Marketing & SEO · Ranked by price to features
10 Best Free Survey Tools of 2026
By the Rankozo research desk · Updated November 9, 2026 · Next review December 24, 2026
Tally is the best free survey tool for students, nonprofits and small teams in 2026, with unlimited forms and submissions under fair use and Pro at $29 a month. Fillout suits small teams that want 1,000 free responses a month and unlimited seats; Google Forms costs $0 with a Google Account.
- Tools ranked
- 10
- With free plan
- 10
- Cheapest paid plan
- Microsoft Forms, $7
- per user per month
Comparison table
| Tool | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tally | 01 | 9.0 | 9.6 | $29per month | Yes |
| Fillout | 02 | 8.8 | 9.2 | $15per month, unlimited seats | Yes |
| Google Forms | 03 | 8.7 | 9.5 | Free plan | Yes |
| Microsoft Forms | 04 | 8.3 | 9.0 | $7per user per month | Yes |
| Jotform | 05 | 8.2 | 7.4 | $34per month | Yes |
| QuestionPro | 06 | 8.1 | 7.8 | $99per user per month | Yes |
| Zoho Survey | 07 | 8.1 | 8.4 | Free plan | Yes |
| SurveyMonkey | 08 | 8.0 | 6.6 | Free plan | Yes |
| SurveySparrow | 09 | 7.7 | 6.8 | $19per month | Yes |
| Typeform | 10 | 7.5 | 5.8 | $28per month | Yes |
Click a column to sort. Prices are the cheapest paid plan quoted from each vendor's US pricing page; "Check price" means the US price check is pending.
How this ranking works
One method for every tool. We compared documented features and published prices; we did not run hands-on tests. Value carries the most weight.
Full methodThis list is for students running thesis surveys, nonprofits collecting member and donor feedback, and small teams polling customers, all of whom want to stay on a free plan and need to know when it runs out. We compared documented features and published prices for 10 survey tools and ranked them by value first, then features, then ease of use. Value mostly reflects the free plan's response cap, question limit and survey count, plus the price of the first paid tier. Caps differ in kind: some count responses per month across the account, some per survey, some per form for its lifetime. Prices are in USD as shown on each vendor's page on the check date; where a page showed only zloty or another currency from our location, the price is marked pending.
The verdict
Tally is first because its free plan has no monthly response cap within fair use and keeps logic, payments and integrations free. Fillout is the best free plan for a team, with 1,000 responses a month and unlimited seats. Google Forms and Microsoft Forms cost nothing and are the easiest to share, but offer fewer survey features. Jotform, Zoho Survey and QuestionPro have deeper survey tools with caps of 100 to 200 responses, and SurveyMonkey, SurveySparrow and Typeform keep their free tiers tight to push upgrades.
- 01Top value
Tally
9.0/10A free form and survey builder with unlimited forms and submissions under fair use, plus a flat-priced Pro plan.
Price
$29per month
Free with unlimited forms and submissions (fair use); Pro $29 per month or $290 per year
“$29/month or $290/year (get 2 months free)” Quoted from the pricing page, November 9, 2026.
- Free plan
- Yes
- Value (40%)
- 9.6
- Features (35%)
- 8.4
- Ease of use (25%)
- 8.9
Best forStudents and nonprofits who expect more than a few hundred responses and want to stay on a free plan.
Tally takes first place because it does not meter responses on its free plan. Its pricing page says it gives unlimited forms and submissions for free as long as you stay within its fair usage guidelines, so a student survey that suddenly gets shared widely will not stop at 100 replies. The free tier also includes conditional logic, calculations, answer piping, duplicate prevention, password protection and the option to close a form on a response limit or date, which covers most of what a short academic or member survey needs. Results can flow to Google Sheets, Notion or Airtable without paying. The limits are about polish and analysis rather than volume: Tally is a form builder first, so it lacks the crosstabs and survey reports of research tools, and partial submissions, custom domains and team workspaces sit in Pro. Tally's help center lists Pro at $29 a month or $290 a year with unlimited team members. We compared documented features and published prices; we did not run a trial account.
