SurveyMonkey QR Code vs Beaconstac: A Complete Comparison

SurveyMonkey happens to be among the most trusted survey tools you can access. Let’s say you created a survey on it, and the obvious next step is to share it. The platform allows you to manually share surveys through URLs or with a QR Code. 

QR Codes are a creative way to interact with a larger audience and diversify your survey distribution channels. But with SurveyMonkey’s QR Codes, there’s a catch. 

SurveyMonkey QR Codes tag along their own set of limitations. You cannot track your survey response rates through the QR Code, add your brand logo to it, or even ensure a secure survey experience. 

But what if we told you that Beaconstac’s QR Codes could fill in for these gaps?

With Beaconstac’s QR Codes, you could get access to a whole range of features that SurveyMonkey QR Codes are unable to provide.

Instead of claiming one is better over the other, we’ve listed down a detailed comparison and a list of must-haves to run survey campaigns. 

And by the end of this analysis, we’re sure you’ll be able to gauge how Beaconstac’s QR Code maker can fill in for the limitations of a SurveyMonkey QR Code. 

Table of contents

1. The essentials: all you need to run basic QR Code survey campaigns
2. The good to haves: features to run professional campaigns
3. Pricing and plans
4. Our take on Beaconstac vs. SurveyMonkey QR Code
5. Frequently asked questions

The essentials: What do you need to run basic QR Code survey campaigns?

Ideally, if you’re an individual or a business running a survey campaign using QR Codes, these are some must-haves that can elevate your marketing efforts:

1. Dynamic over static QR Codes

While most free QR Code generators provide static QR Codes, they tag along their own set of limitations. A Survey Monkey QR Code is also similar and by default, static.

Static QR Codes are non-trackable and non-editable. What could this mean for your campaign?

Let’s say you’ve printed the QR Code on a flyer, where the audience can access it. However, you cannot track the number of scans, location, device used, or any other helpful metric that can enhance your marketing efforts. 

Moreover, if you happen to find an error with the destination URL post printing or sharing, static QR Codes do not have the option to change it. This could mislead end-users to the wrong URL or a 404 error. 

But something as small as switching to trackable, dynamic QR Codes can make all the difference. Beaconstac’s QR Codes are dynamic, which can help track metrics to analyze how your survey campaigns perform. 

They’re also editable, which lets you change the destination URL or link if the form doesn’t redirect, or you have an update to a pre-existing form. 

2. Scope to customize the QR Code 

What advantage does a customized QR Code have over a black-and-white one? In terms of engagement, your audience may be more willing to scan a QR Code that they recognize or identify rather than a plain one.

Beaconstac’s QR Codes come with customization options. You can customize the QR Code colors or add a brand logo. This way, you boost your chances of customer interaction and build consumer-brand trust. 

But customizations don’t just end there. It’s a hassle to go back and forth between applications to customize both the QR Code and the survey. 

That’s why Beaconstac allows you to customize your survey templates and the QR Code within the same dashboard.

Compared to SurveyMonkey’s static QR Codes that lack options such as customization, dynamic survey QR Codes are definitely an investment that can boost survey response rates and engagement.

3. Scannability

Let’s say your survey is ready, you’ve printed out a QR Code to share it, and it’s now on flyers or posters. 

But what if your QR Code turns out to be non-scannable?

A SurveyMonkey QR Code can be downloaded at a maximum width and height of 256×256 pixels. This comes up to approximately 6cm. 

This is above the minimum required size for a QR Code to be scannable. However, this size constraint brings about a bigger issue. 

If you want to resize the SurveyMonkey QR Code on your poster or flyer, it could render it blurry and unscannable. 

This is why you need a solution that ensures scannability of the QR Code at all times. 

Beaconstac’s QR Code maker lets you create vector QR Codes. You can download the QR Code over a wide range of formats from PNG to EPS and SVG. This translates to easier resizing on any marketing material, with scannability ensured at all times. 

The good to haves: Features to run professional campaigns

If you’re someone who runs surveys as a routine channel for communication or a marketing strategy, here are some features that can benefit your campaigns:

1. QR Code analytics

If you’ve deployed your survey QR Code on marketing channels to gain insights into your audience, then a SurveyMonkey QR Code may not meet these expectations. 

And here’s why. 

A Survey Monkey QR Code is static and does not record any scan-related data, such as the number of scans, location, the device used, and other metrics that may aid your marketing efforts. 

Additionally, you cannot filter your survey responses or engagement via QR Codes alone. 

SurveyMonkey only shares the overall engagement metrics of a survey. This means- you cannot separately view the responses received for a SurveyMonkey QR Code .

With Beaconstac’s trackable QR Code, you get access to a dashboard and analytics that help your campaign. You can filter out data such as: 

1. The number of scans
2. Duration of engagement
3. Location of scan
4. Device used to engage

   These data points help provide an overview of your audience and campaign performance. On this front, you get a QR Code to share your survey and the option to better understand your audience with analytics 

2. Security

You may intend to create surveys with sensitive information or ones intended for a specific audience. If you’re opting for static QR Codes to share them, here’s the catch. 

