Response Quota lets you set a maximum number of responses a single survey will collect. Once the survey reaches that number, it stops accepting responses on every channel it is running on — survey links, QR codes, email, SMS, WhatsApp, web widgets and devices. You don't need to remember to switch it off.
This is useful when you're running a study with a fixed sample size, collecting entries for an event with limited places, or simply controlling how many of your plan's responses a single survey is allowed to use each month.
In this section
Who can use Response Quota
Response Quota is available on Growth and Enterprise plans. If you're on another plan, the setting appears with an option to upgrade.
📌 Note: Response Quota is a limit on a single survey. It is separate from your account's monthly response credits, which cover every survey in your account. Reaching a survey's quota does not affect your plan's responses, and reaching your plan's limit does not change a survey's quota.
Setting up a Response Quota
Log in to your Zonka Feedback account and go to Survey Hub.
Open the survey you want to set a quota on.
Click Build from the top navigation to enter the Survey Builder.
Go to Settings, then choose General Settings from the left panel.
Scroll to the Response Quota section.
Turn on the toggle next to Set a maximum number of responses this survey can collect.
Enter the number you want in Maximum Responses.
Tick Set as lifetime quota if you want the quota to apply once, forever, instead of renewing each month.
Click Save.
Understanding the Response Quota fields
Maximum Responses — The number of responses this survey is allowed to collect. Enter any whole number above 0.
Used counter — Shows how many responses have been collected against the quota so far, for example
2/500 used.Renews — The date your quota resets and the survey starts collecting again. This matches the date your account's response credits renew, so it is your billing date, not the 1st of the month. You won't see this if the quota is set as a lifetime quota.
Reset Quota — Sets the used count back to zero straight away and reopens the survey. Your existing responses are not deleted.
Set as lifetime quota — Stops the quota from renewing. See the next section.
📌 Note: You can change the Maximum Responses number at any time. The new number always counts against what has already been used, not on top of it. If 10 responses have been collected and you change the quota from 10 to 13, the survey collects 3 more and stops at 13.
Monthly quota vs lifetime quota
By default, a Response Quota renews every month. The tick box changes it to a one-time quota.
| Monthly quota (default) | Lifetime quota (tick box selected) |
When it resets | Automatically, on your billing renewal date | Never |
What the survey does when full | Pauses until the renewal date | Closes for good |
Counter shows |
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Best for | Ongoing surveys you want to cap each month — NPS, post-purchase, support feedback | A fixed study, an event with limited places, a one-off research sample |
Monthly quota example — You cap a guest feedback survey at 500 and your billing date is the 8th. The survey collects up to 500 responses, pauses when it's full, and starts collecting again automatically on the 8th. Your QR codes and links keep working throughout.
Lifetime quota example — You're recruiting 200 people for a research panel. Tick Set as lifetime quota, and once 200 responses are in, the survey closes and stays closed until you reset the quota or raise the number.
You can switch between the two at any time. Switching to a lifetime quota keeps the responses already counted and stops future renewals.
What counts towards your quota
Counted:
Completed responses.
Partial responses, if Allow Partial Submission is turned on for this survey. A partial response counts from the moment it is saved — that is, as soon as the respondent answers the first question. If the respondent comes back later and finishes, it is still counted once, not twice.
Responses added through the Public API and the Response Importer.
Deleted responses. Deleting a response does not give you the slot back and does not reopen a paused or closed survey.
Not counted:
Preview responses.
Responses collected while your account was on a free trial.
📌 Note: If Allow Partial Submission is on, your quota will fill faster than you might expect, because people who start the survey and abandon it still use a slot. Both settings sit in General Settings, right next to each other.
What happens when the quota is reached
The survey stops accepting new responses everywhere. What a respondent sees depends on the channel they came from.
