SurveyMonkey lets you create and send surveys without coding or design experience

SurveyMonkey is an online tool where you write questions, choose how people answer them, and collect their responses in one place. You start with a blank survey or a template, add your questions, set up how the survey looks, then share a link or email it to people. The tool tracks who answered, what they said, and shows you charts and summaries of the results.

The basic process takes 10 to 20 minutes for a simple survey. You do not need to know HTML, design software, or statistics — SurveyMonkey handles the technical parts and presents your data in readable formats.

Key Takeaways

  • You create a SurveyMonkey account with an email address, then choose between starting from a blank survey or using one of their templates.
  • The survey builder lets you add questions one at a time, choose answer types (multiple choice, rating scales, open text), and rearrange them by dragging.
  • You customize the look with your own title, description, and colors, then preview how it will appear to people taking it.
  • Once finished, you share the survey by copying a link, sending it through email, or embedding it on a website.
  • Responses appear in real time in your SurveyMonkey account, with automatic charts and breakdowns you can download as a PDF or spreadsheet.

Creating your account and starting a survey

Go to surveymonkey.com and click "Sign Up" in the top right. Enter your email address, create a password, and confirm your email by clicking the link SurveyMonkey sends you. Once you are logged in, you land on your dashboard — the page that shows all your surveys.

Click "Create Survey" (usually a blue button near the top). SurveyMonkey then asks whether you want to start from scratch or use a template. Templates are pre-built surveys for common situations like customer feedback, employee satisfaction, or event planning. If you are new to surveys, a template saves time because the questions are already written — you just edit them to fit your needs. If you want complete control, choose "Start from scratch" and build it yourself.

Adding and arranging your questions

The survey builder shows a blank question box. Type your first question in the text field. Below that, choose the answer type from a dropdown menu. The most common types are Multiple Choice (one answer from a list), Rating Scale (a row of numbers or words like "Strongly Agree" to "Strongly Disagree"), Ranking (put items in order), Matrix (rate multiple items on the same scale), and Open-Ended (people type whatever they want).

For a multiple-choice question, type each answer option in its own box. You can add or remove options by clicking the plus and minus buttons. Once you finish the first question, click "Add Question" to create the next one. SurveyMonkey numbers them automatically.

To rearrange questions, click and drag the question box up or down. To delete a question, click the trash icon. You can also copy a question if you want to ask something similar twice — click the duplicate icon and edit the copy.

Customizing the look and feel

Click the "Design" tab at the top of the builder. Here you can add a title for your survey (like "Customer Feedback Survey") and a description that explains why you are asking (like "Help us improve our service"). You can also choose a color scheme or upload your own logo.

The preview pane on the right shows how your survey will look to people taking it. Check that your title is clear, the colors are readable, and questions are not cut off. If something looks wrong, go back to the "Build" tab and adjust the question text or answer options.

Reviewing and testing before you send

Before sharing your survey, click "Preview" to see exactly what people will see when they open the link. Take the survey yourself as if you were a real respondent. Check that the questions make sense, the answer options cover what you need, and the survey is not too long (most people stop answering after 10 to 15 questions).

If you spot a mistake, go back to the "Build" tab, fix it, and preview again. Once you are satisfied, you are ready to share.

Sharing your survey and collecting responses

Click "Collect Responses" or "Share" (the button name varies by SurveyMonkey version). You will see several options: Copy Link gives you a URL you can paste into an email, text message, or social media post. Email Invite lets you type email addresses directly into SurveyMonkey, and it sends the survey from your account. Embed gives you code to paste into a website if you have one.

Most people use the copy-link method: click the button, copy the URL, and paste it into an email or message. Anyone who clicks the link can take your survey without logging in.

Viewing and downloading your results

As people answer, responses appear in real time in your SurveyMonkey account. Click "Analyze Results" to see charts, percentages, and summaries. For a multiple-choice question, you see a bar chart showing how many people picked each answer. For open-ended questions, you see the actual text people typed.

You can download your results as a PDF report (good for sharing with others) or as an Excel spreadsheet (good for further analysis). Click "Download" and choose your format. The spreadsheet includes every response, so you can sort, filter, or count answers yourself if you need to.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to pay to use SurveyMonkey?

SurveyMonkey has a free plan that lets you create surveys with up to 10 questions and collect up to 100 responses per survey. Paid plans unlock more questions, more responses, and advanced features like logic branching (showing different questions based on earlier answers) and data analysis tools. For a simple survey, the free plan is usually enough.

Can I change my survey after people start answering?

Yes, you can edit questions, add new ones, or delete old ones at any time. However, if you change an answer option or the question wording, responses already collected will not update — they stay as they were. It is best to finalize your survey before sharing it widely.

How do I make sure only certain people take my survey?

If you use the Email Invite option, only the people you type in will receive the survey link. If you copy the link and share it publicly, anyone with the link can take it. SurveyMonkey does not have a built-in password feature, but you can mention in your survey description that it is for a specific group (like "For employees only").

What if I want to show different questions to different people?

This is called logic branching or conditional logic. It is available on SurveyMonkey's paid plans. For example, if someone answers "No" to "Do you own a car?", you can skip the car-related questions for them. The free plan does not include this feature.

Can I see who answered my survey?

If you use Email Invite, SurveyMonkey tracks which email addresses opened and completed the survey. If you share a public link, responses are anonymous — you see the answers but not who gave them. You can ask for a name or email as a question in the survey if you want to know who answered.