10 Best Forsta Alternatives to Try in 2024 [Detailed Comparison]

Forsta has been in the market for quite some time. You may have heard about the software for its great market research capabilities. 

But it may not be the ideal choice for you, especially if your company is looking for a simple and modern user feedback solution. I’m also not a fan of the company’s policy to keep its pricing plans hidden.

So, for those actively looking for Forsta alternatives, this blog will help you make an informed decision.

List of Top Forsta Alternatives

It wasn’t that tough finding Forsta competitors online. But the real work was cutting the fluff off the list to ensure you don’t choose a tool that can’t meet your needs. 

That’s why I decided to connect with market leaders who use such software solutions first-hand. 

The tools in this list come recommended by me and product and training managers from different industries. I’ve ensured that I’ve presented them in an in-depth manner to help you reach a conclusion.

Without further adieu, let’s talk business.

1. Qualaroo – Best for AI-Powered Sentiment Analysis

Qualaroo is a powerful Forsta alternative that helps you understand the ‘why’ behind customers’ decisions. In my opinion, the tool leads the pack when analyzing customer sentiments. 

As someone who still uses it, I find this feature incredibly useful. It automatically analyzes the sentiment and keywords in the written feedback and presents emotion scores. This real-time AI-powered feedback is invaluable to understanding customer sentiment and making informed decisions.

You can also survey specific users in context while they are looking at your product, service, or brand using its advanced targeting options to ask the right users at the right time.

What you’ll like:

• 10+ survey question types, including multiple-choice, open-ended, NPS, CSAT, etc.
• Shows Nudges^TM to specific users based on behavior, demographics, URL, and even past survey responses
• Branching and skip logic to create custom survey flows
• Request custom integrations and workflows
• Integrates with tools like HubSpot, Zapier, MailChimp, etc.
• A/B test survey designs and question types to see what resonates best
• Captures feedback directly within your iOS and Android apps
• Gather feedback in 70+ languages

What you may not like: 

• The templates page could use industry-specific categories
• More format options like Word Documents, PowerPoint slides, and XLS to export data would be great

Pricing: A forever free plan for startups and small businesses with all premium features. Paid starts at $19.99/month.

2. ProProfs Survey Maker – Best for Conducting Multi-Channel Surveys

I came to know about ProProfs Survey Maker for its NPS surveys but found its other features equally useful. For example, the software lets you conduct surveys even through email.

You can ask questions like – “How likely are you to recommend our company to a friend or colleague?” at the most appropriate moments through in-app surveys, email campaigns, social media, etc. This gives valuable insights into customer satisfaction and identifies promoters, detractors, and passives. 

Using the software, I could create quizzes, polls, popup surveys, in-app surveys, email surveys, embedded surveys on your website, etc. Besides, you get over 100 expert-designed templates and ready-to-use questions – basically, everything you need to create visually appealing surveys that are impactful.

What you’ll like: 

• A wide range of survey types, including NPS surveys, customer satisfaction surveys, market research surveys, etc.
• 100K+ ready-to-use questions to help you create surveys in minutes
• Supports multi-language surveys, making it ideal for global businesses and multilingual audiences
• Provides detailed survey statistics, including response grading, to analyze survey data
• Self-serve portal for survey takers, allowing them to access surveys at their convenience

What you may not like: 

• The templates could have been more specific for each industry
• No option to switch between light and dark modes

Pricing: A free plan is available for up to 10K pageviews. Paid options start from $19.99 / 100 responses/month.

3. Qualtrics – Best for Audience & Panel Management

Qualtrics is a platform that allows you to collect feedback from customers, employees, and partners across all channels. You can analyze the data to gain insights into customer needs, employee satisfaction, and brand perception.

In my opinion, its audience and panel management capabilities should appeal the most to you. It lets you manage a panel of respondents who are willing to take your surveys – especially helpful if you want to get feedback from a specific group of people. 

