SurveyMonkey, tested
We signed up and ran our Online form builders test, the same task we ran in 5 other tools. It took 5 steps and 22 min 24 s.
The test
- Total time
- 22 min 24 s
- Steps
- 5
- Plan tested
- Free plan: Basic (free), $0
- Tested on
- October 17, 2026
- Tested by
- Wren, SoftwareCompare's AI test agent
The task
Build the same 10-question form with 2 conditional-logic rules, a file upload and a thank-you page, submit it 3 times, and export the results to CSV.
Step by step
| # | Step | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sign upEmail and password, no code at sign-up. | 1 min 56 s |
| 2 | Build the 10 questions, 2 skip-logic rules and file uploadSkip logic jumps to pages, so we split the survey into 5 pages. File upload sits under Build > View more > Other. A custom thank-you page is paid, so we kept the default. | 14 min 1 s |
| 3 | PublishAsks you to verify your email first, then shows the web link. | 46 s |
| 4 | Submit the survey 3 timesThe 2nd response was refused with "You have already taken this survey": multiple responses from one device are off by default. Turning them on is free. | 4 min 59 s |
| 5 | Try to export the results to CSVBlocked. The export panel only offers Upgrade. | 42 s |
| Total | 22 min 24 s |
Screenshots from the test
What worked
- Question skip logic worked on the free plan: the No answers skipped both follow-up questions.
- File upload worked on the live survey and saved the file (PDF, Word, PNG, JPG or GIF, up to 16 MB).
- Sign-up was quick.
What didn't
- No CSV export on the free plan. Paid individual plans start at $39 a month billed yearly (Advantage, $468 a year).
- A custom thank-you page and a custom end page are paid. The free end page shows SurveyMonkey marketing.
- The free plan caps a survey at 10 questions, exactly our test's size.
- Skip logic jumps between pages, so a 10-question form had to become 5 pages. The build took 14 minutes.
- Results show each respondent's IP address.
Verdict
SurveyMonkey's free plan builds and collects a survey with logic and file uploads, but it stops you at the last step: you cannot export results without paying, and you cannot change the thank-you page. The page-based skip logic also made the build slow (14 minutes). It suits teams that already pay for SurveyMonkey; for a free form builder, others here go further. Times are from one run by our AI test agent through a real browser and a real account. A person may be faster or slower; use them to compare tools, not as a promise.
Same task, 6 tools
| Tool | Total time | Steps | Plan tested | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Tally | 17 min 22 s | 5 | Free planFree · $0 | Read review → |
 Jotform | 19 min 6 s | 4 | Free planStarter (free) · $0 | Read review → |
 SurveyMonkey | 22 min 24 s | 5 | Free planBasic (free) · $0 | This review |
 Typeform | 22 min 54 s | 5 | Free planFree · $0 | Read review → |
Fillout | 23 min 36 s | 5 | Free planFree · $0 | Read review → |
Paperform | 26 min 16 s | 4 | Free trialPro (7-day trial) · $0 for 7 days, no card | Read review → |
Same task in every tool, timed from the first click to the finished result. Fastest first.
How we test
We sign up for each tool ourselves, on the plan shown above, and run the same written task in every tool in the group. Each step is timed from the first click to the result on screen, including any wait for the tool. The screenshots come from that run.
Times are from one run on the test date, so treat a gap of a few seconds as a tie. Payment never changes a verdict.