Medallia and Qualtrics are two of the most established names in customer experience (CX) and experience management (XM). Both platforms are trusted by large enterprises, global brands, and regulated industries to collect feedback, analyze sentiment, and turn insights into action.
When choosing between these two vendors, one of the most important aspects to consider is trust – how customer data is protected, where it lives, who can access it, and how each company handles security, privacy, and compliance.
Below is a detailed, side-by-side breakdown of Medallia vs Qualtrics from a security, privacy, and compliance perspective.
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What Matters Most in an Experience Platform
When evaluating enterprise CX software, buyers are typically looking for:
- Strong security controls that stand up to audits
- Compliance with global data privacy regulations
- Clear options for where data is stored and processed
- Robust encryption and access control
- Safe handling of personal and sensitive information
- Transparent incident response and vendor practices
Both Medallia and Qualtrics are designed with these needs in mind – but there are subtle differences in emphasis and implementation.
Independent Security Checks
Medallia – Undergoes regular third-party security audits to validate its security posture and internal controls. These independent assessments are designed to ensure that the platform meets widely accepted security standards and best practices. This is especially important for enterprise customers who must demonstrate due diligence to regulators, partners, or internal risk teams.
Qualtrics – Follows a similar approach, relying on independent audits to verify its security standards. These assessments help ensure consistent controls across infrastructure, processes, and data handling. Like Medallia, Qualtrics positions independent validation as a core part of its trust framework.
Data Privacy Laws (GDPR, CCPA, and More)
Medallia – Built to help customers comply with major global privacy regulations, including GDPR in Europe and CCPA in California. The platform supports features such as data minimization, consent handling, and controlled access, which help organizations meet their legal obligations around personal data.
Qualtrics – Also designed to support GDPR, CCPA, and similar privacy laws worldwide. It provides tools and processes intended to help customers manage consent, respond to data subject requests, and align with regional regulatory requirements.
Where Customer Data Is Stored
Medallia – Offers the ability to store and process data in specific regions, such as the EU, UK, or United States. This regional data hosting approach is particularly valuable for organizations that must comply with data residency requirements or want tighter control over where customer information lives.
Qualtrics – Operates global data centres and provides regional hosting options as well. This allows customers to choose data locations that align with local regulations and internal compliance policies.
Data Encryption
Medallia – Encrypts customer data both at rest and in transit. This means information is protected when it’s stored in databases and when it’s moving between systems, reducing the risk of interception or unauthorized access.
Qualtrics – Applies encryption to data at rest and in transit as well. This ensures consistent protection across the data lifecycle, from collection through analysis and reporting.
Access Control (Who Can See the Data)
Medallia – Provides fine-grained access controls that allow organizations to restrict sensitive information to approved users only. Permissions can be configured to ensure that teams see only the data relevant to their role, reducing the risk of internal data exposure.
Qualtrics – Uses strong role-based access controls, enabling administrators to define who can view, edit, or export data. This helps ensure that employees and partners only access what they need to do their jobs.
Handling Personal and Sensitive Data
Medallia – Includes tools to mask, limit, or remove personal data such as names, email addresses, or other identifiers. These capabilities are particularly useful for organizations handling large volumes of customer feedback that may contain sensitive information.
Qualtrics – Provides tools to restrict, redact, and delete personal data. This supports compliance with privacy regulations and helps organizations reduce their exposure when handling sensitive customer or employee data.
Audit and Activity Tracking
Medallia – Logs user activity, tracking who accessed data and what actions they performed. These audit logs support internal reviews, compliance reporting, and investigations when needed.
Qualtrics – Also tracks user access and activity across the platform. This audit capability helps organizations meet governance requirements and maintain accountability.
Incident Response
Medallia – Maintains formal incident response plans that outline how security incidents are detected, managed, and reported. These plans are designed to minimize impact and ensure clear communication with customers if issues arise.
Qualtrics – Has formal processes for detecting, responding to, and managing security incidents as well. Structured response procedures help ensure consistency and transparency during critical situations.
Vendor Transparency
Medallia – Provides a public trust centre where customers can review information about its security practices, compliance efforts, and third-party partners. This transparency helps buyers evaluate risk and build confidence in the platform.
Qualtrics – Maintains a public trust centre with documentation on security controls, privacy practices, and compliance certifications. This makes it easier for organizations to assess Qualtrics during procurement and audits.
Final Thoughts: Medallia vs Qualtrics
From a security, privacy, and compliance perspective, Medallia and Qualtrics are more similar than different. Both are enterprise-grade platforms designed to meet the needs of large, regulated organizations operating globally.
The real differences often come down to broader factors such as:
- Product philosophy and user experience
- Depth of analytics and AI capabilities
- Industry-specific use cases
- Pricing models and commercial flexibility
- Ecosystem integrations and support
For organizations where trust, compliance, and data protection are non-negotiable, both Medallia and Qualtrics meet a high bar. The best choice ultimately depends on which platform aligns more closely with your business goals, technical environment, and internal workflows.