- ✓No monthly response cap on the free plan, the most generous on this list
- ✓Logic and duplicate prevention are free, which helps clean survey data
- ✓Pro adds unlimited team members for one flat price
- ✕Built as a form builder, so survey reporting is lighter than QuestionPro or SurveyMonkey
- ✕Partial submissions and custom domains need Pro
- ✕The USD price comes from Tally's help page because the pricing page did not show it here
- Free response cap:
- Unlimited submissions within fair use
- Free forms:
- Unlimited
- Cheapest paid plan:
- Pro, $29 per month or $290 per year
- Team members:
- Unlimited on Pro
Bottom line: Tally gives the most free response capacity on this list, with no monthly cap under fair use. Upgrade only when you need team workspaces, partial submissions or your own domain.
- 02
Fillout
8.8/10A form and survey builder with 1,000 free responses a month and unlimited seats on every plan.
Price
$15per month, unlimited seats
Free for 1,000 responses per month; Starter $15 per month billed annually ($228 a year on monthly billing)
“Starter $15 / month $ 228 $ 180 billed annually” Quoted from the pricing page, November 9, 2026.
- Free plan
- Yes
- Value (40%)
- 9.2
- Features (35%)
- 8.5
- Ease of use (25%)
- 8.5
Best forSmall teams that want several people to share one free survey account.
Fillout ranks second because it pairs a clear, large monthly allowance with no seat limits. The free plan includes unlimited forms, unlimited seats and 1,000 responses a month, plus multi-page forms, conditional logic, answer piping, payments, scheduling forms and PDF generation. That suits a club, nonprofit committee or three-person startup where several people build and read surveys. Fillout's FAQ says forms still collect responses after you pass the limit, and that the count resets on the 1st of each month, which is friendlier than a hard stop mid-campaign. Paid plans step up by volume: Starter at $15 a month billed annually raises the cap to 2,000, Pro at $40 billed annually allows 5,000 and removes branding, and Business adds unlimited responses, form analytics and partial submissions. As with Tally, the analysis side is thinner than a dedicated survey platform. We compared documented features and published prices; we did not run a trial account.
- ✓Highest fixed monthly cap among the metered free plans here
- ✓No per-seat charges, so a whole team can join for free
- ✓Forms keep collecting responses after the limit, per Fillout's FAQ
- ✕Branding removal starts on Pro at $40 a month billed annually
- ✕Form analytics and partial submissions are Business features
- ✕Survey reporting is basic compared with research platforms
- Free response cap:
- 1,000 responses per month
- Seats:
- Unlimited on every plan
- Cheapest paid plan:
- Starter, $15 per month billed annually, 2,000 responses per month
- Monthly reset:
- Response count resets on the 1st
Bottom line: Fillout is the best free choice for a team, with 1,000 responses a month and no seat count. Its paid tiers are cheap steps up if you outgrow that cap.
- 03
Google Forms
8.7/10Google's free form and survey tool, included with any Google Account.
Price
Free plan
Free with a Google Account; Google Workspace plans for business: see vendor pricing (USD check pending)
US price check pending. Vendor pricing page
- Free plan
- Yes
- Value (40%)
- 9.5
- Features (35%)
- 7.3
- Ease of use (25%)
- 9.4
Best forStudents and classrooms that already use Google accounts and want results in Google Sheets.
Google Forms is the default free survey tool for many students and teachers because it comes with a Google Account and needs no separate signup. Google describes adding questions, descriptions, images and videos to a form, sharing it with collaborators to analyze results together, and exporting raw data to Google Sheets for deeper analysis. When a respondent fills in a form while signed in, progress is saved as a draft for 30 days, which helps with longer questionnaires. Google's product page does not state a response cap, so it does not belong in the same bucket as plans that stop at 100 or 200. The trade-off is depth: there is no published survey reporting beyond the summary and Sheets export, and the design options are simpler than Tally, Fillout or Typeform. Work features come with Google Workspace, whose pricing page showed a non-USD currency from our location, so that price is pending. We compared documented features and published prices; we did not run a trial account.
- ✓No paid tier needed for surveys
- ✓Familiar to most students and teachers
- ✓Direct export to Sheets for analysis
- ✕Google's product page does not publish a response cap
- ✕Fewer survey features than dedicated tools, such as advanced logic and reports
- ✕Business features sit in Google Workspace, whose USD price we could not verify from here
- Free response cap:
- Not published on the product page
- Account needed:
- Google Account
- Analysis:
- Export raw data to Google Sheets
- Paid option:
- Google Workspace (USD price pending)
Bottom line: Google Forms is the easiest free survey to send if your audience has Google accounts. Pick a dedicated tool when you need richer logic or reports.
