As a marketer, your success is only as good as the information you have to inform your decisions. And in today’s data-driven world, that means having access to the best tools and software for market research.
The good news is, there are more high-quality market research tools available than ever before. The bad news is, with so many options to choose from, it can be hard to know where to start.
To help you out, we’ve put together a list of the best market research tools and software in 2024. These options will help you gather the data you need to make informed marketing decisions and stay ahead of the competition.
Attest
Attest is an online survey platform that allows you to create your own survey questions, target audiences and obtain actionable insights, all in one tool.
You can use Askattest.com to create a customer profile, test your new product concept, track brand awareness, and discover consumer trends. You get access to an audience of 125 million consumers in 58 countries, and can use specific filters to get your survey in front of the right people.
You can build surveys with seven distinct question types, and they have templates at hand to help you hit the ground running.
You can make decisions on their data with confidence: the data is triple-checked with a combo of AI and human checks. A complete newbie when it comes to market research? There are plenty of research experts at your disposal!
How much does Attest cost?
You can try their survey tool for free for your first survey. The pricing plans start at $25,000, for 50,000 responses at $0.50 per response.
Google Analytics and Google Trends
Google Analytics is a free web analytics platform that provides insights into how users interact with your website. It’s one of the most popular market research tools available, and for good reason.
Google Analytics allows you to track conversions, understand which marketing channels are most effective, and measure website engagement.
Google Trends is a tool that helps you understand how people are searching for things on the internet. You can use it to see how often different words and phrases are being searched for, and to see which terms are becoming more or less popular over time.
You can compare keywords with each other. It’s great for market research as a place to get started and to get basic data from the largest search engine in the world.
If you’re looking to do keyword research specifically, check out these recommendations for the best keyword research tools.
How much do Google Analytic and Google Trends cost?
Absolutely nothing!
Qualtrics Research Core
Qualtrics Research Core is a paid platform that provides insights into customer experience, employee experience, and product experience. It’s one of the most comprehensive market research tools available, and it’s used by some of the world’s biggest brands.
Qualtrics Research Core offers a wide range of features, including survey design, data collection, and analysis. You can collect data from multiple sources, and collaborate with team members.
The platform also includes a library of pre-written questions, so you don’t have to start from scratch. And if you need help, their team of research experts are available 24/7.
How much does Qualtrics Research Core cost?
The Qualtrics research plans start at $1,500.
SurveyMonkey
SurveyMonkey is a popular online survey tool that’s used by businesses of all sizes. It’s easy to use and offers a wide range of features, making it a great option for small businesses or businesses with limited market research budgets. SurveyMonkey also offers integrations with popular CRM platforms like Salesforce and HubSpot.
How much does SurveyMonkey cost?
SurveyMonkey plans start at $32 per month when billed annually.
Ask Your Target Market
Ask Your Target Market (AYTM) is an online survey tool that helps businesses gather insights from their target markets. It offers features like sample segmentation, question randomization, answer piping, and more. AYTM is a great option for businesses looking for advanced survey features at a reasonable price point.
The AYTM tool gives access to a proprietary panel with more than 100 million people around the world. If you need help, they have a research tool for you to use.
How much does Ask Your Target Market cost?
Pricing starts at $150 per month.
Data Miner
We’re sneaking in a tool that isn’t technically a market research tool, but is super handy when conducting market research anyway. Because chances are, you’ll be handling a lot of data.
Data Miner is a tool that allows you to collect data from various sources so that you can analyze it and get insights that you wouldn’t be able to get from looking at the raw data. It’s great for finding trends and patterns in your data, and it’s easy to use even if you’re not a data analyst.
How much does Data Miner cost?
You can try Data Miner for Free and scrape 500 pages per month. Need more? Power up with a Small Business plan at $49 a month, and scrape 1000 pages.
BuzzSumo
BuzzSumo is a tool that helps you research and analyze content across the web. It’s a great way to see what content is performing well in your industry and get ideas for new content topics.
BuzzSumo also allows you to see who has shared your content and track your backlinks. If content marketing is a big part of your marketing strategy, then BuzzSumo is definitely a tool worth considering.
How much does BuzzSumo cost?
BuzzSumo plans start at $79 per month when billed annually.
Typeform
Typeform is a survey tool — but not like one you’ve seen before. Typeform is all about starting conversations with your respondents, rather than firing questions at them. That reflects in the design of their surveys: you get to see one question at a time, and they like it if you use conversational language.
Typeform can be used for any type of market research: from customer satisfaction to product design, and everything in between.
How much does Typeform cost?
Typeform plans start at $35 per month when billed annually.
Answer the Public
We all know people Google a lot of weird things. But it’s exactly in all those searches where you can learn a lot about what people think, want and need. One tool that helps you visualize all this data, is Answer The Public.
You give the tool a few keywords, and it will show you all related Google searches, in the forms of questions and statements. This is a great place to start the orientation of your market research, to help you choose a direction.
How much does Answer The Public cost?
They allow for a limited amount of free searches per day, so go give it a try. Did they run out or do you need more? Plans start at $99 a month.
Choosing the right tool for you
Still undecided? Before blindly picking a tool from the list above, let’s look at what you have to keep in mind when choosing the tool for your next market research adventure.
Your research goals
Before you can choose a market research tool, you need to define your research goals. That might seem like a no-brainer, but it’s important to be as specific as possible. This will help you narrow down your options and choose a tool that is designed for the type of research you want to conduct.
Are you looking to gain insights into customer behavior? Then you’ll need a tool that allows you to track customer journeys or analyze customer surveys.
Are you trying to understand how your brand is perceived? Then you’ll need a tool that tracks social media sentiment or conducts brand awareness studies.
Once you’ve identified your goals, selecting the right market research tool will be much easier.
Your target audience
Who are you trying to reach with your market research? That might sound like another no-brainer, but again, it’s important to be as specific as possible.
The type of platform you use (online vs. offline) and the channels you use (social media, surveys, etc.) will be determined by your target audience. For example, if you’re trying to reach teenagers, then conducting focus groups or sending out mail surveys probably isn’t going to be very effective.
On the other hand, if you’re trying to reach business decision-makers, then online surveys might not be the best option either.
Take some time to think about who your target audience is and what type of platform they are most likely to use before selecting a market research tool.
Your budget
Of course, budget is always a consideration when choosing any type of marketing vendor or service provider.
Fortunately, there are market research tools available at every price point—from free online surveys to enterprise-level customer journey mapping software.
Once you’ve defined your goals and target audience, take some time to compare pricing across different vendors before making your final selection.
What’s your next market research goal?
No matter what business you’re in or what specific market research needs you have, one (or more) of these tools will have you covered. Go get that data and start making informed decisions, faster than ever (and the competition!).
