How to export data from SurveyMonkey before your plan ends
A renewal, a price change or a residency requirement usually forces the decision, and results must leave the account before access changes. What you can take out depends on your plan tier and on the response limits that apply to it. Responses can be exported in CSV, XLS, PPT and PDF formats, and SPSS files are available on team plans. Team Advantage covers 50,000 responses per year and Team Premier covers 100,000, both billed annually per user from three users, according to SurveyMonkey's pricing page. Survey logic, branding and collector setup do not move with the data, so plan to rebuild them separately. Confirm current format eligibility for your plan in SurveyMonkey's help documentation before relying on any one format.
Start by checking what your account can still see. On free accounts, response limits can hide results, so an export that looks complete may be missing data. Before the access date, export raw response data in every format you need, then open a sample file in each one to confirm that answer options, timestamps and multi-select columns are readable. Keep the question wording, answer choices, branching rules and any scoring notes in a separate document, since exports carry the answers while the design that produced them lives elsewhere. Record the export date, the plan in force and the account owner, which you will need if an auditor or data protection officer asks where a response came from.
Decide where the archive will live before you download anything. Export files contain respondent data, so store them in an encrypted location that follows your retention schedule, and confirm that the storage region matches your residency obligations, particularly if you used SurveyMonkey's EU data center option. Ask your legal or records team which retention periods apply to survey responses, and verify row counts against the dashboard before treating the files as the record. If you plan to rebuild surveys in LimeSurvey or Formbricks, the archive also becomes your test dataset for import checks. Agree on a written scope before anyone outside your team handles the files.
What you can export from SurveyMonkey and how
This table lists each kind of SurveyMonkey data you may need to take out, the export route, the formats the plan documents, and the limit that applies. Read it before a renewal or cancellation, and check the export options on your own account, since format availability depends on plan and export path. The main takeaway is that free accounts can lose access to results once response limits are reached, so export early.
| Data type | Export method | Formats documented | Plan or limit that applies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual responses | Export from the survey results page | CSV, XLS, SPSS | Team plans; confirm free account access |
| Question-level summaries and charts | Export report from the results view | PDF, PPT | Team plans; confirm for your export path |
| Response timestamps and metadata | Included in the response-level export | CSV, XLS, SPSS | Confirm which columns your export includes |
| Uploaded files from file upload questions | Check whether the export includes or links the files | Confirm with SurveyMonkey | Confirm for your plan; download separately if needed |
| Survey structure, logic and question text | No response export covers it; keep a record of the build | Confirm with SurveyMonkey | Save PDF or screenshots before cancelling |
| Contact lists and invitation recipients | Confirm the export route for your collectors and contacts | Confirm with SurveyMonkey | Depends on plan; confirm before the plan ends |
| Results on free accounts | Results may be hidden once response limits are reached | Confirm current availability | Free response limit; confirm on the pricing page |
| Responses under annual caps | Export the full set before the plan year or renewal | CSV, XLS, SPSS | Team Advantage 50,000 and Team Premier 100,000 per year |
Which plan you are on decides what you can take out
Free accounts have the most restricted access to results, and the limits that apply to them are set by SurveyMonkey and can change. Response limits on free accounts can hide results once a survey passes a threshold, so the time to export is before that limit is reached, not after. Check your own account rather than relying on a general description of the plan.
- Hidden results: Confirm whether responses above the free allowance remain visible and downloadable in your results view.
- File formats: Check which export types appear in your account's download menu, since the list can differ from paid tiers.
- Downgrades: If you move from a paid plan to a free account, confirm whether older results stay downloadable.
- Owner access: Confirm which account holder can export, because collaborators may see different options.
- Test export: Download a small test survey to confirm that the file contains the questions, answer options and timestamps you need.
Before relying on a free account for archiving, run a full test export and store the file outside SurveyMonkey.
Team Advantage lists 50,000 responses per year, billed annually per user from 3 users, according to SurveyMonkey's pricing page. The response cap is an annual limit, so it affects how much data you must export in each plan year. A busy survey program can approach the cap well before the year ends, which makes the timing of your export part of the migration plan.
- Annual cap: Track responses collected during the plan year so you know when the program is nearing 50,000.