- 04
Microsoft Forms
8.3/10Microsoft's survey, quiz and poll tool, free with a personal Microsoft account and included in Microsoft 365.
Price
$7per user per month
Free with a personal Microsoft account (200 responses per form); included in Microsoft 365 Business Basic at $7.00 per user per month, paid yearly
“Microsoft 365 Business Basic Lightweight web and mobile apps to kickstart your business $7.00 user/month, paid yearly” Quoted from the pricing page, November 9, 2026.
- Free plan
- Yes
- Value (40%)
- 9.0
- Features (35%)
- 6.9
- Ease of use (25%)
- 9.1
Best forSchools and small teams on Microsoft 365, or anyone with an Outlook.com account and a small survey.
Microsoft Forms is free with a personal Microsoft account and comes with Microsoft 365 business and school plans. Microsoft's limits page spells out the numbers: up to 400 forms or quizzes, up to 200 questions per form, and up to 200 responses per form for free personal accounts, rising to 1,000 for paid personal accounts. Work and school accounts can receive up to 5,000,000 responses per form. That makes it a strong pick for students whose school provides a Microsoft account, and a limited one for a nonprofit running a large survey on a free Outlook.com login. Microsoft also notes you can export responses to an Excel workbook and clear them to collect more. Survey features are basic next to Jotform or QuestionPro, with simpler themes and logic. The cheapest business route is Microsoft 365 Business Basic at $7.00 per user a month, paid yearly. We compared documented features and published prices; we did not run a trial account.
- ✓Free and familiar for anyone with an Outlook.com account
- ✓Very high response limits once you are on a work or school account
- ✓Generous question limit for long questionnaires
- ✕Free personal accounts stop at 200 responses per form
- ✕Fewer design and logic options than dedicated survey tools
- ✕The response limit counts per form, so you may need to clear or copy forms
- Free response cap:
- 200 responses per form (personal account)
- Questions per form:
- Up to 200
- Forms per account:
- Up to 400
- Cheapest paid option:
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic, $7.00 per user per month paid yearly
Bottom line: Microsoft Forms is a good free choice for small surveys and an excellent one if your school or employer already pays for Microsoft 365. Watch the 200-response limit on personal accounts.
- 05
Jotform
8.2/10A large form and survey platform with a free Starter plan and a 50% nonprofit discount on paid plans.
Price
$34per month
Free Starter for 5 forms and 100 monthly submissions; Bronze from $34 per month billed annually
“Bronze $ 34 /month Billed annually” Quoted from the pricing page, November 9, 2026.
- Free plan
- Yes
- Value (40%)
- 7.4
- Features (35%)
- 9.0
- Ease of use (25%)
- 8.2
Best forNonprofits that want many field types and widgets and expect to upgrade at a discount.
Jotform has more form features than any other entry here, and its free Starter plan includes all standard features such as templates, payment integrations and widgets. The limits are the issue for surveys. Starter allows 5 forms, 100 submissions a month and 10,000 monthly form views, and Jotform warns that if you exceed your total submission storage the system deletes the oldest response to make room, so you need to download and purge older data. Starter forms also show Jotform branding. For nonprofits the paid path is unusually clear: Jotform offers a 50% discount on Bronze, Silver and Gold and 30% on Enterprise, and it publishes an education discount too. Bronze costs $34 a month billed annually and raises limits to 25 forms and 1,000 monthly submissions. Report Builder turns responses into charts, which helps when sharing results with a board. We compared documented features and published prices; we did not run a trial account.
- ✓The widest feature set among the form-first tools here
- ✓Nonprofit and education discounts are published on the pricing page
- ✓Payment fields included on the free plan
- ✕100 submissions a month and 5 forms is tight for research surveys
- ✕Starter forms carry Jotform branding
- ✕Jotform says the oldest responses are deleted if you exceed total submission storage
- Free response cap:
- 100 submissions per month
- Free forms:
- 5
- Cheapest paid plan:
- Bronze, $34 per month billed annually
- Nonprofit discount:
- 50% on Bronze, Silver and Gold
Bottom line: Jotform is the most capable form-first tool here, but 100 free submissions a month will not cover a large survey. Nonprofits that can pay should price Bronze with the 50% discount.
