Conjoint in Qualtrics
Qualtrics offers conjoint (often choice-based) and MaxDiff, but availability and analysis depend on your licence and edition. Explonia offers ratings-based and choice-based conjoint with hierarchical Bayes (CBC/HB) today; MaxDiff is not live, so this is an honest look at what each tool fits.
How conjoint is done in Qualtrics
Qualtrics supports conjoint as a question/project type. You define attributes and levels, the tool generates a design, and respondents answer a series of tasks. The most common form is choice-based conjoint (CBC), where respondents pick a preferred profile from a set; Qualtrics also offers MaxDiff (best–worst scaling) for prioritising items. Whether conjoint is included, and how much analysis (such as utilities) you get in-platform versus needing an export, depends on your licence and edition — many academic seats do not include the full conjoint module.
Strengths and limits
Strengths: Qualtrics has a mature CBC/MaxDiff design engine and is widely used in industry. Limits: the conjoint features are often gated behind higher tiers or specific add-ons, the depth of in-platform analysis varies, and you may export raw choices to estimate utilities elsewhere. It is worth checking exactly what your seat includes before designing the study.
How Explonia does it — and what it does not do yet
Explonia offers ratings-based, choice-based (CBC) and ranking conjoint: define your attributes and levels, and Explonia generates a balanced, D-efficient set of profiles or choice tasks. Choice-based conjoint estimates utilities with multinomial logit or hierarchical Bayes (HB) for individual-level part-worths, and includes a market simulator, post-hoc segmentation, and respondent quality flags. All of this is available in every tier (the limit is response count). See the conjoint method page and the live examples, which include two ratings-based conjoint demos.
To be clear about scope: MaxDiff (best–worst scaling) is not live in Explonia. If your study specifically needs MaxDiff, Qualtrics (or dedicated conjoint software) is the right tool for now. We would rather state this than imply a feature we do not ship.
Reference table
| Capability | Qualtrics | Explonia |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings-based conjoint | Possible | Yes (live) |
| Choice-based conjoint (CBC) | Yes (licence-dependent) | Yes (live) |
| Hierarchical Bayes (HB) estimation | Yes (licence-dependent) | Yes (live) |
| MaxDiff (best–worst) | Yes (licence-dependent) | Not live |
Frequently asked questions
Does Qualtrics include conjoint for everyone?
Not necessarily. Conjoint and MaxDiff in Qualtrics depend on your licence and edition, and many academic seats do not include the full module or the in-platform utility estimation. Check what your specific seat covers before building the study.
Does Explonia do choice-based conjoint (CBC) with hierarchical Bayes?
Yes. Explonia runs choice-based conjoint (CBC) with multinomial logit or hierarchical Bayes (HB) for individual-level part-worths, alongside ratings-based and ranking conjoint, with a market simulator and post-hoc segmentation built in.
When is ratings-based conjoint a good fit?
When respondents can reasonably evaluate full profiles and you want attribute part-worths from ratings — common in academic preference studies. Choice-based conjoint (CBC/HB) is a better fit when you need choice shares or a market simulator. You can see two ratings-based conjoint demos in Explonia's live examples.
How to cite this page
If this page helped your research, you can cite it (APA 7):
Szymkowiak, A. (2026). How to Do Conjoint in Qualtrics (and Limits). Explonia. https://explonia.com/migrate/conjoint-in-qualtrics/
Last updated: July 2026
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