Software · head to head
SurveySparrow vs Dovetail
SurveySparrow
Software
Survey and feedback platform for employee engagement
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Dovetail
Software
AI-powered customer intelligence and research repository.
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: SurveySparrow the free plan allows 75 responses per quarter, 3 active surveys and 10 questions per survey; Dovetail no published mid-market pricing; enterprises must contact sales for custom quotes
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which SurveySparrow and Dovetail actually diverge.
| Attribute | SurveySparrow | Dovetail |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | usage-based | freemium |
| Platforms | Web | Web, Mobile, API |
| Founded | 2011 | Unknown |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 SurveySparrow
- Survey creation
- Engagement surveys
- Pulse surveys
- Analytics dashboard
- Mobile app
- Custom templates
- Action planning
- Reporting
Only in Dovetail
Nothing recorded that SurveySparrow does not also cover.
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
SurveySparrow
- Running conversational surveys and NPS programmesnot Dovetail
- Collecting employee and customer feedback on a schedulenot Dovetail
- Embedding surveys in websites, email and chat channelsnot Dovetail
Dovetail
- Product teams conducting qualitative research and extracting actionable insightsnot SurveySparrow
- Customer success teams identifying churn drivers through session recordings and feedbacknot SurveySparrow
- Design and UX teams analysing user feedback to inform product decisionsnot SurveySparrow
- Marketing teams monitoring sentiment and customer perception trendsnot SurveySparrow
- Enterprise organisations requiring secure, compliant customer intelligence infrastructurenot SurveySparrow
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
SurveySparrow
- The free plan allows 75 responses per quarter, 3 active surveys and 10 questions per survey
- The Basic and Starter plans include a single user; extra users cost $49 per user per month
- Responses are metered per month and additional responses or API calls require a custom quote from sales
- Custom branding requires the Business plan
- CSS customisation, auto translation, Key Driver Analysis and HIPAA compliance are Enterprise only
- The advertised savings of up to 40 percent require annual billing rather than quarterly
Dovetail
- No published mid-market pricing; enterprises must contact sales for custom quotes
- Free tier strictly limited to one channel and one project; scaling requires Enterprise plan
- Enterprise pricing model opaque; no transparent tier for growing teams
- Free tier includes AI Chat but with basic summaries only; advanced AI features reserved for Enterprise
- No per-seat pricing published; cost model for multi-person teams unclear
Pricing, plan by plan
SurveySparrow
Free- FreeFree
- Basic surveys
- Limited questions
- Standard reports
- Pro$undefined/month
- Advanced surveys
- Unlimited questions
- Advanced analytics
Dovetail
Free- FreeFree
- One channel for feedback tracking
- One project for research
- AI Chat with basic summaries
- Enterprise$null/variable
- Unlimited agents, channels, projects and docs
- Advanced dashboards and AI features
- Data redaction and access controls
Which should you pick?
Choose SurveySparrow if
- You need survey creation.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want engagement surveys.
Questions people ask
- Is SurveySparrow or Dovetail better?
- Neither clearly leads. SurveySparrow starts at Free and Dovetail at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, SurveySparrow or Dovetail?
- SurveySparrow starts at Free and Dovetail at Free.
- Does SurveySparrow or Dovetail run on more platforms?
- SurveySparrow runs on Web. Dovetail runs on Web, Mobile, API.
- Can I use SurveySparrow for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is SurveySparrow best used for?
- SurveySparrow is most often used for running conversational surveys and nps programmes, collecting employee and customer feedback on a schedule, embedding surveys in websites, email and chat channels. Of those, running conversational surveys and nps programmes and collecting employee and customer feedback on a schedule are not what Dovetail is typically brought in for.
- What can SurveySparrow do that Dovetail cannot?
- SurveySparrow covers Survey creation, Engagement surveys, Pulse surveys, Analytics dashboard.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Dovetail: What is included in the free plan?
The free plan includes one channel for feedback tracking, one project for organising research, and AI Chat with basic summaries.
SourceDovetail: Does Dovetail have compliance certifications?
Yes. Dovetail is SOC 2 Type II compliant and includes automatic PII redaction and private AI processing for enterprise-grade security.
SourceDovetail: How many integrations does Dovetail support?
Dovetail connects to 38+ external tools through API, CLI and integrations including Slack and Microsoft Teams.
Source