- 06
QuestionPro
8.1/10A research-grade survey platform with a free Essentials plan and academic and nonprofit pricing.
Price
$99per user per month
Free Essentials plan with 200 responses per survey; Advanced from $99 per user per month billed annually
“Advanced Complete survey solution designed for business $99 Per user/month, billed annually” Quoted from the pricing page, November 9, 2026.
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- 10 days
- Value (40%)
- 7.8
- Features (35%)
- 8.8
- Ease of use (25%)
- 7.6
Best forStudents and researchers who want survey-specific question types on a free plan.
QuestionPro is the most research-oriented tool with a real free plan. Essentials is free for one user and includes 200 responses per survey, 30 question types and basic survey, logic, integration and analysis features, which suits a student project or a nonprofit member survey that needs proper question formats. QuestionPro also lists academic and nonprofit pricing on request, a useful route for universities and charities that outgrow the free tier. The catch is the price gap. The next public plan, Advanced, costs $99 per user a month billed annually and includes 25K responses per year and 38 question types, with a free 10-day trial. That is a big step for a small team. The interface is also more complex than Tally or Google Forms, so expect a short learning curve. We compared documented features and published prices; we did not run a trial account.
- ✓200 responses per survey is above most metered free plans here
- ✓Survey-specific question types and analysis on the free plan
- ✓Academic and nonprofit pricing exists for when you outgrow free
- ✕The first paid plan costs $99 per user a month billed annually
- ✕One user on the free plan
- ✕More complex interface than form builders
- Free response cap:
- 200 responses per survey
- Free question types:
- 30
- Cheapest paid plan:
- Advanced, $99 per user per month billed annually
- Trial:
- Free 10-day trial of Advanced
Bottom line: QuestionPro gives the best survey toolset of any free plan here, with 200 responses per survey. Ask about academic or nonprofit pricing before paying list price for Advanced.
- 07
Zoho Survey
8.1/10A dedicated survey tool with a free plan and a free Plus plan for students.
Price
Free plan
Free for 10 questions and 100 responses per survey each month; paid plans: see vendor pricing (USD check pending)
US price check pending. Vendor pricing page
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- 7 days
- Value (40%)
- 8.4
- Features (35%)
- 7.9
- Ease of use (25%)
- 8.0
Best forStudents who can claim the free Plus plan, and educators who qualify for 50% off.
Zoho Survey is built for surveys rather than general forms, and its pricing page includes one of the best offers for this audience: students get the Plus plan for free and educators get 50% off all plans. On the standard Free plan you can create unlimited surveys and collectors, with 10 questions per survey and 100 responses per survey each month, for one user. Because the cap is per survey, a nonprofit running several short surveys gets more total capacity than the headline figure suggests, but a single long questionnaire will hit the 10-question limit quickly. Zoho counts every participation as a response, whether or not the respondent finishes. Paid plans add skip logic, quotas, scoring, branded results pages and multilingual surveys in 90+ languages, and Zoho offers a 7-day Enterprise trial without a credit card. Paid prices did not appear in USD from our location, so they are marked pending. We compared documented features and published prices; we did not run a trial account.
- ✓Students get the Plus plan for free, per Zoho's pricing page
- ✓Unlimited surveys, so the cap applies per survey rather than per account
- ✓Built for surveys, with quotas, scoring and multilingual options on paid plans
- ✕Free plan allows only 10 questions per survey
- ✕One user on the free plan
- ✕Paid prices did not show in USD from our location
- Free response cap:
- 100 responses per survey per month
- Free questions:
- 10 per survey
- Student offer:
- Plus plan free for students
- Trial:
- 7-day Enterprise trial, no credit card
Bottom line: Zoho Survey is the strongest pick for students who qualify for the free Plus plan. On the standard free plan, the 10-question limit is the main constraint.
- 08
SurveyMonkey
8.0/10The best-known online survey platform, with a free Basic plan and paid plans sold on annual response allowances.
