Free tool
How long will my survey take?
Enter how many questions of each type your survey has. You get a rough time to complete, with a range, and whether the survey is short enough to ask on a page.
- Free
- No sign-up
- Runs in your browser
Time to complete
About 17 seconds to 44 seconds for 3 questions, if people answer every one.
Fine on a page, if the first question is quick
Start with a one-tap question so most readers answer something, and make the rest optional.
- 66% of the time goes on writing. Many people skip text boxes, so most will answer only the quick questions.
Ask one short question on every page
Asklet shows a short survey on your pages, one question at a time, starting with a one-tap answer. Readers answer without signing in, and you see the results for each page.
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How to use the survey length calculator
- 01
Count your questions by type
Yes / No, choice, rating, NPS, short text and long text each take a different time to answer.
- 02
Read the estimate
You get a best guess and a range, worked out from rough seconds per question type.
- 03
Trim it for the page
If it reads as long, cut questions you won't act on, start with a one-tap question and keep text optional and last.
How the estimate works
Each question type gets a low and a high number of seconds to read the question and answer it. The calculator adds them up and shows the midpoint as the best guess:
- Yes / No: 2 to 4 seconds
- Single choice: 5 to 10 seconds
- Multiple choice: 8 to 15 seconds
- Rating or scale: 3 to 6 seconds
- NPS (0 to 10): 4 to 8 seconds
- Short text: 10 to 30 seconds
- Long text: 30 to 90 seconds
These are rules of thumb we picked to make the sums easy, not results from a study. Long option lists, long questions and small screens push the real time up.
Question count or time?
Five ratings can take less time than one comment box. Counting questions misses that, which is why the calculator weighs each type. People also judge a survey by its first question, so a quick start matters more than the total.
Keep on-page surveys short
A survey on a web page interrupts someone who came to read or get something done. Every extra question gives them a reason to stop, so ask only what you will act on:
- One or two questions for most pages, three when the middle one changes a decision
- A one-tap question first, so readers who won't write still answer
- Text last and optional
- One question at a time, so the survey never looks long
For a longer survey, such as research with existing customers, use a form or an email survey and say up front how long it takes.
Common questions
How long should a survey take?
Our rule of thumb for a survey on a web page is under 20 seconds: one or two quick questions. A survey people chose to take, such as research sent by email, can be longer if you tell them the time up front.
How many questions should a website survey have?
One to three. Start with a one-tap question, add a choice or rating only if you will act on it, and end with optional free text.
How long does it take to answer one question?
A yes / no or a rating takes a few seconds, a choice question 5 to 15, and a written answer anywhere from 10 seconds to a minute or more. These are rough figures, and the calculator uses them as rules of thumb.
Where do the seconds per question come from?
They are our own rough estimates for reading a short question and answering it, not figures from a study. If you need a precise number, time a few colleagues taking your survey.
How many questions can an Asklet survey have?
Up to 3 on Free, 6 on Starter and 10 on Pro. Readers see one question at a time, and most teams use one to three.
Do you store what I enter?
No. The calculator runs in your browser and nothing is sent to us.