Free tool
Response rate calculator
A free survey response rate calculator. Enter how many people you invited, started and finished to get your response, completion and start rates.
Worked out in your browser. Nothing you type or paste leaves this page.
Three rates, one funnel
A survey loses people at two points: some never start, and some start but don't finish. One "response rate" hides which problem you have, so this calculator splits it into three:
- Response rate = completed ÷ invited. How much of your audience you actually heard from.
- Start rate = started ÷ invited. How well your invitation worked: the subject line, the timing and the first screen.
- Completion rate = completed ÷ started. How well the survey itself worked: its length, its hardest question and its pace.
A low start rate is an invitation problem, so fix the message and the timing. A low completion rate is a survey problem, so shorten it or find the question where people stop.
If you shared a link rather than inviting a list, use the number of form views in place of people invited.
A worked example
You invite 2,000 customers. 520 start and 410 finish. Your start rate is 520 ÷ 2,000 = 26%, your completion rate is 410 ÷ 520 = 78.8%, and your response rate is 410 ÷ 2,000 = 20.5%.
In Excel or Google Sheets
With invited in B1, started in B2 and completed in B3:
Response rate: =ROUND(B3 / B1 * 100, 1)
Completion rate: =ROUND(B3 / B2 * 100, 1)
Start rate: =ROUND(B2 / B1 * 100, 1)
Where the numbers come from
hootform counts all three for every form. Views, starts and completions, with the rates between them, are on every plan in Insights. Because hootform saves each answer as it's given, a start is a real start, not a guess. On Premium, Insights also shows which question people stopped at.
Collect the responses first
Free survey templates
Free survey templates for customer feedback, NPS, CSAT, employee pulse checks, events and research. Each runs live on its page, with unlimited responses.
Questions people ask
What's the difference between response rate and completion rate?
Response rate compares completed surveys with everyone you invited. Completion rate compares completed surveys with the people who started. The first measures reach, and the second measures the survey itself.
How can I raise my completion rate?
Cut every question that won't change a decision, put the easiest questions first, and ask one question at a time. Then find the question where most people stop and rewrite it.
How does hootform count a start?
A response starts when someone answers the first question, and every answer is saved as it's given. So starts, drop-off and completions reflect what people really did.
Where can I get these numbers for my own survey?
Every hootform form has views, starts, completions and median time to finish in Insights, on the free plan. Start from one of the survey templates.
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