SapplyValues exists because someone took 8values, decided the questions produced biased results, and forked the project to rework them. The structure is recognisably the same: four axes with two poles each, slider answers, an ideology label at the end. The questions and the axis weighting differ enough that the same taker will often get a different label, sometimes a meaningfully different one. For users who took 8values and felt the result was off, SapplyValues is the obvious next try.
Votely is the comparison point at a different resolution. 39 axes vs 8, 81 ideology buckets vs 26, a 3D cube visualization vs four 2-pole bars, and an optional in-depth report on the matched tradition. The two quizzes are not really direct competitors; SapplyValues is a thoughtful refinement of a four-axis frame, and Votely is a different frame entirely. The question this page asks is which one fits your goal.
TL;DR
Pick SapplyValues if you want the 8values structure with what its author considers better-worded questions, you value open source, and four axes feel like enough resolution. Pick Votely if you want a much higher-resolution placement (39 axes, 81 ideologies) and an optional writeup of your matched tradition.
Side-by-side
| Feature | Votely | SapplyValues |
|---|---|---|
| Axes | 39 (3 macro, 36 sub) | 8 (4 axes, 2 poles each) |
| Ideology buckets | 81 | ~26 (similar set to 8values, with adjustments) |
| Visualization | 3D cube | Four 2-pole bars |
| Sign-up required | No | No |
| Free | Quiz yes, in-depth report $6 | Yes |
| Time investment | 2-10 min | ~5-10 min |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Lineage | New project | Fork of 8values |
| Methodology focus | High-resolution ideology mapping | Reworked questions to address perceived 8values bias |
Where SapplyValues is honestly better
The question-wording argument is real. 8values has been criticised for question framings that nudge takers toward specific quadrants, and SapplyValues was built to address those criticisms directly. Whether the rework succeeded is contested, but the project's existence and its explicit framing as a bias correction make it a thoughtful choice for users who want the 8values structure without the wording complaints. The open source license also means you can read the changes and see what was reworked.
The four-axis frame is also a real advantage for users who do not want 39 axes worth of granularity. SapplyValues sits in a recognisable family of political quizzes (8values, the various forks, the broader axis-based tradition that started with Political Compass) and produces a result that fits cleanly into conversations using that vocabulary. If you want to compare your result with a friend who took 8values, SapplyValues is much closer to a fair comparison than Votely is.
Where Votely is better
Granularity, mainly. SapplyValues is still answering the same kind of question 8values asks (where do you sit on four broad axes), and the answer it produces is at the same coarseness, give or take the wording adjustments. If you want to separate ideological positions that pull apart on a fifth or sixth axis (positions like market-friendly social democracy vs market-skeptical social democracy, or Christian democracy vs secular Christian-influenced centrism), SapplyValues will tend to lump them. Votely's 39 axes are designed for exactly that level of separation. Whether you want it is a separate question.
The writeup is the other gap. SapplyValues, like 8values, gives you a label and four axis scores and assumes you know what to do next. Votely's optional $6 in-depth report covers the history of the tradition you matched, the strongest critiques of it, and a reading list. This is not a fair criticism of SapplyValues (it was never trying to be a reading guide), but if you want the quiz to be the first step into actually understanding the tradition you landed in, the writeup matters.
Who should pick which
Pick SapplyValues if you have taken 8values and want a second reading with reworked questions, you value open source, and you want a result in the recognisable 8values-family vocabulary. The project is a thoughtful refinement of a quiz a lot of people already trust, the methodology is fully public, and the result is fast and free. The main cost is the same as 8values: four axes are sometimes not enough to separate positions that should be separated, and the result page is the end of the activity.
Pick Votely if you want higher resolution and you are interested in reading more about the tradition you matched. The 39-axis structure separates positions that the 8values family lumps, the 81 ideology buckets cover traditions that small ideology sets cannot name, and the optional in-depth report is for readers who want the next step. Taking both is a reasonable approach if you have time; the SapplyValues-Votely gap is more informative than two takes of the same quiz would be.