Surveying free and low-cost survey software.

Surveys are widely used to gather health information from a sample of individuals. This brief report reviews 14 free and low-cost software packages (< dollar 1,000) that can be used when conducting health surveys with a limited budget. Information available on the Internet or directly from the provider in response to inquiry was reviewed for key features used by health survey researchers. Many free or low-cost software options appropriate for questionnaire development are readily available. Questionnaire mode and complexity, data management and analytical needs, and computing environment are all important considerations in selecting survey software.