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Marketing · head to head

Customer.io vs QuestionPro

Customer.io logo

Customer.io

Marketing

Data-driven messaging for teams getting started, scaling and beyond

From
$15/month
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
QuestionPro logo

QuestionPro

Surveys

Survey and experience management platform with a permanently free tier capped at 200 responses

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only QuestionPro has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Customer.io essentials plan caps at 5,000 profiles (people and objects) and 1,000,000 monthly emails, with overages billed at $0.12 per 1,000 emails beyond that; QuestionPro team Edition has a five-seat minimum, so a small team that only needs two or three licences still pays for five.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Customer.io and QuestionPro actually diverge.

Attributes where Customer.io and QuestionPro differ
AttributeCustomer.ioQuestionPro
Starting price$15/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionPer user per month
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android
CategoryMarketingSurveys

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 Customer.io

Nothing recorded that QuestionPro does not also cover.

Only in QuestionPro

  • Survey builder
  • QuestionPro CX
  • QuestionPro Workforce
  • Research Suite
  • Offline data collection
  • White label reporting

What people use each for

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

Customer.io

  • Orchestrating multi-channel customer journeys from signup to retentionnot QuestionPro
  • Personalizing email and SMS campaigns using customer profilesnot QuestionPro
  • Triggering automated messages based on user behaviornot QuestionPro
  • Coordinating cross-team messaging without rebuilding campaignsnot QuestionPro

QuestionPro

  • A researcher or student who needs unlimited surveys but stays under 200 responses and wants to pay nothingnot Customer.io
  • A single analyst who needs advanced logic and unlimited responses and can justify one Advanced seatnot Customer.io
  • A CX team that wants closed-loop case management bundled with survey distributionnot Customer.io
  • A market research agency needing MaxDiff and conjoint analysis that SurveyMonkey does not offernot Customer.io

Where each one falls short

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

Customer.io

  • Essentials plan caps at 5,000 profiles (people and objects) and 1,000,000 monthly emails, with overages billed at $0.12 per 1,000 emails beyond that
  • Standard and Premium tiers show custom pricing only, and Enterprise is negotiated rate, so three of the four published tiers require a sales conversation
  • Monthly plans accept credit card only; annual billing via invoice (ACH/wire) requires the annual commitment

QuestionPro

  • Team Edition has a five-seat minimum, so a small team that only needs two or three licences still pays for five.
  • CX, Workforce and Research Suite are effectively separate products with their own pricing and onboarding, not tiers of the same subscription, which complicates a multi-department rollout.
  • The free Essentials plan caps at 200 responses per survey, which a single moderately popular customer survey can exceed in days.
  • The interface is denser than Typeform or SurveyMonkey, and teams that want a fast, visually simple survey builder often find QuestionPro slower to set up.
  • Enterprise CX and Research Suite pricing is never published, so budgeting for a programme rollout requires a sales conversation before any commitment is possible.

Pricing, plan by plan

Customer.io

$15/month
  • Essentials$15/month
    • Base profiles starting at 5,000
    • Email sends: 1 million monthly
    • Community and email support
  • Standard$null/month
    • Mid-tier scaling across channels
    • Higher profile and email allowances
    • Email and priority support
  • Premium$null/month
    • Advanced custom workflows
    • Dedicated support
  • Enterprise$null/month
    • Custom pricing for dedicated infrastructure
    • HIPAA compliance
    • Dedicated hardware

QuestionPro

Free
  • EssentialsFree
    • 1 user
    • 200 responses per survey
    • Unlimited surveys and questions
  • Advanced$99/month
    • 1 user
    • Unlimited responses
    • Advanced logic and reporting
  • Team Edition$83/month
    • Minimum 5 users, billed per seat
    • Collaboration and role permissions
    • Advanced analysis tools
  • CX, Workforce, Research Suite$undefined/year
    • Sold as separate products with separate quotes
    • Volume and module dependent

Which should you pick?

Choose Customer.io if

Nothing in the data separates Customer.io from QuestionPro on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Customer.io review

Choose QuestionPro if

  • You need survey builder.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want questionpro cx.
QuestionPro review

Questions people ask

Is Customer.io or QuestionPro better?
Neither clearly leads. Customer.io starts at $15/month and QuestionPro at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Customer.io or QuestionPro?
QuestionPro has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $15/month for Customer.io and Free for QuestionPro.
Does Customer.io or QuestionPro run on more platforms?
Customer.io runs on Web. QuestionPro runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use QuestionPro for free?
Yes. QuestionPro has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Customer.io starts at $15/month.
What is Customer.io best used for?
Customer.io is most often used for orchestrating multi-channel customer journeys from signup to retention, personalizing email and sms campaigns using customer profiles, triggering automated messages based on user behavior, coordinating cross-team messaging without rebuilding campaigns. Of those, orchestrating multi-channel customer journeys from signup to retention and personalizing email and sms campaigns using customer profiles are not what QuestionPro is typically brought in for.
What can Customer.io do that QuestionPro cannot?
QuestionPro covers Survey builder, QuestionPro CX, QuestionPro Workforce, Research Suite.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Customer.io: How much does Customer.io Essentials cost?

Customer.io Essentials starts at $15/month and includes 5,000 base profiles with 1 million monthly email sends, community and email support, and data-driven messaging tools. Customers can choose monthly or annual billing.

Source
QuestionPro: Is the free plan actually usable long-term?

Yes. Essentials has no time limit, but it caps at 200 responses per survey and one user, which rules it out for anything with meaningful reach.

Customer.io: What are Customer.io's usage-based add-on costs?

Beyond plan limits, Customer.io charges $0.009 per additional profile, $0.12 per 1,000 additional emails, and $10 per 100K AI credits. Messages exceeding plan limits are charged at nominal rates. Billing occurs on the subscription anniversary.

Source
QuestionPro: Is QuestionPro CX the same product as the survey builder?

No. CX is a separate product built for closed-loop customer experience programmes, priced and sold on its own.

Customer.io: Does Customer.io offer a startup discount?

Yes, early-stage companies that have raised under $10 million qualify for a full year free through Customer.io's Startup Program with annual billing.

Source
QuestionPro: Does Team Edition have a minimum seat count?

Yes, five seats at roughly $83 per user per month billed annually, so the minimum monthly spend is around $415.

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