Is SurveyMonkey Anonymous? The Honest Answer (2026)

No, SurveyMonkey is not fully anonymous by default. Survey creators can collect IP addresses, and on team and enterprise plans responses can be tied back to individuals. True anonymity requires turning off tracking or using an encrypted, zero-knowledge tool. See how BlockSurvey compares to SurveyMonkey, or migrate from SurveyMonkey.

People who complete surveys on SurveyMonkey often ask whether their responses are truly anonymous or not. The question comes up more now because people trust the survey tools on the market less than they used to. SurveyMonkey leads this space with more than 20 years of presence, yet the answer stays unclear to most respondents. Can it identify who answered? Can it trace a response back to you?

We looked into it, and the answer is that it is not entirely anonymous. First, survey creators can collect your IP address along with your answers, which gives away your location. That data can be used to deanonymize you. The choice sits entirely with the survey creator, so a respondent has no way to know whether IP collection is on or off. Second, the data a respondent submits is not truly anonymous, because SurveyMonkey can see it as well. The data is stored without encryption. People have to trust that the platform will not look at their personal information.

You just have to hope when you use SurveyMonkey, it will ensure your anonymity. This is a very dangerous assumption. - Professor Rafel Pass.

Rafael Pass was among the first to point out, in a Wired interview, that surveys are not as anonymous as people assume. His project Anonize was built to solve this problem. BlockSurvey took a similar approach later using Blockchain in 2019.

Are surveys supposed to be anonymous?

Yes, surveys should be anonymous when you collect data that is deeply personal or sensitive. Anonymity is the way to do it. It makes the respondent feel respected, and a survey built that way works as an honest listening tool over time.

Also, Read Anonymous vs Confidential Surveys

What are the benefits of anonymous surveys?

• Helps organizations gather true and honest feedback.
• Helps people share feedback without worrying about being judged or facing retribution.
• Helps to get candid responses that lead to better choices and decisions. It improves response rates.
• Helps to build trust by valuing privacy.

Are anonymous surveys really anonymous?

Just submitted an employee survey I hope it was anonymous cuz ima be getting a call from hr real soon if not :(. KIANAJ🐐 (@pure_jadore) August 17, 2020

Company employee surveys are a waste of time - people don't answer honestly out of fear even when they say it's anonymous :(. GamerForLife 🇨🇦 PS5 is in da house :) (@Chuckforevver) September 25, 2012

so i had to take a survey and it gave the option for what gender for me to select and it had nonbinary but idk if it's anonymous so i just chose female.... i hate it here like yes thank you but you're putting me on the spot and it's singling me out :(. eden⁷ ♡'s rae | ONEUS COMEBACK (@squishyhw) September 17, 2020

Reactions like these still show up on Twitter and Reddit today. Over the years, survey tools have become as intrusive and invasive as any other digital platform. Surveys have been used as a vehicle to identify disgruntled employees more than once. The tools are not anonymous, and the reasons are worth spelling out.

How to find out if a survey is anonymous

• Check whether the survey uses any trackers. Browsers like Brave and extensions like Ghostery can tell you whether trackers are present. The sample test below was run on SurveyMonkey with IP address collection turned off. It still shows meta-information being collected.

• Look for simple URLs. Extra parameters in a URL often track the source of distribution, your email id, and your emp id. For example, hxxps://xyz.com/survey/id?source=email&id=u453. Anything after the '?' collects additional information in a hidden way.
• If a survey arrives by email, check whether email tracking is enabled.
• A truly anonymous survey does not ask for personally identifiable information.

How to create an anonymous survey

This question is what led us to build BlockSurvey. We could not find a platform that gave anonymity to the participants and to the data being collected. BlockSurvey helps you create truly anonymous surveys. We do not collect IP addresses or run any trackers. You stay in full control of your data, and you truly own it using your keys. Your responses are encrypted end-to-end before they ever leave your device, so even we at BlockSurvey cannot read them.

5 steps to create an anonymous survey

• Use the right platform. Only you should have access to the data, not the platform provider or anyone else.
• Don't use any tracking scripts, IP address collection, or hidden variables.
• Don't ask for personally identifiable or demographic information.
• Ensure your sample size is large so that anonymity is maintained.
• Use QR codes for distribution and encourage the audience to answer from their own device

Also Read Top 5 SurveyMonkey Alternatives

Call to action

Anonymous survey software will see real adoption when people seek out anonymous survey software, question the status quo on today's platforms, and care about respondents' privacy and anonymity. If you are looking for an anonymous survey tool, give BlockSurvey a try. Sign up below.