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Surveys · head to head

LimeSurvey vs QuestionPro

LimeSurvey logo

LimeSurvey

Surveys

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
QuestionPro logo

QuestionPro

Surveys

Survey and experience management platform with a permanently free tier capped at 200 responses

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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.; QuestionPro team Edition has a five-seat minimum, so a small team that only needs two or three licences still pays for five.
  • They diverge on capability: LimeSurvey covers Self-hosted deployment, QuestionPro covers Survey builder.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which LimeSurvey and QuestionPro actually diverge.

Attributes where LimeSurvey and QuestionPro differ
AttributeLimeSurveyQuestionPro
Pricing modelOpen source, with paid cloud hostingPer user per month
PlatformsWeb, Self-hostedWeb, iOS, Android

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 LimeSurvey

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

Only in QuestionPro

  • Survey builder
  • QuestionPro CX
  • QuestionPro Workforce
  • Research Suite
  • Offline data collection
  • White label reporting

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

QuestionPro

  • A researcher or student who needs unlimited surveys but stays under 200 responses and wants to pay nothingnot LimeSurvey
  • A single analyst who needs advanced logic and unlimited responses and can justify one Advanced seatnot LimeSurvey
  • A CX team that wants closed-loop case management bundled with survey distributionnot LimeSurvey
  • A market research agency needing MaxDiff and conjoint analysis that SurveyMonkey does not offernot 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.

QuestionPro

  • Team Edition has a five-seat minimum, so a small team that only needs two or three licences still pays for five.
  • CX, Workforce and Research Suite are effectively separate products with their own pricing and onboarding, not tiers of the same subscription, which complicates a multi-department rollout.
  • The free Essentials plan caps at 200 responses per survey, which a single moderately popular customer survey can exceed in days.
  • The interface is denser than Typeform or SurveyMonkey, and teams that want a fast, visually simple survey builder often find QuestionPro slower to set up.
  • Enterprise CX and Research Suite pricing is never published, so budgeting for a programme rollout requires a sales conversation before any commitment is possible.

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

QuestionPro

Free
  • EssentialsFree
    • 1 user
    • 200 responses per survey
    • Unlimited surveys and questions
  • Advanced$99/month
    • 1 user
    • Unlimited responses
    • Advanced logic and reporting
  • Team Edition$83/month
    • Minimum 5 users, billed per seat
    • Collaboration and role permissions
    • Advanced analysis tools
  • CX, Workforce, Research Suite$undefined/year
    • Sold as separate products with separate quotes
    • Volume and module dependent

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 QuestionPro if

  • You need survey builder.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want questionpro cx.
QuestionPro review

Questions people ask

Is LimeSurvey or QuestionPro better?
Neither clearly leads. LimeSurvey starts at Free and QuestionPro at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, LimeSurvey or QuestionPro?
LimeSurvey starts at Free and QuestionPro at Free.
Does LimeSurvey or QuestionPro run on more platforms?
LimeSurvey runs on Web, Self-hosted. QuestionPro runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use LimeSurvey for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 QuestionPro is typically brought in for.
What can LimeSurvey do that QuestionPro cannot?
LimeSurvey covers Self-hosted deployment, Question type depth, Expression manager, Quotas and screening. QuestionPro covers Survey builder, QuestionPro CX, QuestionPro Workforce, Research Suite.

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.

QuestionPro: Is the free plan actually usable long-term?

Yes. Essentials has no time limit, but it caps at 200 responses per survey and one user, which rules it out for anything with meaningful reach.

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.

QuestionPro: Is QuestionPro CX the same product as the survey builder?

No. CX is a separate product built for closed-loop customer experience programmes, priced and sold on its own.

LimeSurvey: Can it handle complex research designs?

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

QuestionPro: Does Team Edition have a minimum seat count?

Yes, five seats at roughly $83 per user per month billed annually, so the minimum monthly spend is around $415.

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