If you've spent any time in enterprise market research, you've probably programmed in both Decipher and ConfirmIt (now both under the Forsta umbrella). They solve the same problem but in very different ways — and knowing those differences matters when you're choosing a platform or migrating between them.
Architecture philosophy
Decipher is XML-first. Every survey is ultimately a Python-extended XML document, which gives experienced programmers an extraordinary amount of control. Complex skip logic, custom HTML rendering, advanced validation — all of it is possible if you're willing to write XML.
The downside: the ceiling is high, but so is the floor. A survey that looks simple in design document form can require surprisingly intricate XML to implement correctly.
ConfirmIt is form-based with a graphical interface layered over a scripting layer. The UI is more approachable for non-programmers, but heavy customization still requires dropping into script mode — and the two paradigms don't always play nicely together.
Question type support
Both platforms support the core question types researchers use most often:
| Question Type | Decipher | ConfirmIt |
|---|---|---|
| Single-select (radio) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-select (checkbox) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Matrix / Grid | ✓ | ✓ |
| Rank Order | ✓ | ✓ (via drag-drop or radio) |
| Open text | ✓ | ✓ |
| Numeric input | ✓ | ✓ |
| Card Sort | ✓ (via custom JS) | Limited |
| Autosum | ✓ | ✓ |
Decipher generally has more flexibility for exotic question types via custom JavaScript and XML overrides. ConfirmIt's card sort support is limited out of the box.
Skip logic and routing
Both platforms use condition-based routing, but the implementation differs substantially.
In Decipher, skip logic is defined in XML attributes directly on question elements. The Python expression engine gives you full programmatic control — you can reference any prior answer, compute derived values, and build complex conditional trees.
In ConfirmIt, routing is managed through a visual rule builder for simple cases and scripting for complex ones. The visual builder is easier to audit but can become unwieldy for deeply nested logic. Complex routing almost always ends up in script mode.
Data export
Decipher exports clean, flat CSV/SPSS files with consistent variable naming. The export configuration is highly customizable — you can define exactly which variables appear, in what format, with what labels.
ConfirmIt's export pipeline is more rigid but integrates well with reporting tools through its native connectors. If your analysis workflow is built around ConfirmIt's reporting module, the ecosystem integration is a real advantage.
Deployment and collaboration
Decipher's deployment model is project-based: one XML file, one project, one link. Collaboration happens through version control if you set it up yourself — there's no built-in collaborative editing.
ConfirmIt has better multi-user workflow support out of the box, including role-based access and a review/approval workflow that larger research teams often require.
When to choose which
Choose Decipher if:
- You need fine-grained control over rendering and behavior
- Your team is comfortable with XML/Python
- You're doing complex quota management or custom panels
Choose ConfirmIt if:
- You have a multi-person team with different technical skill levels
- You need enterprise reporting and workflow integration
- Your client uses ConfirmIt and you need to match their infrastructure
How Questra handles both
Programming correctly for either platform requires platform-specific knowledge. Questra maintains separate output targets for Decipher and ConfirmIt, applying the right XML patterns for Decipher and the right scripting conventions for ConfirmIt.
Upload your questionnaire once — Questra handles the platform-specific details automatically.