You can recruit, target, and manage panels for various research projects. It enables the creation of diverse and highly responsive research panels of targeted individuals who have opted to provide frequent feedback.

What you’ll like: 

• Automatically identifies any friction across all customer touchpoints
• Provides tracking metrics like brand recognition, favorability, loyalty, etc. to monitor brand perception and awareness
• Surveys are optimized for mobile devices, so you can collect feedback from customers wherever they are
• Integrates with a variety of other business applications, such as Salesforce, Marketo, and Zendesk
• Committed to data security and compliance – the platform is SOC 2 Type II certified and HIPAA-compliant

What you may not like: 

• Pricing is not transparent, making it time-consuming for those who need an instant quote
• A limited number of survey design features compared to other survey platforms

Pricing: Starts at $1500/year (custom pricing plans).

4. Alchemer – Best Survey Software for Enterprises

(Image Source: G2)

Are you looking for a Forsta alternative that can cater to your enterprise-level needs? Alchemer can be a good fit for you – I’ll tell you why.

With Alchemer, you can create surveys, collect feedback from mobile apps, and automate workflows. 

Its ability to provide customizable reports that give you insights into your data is something you will like. With its advanced reporting capabilities, you can easily analyze data trends to make informed decisions.

Personally, I have used Alchemer for surveys and found it extremely user-friendly, with features including options to create custom questions and layouts. The platform also offers ample support to handle complex survey requirements – making it a great solution for enterprises that require sophisticated survey software.

What you’ll like: 

• Option to white-label the survey platform with your brand
• Survey templates to kickstart your survey creation process
• Enhanced logic options to present respondents only with the relevant questions
• Option to personalize survey questions and emails with respondents’ names
• Lets you embed surveys on your website or social media channels

What you may not like: 

• The paid plans can seem costly even for mid-sized businesses
• Occasional technical glitches that affect the survey responses

Pricing: Starts at $55/user/month.

5. SurveyMonkey – Best for Customizing On-Brand Surveys

If Forsta is not getting you anywhere, I suggest you try SurveyMonkey.

What I liked the most about the software is its ability to customize surveys to match your brand’s style, which can help increase response rates and overall engagement with your survey. You can change fonts, colors, logos, use custom URLs, etc.

Besides, you get hundreds of customizable templates available for everything – from employee evaluations to product testing.

Another useful feature is SurveyMonkey’s ability to generate real-time reports and analysis of survey results, which can save you time and offer important insights into your audience’s preferences.

What you’ll like:

• Wide variety of question types, including multiple-choice, open-ended, Likert scale, matrix questions, etc.
• Advanced survey logic and branching to customize the user experience
• Multiple distribution methods, such as email invitations, social media, and website embedding
• Survey translation and localization options for conducting surveys in multiple languages
• Integration with popular applications like Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel, and Salesforce

What you may not like: 

• The starter plan does not let you white-label surveys
• Some users feel that the customer service is not readily available and could be more accessible

Pricing: Starts at $25/user/month.

6. Medallia – Best for Customer Lifecycle Insights

Medallia‘s customer feedback management (CFM) solution helps you collect and analyze insights on customer lifecycle. 

Using the software, you can gather feedback from all touchpoints and channels, including surveys, social media, chat, and phone calls. You can then use this feedback to identify areas for improvement, track progress over time, and make data-driven decisions that enhance the customer experience.

I found that the software lets you customize survey questions and design and helps translate surveys into different languages with sophisticated built-in targeting logic, conditioning, and distribution. The software facilitates omnichannel data capture and engagement to give you a better idea of customer lifecycle insights.

What you’ll like: 

• Powerful machine learning capabilities to predict customer behavior and identify improvement opportunities
• Supports omnichannel data capture and engagement for a holistic view of the customer journey
• Action and case management functionality to ensure timely follow-up on customer feedback
• Personalized and targeted engagement strategies based on customer feedback data
• Analyzes open-ended text feedback to identify sentiment, extract key themes, and gain deeper customer insights

What you may not like: 

• The site does not display a pricing plan, making it problematic for users to get a quote idea
• Sometimes, the software tends to flag good feedback as unfavorable

Pricing: Custom pricing.

