Act-On Software vs. SurveyMonkey

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Act-On
Score 7.9 out of 10
Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
Act-On is an adaptive marketing platform designed to drive personal and purposeful multi-channel marketing. Its foci are inbound and outbound marketing, for enabling a tighter alignment with sales and turning data into actionable insights.
$900
per month (starts at 2,500 active contacts)
SurveyMonkey
Score 8.1 out of 10
N/A
SurveyMonkey provides free, customizable surveys, and a suite of paid, back-end programs that include data analysis, sample selection, bias elimination, and data representation tools. SurveyMonkey also offers large-scale, enterprise options for companies interested in data analysis, brand management, and consumer focused marketing.
$99
per month
Pricing
Act-On SoftwareSurveyMonkey
Editions & Modules
Professional
$900
per month (starts at 2,500 active contacts)
Enterprise
$2,000
per month ( starts at 2,500 active contacts)
Team Advantage
$25
per month (billed annually) per user (starting at 3 users)
Team Premier
$75
per month (billed annually) per user (starting at 3 users)
Standard Monthly
$99
per month
Individual Plan - Advantage Annual
$468
per year
Individual Plan - Premier Annual
$1,428
per year
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Act-OnSurveyMonkey
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeRequiredNo setup fee
Additional DetailsThe Professional package starts at 2,500 active contacts, 3 marketing users, 50 sales users and 30,000 API calls per day. The Enterprise package starts at 2,500 active contacts, 6 marketing users, 100 sales users and 30,000 API calls per day. Annual contract required.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Act-On SoftwareSurveyMonkey
Considered Both Products
Act-On
Chose Act-On Software
I consider that Act-On [Software] has been extremely useful to strengthen the whole automation mechanism; the support of the reports helps a lot; it is simple and adapts to the objectives.
Chose Act-On Software
I only used Pardot for a short time, but became really frustrated with their customer service. Having to wait 24 hours for an answer severely impaired my ability to quickly set-up, send and monitor email campaigns.
SurveyMonkey
Chose SurveyMonkey
I've used SurveyMonkey because it is the tool my employer provides. Luckily, I'm pretty happy with it. I will use Act-On for electronic registrations, but will continue to use SurveyMonkey for other needs.
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Act-On SoftwareSurveyMonkey
Email & Online Marketing
Comparison of Email & Online Marketing features of Product A and Product B
Act-On Software
7.8
113 Ratings
1% above category average
SurveyMonkey
-
Ratings
WYSIWYG email editor8.1112 Ratings00 Ratings
Dynamic content8.192 Ratings00 Ratings
Ability to test dynamic content7.192 Ratings00 Ratings
Landing pages8.1108 Ratings00 Ratings
A/B testing8.195 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile optimization7.2103 Ratings00 Ratings
Email deliverability reporting8.1112 Ratings00 Ratings
List management8.1111 Ratings00 Ratings
Triggered drip sequences7.187 Ratings00 Ratings
Lead Management
Comparison of Lead Management features of Product A and Product B
Act-On Software
8.1
113 Ratings
3% above category average
SurveyMonkey
-
Ratings
Lead nurturing automation8.1104 Ratings00 Ratings
Lead scoring and grading8.1104 Ratings00 Ratings
Data quality management8.1102 Ratings00 Ratings
Automated sales alerts and tasks8.195 Ratings00 Ratings
Campaign Management
Comparison of Campaign Management features of Product A and Product B
Act-On Software
7.5
77 Ratings
2% below category average
SurveyMonkey
-
Ratings
Calendaring6.88 Ratings00 Ratings
Event/webinar marketing8.176 Ratings00 Ratings
Social Media Marketing
Comparison of Social Media Marketing features of Product A and Product B
Act-On Software
8.1
71 Ratings
7% above category average
SurveyMonkey
-
Ratings
Social sharing and campaigns8.169 Ratings00 Ratings
Social profile integration8.163 Ratings00 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Act-On Software
8.1
114 Ratings
8% above category average
SurveyMonkey
-
Ratings
Dashboards8.1109 Ratings00 Ratings
Standard reports8.1112 Ratings00 Ratings
Custom reports8.184 Ratings00 Ratings
Platform & Infrastructure
Comparison of Platform & Infrastructure features of Product A and Product B
Act-On Software
7.9
107 Ratings
4% above category average
SurveyMonkey
-
Ratings
API8.167 Ratings00 Ratings
Role-based workflow & approvals8.171 Ratings00 Ratings
Customizability8.189 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration with Salesforce.com8.165 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration with Microsoft Dynamics CRM8.136 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration with SugarCRM7.129 Ratings00 Ratings
Survey Format & Appearance
Comparison of Survey Format & Appearance features of Product A and Product B
Act-On Software
-
Ratings
SurveyMonkey
8.5
72 Ratings
7% above category average
Survey templates00 Ratings9.271 Ratings
Themes00 Ratings6.364 Ratings
Custom logo/branding00 Ratings9.863 Ratings
Survey Content
Comparison of Survey Content features of Product A and Product B
Act-On Software
-
Ratings
SurveyMonkey
8.8
74 Ratings
3% above category average
Changes to live survey00 Ratings7.958 Ratings
Question design help00 Ratings9.268 Ratings
Multiple question types00 Ratings9.274 Ratings
Survey Logic
Comparison of Survey Logic features of Product A and Product B
Act-On Software
-
Ratings
SurveyMonkey
7.7
68 Ratings
6% below category average
Survey logic flexibility00 Ratings7.768 Ratings