- Per-user billing: Each seat is paid for annually, so confirm which users must hold a seat to download results for the whole team.
- Minimum seats: The plan starts at 3 users, so confirm that the seat count you need meets that floor.
- Renewal timing: Export before the annual term ends, since a lapsed subscription can change what you can access.
- Format list: Check the export formats available to your team plan in the current download options, including any statistical file types you need.
Before cancelling, confirm the export formats and file sizes your plan produces by running a complete export of one large survey.
Team Premier lists 100,000 responses per year, also billed annually per user from 3 users, on the same pricing page. The higher cap means more responses and larger files to move, so the export process matters more than the plan label. Plan your exports around volume, survey by survey, instead of attempting one large download at the end of the term.
- Higher volume: Expect larger exports, and test whether your browser or spreadsheet software can open the files.
- Batching: Export by survey or by date range to keep files manageable and to make checksums easier to compare.
- Per-user access: Confirm that the seats you pay for include the people who will run the exports.
- Verification: Compare response counts in each export with the count shown in SurveyMonkey before you delete anything.
- Storage: Keep the exported files, along with question wording and a record of answer option codes, in a location you control.
Before cancelling a Team Premier plan, confirm the full list of export formats with SurveyMonkey and check whether the highest volumes can be exported in a single file.
Enterprise adds single sign-on and a choice of US, Canada or EU data center, according to SurveyMonkey's pricing page. These features affect who can sign in to export and where the data sits during the export. Because Enterprise terms are negotiated, the export rights, retention periods and format options come from your contract rather than from the public tier description, so confirm them in writing.
- Sign-in control: Single sign-on means exports run through your identity provider, so confirm that departing staff lose access on time.
- Data location: Ask which data center holds your responses and whether the export file keeps the same location.
- Contract terms: Ask for the retention period, export options and any limits in the agreement.
- Support path: Confirm who helps with bulk exports and whether that support is included.
- Exit terms: Ask what happens to results at the end of the contract and how long they remain available for download.
Before a renewal or exit, request the Enterprise terms in writing and run a test export that covers every survey you need to keep.
What does not export from SurveyMonkey and how to cover the gap
A SurveyMonkey export gives you responses, but much of what made the survey work usually stays behind in the account. The cards below cover the common items that do not come out in a results file, and a practical way to record each one before a plan ends or an account closes. Confirm every item against the current SurveyMonkey help documentation, since export options change by plan.
Question logic and branching
Skip logic, branching and piped answers live in the survey builder, not in the results file. A CSV shows which answers were given but not which rule sent a respondent to a given question. Before you cancel, record each rule as a plain list: the trigger question, the answer that fires it, and the question it routes to. Check the logic against a test response so you know the rebuilt survey behaves the same way.
Question wording and answer options
Results files use column headers and answer codes, which may differ from the exact question text and option labels a respondent saw. Without the original wording, you cannot prove what was asked during a review or a research audit. Copy each question, its help text and every answer option into a spreadsheet, keeping the question order and any scale anchors. This record is the reference for rebuilding the survey later.
Theme, layout and branding
Colors, fonts, logos, page layout and the look of the survey do not travel with the data. Capture a screenshot or PDF of each page as respondents saw it, on desktop and mobile where your survey was used on both. This documents the presentation for consent wording and accessibility reviews, and gives a designer a visual target when the survey is rebuilt on a new platform.
Collector and distribution settings
Collectors hold the settings that decide how a survey reached people: web links, email invitations, embedded pages, response limits, closing dates and access restrictions. These settings are not part of a results export. Write down each collector, its channel, its open and close dates, and any password or limit it used. Those details explain why responses were collected and when, which matters if you later need to show the survey's scope.
Invitation and contact lists
Email lists used to invite respondents may not be exportable in the same way as response data, and whether you can download them depends on your plan and the method in use. Do not assume a list can be exported. Confirm with SurveyMonkey what is available for your account, and if an export is allowed, keep it in the same jurisdiction as your responses and record the lawful basis for holding those contacts.
Dashboards and saved reports
Dashboards, saved filters, charts and custom reports exist only inside the account. Recreating a chart does not require the original tool, but you need the filter definitions, the segment rules and the calculations behind each figure. Note each saved report's name, its filters and the question it summarizes, then recompute one or two headline numbers from the raw export so you can check that the rebuilt analysis matches.
