Gallup

Gallup Access runs the Q12, Gallup’s 12-question engagement survey. Gallup’s database gives you something to compare against. Organisations with fewer than 100 employees can buy the Q12 once. Larger organisations talk to a Gallup consultant. Settle the AI training terms, the names on exit surveys and the right to share results before you sign.

By Ashish Manchanda Published 28 Oct 2026 Last updated 28 Oct 2026

Gallup Access is the Q12 survey with Gallup’s database behind it

In one line

Gallup Access runs the Q12 and two other survey types. It compares your results with Gallup’s database.

Buy it if

You want the Q12 and Gallup’s database to compare against. You want managers to build action plans in the same software. You are happy to buy a subscription through a Gallup adviser.

Do not buy it if

You want your own questions on a one-time Q12 purchase. You need one answer on AI training before you sign. You want to publish Q12 results without Gallup’s permission.

Price

The one-time Q12 is for fewer than 100 employees. In January 2025 it cost $20.00 per participant, at temporary pricing. Subscriptions are not bought in the Gallup Store.

The Q12, pulse and lifecycle surveys run from one platform

Before you buy, know how much work a Gallup survey takes and what data you hand over. The points below cover the routine, what the platform adds and where your data and the AI sit.

Gallup recommends a set routine for the Q12. It recommends an initial survey and then one every six months. It also recommends keeping the Q12 open for two weeks. Standard reminders go weekly, three at most. Results are typically ready within 24 hours of closing a survey. A closed survey cannot be reopened, so close it only when you are sure.

The platform adds more than the Q12. Gallup Access is software for leaders, managers and HR professionals. Employee feedback, people analytics, manager tools and strengths development sit in one system. It has three survey types. They are the Q12, pulse surveys and employee experience surveys, also called lifecycle surveys. Lifecycle surveys cover onboarding, early tenure, development and exit. Unlimited workplace pulse surveys are included.

You can add to the Q12 from Gallup’s question bank. Four Q12+ items extend it. A bank of more than 150 other tested questions can be added. The library holds 350+ validated questions. Gallup Access offers 55+ survey languages, and the Q12 has been administered in 77 languages. Ask which languages your survey can run in.

The AI works on your comments, and you control what appears. Comment analysis classifies sentiment and finds themes. Gen AI writes summaries of comments by question and topic. Administrators choose whether AI summaries and sentiment data appear on a survey’s report. Gallup removes personal data before AI processing and hosts the AI in AWS.

Gallup AI is a chat assistant for leaders, managers and teams. It explains engagement results and suggests next steps for managers. It is available only with a Gallup Access subscription. Customers can upload training data to build their own topic or sentiment model. A customer’s review of comment sentiment and topics helps improve Gallup’s topic modelling accuracy for future responses to the question.

Where your data sits depends on the instance. The US instance of Gallup Access runs on AWS US East in Northern Virginia. The European instance runs on AWS Frankfurt. Azure stores data for Gallup’s non-European regions in Iowa. Personnel at Gallup India Private Limited in Mumbai may process customer data. Ask which instance your account uses.

The AI has two sets of rules. Gallup’s help centre and its AI terms give different answers on training and on outside providers. Read the cards under “Where it stops” and put your questions to Gallup in writing.

Our guide to employee engagement software covers how the rest of this market handles the same choices.

A large comparison base and a routine for managers

A large comparison base

Gallup’s database holds over a billion responses from the last five years. Customers set a primary comparison database and up to four more. The default is Gallup Overall. Q12 results can be compared with industry, competitor and top-quartile benchmarks.

Managers get an action routine

Managers can build action plans, set goals and track progress. Administrators can monitor the action plans that teams create. Gallup claims teams using its action planning improve engagement twice as fast.

Staff without email can answer

A survey code comes with a shared link and an optional QR code. Closed-sample surveys do not require respondents to have an email address. An open-sample survey can be taken by anyone with the link.

Roles limit who sees results

The Manager role is view-only on survey reports. Administrators can mark reporting variables private. Private questions are visible only to users with a role that allows it.

Advice comes with the software

Gallup sells survey-strategy advice with the software. It also offers expert consultation to design and implement an engagement strategy.

Who runs the Q12, and how often

Gallup suits employers that plan to run the Q12 again and again. Three Gallup customers show what that looks like over the years. Each account comes from Gallup, not from a test of the result.

KinderCare repeated the survey ten times

KinderCare used the Q12 for its employees. Its engaged-to-disengaged ratio went from 1:1 to 18:1 over 10 administrations. It serves nearly 200,000 children across 2,000 programmes.

NFU Mutual first ran the Q12 in 2011

NFU Mutual is a mid-sized insurance mutual. It completed its first Q12 in 2011. Only 1% of companies match its position in Gallup’s engagement database.

Synlait managers own team engagement

Synlait managers take ownership of team engagement and performance with the help of Gallup Access.

Custom questions, two AI answers and names on exit surveys

Gallup’s terms and its help centre do not always agree. Some of the points below need an answer from Gallup in writing before you sign.

Your own questions need the subscription

A one-time Q12 purchase has no custom questions. Custom questions need a Gallup Access survey subscription. The Employee Custom template leaves out the Q12 reporting metrics. Its item-level comparisons with Gallup’s database are limited.

