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Surveys · head to head

LimeSurvey vs MoEngage

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
MoEngage logo

MoEngage

Marketing

Essential solutions to help your growing teams build and retain customers

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only LimeSurvey has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: LimeSurvey self-hosting shifts patching, backups and PHP upgrades onto your own team, and neglected installations become a security liability holding participant data.; MoEngage no pricing information published; platform uses custom pricing requiring sales contact
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which LimeSurvey and MoEngage actually diverge.

Attributes where LimeSurvey and MoEngage differ
AttributeLimeSurveyMoEngage
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelOpen source, with paid cloud hostingquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Self-hostedWeb
CategorySurveysMarketing

Identical on both: 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 LimeSurvey

  • Self-hosted deployment
  • Question type depth
  • Expression manager
  • Quotas and screening
  • Multilingual surveys
  • Participant management

Only in MoEngage

Nothing recorded that LimeSurvey does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

LimeSurvey

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

MoEngage

  • Identifying at-risk customers through churn prediction modelsnot LimeSurvey
  • Sending triggered SMS alerts when customers abandon shopping cartsnot LimeSurvey
  • A/B testing email subject lines for newsletter campaignsnot LimeSurvey
  • Personalizing push notifications based on location and browsing historynot LimeSurvey

Where each one falls short

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

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.

MoEngage

  • No pricing information published; platform uses custom pricing requiring sales contact
  • Growth and Enterprise plan tiers mentioned but no rates or features disclosed

Pricing, plan by plan

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

MoEngage

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the MoEngage review.

Which should you pick?

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.
LimeSurvey review

Choose MoEngage if

Nothing in the data separates MoEngage from LimeSurvey on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

MoEngage review

Questions people ask

Is LimeSurvey or MoEngage better?
Neither clearly leads. LimeSurvey starts at Free and MoEngage at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, LimeSurvey or MoEngage?
LimeSurvey has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for LimeSurvey and On request for MoEngage.
Does LimeSurvey or MoEngage run on more platforms?
LimeSurvey runs on Web, Self-hosted. MoEngage runs on Web.
Can I use LimeSurvey for free?
Yes. LimeSurvey has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. MoEngage starts at On request.
What is LimeSurvey best used for?
LimeSurvey is most often used for a university study whose ethics approval requires participant data to stay on institutional servers, a public body procuring survey software under european data protection rules, a market research agency running multilingual instruments with quotas and screening logic, a team that needs complex matrix and ranking questions consumer form builders do not support. Of those, a university study whose ethics approval requires participant data to stay on institutional servers and a public body procuring survey software under european data protection rules are not what MoEngage is typically brought in for.
What can LimeSurvey do that MoEngage cannot?
LimeSurvey covers Self-hosted deployment, Question type depth, Expression manager, Quotas and screening.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

MoEngage: How much does MoEngage cost?

MoEngage does not publish pricing rates on its website. The platform offers Growth and Enterprise plan tiers, with exact pricing available only through contacting the sales team or requesting a demo.

Source
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.

MoEngage: What is MoEngage's pricing model?

MoEngage uses custom enterprise pricing determined by specific customer requirements, requiring direct sales outreach to obtain a quote.

Source
LimeSurvey: Can it handle complex research designs?

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

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