Static QR Codes offer little to no security, and you may never know who ends up with access to the survey. 

If security is a priority with sensitive surveys, the data captured, and the audience accessing it, then it’s best to think twice before using static QR Codes. 

With Beaconstac’s QR Codes, you get the highest grade of safety. With SOC Type 1 and 2 certifications and GDPR compliance, you are assured that your survey data is safe from security compromises. 

This level of security offers safer survey access and data acquisition when stacked against a static, SurveyMonkey QR Code. 

3. Integration

Working with multiple software to shift data within your organization can be tedious in any workflow. You may be unable to transfer any scan-related data to your existing software or platform of choice due to the limitations of SurveyMonkey QR Codes. 

Cue Beaconstac’s QR Code. You have the option of directly integrating QR Code performance data with the software of your choice. 

Direct integrations or integrations via third-party tools such as Zapier and Workato help you import your survey data onto a specific tool that you may use for your business. 

So, how does this help? Say, you wanted to send a message to the end-user when they scan a QR Code or get notified within your own CRM when a QR Code-related event occurs. That’s when these integrations help, allowing you to automate certain tasks and save time. 

And when it comes to easing such operations for your business, Beaconstac’s dynamic QR Code has the upper hand over a static SurveyMonkey QR Code. 

4. Retargeting

As an individual or business, you may know that retargeting is a strategic opportunity. It allows your customers to leave feedback, re-enter the customer journey, or positively rethink their purchase decision. 

With surveys as an engagement channel, there can always be cases of unfinished, abandoned surveys. To target this part of the audience and kick start their journey again, retargeting can help. All you would need is the right data, the right tools, and to retarget at the right time. 

But this cannot be done with a SurveyMonkey QR Code. Given the limitations of a static QR Code, you cannot avail the data to retarget customers. 

With Beaconstac’s QR Codes, you get access to QR Code retargeting. With insights on who has scanned your QR Code and when, you can retarget and revert your customers back to the survey using Facebook and Google Ads. 

With such actionable first-party data, you can reach out to leads and prospects and increase chances of conversion and brand engagement. 

5. Multi-language support

Delivering a consistent experience for your audience doesn’t just stop at creating and sharing the survey through a QR Code. 

Let’s say you were set on using a static SurveyMonkey QR Code printed on a global magazine. 

Now, an end user scanning it in France, Peru, or even Hong Kong, would be redirected to the same website. With no option to redirect or understand what the survey is about in their own dialect, you may get abandoned or frustrated users. 

But not with multilingual QR Codes. 

Multilingual QR Codes ensure that the user is redirected to a website or landing page based on the preferred language setting on their device. 

Provided your website has a regional variation of the same page, the end user can be redirected to that when they scan the multilingual QR Code. 

For larger campaigns that have a global audience, a static SurveyMonkey QR Code may not cater to personalization like multilingual, dynamic QR Codes do. 

Pricing and plans: Do affordability and features go hand in hand with SurveyMonkey QR Code?

Surveys as a marketing tool don’t just have responses as their primary data source. Audience engagement is also a metric that helps gauge how well a survey campaign is working. In terms of campaign performance, affordability and features, here’s how SurveyMonkey and Beaconstac fare:

Our take on why you should prefer Beaconstac’s survey QR Code over a SurveyMonkey QR Code

Now that you’ve compared the features you may be missing with static, SurveyMonkey QR Codes versus dynamic QR Codes, we believe you know the best fit for your business and its goals.

With Beaconstac, you can share, track, manage, and edit your survey QR Codes at scale. 

We’re making survey sharing easier, frictionless, and safe. And if you want to check it out for yourself or your next survey campaign, here’s how you can get started with our 14-day free trial. 

Frequently asked questions

1. Do SurveyMonkey QR Codes expire?

No, as SurveyMonkey QR Codes are static, they do not expire. This means that even when your survey ends, the SurveyMonkey QR Code may still lead to a broken link or a 404 error. 

2. Is SurveyMonkey QR Code free?

No SurveyMonkey QR Code is only available with a paid plain. It is not available on the free plan. 

3. How do I create a QR Code for a survey link?

You can create a QR Code for a survey link in five easy steps using Beaconstac’s QR Code creator: 

1. Go to the dashboard and click on “+Create”
2. Choose survey as a campaign and create one, or click on website as a campaign
3. Insert the survey link
4. Customize the survey QR Code, change color and logo, and save changes
5. Your survey QR Code is ready for download

• Author Details

Author Details

Navya Muralidhar

Navya is an ardent writer focusing on the benefits of QR Codes for businesses. She has been writing about QR Code topics into action oriented guides since 2019. Presently, she helps people understand the benefits of paid QR Code solutions as a powerful marketing tool. To know more about her work around QR Codes, click here.

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