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Surveys · head to head

Alchemer vs Umami

Alchemer logo

Alchemer

Surveys

Survey and feedback platform for research teams

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Umami logo

Umami

Marketing

Open source, cookie-free web analytics you can self-host for the cost of a database

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Umami has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Alchemer more expensive than the simple form builders, which is the fair comparison for a short survey; Umami there is no cohort analysis, retention curve, session replay or multi-touch attribution, so a marketing team that needs to justify channel spend will still buy a second tool and Umami becomes a supplementary dashboard.
  • They diverge on capability: Alchemer covers Deep question logic, Umami covers Cookie-free tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Alchemer and Umami actually diverge.

Attributes where Alchemer and Umami differ
AttributeAlchemerUmami
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelTiered annual subscription published on the vendor sitePer month by event count
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, CloudWeb, Linux
CategorySurveysMarketing

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Alchemer

  • Deep question logic
  • Wide question types
  • Workflow automation
  • Integrations
  • Panel and distribution
  • Reporting

Only in Umami

  • Cookie-free tracking
  • Self-hosting
  • Small tracking script
  • Custom events
  • Funnels and goals
  • Multi-site and teams
  • Public dashboards
  • API access

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Alchemer

  • Research questionnaires too conditional for a simple form buildernot Umami
  • Teams needing survey data routed into Salesforce or a warehousenot Umami
  • Organisations wanting research depth without enterprise experience-platform pricingnot Umami

Umami

  • A developer who wants traffic numbers on a personal or client site without adding a consent bannernot Alchemer
  • An organisation whose legal or procurement team has ruled out sending visitor data to a US advertising companynot Alchemer
  • A high-traffic site where hosted analytics priced by pageview band has become expensive and self-hosting removes the ceiling entirelynot Alchemer
  • A team that wants analytics data in a database they already control so they can query and join it themselvesnot Alchemer

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Alchemer

  • More expensive than the simple form builders, which is the fair comparison for a short survey
  • The interface carries a long product history and is less immediately friendly than newer tools
  • Advanced logic is powerful and correspondingly easy to misconfigure, and testing a complex survey is real work
  • Named Alchemer since 2020, so much of the searchable material still says SurveyGizmo

Umami

  • There is no cohort analysis, retention curve, session replay or multi-touch attribution, so a marketing team that needs to justify channel spend will still buy a second tool and Umami becomes a supplementary dashboard.
  • Self-hosting is only free in licence terms; you own the database, the upgrades, the backups and the query performance at scale, and a busy site's events table grows quickly enough to need real attention.
  • Because it stores no persistent identifier, it cannot follow a user across devices or sessions in any meaningful way, which makes returning-visitor and lifetime-value questions unanswerable by design rather than by omission.
  • Cloud overage is billed per event beyond the plan allowance, so a traffic spike or a badly instrumented custom event can produce a bill materially above the $20 or $200 headline before anyone notices.
  • It is maintained by a small team, so the pace of new capability is modest and enterprise expectations such as SSO, granular role permissions and formal support agreements are limited compared with commercial analytics vendors.

Pricing, plan by plan

Alchemer

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Alchemer review.

Umami

Free
  • Self-hostedFree
    • MIT licensed, no licence fee
    • No event limit imposed by the software
    • Unlimited websites and users
  • Cloud HobbyFree
    • Up to 100,000 events per month
    • 3 websites
    • 6 months data retention
  • Cloud Pro$20/month
    • Up to 1,000,000 events per month
    • Unlimited websites
    • Unlimited team members
  • Cloud Business$200/month
    • Up to 10,000,000 events per month
    • All Pro features
    • Higher volume overage rate

Which should you pick?

Choose Alchemer if

  • You need deep question logic.
  • You work on Web, Cloud.
  • You also want wide question types.
Alchemer review

Choose Umami if

  • You need cookie-free tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Linux.
  • You also want self-hosting.
Umami review

Questions people ask

Is Alchemer or Umami better?
Neither clearly leads. Alchemer starts at On request and Umami at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Alchemer or Umami?
Umami has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Alchemer and Free for Umami.
Does Alchemer or Umami run on more platforms?
Alchemer runs on Web, Cloud. Umami runs on Web, Linux.
Can I use Umami for free?
Yes. Umami has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Alchemer starts at On request.
What is Alchemer best used for?
Alchemer is most often used for research questionnaires too conditional for a simple form builder, teams needing survey data routed into salesforce or a warehouse, organisations wanting research depth without enterprise experience-platform pricing. Of those, research questionnaires too conditional for a simple form builder and teams needing survey data routed into salesforce or a warehouse are not what Umami is typically brought in for.
What can Alchemer do that Umami cannot?
Alchemer covers Deep question logic, Wide question types, Workflow automation, Integrations. Umami covers Cookie-free tracking, Self-hosting, Small tracking script, Custom events.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Alchemer: What does Alchemer cost?

Tiered annual subscriptions published on the vendor site. Check current rates there.

Umami: Is Umami really free?

Self-hosted, yes; it is MIT licensed with no event cap. You pay for the server and database. Umami Cloud has a free tier at 100,000 events a month and paid tiers from $20.

Alchemer: Is Alchemer the same as SurveyGizmo?

Yes. SurveyGizmo was renamed Alchemer in 2020, which is why older reviews and documentation use the former name.

Umami: Do I need a cookie consent banner?

For Umami analytics specifically, generally no, because it sets no cookies and stores no personal data. Other tags on your site may still require one.

Alchemer: When is it worth more than a simple form builder?

When the questionnaire has real conditional logic, or when responses need to route into Salesforce or a data warehouse.

Umami: Can it replace Google Analytics?

For traffic, referrers and event counts, yes. For attribution modelling, audiences and advertising integration, no.

Umami: What does it need to run?

A container and a PostgreSQL or MySQL database. Most people deploy it on infrastructure they already pay for.

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