Why Tally is the best free way to make a survey

This article is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a newsletter that helps you discover the most useful sites and apps. Subscribe here.

Tally is the best free tool for creating a quick and easy survey.

Tally surveys look better than Google Forms. Tally is also more flexible and enables more question formats. A recent update improved its design. Read on for how to make the most of Tally, free templates, as well as some limitations and alternatives.

What Tally is, and how it works

Tally is a terrific new survey-creation tool that lets you format questions as easily as you’d create a Google Doc. Begin with a template or start from a blank page. Add whatever questions you want: multiple choice, open text, scale questions, drop-downs, ranking—and let respondents upload a file or make a payment. You can even ask people to select from multiple image options.

How Tally stands out

The forms look great, like Notion pages, and they can be embedded inside websites, emailed to people, or shared as a link.

• Free. 99% of the features are free; I haven’t upgraded because the free offering is so complete.
• Privacy-focused. Based in Belgium, the company complies with Europe’s strict GDPR rules. Its software respects people’s privacy.
• Easy. No complicated menus or settings. As this 30-sec video demonstrates, you can just start typing on a blank page and press “ / “ to add a question from a list of options. For non-techies, it’s simpler than Typeform, Survey Monkey, or Qualtrics.
• Flexible. Works for any kind of form, quiz, or survey. Tally is great for feedback, market research, even selling something:
  • Sell a digital or physical product
  • Sell ad spots or sponsorships
  • Host an online quiz
  • Make an RSVP form
• Design. Incorporate video, images, or descriptions to create the feel of a legible page that’s less bureaucratic than traditional forms. Add a cover image and logo.
• Share form responses with your other tools. Check a box to easily share the data your form collects to Notion, Slack, Airtable, or a Google Sheet. These simple integrations make it easy to analyze your responses.

How to create a Tally form

Pick from Tally’s template collection. You may be surprised at how quickly and easily you can create a survey in 5 steps.

1. Pick a template relevant to your project.2. Click “Use this template.”3. Customize the questions.4. Grab the link.5. Share it via email, on social, or on a site.Return to Tally later to see your results.

Tip: If you get a large number of survey responses, AI can be helpful in summarizing patterns. Paste a batch of replies alongside a prompt requesting a summary. Or upload a response spreadsheet and prompt Claude or ChatGPT for analysis. If you have a paid ChatGPT subscription, you can even use Custom GPTs like Survey Crafter or Survey Analyzer.

Tally templates

• Newsletter feedback: You can customize this template I made.
• Event registration: Invite people to sign up. Offer programming choices. Spread questions over multiple pages for a clean look.
• Simple feedback: Let anyone provide quick input.
• Grant proposal: Select candidates.
• Job application: Find someone to help you out.

If you prefer, you cab easily build a survey from scratch. You can even incorporate advanced logic, such as sending people to a question based on a prior answer.

Limitations

• Limited analysis and visualization options. To slice and dice responses with advanced analytics and visuals, you’ll need to a different tool.
• No mid-range subscription. The pro price of $29/monthly is a big jump for premium features. These include allowing for collaboration with an unlimited number of teammates, letting people upload files larger than 10mb, and removing Tally branding. But most individuals will be fine on the free plan, which lets you create unlimited forms and use any question type.

Alternatives

• Google Forms is completely free and works with your existing Google account. It’s functional for basic registration forms or simple feedback surveys, but its features and design have stagnated over the past decade.
• Typeform presents questions one by one, making it less overwhelming for survey respondents than traditional survey tools. It remains superb for multiple reasons. It’s expensive, though, and the advanced features are complex. Jotform is another premium alternative with a strong fan base.
• Coda works well both for forms and documents. That helps you organize survey responses within existing docs. Notion now also lets you embed forms. No need to import and export data to multiple places. More flexible than Survey Monkey or Microsoft Forms.
• Airtable, like Coda, lets you create forms with responses that flow directly into tables. That helps you sort, filter, analyze, and share results efficiently.
• OpinionX is another specialized survey tool I’ve used and recommend for stack rankings. You can ask people to compare a series of paired options to help set priorities.
• Slido is what I prefer for quick live polling during events.

This article is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a newsletter that helps you discover the most useful sites and apps. Subscribe here.

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