7. QuestionPro – Best for Market Research Insights

(Image Source: QuestionPro)

To stay ahead in today’s competitive landscape, you need a tool like QuestionPro. It’s one of the Forsta alternatives I used earlier last year. 

I was tasked to conduct market research for a product, and I chose QuestionPro. Using the software was like having a personal assistant who helped me uncover project insights. The suite offered real-time, automated, and advanced market research tools – perfect for creating surveys, collecting data, and analyzing results for actionable market insights.

QuestionPro has an extensive library of survey templates, advanced question types, and real-time data analysis capabilities. This CX management software turns customers into advocates through sentiment analysis, promoter amplification, and detractor recovery.

What you’ll like: 

• Robust reporting capabilities, including sentiment analysis and advanced trend analysis
• Omnichannel survey distribution through email, SMS, social media, and web forms to reach a wider audience
• Compares your company’s performance to industry benchmarks to identify areas for improvement
• Advanced logic and branching capabilities for more tailored surveys
• Automates data analysis to identify trends and patterns in customer feedback

What you may not like: 

• The free plan doesn’t offer important features like sentiment analysis, heatmaps, advanced branching, etc.
• Offline data collection is not as robust as online surveys

Pricing: Starts at $99/user/month. A free plan is available for only up to 300 responses per survey.

8. Zonka Feedback – Best for CX Automation

Zonka Feedback is an omnichannel customer feedback software that measures real-time CX metrics like Net Promoter Score (NPS Surveys), CES & CSAT. It’s one of the top-rated alternatives to Forsta, famous for its CX (customer experience) workflow automation.

The software allows you to automatically send surveys to customers based on their interactions with your business. For example, you can send an NPS survey to customers after they make a purchase or a CES survey after they interact with your customer support team.

I was impressed by how the software can elevate your customer experience with real-time feedback, in-depth insights, and automation. It also offers offline surveys and kiosks, customer satisfaction surveys, website feedback, etc.

What you’ll like: 

• Multi-channel feedback with email, SMS, tablet, and kiosk options
• Real-time feedback alerts and notifications for immediate action.
• Advanced reporting and analytics, including sentiment analysis, word clouds, etc.
• Enterprise features, such as role-based access control and single sign-on
• Integrates with popular tools such as Slack, HubSpot, Salesforce, and more

What you may not like: 

• Doesn’t offer key features like file upload, location-based surveys, offline surveys, etc., in the free plan
• Some users have reported that Zonka Feedback has limited question types, making it difficult to create complex surveys

Pricing: Start from $49/month. A free plan is available with a limited number of questions per survey.

9. GetFeedback – Best for Collecting Targeted Feedback

(Image Source: GetFeedback)

GetFeedback is another Forsta alternative you may try if you are looking to shift business gears based on customer feedback. Now, I know all these may sound pretty basic, but here’s the real deal –

The software excels at collecting targeted customer feedback. You can collect feedback across various touchpoints, including websites, apps, emails, and in-person interactions. It has a survey builder to create tailored surveys for specific customer segments – ensuring you gather the right insights from the right people.

Real-time feedback analysis is also at the heart of GetFeedback. With advanced reporting tools, you can get a clear picture of customer sentiment to track trends and measure the impact of your CX initiatives.

What you’ll like: 

• Range of customization options, including the ability to add your own branding and logos to surveys
• Real-time analytics and reporting to track survey responses and analyze data as it comes in
• Range of question types, including multiple-choice, open-ended, and rating scale queries
• Facilitates close-loop feedback management by automatically pushing feedback into the tools you already use
• Integrates with a range of other tools and platforms, including Marketo, HubSpot, and Slack

What you may not like: 

• The pricing isn’t transparent
• Some users have reported occasional technical glitches, such as survey loading issues

Pricing: Starts at $50/month (estimated pricing). Please visit GetFeedback for more information.

