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No-Code · head to head

Corteza vs LimeSurvey

Corteza logo

Corteza

No-Code

Apache-licensed open source low-code platform, formerly Crust, positioned against Salesforce

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
LimeSurvey logo

LimeSurvey

Surveys

Open source survey software you can self-host, with German-hosted cloud as the alternative

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Corteza planet Crust is a small company of roughly a dozen or so people, so the entire commercial support capability behind Corteza is thin and a large deployment can outgrow the vendors ability to respond.; LimeSurvey self-hosting shifts patching, backups and PHP upgrades onto your own team, and neglected installations become a security liability holding participant data.
  • They diverge on capability: Corteza covers Corteza Low Code, LimeSurvey covers Question type depth.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Corteza and LimeSurvey actually diverge.

Attributes where Corteza and LimeSurvey differ
AttributeCortezaLimeSurvey
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feeOpen source, with paid cloud hosting
PlatformsWeb, Linux, Self-hosted, DockerWeb, Self-hosted
CategoryNo-CodeSurveys

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Corteza

  • Corteza Low Code
  • Automation and workflow
  • Bundled CRM
  • Case management
  • Federation
  • Role-based access control
  • Corteza Messaging and integrations
  • Apache 2.0 licence

Only in LimeSurvey

  • Question type depth
  • Expression manager
  • Quotas and screening
  • Multilingual surveys
  • Participant management

Both cover

  • Self-hosted deployment

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Corteza

  • A European public body that needs a case management system on servers inside its own jurisdiction with an auditable licence and no per-seat vendor feenot LimeSurvey
  • An NGO replacing a Salesforce donation that has run out, needing to keep the data model but remove the recurring costnot LimeSurvey
  • An integrator building a regulated vertical application it intends to resell, requiring a permissive licence it can ship commerciallynot LimeSurvey
  • A mid-size European company that wants one platform for internal applications and a sales pipeline without paying per seat as headcount growsnot LimeSurvey

LimeSurvey

  • A university study whose ethics approval requires participant data to stay on institutional serversnot Corteza
  • A public body procuring survey software under European data protection rulesnot Corteza
  • A market research agency running multilingual instruments with quotas and screening logicnot Corteza
  • A team that needs complex matrix and ranking questions consumer form builders do not supportnot Corteza

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Corteza

  • Planet Crust is a small company of roughly a dozen or so people, so the entire commercial support capability behind Corteza is thin and a large deployment can outgrow the vendors ability to respond.
  • No pricing is published for Planet Crusts support, hosting or implementation services, so the true running cost of a supported deployment cannot be estimated without a sales conversation.
  • The connector ecosystem is small compared with commercial low-code platforms, so integrations with common SaaS tools usually mean writing against the REST API rather than installing something.
  • Hiring is hard: almost nobody has Corteza on a CV, so you are training internal developers on a niche platform and you cannot easily replace them.
  • The bundled CRM is a starting point rather than a mature product, and teams that expect Salesforce-equivalent sales functionality out of the box will spend months building the gap themselves.

LimeSurvey

  • Self-hosting shifts patching, backups and PHP upgrades onto your own team, and neglected installations become a security liability holding participant data.
  • The default interface and themes look dated beside Typeform or Jotform, which measurably lowers completion rates on consumer-facing surveys.
  • Cloud plans are capped on responses per period, so an unexpectedly successful field wave can force an upgrade in the middle of data collection.
  • Serious theming and layout changes require template and CSS work rather than a visual designer, so agencies often budget developer time per project.
  • Support on the free edition is community forums only, and paid support is a separate purchase, which is a poor fit for teams with no technical staff.

Pricing, plan by plan

Corteza

Free
  • Corteza communityFree
    • Apache 2.0 licensed with no feature gating
    • Low-code builder, workflow engine, CRM and case management included
    • Self-hosted on your own infrastructure
  • Planet Crust support and services$undefined/year
    • Commercial support, hosting and implementation from Planet Crust
    • Custom application development
    • Training

LimeSurvey

Free
  • Community Edition (self-hosted)Free
    • Free under the GNU General Public Licence
    • No response limits imposed by the vendor
    • Hosting, patching, backups and upgrades are your responsibility
  • LimeSurvey Cloud$undefined/year
    • Hosted on servers in Germany
    • Tiered on responses and storage per period rather than per user
    • Higher tiers add branding removal, more storage and support

Which should you pick?

Choose Corteza if

  • You need corteza low code.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Linux, Self-hosted, Docker.
  • You also want automation and workflow.
Corteza review

Choose LimeSurvey if

  • You need question type depth.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Self-hosted.
  • You also want expression manager.
LimeSurvey review

Questions people ask

Is Corteza or LimeSurvey better?
Neither clearly leads. Corteza starts at Free and LimeSurvey at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Corteza or LimeSurvey?
Corteza starts at Free and LimeSurvey at Free.
Does Corteza or LimeSurvey run on more platforms?
Corteza runs on Web, Linux, Self-hosted, Docker. LimeSurvey runs on Web, Self-hosted.
Can I use Corteza for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Corteza best used for?
Corteza is most often used for a european public body that needs a case management system on servers inside its own jurisdiction with an auditable licence and no per-seat vendor fee, an ngo replacing a salesforce donation that has run out, needing to keep the data model but remove the recurring cost, an integrator building a regulated vertical application it intends to resell, requiring a permissive licence it can ship commercially, a mid-size european company that wants one platform for internal applications and a sales pipeline without paying per seat as headcount grows. Of those, a european public body that needs a case management system on servers inside its own jurisdiction with an auditable licence and no per-seat vendor fee and an ngo replacing a salesforce donation that has run out, needing to keep the data model but remove the recurring cost are not what LimeSurvey is typically brought in for.
What can Corteza do that LimeSurvey cannot?
Corteza covers Corteza Low Code, Automation and workflow, Bundled CRM, Case management. LimeSurvey covers Question type depth, Expression manager, Quotas and screening, Multilingual surveys. Both handle Self-hosted deployment.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Corteza: Is Corteza the same thing as Crust?

Yes. The project was branded Crust and renamed Corteza in 2019 when Crust Technology donated it to the Commons Conservancy.

LimeSurvey: Is LimeSurvey really free?

The self-hosted Community Edition is free under the GPL with no vendor response limits. The hosted cloud is paid and tiered by response volume.

Corteza: Who owns the code?

The Commons Conservancy, a Dutch foundation. Planet Crust in Cork is the primary developer and sells commercial services around it.

LimeSurvey: Where is cloud data stored?

On servers in Germany, which is why public sector and academic buyers choose it over United States hosted competitors.

Corteza: Is there a paid enterprise edition?

No. Corteza is Apache 2.0 with no feature gating. Planet Crust sells support, hosting and development instead of a restricted edition.

LimeSurvey: Can it handle complex research designs?

Yes. Quotas, randomisation, piping and matrix question types are core features rather than enterprise add-ons.

Corteza: Can it genuinely replace Salesforce?

For case management and a straightforward sales pipeline on a self-hosted footprint, yes. For a large sales organisation relying on AppExchange products and a mature ecosystem, no.

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