Surveys · head to head
Gravity Forms vs LimeSurvey
LimeSurvey
Surveys
Open source survey software you can self-host, with German-hosted cloud as the alternative
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only LimeSurvey has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Gravity Forms basic license covers only 1 site and renews at $59/year after a discounted $44 first year; LimeSurvey self-hosting shifts patching, backups and PHP upgrades onto your own team, and neglected installations become a security liability holding participant data.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Gravity Forms and LimeSurvey actually diverge.
| Attribute | Gravity Forms | LimeSurvey |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $59/year | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | Open source, with paid cloud hosting |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web | Web, Self-hosted |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Surveys).
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 Gravity Forms
Nothing recorded that LimeSurvey does not also cover.
Only in LimeSurvey
- Self-hosted deployment
- Question type depth
- Expression manager
- Quotas and screening
- Multilingual surveys
- Participant management
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Gravity Forms
- WordPress form building and lead capturenot LimeSurvey
- E-commerce payment form processingnot LimeSurvey
- Multi-site form managementnot LimeSurvey
LimeSurvey
- A university study whose ethics approval requires participant data to stay on institutional serversnot Gravity Forms
- A public body procuring survey software under European data protection rulesnot Gravity Forms
- A market research agency running multilingual instruments with quotas and screening logicnot Gravity Forms
- A team that needs complex matrix and ranking questions consumer form builders do not supportnot Gravity Forms
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Gravity Forms
- Basic license covers only 1 site and renews at $59/year after a discounted $44 first year
- Pro license is capped at 3 sites; using it on more requires the Elite tier at $259/year renewal
- Marketing integrations like HubSpot and Mailchimp are Basic-tier only, while payment and workflow add-ons (Stripe, Zapier, Trello) require Pro or above
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
Gravity Forms
$59/year- Basic$59/year
- 1 site license
- 20+ integrations including HubSpot, Mailchimp, Active Campaign
- Pro$159/year
- 3 site licenses
- Payment processing with Stripe, Square, PayPal
- 15+ Pro-level add-ons
- Elite$259/year
- Unlimited site licenses
- All add-ons included
- Advanced features: User Registration, Conversational Forms, Signature, Survey
LimeSurvey
Free- Community Edition (self-hosted)Free
- Free under the GNU General Public Licence
- No response limits imposed by the vendor
- Hosting, patching, backups and upgrades are your responsibility
- LimeSurvey Cloud$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 Gravity Forms if
Nothing in the data separates Gravity Forms from LimeSurvey on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Choose LimeSurvey if
- You need self-hosted deployment.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Self-hosted.
- You also want question type depth.
Questions people ask
- Is Gravity Forms or LimeSurvey better?
- Neither clearly leads. Gravity Forms starts at $59/year and LimeSurvey at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Gravity Forms or LimeSurvey?
- LimeSurvey has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $59/year for Gravity Forms and Free for LimeSurvey.
- Does Gravity Forms or LimeSurvey run on more platforms?
- Gravity Forms runs on Web. LimeSurvey runs on Web, Self-hosted.
- Can I use LimeSurvey for free?
- Yes. LimeSurvey has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Gravity Forms starts at $59/year.
- What is Gravity Forms best used for?
- Gravity Forms is most often used for wordpress form building and lead capture, e-commerce payment form processing, multi-site form management. Of those, wordpress form building and lead capture and e-commerce payment form processing are not what LimeSurvey is typically brought in for.
- What can Gravity Forms do that LimeSurvey cannot?
- LimeSurvey covers Self-hosted deployment, Question type depth, Expression manager, Quotas and screening.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Gravity Forms: What is the cheapest Gravity Forms plan?
The Basic plan is $59/year and includes 1 site license with 20+ integrations. The Elite plan at $259/year offers unlimited sites and all add-ons.
SourceLimeSurvey: 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.
Gravity Forms: Can I process payments with Gravity Forms?
Yes. Payment processing with Stripe, Square, and PayPal is included in the Pro ($159/year) and Elite ($259/year) plans, but not in the Basic plan.
SourceLimeSurvey: Where is cloud data stored?
On servers in Germany, which is why public sector and academic buyers choose it over United States hosted competitors.
Gravity Forms: How many sites can I use Gravity Forms on?
The Basic plan covers 1 site, Pro covers 3 sites, and Elite covers unlimited sites. All pricing is annual subscription.
SourceLimeSurvey: Can it handle complex research designs?
Yes. Quotas, randomisation, piping and matrix question types are core features rather than enterprise add-ons.
Related pages
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