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Surveys · head to head

LimeSurvey vs Onclusive

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
Onclusive logo

Onclusive

Marketing

Media monitoring, journalist database and PR measurement assembled from six acquired companies

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.; Onclusive onclusive was assembled from at least six acquired companies inside about a year, and users still encounter different interfaces, inconsistent data definitions and separate support paths depending on which module they are in, so training and internal reporting are harder than a single-product vendor.
  • They diverge on capability: LimeSurvey covers Self-hosted deployment, Onclusive covers Global media monitoring.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which LimeSurvey and Onclusive actually diverge.

Attributes where LimeSurvey and Onclusive differ
AttributeLimeSurveyOnclusive
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelOpen source, with paid cloud hostingquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Self-hostedWeb, iOS, Android, API
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 Onclusive

  • Global media monitoring
  • Broadcast monitoring
  • Social listening
  • Media contacts database
  • Newsroom and press office
  • Sentiment and tone analysis
  • Share of voice reporting
  • Crisis detection

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 Onclusive
  • A public body procuring survey software under European data protection rulesnot Onclusive
  • A market research agency running multilingual instruments with quotas and screening logicnot Onclusive
  • A team that needs complex matrix and ranking questions consumer form builders do not supportnot Onclusive

Onclusive

  • A multinational communications team that needs print, broadcast and online coverage across twenty markets reported in one dashboard rather than through three regional vendorsnot LimeSurvey
  • A public affairs team that must evidence share of voice against named competitors for a quarterly board reportnot LimeSurvey
  • A PR agency running press office and media enquiry workflow for several client brands from one systemnot LimeSurvey
  • A corporate affairs function that needs early warning on a coverage spike outside its own time zone, with broadcast clips retrievable for legal reviewnot 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.

Onclusive

  • Onclusive was assembled from at least six acquired companies inside about a year, and users still encounter different interfaces, inconsistent data definitions and separate support paths depending on which module they are in, so training and internal reporting are harder than a single-product vendor.
  • Pricing is not published and is scoped by market coverage, source count and user seats, which makes competitive benchmarking difficult and means renewal increases are hard to challenge without a parallel quote from Cision or Meltwater.
  • Broadcast monitoring coverage is uneven by country, so a global contract can look complete on paper while a specific market you care about has thin local radio or regional television coverage; verify your priority markets by name before signing.
  • The company carries private-equity ownership and acquisition-related debt financing, which historically in this category has meant pressure on support headcount and above-inflation renewal pricing rather than product investment.
  • Automated sentiment classification on news copy remains error-prone, especially for irony, quoted criticism and industry jargon, so teams reporting sentiment to executives generally need a human review step that erodes the labour saving the tool was bought for.

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

Onclusive

On request
  • Onclusive$undefined/year
    • Global media monitoring
    • Broadcast and print coverage
    • Onclusive Social listening

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 Onclusive if

  • You need global media monitoring.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, API.
  • You also want broadcast monitoring.
Onclusive review

Questions people ask

Is LimeSurvey or Onclusive better?
Neither clearly leads. LimeSurvey starts at Free and Onclusive at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, LimeSurvey or Onclusive?
LimeSurvey has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for LimeSurvey and On request for Onclusive.
Does LimeSurvey or Onclusive run on more platforms?
LimeSurvey runs on Web, Self-hosted. Onclusive runs on Web, iOS, Android, API.
Can I use LimeSurvey for free?
Yes. LimeSurvey has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Onclusive 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 Onclusive is typically brought in for.
What can LimeSurvey do that Onclusive cannot?
LimeSurvey covers Self-hosted deployment, Question type depth, Expression manager, Quotas and screening. Onclusive covers Global media monitoring, Broadcast monitoring, Social listening, Media contacts database.

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.

Onclusive: Is Onclusive one product or several?

Several. It was formed from Kantar Reputation Intelligence, PRgloo and the original Onclusive in January 2022, then absorbed Critical Mention and Digimind later that year, and the modules retain distinguishable lineages.

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.

Onclusive: Who owns it?

Symphony Technology Group, a US private equity firm, with debt financing on the Critical Mention acquisition from Stellus Capital Management.

LimeSurvey: Can it handle complex research designs?

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

Onclusive: What happened to Digimind?

Digimind was acquired in July 2022 and rebranded as Onclusive Social in October 2022. If social listening is your main requirement, that is the platform you are evaluating.

Onclusive: Does it publish pricing?

No. Contracts are annual and quoted according to markets monitored, sources covered and seat count.

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