Survey Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Survey Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Act-On Software
-
Ratings
SurveyMonkey
9.9
74 Ratings
19% above category average
Response tracking00 Ratings9.973 Ratings
Data export00 Ratings9.970 Ratings
Standard reports00 Ratings9.973 Ratings
Custom reports00 Ratings9.960 Ratings
Analytics00 Ratings9.861 Ratings
Survey Administration & Security
Comparison of Survey Administration & Security features of Product A and Product B
Act-On Software
-
Ratings
SurveyMonkey
9.9
63 Ratings
14% above category average
Access controls00 Ratings9.963 Ratings
Compliance00 Ratings9.954 Ratings
Survey Distribution
Comparison of Survey Distribution features of Product A and Product B
Act-On Software
-
Ratings
SurveyMonkey
9.8
44 Ratings
18% above category average
Vendor-offered crowdsourcing00 Ratings9.829 Ratings
Respondent restrictions00 Ratings9.942 Ratings
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Act-On SoftwareSurveyMonkey
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PFL Direct Mail Platform
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Square 9 Softworks
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Score 9.8 out of 10
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Score 9.3 out of 10
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User Ratings
Act-On SoftwareSurveyMonkey
Likelihood to Recommend
8.1
(219 ratings)
9.0
(107 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.9
(112 ratings)
9.0
(26 ratings)
Usability
9.1
(32 ratings)
9.7
(38 ratings)
Availability
9.1
(14 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Performance
8.2
(13 ratings)
6.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
7.3
(39 ratings)
9.1
(35 ratings)
In-Person Training
8.7
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
9.3
(16 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.6
(22 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
Configurability
9.1
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
6.4
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.1
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
8.2
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.1
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Act-On SoftwareSurveyMonkey
Likelihood to Recommend
Act-On
Act-On simplifies the creation of landing pages, web forms, email campaigns, and other types of marketing automation. Designing a customer journey using the workflow builder (a nurturing flow) is possible. It is used in various ways and in a variety of contexts. Tactical's knowledgeable support team helped us unlock Act-On's potential for complex integrations and marketing campaigns. In some areas, it would be beneficial to improve functionality.
Read full review
Momentive (SurveyMonkey, Inc)
SurveyMonkey is best suited for you if you find that you are creating multiple survey regularly. It offers a variety of questions and options and is a well-rounded surveying tool. It is not best if you do not create surveys often, typically use the same survey, or looking for software to create quizzes or assessments. Also, if you are easily overwhelmed by too many options, this may not be the tool for you.
Read full review
Pros
Act-On
  • Establishes a simple but very decisive way of how to perform specialized marketing work.
  • It includes the monitoring of advertising networks or account management on digital platforms and social networks.
  • The support is solid; it takes all the suggestions and doubts I have regarding the software.
Read full review
Momentive (SurveyMonkey, Inc)
  • SurveyMonkey templates have made it very user-friendly. It is very efficient to create a survey.
  • I love that they have multiple ways to answer questions. For example, short answer, paragraph, and radio buttons to name a few.
  • The surveys are very easy to share. You can import a large list of email addresses or free type just a few.
  • I like that you can test the survey before sending it out live. I send it to myself to verify how it will look and feel to the end-user.
Read full review
Cons
Act-On
  • The designer tools, especially for emails, were often difficult to use. The formatting of the text would be all over the place and change / refuse to change at random. Moving boxes around was shifty and sometimes nearly impossible. It just wasn't customizeable enough. No "undo" functionality either.
  • The only way to collect information expansively over time (there's a term Act-On uses for it, I can't recall) where it adds questions to the form each time a user fills it out, is if the person were to fill out the same form multiple times. I know this does happen for some websites/resources, but as a company that wanted to collect new information each time someone filled out any form, regardless of the resource or the URL, that was simply not an option, and that doesn't really make a lot of sense. I know it's not really possible to track someone but if they filled out the first part of the form and then it added new questions to answer, and then they submitted and got through the gating, that would actually be helpful.
  • There was no "trash can" of sorts in case you deleted something by mistake. This could be so stress-inducing if it was a major project. My coworker did this once, contacted Act-On, they couldn't even recover it.
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Momentive (SurveyMonkey, Inc)
  • Recognizing that there are more limitations when it comes to a mobile interface vs. a desktop interface, I would love to see more profound levels of programming functionality on the mobile side.
  • It would be helpful to have better access to greater levels of third-party results analysis, particularly as it relates to open-ended questions and answers.