- Free plan
- Yes
- Value (40%)
- 6.6
- Features (35%)
- 8.9
- Ease of use (25%)
- 9.0
Best forTeams that want SurveyMonkey's templates and analysis and will move to a paid plan for real projects.
SurveyMonkey has one of the most complete survey builders, but its free plan is designed as a trial of the product rather than a place to run real research. Basic includes unlimited surveys for one user, 10 questions per survey, AI survey building and sharing by web link or social media. Its pricing page says Basic lets you view a limited number of responses per survey even if you collect more, and that the exact amount is visible only when you sign up or log in. That makes it hard to plan a student or nonprofit survey around. Paid team plans are explicit: Team Advantage includes 50,000 responses per year and Team Premier 100,000, both starting at 3 users and billed annually. SurveyMonkey also notes that if you downgrade to free, responses over the Basic limit older than 365 days are deleted. Prices showed in zloty from our location, so USD prices are pending. We compared documented features and published prices; we did not run a trial account.
- ✓Polished builder with AI survey creation on the free plan
- ✓Large, clearly stated annual response allowances on team plans
- ✓Widely recognized by respondents
- ✕Basic limits you to 10 questions per survey
- ✕The exact Basic response limit is only shown after you sign up
- ✕Pricing showed in zloty from our location, so USD prices are pending
- Free response cap:
- Limited responses per survey; exact figure shown at sign-up
- Free questions:
- 10 per survey
- Team Advantage:
- 50,000 responses per year, from 3 users
- Paid price:
- USD check pending
Bottom line: SurveyMonkey is excellent once you pay, but the free Basic plan's 10-question limit and unpublished response cap make it a weak free option. Use it if your organization already has a paid seat.
- 09
SurveySparrow
7.7/10A conversational survey platform with a forever free plan and a low-priced Basic plan aimed at students.
Price
$19per month
Forever free plan; Basic from $19 per month billed yearly
“Basic For students, freelancers, and personal projects $ 19 Per month” Quoted from the pricing page, November 9, 2026.
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- 14 days
- Value (40%)
- 6.8
- Features (35%)
- 8.3
- Ease of use (25%)
- 8.2
Best forStudents and freelancers who like chat-style surveys and can pay a small yearly fee.
SurveySparrow is built around conversational, one-question-at-a-time surveys, and its pricing explicitly targets students: the Basic plan is labeled for students, freelancers and personal projects at $19 a month billed yearly, with 2,500 responses a year, email distribution, partial responses and display and skip logic. The free tier is much tighter. After a 14-day trial of paid features, the forever free plan allows 3 active surveys with 10 questions each, and the pricing page gives the response cap in two ways, up to 50 responses per month in one place and 75 responses per quarter in another. Either way it fits a pilot or a class exercise, not a full study. SurveySparrow also runs a startup program offering $2,000 in credit for $500. Integrations on Basic include Slack, with more on higher tiers. We compared documented features and published prices; we did not run a trial account.
- ✓Basic is priced and labeled for students and personal projects
- ✓Conversational survey format
- ✓Partial responses captured on Basic
- ✕The free plan is small: 3 active surveys and 10 questions each
- ✕The pricing page states the free response cap two ways, 50 a month and 75 a quarter
- ✕Basic is billed yearly, so the real outlay is an annual payment
- Free response cap:
- 50 per month or 75 per quarter, as stated in two places on the pricing page
- Free surveys:
- 3 active, 10 questions each
- Cheapest paid plan:
- Basic, $19 per month billed yearly, 2,500 responses per year
- Trial:
- 14 days
Bottom line: SurveySparrow's free plan is too small for most real surveys, but Basic at $19 a month billed yearly is an affordable student upgrade. Confirm the free response cap at sign-up.
- 10
Typeform
7.5/10A design-led form and survey builder with a limited free plan and paid plans sold by monthly responses.
Price
$28per month
Free plan with a limited number of responses; Basic $28 per month billed yearly ($39 monthly)
“39 USD / mo 468 USD total / yr 28 USD / mo” Quoted from the pricing page, November 9, 2026.
- Free plan
- Yes
- Value (40%)
- 5.8
- Features (35%)
- 8.4
- Ease of use (25%)
- 8.8
Best forTeams that care most about respondent experience and will pay for responses.