10. AskNicely – Best for Tracking Team Performance

Imagine having the ability to measure every customer’s experience using a Net Promoter Score (NPS) and motivate your frontline teams to serve customers right. With AskNicely, you can achieve just that.

The software captures real-time feedback from customers. It provides valuable insights into individual and team performance, enabling data-driven coaching and recognition. By recognizing the accomplishments of every team member in achieving monthly customer experience goals – AskNicely boosts morale and fosters a customer-centric culture.

Apart from these, I also think it is a good recommendation if you want to identify a training gap within your customer service team. 

What you’ll like: 

• Allows you to automate feedback requests and reminders
• Built-in recognition system celebrates employee achievements – boosting morale and driving engagement
• Enables you to benchmark and compare business performance against industry standards
• Helps you close the loop with customers by providing a way to respond to feedback and resolve issues
• Manages customer service issues more effectively by having a centralized platform for tracking feedback

What you may not like:

• There is a bit of a learning curve associated with using AskNicely
• Some users feel the reporting features could be more customizable

Pricing: Custom pricing.

Read More: 8 Best Retently Alternatives for 2024

Evaluation Criteria

The evaluation of products or tools chosen for this article follows an unbiased, systematic approach that ensures a fair, insightful, and well-rounded review. This method employs six key factors:

1. User Reviews / Ratings: Direct experiences from users, including ratings and feedback from reputable sites, provide a ground-level perspective. This feedback is critical in understanding overall satisfaction and potential problems.
2. Essential Features & Functionality: The value of a product is ascertained by its core features and overall functionality. Through an in-depth exploration of these aspects, the practical usefulness and effectiveness of the tools are carefully evaluated.
3. Ease of Use: The user-friendliness of a product or service is assessed, focusing on the design, interface, and navigation. This ensures a positive experience for users of all levels of expertise.
4. Customer Support: The quality of customer support is examined, taking into account its efficiency and how well it supports users in different phases – setting up, addressing concerns, and resolving operational issues.
5. Value for Money: Value for money is evaluated by comparing the quality, performance, and features. The goal is to help the reader understand whether they would be getting their money’s worth. 
6. Personal Experience / Expert’s Opinion or Favorites: This part of the evaluation criteria draws insightful observations from the personal experience of the writer and the opinions of industry experts.

Which Is the Best Forsta Alternative for You?

Coming to the conclusion of which is the best Forsta alternative for your company is tough. To put it simply, there is no single software solution that can tick all the boxes.

For example, what’s best for an eCommerce firm with twenty employees might not be the best for an eLearning company with the same number of employees. 

So, if Forsta pricing is what moves you to find a better alternative, you may not want to choose a costly option like QuestionPro. 

In my opinion, the three tools I think offer decent value for money would be –

Option A: Qualaroo

Qualaroo is a powerful Forsta alternative that provides deep insights into customer decisions. It offers real-time AI-powered feedback, helping you understand customer sentiment and make informed decisions. With advanced targeting options, you can also survey specific users while they engage with your product or brand.

Option B: Zonka Feedback

Zonka Feedback is a top-rated alternative to Forsta, offering omnichannel customer feedback software with real-time CX metrics like NPS, CES, and CSAT measurement. You can automate surveys based on customer interactions to gather valuable feedback after purchases or support interactions.

Option C: GetFeedback

GetFeedback is another reliable Forsta alternative. It excels at collecting targeted feedback across various touchpoints, with a survey builder for tailored surveys. Real-time feedback analysis and advanced reporting also allow you to track trends and measure the impact of your CX initiatives.

Also, do remember to check the software using its free trial or free plan. This gives you a better idea of what to expect once you invest in it. For instance, I’ve been using Qualaroo for over a year now, and if I remember correctly, its free trial (didn’t have a free plan at the time) amazed me with how intuitive the UI was!