  • As an admin, it would be very cool if SurveyMonkey were able to use AI to match the survey we're building (questions, topics, target respondents, etc.) to existing results that might negate the need to ask certain questions in our surveys.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Act-On
It's my single biggest asset in my current role. With limited resources, its enabled Anachron to punch well above our weight marketing wise and although we're still at the beginning of our journey I know the system can scale with us
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Momentive (SurveyMonkey, Inc)
Compared to other competitors in the market (including a few I've used internally), if you're looking for a survey application, this one does the job and it's quite inexpensive too. Considering the fact that it comes with a handy mobile application too (on iOS and Android), you also get flexibility thrown in the deal too.
Read full review
Usability
Act-On
It's good, but not quite brilliant. Some parts of the interface are still a bit outdated. The product has been evolving very fast, though, and I believe in a few months it will be up there with the best of them, interface wise as well.
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Momentive (SurveyMonkey, Inc)
It does everything a survey software should do, and it does it very well. I can't speak for how well it would work for a business that was surveying tens of thousands of people - but for a small business of 50 employees with a couple of thousand clients, it does everything it needs to do.
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Reliability and Availability
Act-On
I have always found them quick to respond to my query by web inquiry. In those instances when I call, I have always reached help quickly. They are conscientious and skilled in discussing my concern and finding a solution to my problem. Other tech organizations should use Act-On as a model for top-notch customer service.
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Momentive (SurveyMonkey, Inc)
No answers on this topic
Performance
Act-On
Great for the most part. Sometimes there are little lags, but that's likely because I'm requesting to see a lot of data at one time.
Read full review
Momentive (SurveyMonkey, Inc)
still to many limitations for more complex surveys --skips, filtered questions, etc.
Read full review
Support Rating
Act-On
Since we start using Act-on for ourselves and our clients, we have been supported very well. Often we need to integrate with legacy systems and we find the support team on our side during the whole endeavor. Always asking if they can help us further, always willing to do a better job. The support of Act-On is one of the main differentiators
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Momentive (SurveyMonkey, Inc)
I've never had to contact the SurveyMonkey customer care team directly, but they have a pretty good library of help articles on their website. Everything from designing and executing your survey to account and billing questions. I never had a need for further support from Survey Monkey.
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In-Person Training
Act-On
Dan D. was great. He took the time to understand how I needed the program to run, and was very flexible to our special CRM setup.
Read full review
Momentive (SurveyMonkey, Inc)
No answers on this topic
Online Training
Act-On
Act-On had a lot of resources, and their staff was great at answering any questions I had to make sure we got started on the right foot. Looking back, I would have preferred some additional training sessions since we didn't have any previous experience with Marketing Automation and best practices.
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Momentive (SurveyMonkey, Inc)
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Act-On
What impressed me most is that Act-On showed full committment in making our implementation successful, even when it required additional support from their team. This gave me a lot of warm and fuzzy feelings. Most other software software vendors are not anywhere close to being this responsive and effective
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Momentive (SurveyMonkey, Inc)
Implementation not required.
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Alternatives Considered
Act-On
Act-On is easier to use than Marketo, but not as visually appealing and user-friendly as HubSpot. It's much better than Pardot, as Pardot feel clunky every step of the way. SharpSpring is comparable because of its price point but surpasses Act-On in its tools and intuitive interface. We selected Act-On because of the pricing model and thought all things would be close to parity with other options. It depends on the team you have. If you have developers and a marketing team that knows some html/css, you can get by with Act-On.
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Momentive (SurveyMonkey, Inc)
SurveyMonkey is easier to customize and provides much more in depth analytics. SurveyMonkey also provides better templates providing us with a better presentation to our employees. SurveyMonkey also comes with a more trustworthy platform that ensures confidentiality, which is incredibly important to our employees and means we're getting more reliable results from the surveys.
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Scalability
Act-On
Before I feel like I need more features, the Act-On customer service reps are contacting me telling about new features as part of my account.
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Momentive (SurveyMonkey, Inc)
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Act-On
  • With the Automated Series, we were able to put in place campaigns that generated revenue that took no time to continue running once set up. This was a positive feature allowing employees to work on another project while the campaign ran on their own.
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Momentive (SurveyMonkey, Inc)
  • We use this to survey vendors after a trade show and their comments to me have helped improve other shows. I don't have hard numbers but I know our vendors, some of whom are associate members, are very happy to give this feedback because it helps their ROI too.
  • I know it has saved us employee time as we aren't sifting through email responses and entering them into a spreadsheet. SurveyMonkey does that for us.
  • We often need to do quick polls to our members to make decisions. This makes them feel like they are getting value for their membership dues that they pay our association.
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ScreenShots

Act-On Screenshots

Screenshot of List Segmentation - Segmentation using behavioral, demographic and/or firmographic dataScreenshot of the Quickstart PageScreenshot of Landing Page Composer - landing pages are designed with a drag and drop function