score free tiers
Duration (30): free forever scores 30, a 30-day-plus trial 15, a trial of 14 days or less 8, credit-based tiers 12. Capacity (30): whether the limits carry a team of three for twelve months. Core job (25): whether the free tier does the category’s main work — here, running an anonymous staff survey, collecting enough responses and reading the results. Friction (15): no card 15; card but no auto-charge 8; auto-charge 0; self-hosting deducts for setup and maintenance.
Each free tier was checked on the vendor’s pricing page on 23 October 2026; where the vendor page was silent, the Scorecard names the third-party source used. Free tiers change, so this list is re-verified every quarter and a discontinued free plan stays listed for one month with a notice. Order is by Free Score only. Kurums Free sells no placement; sponsorship, affiliate links and vendor requests never change a score, a rank or a label. Vendors can submit corrections to the Kurums editorial team.
How did we verify these free tiers?
We opened each vendor’s pricing or free-account page and recorded response and question caps, user limits, anonymity where stated and the paid step. The detailed limits for Google Forms, Microsoft Forms, Jotform and Zoho Survey could not be confirmed on their support or compare-plans pages; those rows are scored on the product or pricing page only and marked for re-verification. Typeform’s and SurveySparrow’s pages contradict themselves; we quote both figures. Officevibe/Workleap, CultureMonkey, TINYpulse (now WebMD Health Services), Lattice, 15Five, Leapsome and Culture Amp were checked and excluded as having no free plan.
Prices are USD except Leapsome (EUR, excluded).
Frequently asked questions
Which employee survey tool is free with the most responses?
Qualtrics’ free account: 500 responses and 30 questions per survey, three active surveys, no expiry and no card. Zoho Survey allows 100 responses and 10 questions.
Is Officevibe free?
No. Officevibe is now Workleap, which lists Standard, Pro and Enterprise plans at a base fee plus $32 per manager a month, billed annually, with no free tier.
Are Lattice or 15Five free for small teams?
No. Both sell engagement at $4 a user a month billed annually; Lattice requires a $4,000 annual minimum.
How many responses does SurveyMonkey’s free plan allow?
SurveyMonkey only says ‘limited’ on its pricing page and shows the number after sign-in; you can collect more responses than you are allowed to view.
Can I run an anonymous survey with Google Forms?
Google Forms is widely used for that, but the pages we could reach state neither the free tier’s limits nor its anonymity settings. Check the ‘collect email addresses’ setting is off.
What’s the difference between this and the engagement platforms?
Platforms such as Lattice and Culture Amp add pulse schedules, benchmarks and manager dashboards. The free tools here give you the survey and the results; the analysis is yours.
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