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Home/Categories/Business & Productivity/LimeSurvey
icon of LimeSurvey

LimeSurvey

Open source alternative to SurveyMonkey, Typeform and Qualtrics

  • 3.8K stars
  • GPL-2.0
  • Active this week
  • Last commit 1 day ago

Last verified Oct 20, 2026

Create multilingual surveys with branching logic, self-hosted data control, and deep questionnaire features for research and enterprise teams.

Visit websiteGitHub3.8K stars1-click deploy on Hostinger
image of LimeSurvey
TL;DR

LimeSurvey is a self-hosted online survey platform for teams that need advanced questionnaires, multilingual surveys, privacy controls, and data ownership. It replaces SurveyMonkey, Typeform, or Qualtrics for organizations that want survey logic, templates, plugins, and sensitive response collection under their own control.

Read the full breakdownHide the full breakdownWho it is for, how it works, trade-offs and the FAQ
who it's for

Who LimeSurvey is for#

Academic researchers collecting structured data

Use LimeSurvey for multilingual, branching surveys where response ownership and export control matter.

Skip if:

A one-page public feedback form is enough.

Public sector teams handling sensitive responses

Use LimeSurvey when surveys need access control, anonymization, and self-hosted data handling.

Skip if:

Your policy requires a fully managed vendor with procurement-approved hosting.

Companies running internal feedback programs

Use LimeSurvey for employee, customer, or stakeholder surveys where templates, logic, and response analysis are needed.

Skip if:

Your team values visual form design over survey depth.

the problem

The problem it solves#

Survey tools become expensive and restrictive when response volume, branching logic, branding, or privacy requirements grow. Research teams, schools, governments, and companies often collect sensitive answers, yet many hosted survey products store response data in a vendor account and gate advanced features behind paid tiers. Teams need a way to run serious surveys without losing control of data or customization.

how LimeSurvey solves it

How it solves it#

Advanced survey design

More than 30 question types, skip logic, branching, templates, multilingual surveys, and closed access mode support serious survey work.

Self-hosted PHP stack

LimeSurvey can run on Apache, nginx, or another PHP-ready web server with MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, or MSSQL.

Privacy and access controls

Anonymization options, two-factor authentication, invite-only access, and self-hosted response storage help teams reduce exposure for sensitive surveys.

Integration and API options

RemoteControl API access, SAML, LDAP, REST API integration, Google Analytics, plugins, and survey themes help LimeSurvey fit existing research operations.

strengths · trade-offs

Strengths and trade-offs#

Strengths

  • Good fit for serious research workflowsBranching, multilingual support, closed access, and response statistics make LimeSurvey more suitable for structured research than simple form tools.
  • Data control through self-hostingOrganizations can keep response data under their own infrastructure and policies instead of relying only on hosted survey vendors.
  • Large feature surface without SaaS lock-inUnlimited surveys and questions in the open source product help teams avoid per-response or per-feature friction for internal research.

Trade-offs

  • -Self-hosting adds administrationAdministrators must manage PHP, database, mail delivery, security updates, backups, and uptime.
  • -Less polished than hosted survey buildersTypeform and SurveyMonkey may feel faster for simple marketing surveys where design polish and managed delivery matter more than control.
tech stack · detected from GitHub

What it's built on#

Languages
JavaScriptPHP
Frameworks
React
Databases
MySQLPostgreSQL
frequently asked

FAQ#

What is LimeSurvey?

LimeSurvey is an open source online survey platform for building and running advanced surveys.

Can LimeSurvey be self-hosted?

Yes. LimeSurvey can run on a PHP-ready web server with a supported database.

Does LimeSurvey support branching logic?

Yes. LimeSurvey supports skip logic and question branching for conditional survey paths.

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Hostinger

Run LimeSurvey on your own server

Hostinger sets LimeSurvey up as a one-click app on a VPS.

Deploy on Hostinger

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