Two answers on AI training

Its help centre puts it plainly. Gallup AI does not use client prompts, responses or other client data to train models. Its AI terms put it differently. Under them, use of the AI may be used to train the AI. Gallup keeps AI prompts and responses. It can delete an individual’s AI interaction data at their request.

Two answers on outside AI providers

Under its AI terms, the AI is not shared with outside large language models. Its sub-processor list puts Anthropic, PBC and Open AI, LLC (US) as generative AI providers. It adds OpenAI Ireland Limited for the European region. Ask which provider handles your comments.

AI terms limit its use

The AI terms tell users not to use output for hiring, promotion or termination decisions. They also tell users not to rely on the AI for serious or consequential matters. Output may not accurately reflect people, facts or Gallup research. Gallup may discontinue the AI services at any time and for any purpose.

Exit survey results can carry names

On exit surveys, the Individual Response tab holds respondent names where available. A user can open each person’s answers there. Exit surveys give aggregate and respondent-level data with no minimum. Individual responses are otherwise confidential, and reports show group results. Ask who holds the role that opens the tab.

Smaller groups see fewer measures

The default smallest group shown is four, and the survey administrator can raise it. Percent engaged needs 30 responses. Not engaged and actively disengaged need 100. Sentiment and AI summaries need 50 comments. Topics need 250.

Sharing needs permission

Q12 results may not be shared publicly without Gallup’s permission, except as set forth in the agreement. Gallup may change the Product Terms at its sole discretion. Changes take effect when posted.

HR system sync and CSV upload

Gallup Access offers data sync driven by your HR system. Respondents can also be uploaded by CSV file. The respondents file is matched on an external employee ID. Ask which HR systems sync and which fields move across.

The Q12 has a one-time price and the subscription is quoted

How you buy depends on your headcount. Gallup sells a one-time Q12 survey to organisations with fewer than 100 employees. Organisations with 100 or more employees are told to talk to a Gallup consultant. Under Gallup’s terms, the one-time Q12 is intended to be bought directly by the organisation that uses it. It is not meant to be bought for the benefit of another.

The choice also decides what you can change. A one-time Q12 purchase allows 10 reporting groups. Subscriptions allow up to 100. Custom questions need a subscription.

In January 2025 the one-time Q12 cost $20.00 per participant, at temporary pricing. The minimum was four participants and the maximum order was 500. Ask Gallup for the current price.

Subscriptions are not bought in the Gallup Store. A demo form lets a visitor speak with a Gallup adviser about employee listening. Gallup AI is included in the subscription. So are manager learning and strengths development resources. Ask Gallup to price your own headcount in writing.

One buyer’s cost gives a sense of scale. The US Navy bought a Gallup Access subscription under an order running from 2 January 2024 to 4 January 2027. The total obligation is $229,500, in three payments of $76,500. Treat it as one buyer’s cost, not a price list.

Q12 reports belong to the participating organisation. Report exports come as a single ZIP file. Advanced Data Tool exports go to Excel or CSV. Comments export to CSV with sentiment and a translated version. Ask how long access lasts after the contract ends.

You could also run survey steps with agents built on your own systems. We have mapped what that looks like. The HR Agent Map

Eight questions to settle before you sign

What does the subscription cost for our headcount, for how long, and what rise applies at renewal? Good answer: A written price, a stated term and a written cap on the rise.
Your help centre and your AI terms disagree on training. Which one governs our data? Good answer: The order form confirms that our data is not used to train the AI.
Which outside AI providers handle our comments, and in which regions? Good answer: A named provider and region for each feature, and a way to switch each feature off.
Who can open the Individual Response tab on our exit surveys? Good answer: A named list of roles, and a written setting for who holds them.
Which smallest group and comment counts can we set for our headcount? Good answer: A setting we control, with the minimum for each report written down.
Which HR systems sync with Gallup Access, and which fields move across? Good answer: A named list of systems and fields, with CSV upload as a back-up.
May we share our results in public, and will you tell us before the Product Terms change? Good answer: Written permission for named uses, and a notice period before changes.
How do reports, comments and data come out when the contract ends, and for how long? Good answer: A stated format and a stated number of days written into the contract.

Alternatives to Gallup, including buying nothing

If Gallup comes off your shortlist, look at Workleap on AI training. Buying nothing is the other route.

Workleap fits if the two Gallup answers on AI training worry you. In its help centre, Workleap AI does not use customer data for model training. Under its terms, Workleap will not use Inputs or Outputs to train AI Features.

Buying nothing avoids two Gallup terms. Public sharing of Q12 results needs Gallup’s permission, except as the agreement allows. Gallup may change its Product Terms, and changes take effect when posted. You would give up the manager learning and strengths development resources in the subscription. If your HR system already runs surveys, read our guide for companies in that position.

More in this guide

The Employee engagement guide
Compare the 40 researched products how each asks staff, who sees the answers, what it costs and the contract terms.
Mid-market companies which engagement products suit 200 to 2,000 people, what they cost and what to ask.
Enterprise companies which engagement products suit 2,000 people or more, what they cost, how contracts run and what to ask.
Companies whose HR or performance system already runs surveys what the survey part of an HR or performance system covers, what it costs and what else exists.