Choose a Retently replacement by where you want to ask customers, not by which score it supports. If feedback should follow support tickets, use a help desk survey tool. If you want answers inside your app, pick an in-product tool. For accounts and research, look wider, then check how responses are routed and how scores are tracked over time.
NPS, CSAT and CES. Most teams leaving Retently already know the three acronyms by heart, because Retently built its offer around collecting all three across every touchpoint, with AI to turn feedback into action and a focus on ecommerce and retail brands. What's less obvious is that the tools below don't differ much on which score they measure. They differ on where they ask. Here are eight, in no particular order.
Where the question lands decides the answer
The thing to test in any replacement is where the survey appears, how responses are routed, and how scores are tracked over time. A question sent by email a week after a purchase gets a different kind of answer from one shown in your app, or one tacked onto a support reply. None is wrong, but they measure different moments.
Routing matters just as much. A low score that sits in a dashboard for a fortnight does nothing for that customer. The better set-ups send a poor response straight to the person who can fix it, whether that's a support agent, an account manager or a product owner. And if you've tracked a score for a while, check that the new tool can take your history, or at least that you can export it, so a dip next quarter isn't just the result of switching tools.
Help desk, product, research and accounts
Inside the help desk
Simplesat and Nicereply attach short surveys to support conversations. They're built for support teams that want a quick reaction to each ticket and want low scores followed up fast.
Inside the product
SatisMeter and Usersnap ask users while they're using your software. They suit product teams who want to know how a feature lands and what to build next.
Across channels and research
Survicate and Zonka Feedback cover several channels at once, with automation and AI analysis on top. QuestionPro is the broadest research tool here, with many question types and templates, which helps when you need more than a satisfaction score.
Across B2B accounts
CustomerGauge ties feedback to accounts rather than individual responses, which suits B2B firms that care most about which customers might leave.
Eight feedback tools side by side
| Tool | Where it asks | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| CustomerGauge | B2B account feedback | B2B firms linking feedback to account churn |
| Nicereply | Support CSAT | One-click questions after support conversations |
| QuestionPro | General survey platform | Broad research beyond satisfaction scores |
| SatisMeter | In-product feedback | Software teams asking users inside the product |
| Simplesat | Help desk surveys | High-volume support teams in their help desk |
| Survicate | Multichannel feedback | Surveying across channels and automating follow-up |
| Usersnap | Product feedback evidence | Product teams deciding what to build next |
| Zonka Feedback | AI feedback analysis | Listening to feedback and acting on it with AI |
Feedback platforms, alphabetically
Listed A to Z and in no particular order. Each line reflects the vendor's own description of its product.
CustomerGauge
Best for: B2B companies wanting customer data tied to accounts so they can spot churn risk and growth, as the vendor describes it.
Nicereply
Best for: Support teams adding one-click CSAT, CES and NPS questions to their conversations, with the vendor aiming at more responses per ticket.
QuestionPro
Best for: Researchers and marketers who need many question types and ready-made templates; the vendor names a free plan alongside AI insights backed by experts.
SatisMeter
Best for: Software teams collecting feedback from users and feeding it into the rest of their stack, which the vendor says is simple to set up.
Simplesat
Best for: High-volume support teams running CSAT, NPS and CES inside their help desk, with answers routed to the right person automatically, per the vendor.
Survicate
Best for: Teams surveying customers in several channels at once and automating what happens next, according to the vendor's own description.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
Usersnap
Best for: Enterprise product teams connecting user signals to roadmap choices and tracing releases back to that evidence, as the vendor frames it.
Zonka Feedback
Best for: CX teams wanting AI to analyse feedback and turn it into actions, in what the vendor calls a feedback intelligence platform.
Advice before you cancel Retently
Export your full response history first, including comments, not just the scores. Then pick the one place where customer feedback matters most to your business right now, whether that's support tickets, your app or account reviews, and shortlist two tools built for that place. Running both on the same group of customers for a short while will tell you more than any comparison table, including this one.
Keep the question wording the same when you switch, or your trend line won't mean much. And plan what you'll do with low scores before the first survey goes out: who gets told, how fast, and what they're allowed to offer. If retention is the bigger goal behind all this, my guide to customer retention covers the basics, and my piece on how AI can help predict client churn shows where feedback fits alongside other warning signs.
Do you make NPS or customer feedback software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between NPS, CSAT and CES?
NPS asks how likely someone is to recommend you. CSAT asks how satisfied they were with something specific, such as a support chat. CES asks how easy it was to get something done.
How often should I send customer satisfaction surveys?
Ask after meaningful moments, such as a resolved ticket or a completed order, and run a relationship survey less often. Too many surveys wear people out and lower your response rate.
Can I keep my old scores when I switch survey tools?
Export everything before you cancel, including comments and dates. Some tools can import history, but even if yours can't, keeping the file lets you compare old and new results.
Where should I put an NPS survey?
Wherever the customer has had enough experience to answer, such as an email after onboarding or a prompt in your app. Keep the placement consistent so scores can be compared over time.
How do I get more customers to answer surveys?
Keep surveys short, ask at a relevant moment and show people that feedback leads to changes. One-click questions inside an email or support reply tend to get more answers than a long form.
Do I need consent to send customer surveys?
It depends on where your customers are and how you contact them. Rules on email and data use vary by country, so check your privacy notice and your regulator's guidance.