Typeform is known for its conversational design, and its builder includes AI form creation, conditional logic and webhooks. For a free survey, though, it ranks last on value. Its pricing page describes the free plan only as basic features with a limited number of responses, without stating the number, so you cannot plan a study around it. Paid plans are clear about volume and expensive per response: Basic costs $28 a month billed yearly or $39 monthly for 100 responses a month and one user, Plus is $56 a month billed yearly for 1,000 responses, three users and branding removal, and Business is $91 billed yearly for 10,000 responses. Typeform says these limits reset every month on both monthly and yearly plans. For a student or nonprofit, the same 100 to 1,000 responses cost nothing on Tally or Fillout. Typeform makes sense when respondent experience matters more than budget. We compared documented features and published prices; we did not run a trial account.
- ✓Polished one-question-at-a-time design
- ✓Clear monthly response allowances on every paid plan
- ✓Webhooks and integrations from Basic
- ✕The free plan's exact response limit is not stated on the pricing page
- ✕Basic includes only 100 responses a month for $28 billed yearly
- ✕Branding removal starts on Plus at $56 a month billed yearly
- Free response cap:
- Limited; exact number not stated on the pricing page
- Cheapest paid plan:
- Basic, $28 per month billed yearly, 100 responses per month
- Plus:
- 1,000 responses per month, 3 users, no Typeform branding
- Limit reset:
- Monthly, on monthly and yearly plans
Bottom line: Typeform builds the most polished surveys here, but its free plan is too limited and its paid responses cost the most. Choose it only when design is the priority.
What to check before you pay
Read how the response cap is counted
A monthly account cap and a per-survey cap behave differently. Fillout allows 1,000 responses a month across all forms, and Jotform 100 submissions a month. Zoho Survey allows 100 responses per survey each month, QuestionPro 200 per survey, and Microsoft Forms 200 per form on a free personal account. Tally sets no monthly cap within fair use.
Check the question limit before you write the survey
Some free plans cap questions, which matters for research surveys. SurveyMonkey Basic and Zoho Survey Free allow 10 questions per survey, and SurveySparrow's free plan allows 10 questions per survey across 3 active surveys. Microsoft Forms allows up to 200 questions per form.
Look for student and nonprofit programs
Zoho Survey says students get its Plus plan for free and educators get 50% off all plans. Jotform offers nonprofits a 50% discount on Bronze, Silver and Gold. QuestionPro lists separate academic and nonprofit pricing on request.
Count the people who need access
Fillout includes unlimited seats on its free plan, and Tally Pro adds unlimited team members. Zoho Survey Free, QuestionPro Essentials, SurveyMonkey Basic and Typeform Basic are one-user plans.
Compare the first paid step
When a survey outgrows the free tier, the cheapest verified upgrades here are Microsoft 365 Business Basic at $7 per user a month paid yearly, Fillout Starter at $15 a month billed annually, SurveySparrow Basic at $19 a month billed yearly and Typeform Basic at $28 a month billed yearly. QuestionPro Advanced costs $99 per user a month billed annually.
FAQ
What is the best free survey tool in 2026?
Tally ranks first because its free plan allows unlimited forms and submissions within fair use and includes logic and integrations. Fillout is second with 1,000 free responses a month and unlimited seats, and Google Forms is free with any Google Account.
Which free survey tool allows the most responses per month?
Tally sets no monthly response cap within fair use. Among metered plans, Fillout allows 1,000 responses a month across all forms, QuestionPro 200 per survey, Microsoft Forms 200 per form on a free personal account, and Zoho Survey 100 per survey each month.
Is there a free survey tool for students?
Zoho Survey says students get its Plus plan for free. Google Forms and Microsoft Forms are also free, and school Microsoft accounts can receive up to 5,000,000 responses per form.
Do survey tools offer nonprofit discounts?
Jotform offers nonprofits 50% off Bronze, Silver and Gold, which brings Bronze below its $34 a month annual price. QuestionPro lists academic and nonprofit pricing on request.
How many questions can I ask on a free survey plan?
SurveyMonkey Basic, Zoho Survey Free and SurveySparrow's free plan each allow 10 questions per survey. Microsoft Forms allows up to 200 questions per form, and Tally and Fillout do not list a question cap on their free plans.
Questions or corrections: editorial@rankozo.comSee our disclosure. Prices change; confirm on the vendor page before buying.
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