Channel | What happens |
Survey links and QR codes | The respondent sees your closed message instead of the survey |
Email, SMS and WhatsApp | Emails and messages still send — see the note below. Anyone who clicks through sees the closed message |
Two-way SMS | No new conversations start. A conversation already in progress is allowed to finish and is counted |
Pop-up and slide-up widgets | The widget simply doesn't appear on your site |
Side tab, bottom bar, popover and inline widgets | The widget appears and shows the closed message |
Devices (online and offline) | The device keeps collecting. New responses are held on the device as To Be Synced and sync automatically once the quota renews or is reset — see the note below |
Public API | The API returns an error saying the quota has been reached |
📌 Note on email, SMS and WhatsApp: Reaching a survey's quota does not stop your campaigns from sending. Sends are controlled by your email and SMS credits, not by the quota. If you send a campaign to 1,000 people with only 200 slots left, all 1,000 messages go out and the 800 who click later will see the closed message. Check the used counter before you send a large campaign.
📌 Note on devices: Devices never turn a respondent away. When the quota is full the device carries on collecting as normal, and each new response is held on the device as To Be Synced. The count on the device goes up as responses come in, so nothing is lost and your staff don't need to do anything. As soon as the quota renews on your billing date — or you click Reset Quota — auto-sync sends the held responses through to your account and they appear in your Response Inbox. Bear in mind that held responses count against the quota they sync into: if a device is holding 300 responses when a quota of 500 renews, 300 of the new 500 are used as soon as it syncs.
📌 Note: A small overshoot is normal on any channel. The quota is checked when someone opens the survey, so anyone already filling it in when the quota fills will still be able to submit.
Resetting a quota
Reset Quota sets the used count back to zero immediately and starts the survey collecting again.
To reset, go to Build > Settings > General Settings > Response Quota and click Reset Quota next to the Maximum Responses field.
Use it when:
You're starting a new round of a study and want to keep the same survey, link and QR codes rather than duplicating it.
Test or junk responses have used up slots you want back — remember that deleting them doesn't return the slots.
You're on a monthly quota and want to start collecting again now instead of waiting for the renewal date.
📌 Note: Resetting does not delete anything. All of your responses stay in the Response Inbox and in your reports. On a monthly quota, the scheduled renewal still goes ahead on its usual date.
Quota notifications
You'll be notified by email and in-app when a survey's quota reaches 80%, 90%, and when it is full, so you can raise the number or reset it before you miss responses.
Notifications go to the survey owner and to users with notification permission. On a monthly quota, they reset with the quota, so you'll be notified again in the next period.
FAQs: Response Quota
Is the Response Quota the same as my plan's response limit?
No. Your plan's response limit covers every survey in your account and is about billing. A Response Quota applies to one survey and is something you choose to set. They're counted separately.
Do responses over the quota still use my plan's responses?
Yes. Responses held on a device are stored in your account once they sync, so they use your plan's responses like any other response.
Does the quota renew on the 1st of the month?
No. It renews on your billing renewal date, the same day your response credits renew. The exact date is shown next to the used counter.
If I delete responses, do I get those slots back?
No. Deleted responses still count towards the quota. Use Reset Quota if you need to clear the count.
Will my survey link or QR code stop working?
The link and QR code keep working. Anyone who opens them sees your closed message instead of the survey. Once the quota renews or you reset it, the same link and QR code start working again — you never need to reprint anything.
Will my email and SMS campaigns stop sending when the quota is full?
No. Campaigns are controlled by your email and SMS credits, not by the quota. Check the used counter before sending a large campaign so you don't send to more people than you have slots for.
Can I set a quota per channel, for example 200 from email and 300 from QR?
Not at the moment. The quota applies to the survey as a whole and every channel draws from the same number.
Why did my survey collect slightly more than the number I set?
This is expected. The quota is checked when someone opens the survey, so anyone already filling it in when the quota fills will still be able to submit.
My device is holding responses as To Be Synced. Do I need to do anything?
No. Auto-sync handles it. The held responses go through on their own as soon as the quota renews on your billing date, or straight away if you click Reset Quota. You don't need to sync the device manually or worry about losing anything in the meantime.
Can I use a Response Quota on a free trial?
No. Response Quota is available on Growth and Enterprise plans, and responses collected during a trial never count towards a quota.
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