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Employee Engagement · head to head

Qualtrics EmployeeXM vs Zoho Survey

Qualtrics EmployeeXM logo

Qualtrics EmployeeXM

Employee Engagement

Turn employee feedback into action

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zoho Survey logo

Zoho Survey

Surveys

Survey tool with a choice of data centre region, bundled into the wider Zoho suite

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Zoho Survey has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Qualtrics EmployeeXM pricing is not published for either the People Engage or People Lifecycle products; both require submitting a Request Pricing form to Qualtrics; Zoho Survey the data centre region is set when the Zoho account is created and changing it later requires a vendor-assisted migration, so a hasty signup can lock an organisation into the wrong jurisdiction.
  • They diverge on capability: Qualtrics EmployeeXM covers Engagement surveys, Zoho Survey covers Regional data centres.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Qualtrics EmployeeXM and Zoho Survey actually diverge.

Attributes where Qualtrics EmployeeXM and Zoho Survey differ
AttributeQualtrics EmployeeXMZoho Survey
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteFree tier, then per user per month
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Ios, Android, ApiWeb, iOS, Android
CategoryEmployee EngagementSurveys
Founded2002Unknown

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 Qualtrics EmployeeXM

  • Engagement surveys
  • Pulse surveys
  • Lifecycle surveys
  • AI-powered insights
  • Predictive analytics
  • Action planning
  • Manager enablement
  • 360-degree feedback

Only in Zoho Survey

  • Regional data centres
  • Zoho CRM integration
  • Logic and piping
  • Offline collection
  • Multilingual surveys
  • Report sharing

What people use each for

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

Qualtrics EmployeeXM

  • Organizations wanting employee experience tools priced against their own headcount rather than a flat seat feenot Zoho Survey

Zoho Survey

  • An organisation already running Zoho CRM that wants survey responses on the customer record without integration worknot Qualtrics EmployeeXM
  • A buyer whose procurement requires European, Indian, Australian or Canadian data residencynot Qualtrics EmployeeXM
  • A support team measuring satisfaction after tickets close in Zoho Desknot Qualtrics EmployeeXM
  • A field team collecting responses offline and syncing when connectivity returnsnot Qualtrics EmployeeXM

Where each one falls short

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

Qualtrics EmployeeXM

  • Pricing is not published for either the People Engage or People Lifecycle products; both require submitting a Request Pricing form to Qualtrics
  • Pricing is based on employee count rather than a flat platform fee, so cost scales with organization size

Zoho Survey

  • The data centre region is set when the Zoho account is created and changing it later requires a vendor-assisted migration, so a hasty signup can lock an organisation into the wrong jurisdiction.
  • The free tier caps both questions and responses per survey tightly, so it functions as an evaluation rather than a plan any team can run on.
  • Reporting and statistical analysis are thin compared with research-grade tools, and advanced methods such as conjoint or maximum difference scaling are absent.
  • Integrations outside the Zoho suite are shallow, so organisations on Salesforce, HubSpot or Microsoft stacks lose most of the value that makes the product attractive.
  • Interface conventions and quality vary across Zoho applications, so users moving between Survey, CRM and Analytics face inconsistent behaviour and separate learning curves.

Pricing, plan by plan

Qualtrics EmployeeXM

On request
  • Essentials$undefined/month
    • Engagement surveys
    • Pulse surveys
    • Basic analytics
  • Business$undefined/month
    • Everything in Essentials
    • AI insights
    • Predictive analytics
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Everything in Business
    • Custom integrations
    • Advanced security

Zoho Survey

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited surveys with a cap on questions and responses per survey
    • Basic reporting and link or email distribution
    • Zoho branding on surveys
  • Paid tiers$undefined/year
    • Priced per user with higher response allowances at each tier
    • Skip logic, piping, white labelling and offline collection unlocked by tier
    • Included for organisations licensing the Zoho One suite

Which should you pick?

Choose Qualtrics EmployeeXM if

  • You need engagement surveys.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want pulse surveys.
Qualtrics EmployeeXM review

Choose Zoho Survey if

  • You need regional data centres.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want zoho crm integration.
Zoho Survey review

Questions people ask

Is Qualtrics EmployeeXM or Zoho Survey better?
Neither clearly leads. Qualtrics EmployeeXM starts at On request and Zoho Survey at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Qualtrics EmployeeXM or Zoho Survey?
Zoho Survey has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Qualtrics EmployeeXM and Free for Zoho Survey.
Does Qualtrics EmployeeXM or Zoho Survey run on more platforms?
Qualtrics EmployeeXM runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. Zoho Survey runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Zoho Survey for free?
Yes. Zoho Survey has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Qualtrics EmployeeXM starts at On request.
What is Qualtrics EmployeeXM best used for?
Qualtrics EmployeeXM is most often used for organizations wanting employee experience tools priced against their own headcount rather than a flat seat fee. Of those, organizations wanting employee experience tools priced against their own headcount rather than a flat seat fee is not what Zoho Survey is typically brought in for.
What can Qualtrics EmployeeXM do that Zoho Survey cannot?
Qualtrics EmployeeXM covers Engagement surveys, Pulse surveys, Lifecycle surveys, AI-powered insights. Zoho Survey covers Regional data centres, Zoho CRM integration, Logic and piping, Offline collection.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Qualtrics EmployeeXM: Does Qualtrics offer a free demo or trial?

Yes, Qualtrics offers a free product tour and demo request option. Prospects can see the platform directly through an on-demand demo or schedule a consultation with the sales team to understand how it works.

Source
Zoho Survey: Can I choose where my survey data is stored?

Yes, at account creation across several regions including Europe, India, Australia and Canada. Changing it afterwards requires a migration request to Zoho.

Qualtrics EmployeeXM: What does Qualtrics' Employee Experience platform measure?

Qualtrics measures employee experience across the entire lifecycle including candidate experience, onboarding, development, pulse listening, and exit. The platform provides real-time dashboards and analytics to track engagement, predict attrition, and measure the impact of initiatives on business outcomes.

Source
Zoho Survey: Is it included in Zoho One?

Yes. If your organisation licences Zoho One, Survey is part of the suite, which usually removes the case for a separate survey subscription.

Qualtrics EmployeeXM: How does Qualtrics differ from annual engagement surveys?

Qualtrics enables continuous listening with real-time pulse surveys and lifecycle feedback, rather than relying on annual surveys. It automatically analyzes thousands of open-text comments using AI to surface trending themes. Organizations with increased employee listening see up to 25 points higher engagement.

Source
Zoho Survey: Is it good enough for market research?

For basic questionnaires yes. For quota-managed or statistically demanding studies, a research-grade platform is a better fit.

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