Our Case, In Our Words

Why Domandata Is the Best Survey Software for Social Scientists

We make Domandata, so this is not a neutral review. It is our argument for why a survey platform built around experiments and reproducible data serves social scientists better than general-purpose survey tools. We also list the studies where you should use something else.

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What we built for social scientists

Experiments are the product, not an add-on

Randomized treatment arms with weighted, stratified, or balanced allocation, built without JavaScript. The assigned condition is saved with every response, and when questions or answer options are randomized, the order each respondent saw them in is exported by default too.

Randomize treatment conditions

The designs social scientists actually run

Conjoint with prohibited combinations, opt-outs, holdouts, cross-respondent balancing, and AMCE power planning. List experiments, MaxDiff, vignettes, and reaction-time tasks are built in as question types.

Our case for conjoint

Routing you can see

The Flow canvas shows every branch, condition, quota, and ending in one view, so you and your reviewers can check the logic instead of hunting through question settings.

See the features

Data that arrives ready for analysis

Native Stata (.dta), SPSS (.sav), and R (.RData) files with value labels, a generated codebook, and conditions and quality flags in the same file, plus randomized display order by default.

Export formats

Data quality you can defend

Bot scores, duplicate detection, opt-in VPN checks, paste tracking, and rules you define are recorded as data. Flagged responses go to a review queue, and your decisions export as a cleaning log, with the raw data kept intact.

Quality checks

From preregistration to replication package

Link an OSF or AsPredicted registration, lock and fingerprint the instrument you field, log amendments, and deposit a replication package to Harvard Dataverse or Zenodo.

Our case for replication

Recruitment without copy-pasting codes

Launch Prolific and CloudResearch Connect studies from inside the survey, with guided setups for Prime Panels, Cint, and Rep Data. Completion, screen-out, and quota-full redirects are handled for you.

Integrations

Better than the Qualtrics license you already have

A university license makes Qualtrics free to you, not free of cost. Its conjoint tool is a separate purchase, fraud detection and some export formats depend on your license, Stata and R files aren't among its documented exports, and access usually ends when you leave the institution. Import your .qsf files and Domandata flags anything that needs review, such as custom JavaScript.

Switching from Qualtrics

Pricing you can read before you talk to anyone

Draft and preview for free, then pick a published monthly plan you can cancel when fieldwork ends. Instructors can buy Classroom seats so students get full features for a course.

Plans

When another tool is the better choice

We would rather lose a signup than have a study run on the wrong platform.

Your study collects protected health information or needs a HIPAA Business Associate Agreement.
We don't sign BAAs. Use REDCap or another tool your institution has approved for health data. Qualtrics vs REDCap
Data must stay on your own servers or in the EU, or your data-protection office requires a signed processing agreement.
We are cloud-only on U.S.-based infrastructure and don't publish a processing agreement. LimeSurvey and SoSci Survey offer self-hosting or EU hosting. GDPR-compliant survey software
Your paradigm depends on precise stimulus timing, such as priming or full cognitive tasks.
Our reaction-time question suits tasks inside a survey; dedicated builders such as Gorilla, PsychoPy, or jsPsych give more control. Choosing online experiment software
Participants interact with each other in real time, as in economic games or markets.
Use oTree, which is built for synchronous sessions. What social-science surveys need
Interviewers collect data offline in the field.
Our offline mode is for editing, not data collection. KoboToolbox is built for offline fieldwork. Choosing free survey software
You need to collect responses with no budget at all.
Our free plan covers drafting and previewing only. SoSci Survey, LimeSurvey, or a university license may cost you nothing. Choosing free survey software
Your IT review requires a SOC 2 report today.
Our SOC 2 Type I audit is in progress. Our Trust Center has our CAIQ and HECVAT self-assessments in the meantime. Trust Center

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this page an objective review?

No. It is our argument for our own product, written by the people who build it. For guides that compare tools and point to alternatives where they fit better, see the Research Guides, which cite each vendor's own documentation.

Is Domandata free?

Domandata has a free plan for drafting surveys and previewing them as a respondent, with no credit card required. Collecting responses, Flow logic, and exports need a paid individual or team plan, with published pricing you can cancel anytime.

How does Domandata compare with Qualtrics?

Qualtrics is a broad enterprise platform; Domandata is built around survey experiments, auditable randomization, and the path from preregistration to replication. We think it is the better choice for that work even when your university provides Qualtrics for free. The one time not to switch is in the middle of fieldwork. Our Qualtrics comparison links each claim to Qualtrics' own documentation.

Who builds Domandata?

Domandata started when we were building surveys for academic social-science research and kept hitting the same walls: JavaScript workarounds for basic randomization, and hours rebuilding assignment history before analysis. Our About page tells that story.

More of Our Case

Conjoint Experiments

Our case for Domandata as conjoint survey software for political scientists and other social scientists, and when Sawtooth, Conjointly, or Qualtrics fits better.

Teaching Research Methods

Our case for Domandata Classrooms in research methods courses: student privacy, full features for every student, and Canvas grading, plus when you don't need us.

Dissertation Research

Our case for Domandata as dissertation survey software for graduate students: monthly plans, Qualtrics import, and analysis-ready data, plus when to use something free.

Preregistration and Replication

Our case for Domandata in preregistered survey research: instrument fingerprints, amendment logs, verification certificates, and replication packages with privacy checks.

Check Our Claims

Compare Platforms

Feature comparisons sourced from each vendor's documentation.

Research Guides

How-to guides for choosing tools and designing studies.