Export sequence for a complete SurveyMonkey archive
This sequence produces a dated, self-contained archive of every SurveyMonkey survey you need to keep, with raw responses, summaries, question wording and collection history saved in separate files. Work through the steps in order, because later steps depend on the survey list and date ranges set in the first two.
Inventory every survey and its status
Open your SurveyMonkey account and list every survey, including drafts, closed surveys and surveys in folders. Record the title, creation date, last response date, response count and status for each one in a spreadsheet. Store the file in a folder on your own server or document system, outside SurveyMonkey. The step is done when the spreadsheet row count matches the survey count shown in your account, and the owner of each survey is named.
Decide which surveys and date ranges to keep
Using the inventory, mark each survey as keep, archive or delete. For surveys you keep, set the date range of responses to retain, based on your records retention rules, contract obligations or research protocol. Ask your compliance or data protection lead to approve the list before exporting. The step is done when the approved list is saved with a sign-off record, so later exports can be checked against it.
Export responses in a machine-readable format first
For each kept survey, export the individual responses in CSV first. If your plan includes SPSS export, also export an SPSS file for analysis work. Confirm with SurveyMonkey which formats your plan allows, because export options depend on the account type. Check that the response count in each file matches the count in your inventory, and that the date range matches your decision. Store the files in a dated folder with the survey ID in the file name.
Export reports and summaries second
After the raw data is saved, export summary reports for each survey in the formats your plan offers, such as PDF or presentation files. These files show charts and percentages as SurveyMonkey calculated them, which helps reviewers compare with the raw data later. Keep them next to the matching response file. Open each report to confirm the title, date range and filters match the survey and period you approved.
Save question text and option lists
Raw responses are hard to interpret without the exact wording of each question, answer option, logic rule and page order. Copy this text from each survey's editor or preview into a document, or export the survey structure if your account allows it. Include translated versions and the answer option codes. Store the document beside the response files. The step is done when someone unfamiliar with the survey can match every response column to a question.
Record collectors and invitation sources
For each survey, list every collector: the web link, email invitations, embedded links and any other sending method. Record the collector name, creation date, status and the source of any recipient list, such as a CRM export or mailing list. Note whether recipient contact details are stored in SurveyMonkey and who holds the original lists. Save this record with the archive, because it explains how responses were gathered.
Verify the archive before cancelling
Before you cancel or downgrade, compare the archive with your inventory. Check file counts, response totals, date ranges and that each file opens without errors. Make a second copy in a separate location and confirm it can be read. Ask a second person to sign off on the archive. The step is done when the sign-off is recorded and you have confirmed with SurveyMonkey what access remains after the plan ends.
How to verify that the archive is complete
The fastest proof that an export is clean is a spot check. Pick a handful of complete responses from the SurveyMonkey results page, including one with a skipped question, one with several boxes ticked in a multi-select question, and one from the first and last days of the date range. Find the same respondents in the exported CSV or XLS file and compare every answer by hand. If those rows match, the export logic is sound and the rest of the checks are confirmation rather than rescue. If they do not, stop and re-export before the plan ends, because the source data is the only copy you can rely on.
Next, compare counts. Filter the SurveyMonkey results to the same date range you exported, note the response count it shows, and compare it with the row count in each file (minus the header row). Do this for every format you download, since a CSV, an XLS and an SPSS file can differ in how partial responses are handled. Then check the column headers against the question list in the survey editor. Each question should appear once, in order, and multi-select questions should produce one column per choice. Confirm that the timestamp column, any respondent identifier or email field, and the multi-select answers were preserved, and that dates parse correctly in the spreadsheet or statistics package you plan to use.
Finally, store the archive somewhere it will survive the account. Record a SHA-256 checksum for each file with a command such as sha256sum, save the checksums in a plain-text file, and keep a dated copy in a second location that the survey team controls, such as an encrypted storage bucket or an on-premises share. Write down the survey ID, the export date, the filter settings and the person who ran the export. Confirm with your own compliance or records owner how long the archive must be retained, because the export does not decide that for you. Keep the checksums with the files so anyone can later confirm nothing has changed.
