PMF survey software
built on the Sean Ellis methodology
Canviq deploys the 4-question Sean Ellis PMF survey to your engaged users, tracks your score toward the 40% threshold, and segments respondents by persona — so you know exactly which users have found fit with your product.
14-day free trial. No credit card required.
What is PMF survey software?
Product-market fit (PMF) survey software helps B2B SaaS founders measure whether their product has found fit in the market by systematically asking users the Sean Ellis question: "How would you feel if you could no longer use this product?"
The percentage of users who answer "very disappointed" is your PMF score. Sean Ellis analyzed hundreds of startups and found that companies above the 40% threshold reliably achieve sustainable growth — word-of-mouth compounds, churn falls, and customer acquisition costs decrease. Below 40%, growth stalls regardless of marketing spend.
Generic survey tools like Typeform or Google Forms can technically deliver this question, but they lack the targeting logic, segmentation, score calculation, and action layer that makes PMF data actionable. Canviq is purpose-built for the Sean Ellis methodology: it handles targeting, delivery, scoring, segmentation, and closes the loop by creating GitHub issues from low-score feedback automatically.
Canviq is also the only PMF survey tool with native AI agent support. Its MCP server lets Claude, ChatGPT, and other AI tools deploy surveys, query scores, and trigger workflows using natural language — without a human opening a dashboard.
Methodology
How the Sean Ellis PMF survey works
Four steps from zero responses to a PMF score you can act on.
Identify qualified users
The PMF survey only has signal when administered to users who have experienced the product's core value. Canviq's targeting engine filters for users who have logged in at least twice in 14 days — disqualifying new signups who haven't yet formed an opinion.
Ask the four questions
The Sean Ellis instrument asks: how disappointed without the product, who is this product for, what is the main benefit, and what should be improved. These four questions produce the PMF score plus qualitative data for roadmap decisions.
Calculate and track the score
The PMF score is the percentage of qualified respondents who answer "very disappointed." Canviq calculates this in real time, tracks the trend over time, and shows confidence intervals so you know when you have enough responses to trust the number.
Segment and act
Canviq groups respondents by persona and surfaces the segment closest to 40%. Low-score responses auto-create GitHub issues. High-score respondents are flagged as High-Expectation Customer candidates for qualitative follow-up.
Why Canviq
PMF survey software that closes the loop
Most PMF tools stop at data collection. Canviq turns survey results into GitHub issues, user segments, and roadmap decisions — automatically.
The validated 40% threshold
The Sean Ellis methodology is the only PMF measurement framework with a published, empirically-validated threshold. Canviq tracks your score in real time and shows the trend so you know whether you are moving toward or away from fit.
Smart targeting by engagement
Surveying disengaged users produces noise. Canviq only surveys users who have used the product at least twice in the last 14 days — the threshold Sean Ellis recommends. Response rates improve and signal quality goes up.
Auto-segmentation by persona
Canviq groups survey respondents by role, company size, and engagement level automatically. You see your PMF score per segment — not just an overall average — so you know which persona has already found fit with your product.
Build surveys in 3 minutes
Drag-and-drop survey builder with 4 question types: rating, multiple choice, free text, and NPS. Test mode shows results instantly with sample data. Or ask Canviq AI to build the survey for you via the MCP server.
SDK in 3 lines of code
Embed the Canviq SDK in your app with 3 lines of JavaScript. The SDK is under 50KB, loads asynchronously, and does not block your critical rendering path. Trigger surveys on any event in your product.
AI-native: deploy via MCP
Canviq exposes an MCP server so Claude, ChatGPT, and other AI agents can deploy PMF surveys, query scores, and trigger workflows using natural language. The only PMF survey tool with native AI agent support.
Frequently asked questions
What is PMF survey software?
PMF survey software helps SaaS founders measure product-market fit by deploying the Sean Ellis question ("How would you feel if you could no longer use this product?") to active users and tracking the percentage who answer "very disappointed." A score above 40% is the widely accepted PMF threshold.
What is the Sean Ellis PMF survey?
The Sean Ellis PMF survey is a 4-question instrument that asks users how disappointed they would be if the product disappeared, what kind of person the product is built for, what the main benefit is, and what could be improved. The percentage who answer "very disappointed" to the first question is your PMF score. Companies above 40% have reliably found product-market fit.
How does Canviq deploy PMF surveys?
Canviq deploys surveys via a JavaScript SDK (<50KB) embedded in your web or mobile app, an in-app widget, or an email link. Smart targeting ensures only users who have engaged with the product at least twice in the last 14 days receive the survey — the engagement threshold Sean Ellis recommends for valid signal.
What is the 40% PMF threshold?
Sean Ellis analyzed hundreds of startups and found that companies with 40% or more of users saying they would be "very disappointed" without the product reliably achieve sustainable growth. Below 40%, word-of-mouth rarely compounds. Above it, acquisition costs tend to fall and retention improves. Superhuman famously used this threshold to guide their early product decisions.
Can AI agents deploy Canviq PMF surveys?
Yes. Canviq exposes an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that enables Claude, ChatGPT, and other AI agents to deploy surveys, query PMF scores, and trigger workflows programmatically using natural language — without opening a UI.
Ready to measure your PMF score?
14-day free trial. No credit card. Deploy your first PMF survey in 5 minutes.