A free Alchemer alternative with no trial clock
Alchemer lists no free plan, just a 7-day trial and then $315 per user a year, billed annually. PuckSurveys is free with unlimited questions and unlimited responses, and it captures how sure people were, not just what they picked.
Alchemer is a capable research platform, but its pricing page lists no free version: you get a 7-day trial, and after that the cheapest plan is $315 per user a year billed annually, or $55 per user a month month-to-month, before you add seats. For an occasional survey, a class project, a side project, or a small team that just needs to ask a few good questions, that is a steep place to start. PuckSurveys is free, with unlimited questions and unlimited responses and the full results dashboard included. Every answer is given by sliding a puck, which captures how sure the person was, not just what they chose. If it earns its keep you can chip in for the servers, but the survey, the responses, and the insights stay free.
| PuckSurveys | Alchemer | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes, free | None listed, 7-day trial only |
| Questions per survey | Unlimited, free | Unlimited on paid plans |
| Free responses | Unlimited | None free (75k a year once you pay) |
| Confidence on each answer | Yes, the puck | No |
| Replay of how people answered | Yes | No |
| Question types | Puck questions, multiple choice, and select-multiple, mixed in one survey | Many question types |
| Sells your data / ads | Never | No (but check their terms) |
| Cost | Free; optional tip | $315/user/yr billed annually ($55/user/mo month-to-month), no free plan listed |
Why people switch
- No 7-day clock. Alchemer gives you a week's trial, and its listed plans are all paid; here it is free to keep using, with no trial to run out.
- No per-seat bill. Alchemer's cheapest plan is $315 per user a year, billed annually; here every survey has unlimited questions and unlimited responses, free.
- You see hesitation, not just choices. Sliding a puck between No and Yes records how sure someone was on every answer, a signal Alchemer doesn't capture.
- The insights aren't gated behind a plan. Conviction, the answer replay, and the full dashboard are free for everyone, with nothing to unlock.
When Alchemer is the better choice (we'll say it, and mean it):
Alchemer is a serious research platform, and its real strength is depth. Advanced logic and scripting, advanced research question types, statistical analysis, custom reporting, text and sentiment analysis, and enterprise integrations with omnichannel collection on its top tier are genuinely their advantage, and if you run funded or large-scale research that toolkit earns its price. We are for the everyday survey where you want a better answering experience, no cap, and the conviction behind each answer, free. If you need a full enterprise research suite, that is them. If you want richer answers with no limits and no bill, that's us.
Competitor details as of September 2026, taken from their public pricing pages. Check theirs for the latest.