What to plan before the SurveyMonkey contract ends
Most of the export work is decided before the last billing day. The cards below cover the contract terms, the export deadline, the retention and sign-off rules, and the surveys still collecting responses, so that the export runs once and the archive is complete.
Notice period and billing terms
Read the renewal clause, the notice window and whether your plan renews automatically at the annual or per-user rate. Confirm in writing whether response data stays accessible after the subscription ends, and whether any export format (CSV, XLS, PPT, PDF or SPSS) depends on the plan you hold on the cancellation date. A downgrade can change what you can download, so check this before you change plans.
Final export date
Set a date several weeks before the contract ends and run the full export by then, with a second pass for responses that arrive afterward. Test one export of each survey type and open the file to confirm that answer labels, question order and hidden or skipped fields came through. Keep the date in the project plan so that a missed renewal notice does not become the deadline.
Retention rule for personal data
Decide how long you must keep responses and any identifying fields, such as names, email addresses or contact details, under your own policy and applicable law. Survey archives often hold more personal data than teams expect, including free text. Record the retention period and the deletion method for the archive before you copy anything, so the export does not extend retention without a decision.
Archive sign-off
Name the owner who approves what goes into the archive, usually a survey owner together with the privacy or compliance lead. The sign-off should list each survey, its export format, the file location and the access group. Record the approval in writing so that an auditor or a data subject request can be traced back to a known export.
Surveys still in field
Identify every open collector, including link, email and embedded surveys, because each one may still receive responses after you stop reviewing results. Decide whether to close each collector, redirect respondents to a new URL or keep collecting on the target platform. Plan the cutover so that no response falls between the two systems and every late submission is captured.
Target platform and hosting
Choose between self-hosted LimeSurvey and Formbricks based on the survey type, then decide where the server runs and which database it uses. Confirm the platform's requirements against the current release notes before you provision hardware. Your choice also determines how much rebuilding the surveys need, which is the largest driver of effort.
Where the exported results can go next
The choice of replacement should follow the kind of survey you run, because the export format you took from SurveyMonkey only helps if the target can hold the same questions and data. SPSS files, CSV and XLS exports keep response values and question labels, so they can be loaded into an analysis tool or rebuilt in a new survey tool. If your work is research, HR or public-sector survey programs with quotas, branching and multilingual versions, LimeSurvey is the closer fit. Its GPL v2.0 license, with the option of any later GPL version, allows you to download and self-host the Community Edition for free, with survey data kept on your own server. The latest stable release is Community Edition 7.6.0. The 6.17.19 line reached end of support on August 31, 2026, so do not plan a new installation around it. Confirm the current release notes and the PHP and database requirements on the LimeSurvey community downloads page before you choose a server.
If your work is customer or product feedback delivered through links, websites or in-app prompts, Formbricks is the closer fit. The self-hosted Community Edition can be run with Docker without a subscription, and it includes unlimited surveys, unlimited responses and full API access. Its main constraint is that it allows only one workspace. Check whether your teams need separate workspaces, since that decision determines whether the Community Edition is enough or whether the Enterprise license is needed for the extra structure. Note also that the Enterprise license covers features such as SSO and access roles, so confirm which of those you depend on in SurveyMonkey before you decide.
Whichever target you pick, test a complete round trip before the plan ends. Export one representative survey, rebuild it on a test instance, and compare the results column by column, including dates, multi-select answers and any hidden or calculated fields. Keep the original export files in your archive, since they remain the record of the responses you collected. Ask your implementation partner or your own administrators to confirm how the new server will store uploaded files and invitation lists, because those were often stored separately in SurveyMonkey.
Questions teams ask before they export their SurveyMonkey data
How much effort does a SurveyMonkey data export take?
The effort depends mainly on how many surveys, responses and question types the account holds, and on how many export formats you need. A small account with a few surveys and one format can be handled in a short working session by one person. Effort rises when response volumes are large, when surveys use branching or matrix questions that flatten poorly into CSV, and when you need SPSS or PDF copies for audit or research files. Each survey also needs a check that the exported row count matches the response count shown in SurveyMonkey. Ask for a written inventory of surveys, response counts and required formats before any work starts.
Can we export our SurveyMonkey data ourselves or do we need outside help?
A survey owner can download results from the SurveyMonkey interface, and many teams handle a small number of surveys this way. Outside help makes sense when the account holds many surveys, when files must be validated against a retention schedule, or when results will be loaded into a self-hosted LimeSurvey or Formbricks instance afterwards. DeployOpen plans, implements and documents this kind of work under a fixed scope, with deliverables, timelines and responsibilities agreed in writing before work starts. Whichever route you choose, keep a record of who exported which survey, when, and in what format.
What does a SurveyMonkey export need from our own team?
You need account access, owner-level rights on the surveys in scope, and a named contact who can confirm which plan the account is on. Team accounts can hold surveys owned by different people, so someone must confirm which surveys belong to which team before anything is downloaded. Legal or data protection sign-off is needed when results contain personal data, special category data or employee responses, because each export becomes a new copy with its own retention obligations. Ask your privacy and records teams to set the retention period and approve the storage location before the download. These approvals often take longer than the technical export, so schedule them early.
How long does the export take and what sets that time?
No duration can be stated for your account until the inventory is complete, so confirm it against your own survey list. The main drivers are the number of surveys, the response volume, the number of formats, the validation steps and the approvals. Plan limits also shape the work: SurveyMonkey's pricing page lists 50,000 responses per year for Team Advantage and 100,000 for Team Premier, billed annually per user from 3 users, so a longer account history means more to move. Start the export well before the subscription end date, because access can change when the plan changes.
What should we do if our SurveyMonkey plan hides results?
First confirm in your SurveyMonkey account and billing settings which plan the account is on and whether results are currently hidden. Do not assume the data is gone, because access depends on the plan that applies to your account. Move to a plan that restores access for the export window, download everything, check the counts, and only then cancel. If the plan cannot be changed, ask SurveyMonkey support in writing which data remains accessible and in which formats. Record each step and each response count, because any gap will matter later for audits or legal holds.
Do exported files keep personal data in our jurisdiction?
Not automatically. A CSV, XLS or SPSS file keeps the personal data it contained, and it sits wherever you store it. Once a download lands on a laptop, a shared drive or in an email, it is a new copy in that location. Where SurveyMonkey stores your data depends on your plan and data center option, and the SurveyMonkey pricing page lists a choice of US, Canada or EU data center on Enterprise. Confirm your current data location with SurveyMonkey, store exports in the jurisdiction your policy requires, restrict access, and document each transfer.
What should we confirm with SurveyMonkey before cancelling?
Get the answers in writing before you cancel. Ask which surveys, response counts and formats your current plan lets you download, whether any results will become hidden after the plan changes, and how long data is kept after cancellation. Ask how deletion is requested and how it is confirmed, and keep a copy of that confirmation. Also list the integrations, webhooks and connected apps that depend on SurveyMonkey, because they stop at cancellation regardless of the export. Store the answers in the migration file so the export can be checked against them.
How DeployOpen scopes and delivers a SurveyMonkey data exit
DeployOpen treats a SurveyMonkey data exit as a fixed-scope piece of work: agree what leaves the account, where it lands and how it is checked before anyone cancels. The work covers the export inventory, the target environment inside your own infrastructure and the evidence that the archive is complete and readable.
How we scope
- Inventory every survey, response set, export format and team account that must leave SurveyMonkey.
- Confirm which plan and response limits apply, since limits can hide results on some accounts.
- Record the written scope, deliverables and timeline before any export or cancellation step begins.
How we build
- Set up a self-hosted archive in your own infrastructure, with access controls matched to your data classification.
- Run exports in the formats you need, such as CSV, XLS, PPT, PDF or SPSS, and store them with original file names and dates.
- Check row counts, question labels and file integrity against the source before marking an export as accepted.
How we hand over
- Deliver a documented archive with an index mapping each survey to its exported files and retention owner.
- Document the export steps, known format limits and any data that could not be exported in your environment.
- Walk your team through the archive so they can search, retrieve and audit results without DeployOpen.
How we support
- Ongoing support, upgrades and continuous testing are available as a retainer if the archive or a replacement platform needs care.
- Ask in the quote whether post-handover questions about exported files are covered by the fixed scope or the retainer.
- Confirm with your legal and records teams how long the archive must be kept and who approves its deletion.
