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Surveys · head to head

LimeSurvey vs Ruler Analytics

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
Ruler Analytics logo

Ruler Analytics

Marketing

Closed-loop marketing attribution

From
£299/month
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.; Ruler Analytics no free plan or trial available, requiring custom quote for pricing
  • They diverge on capability: LimeSurvey covers Self-hosted deployment, Ruler Analytics covers Multi-touch attribution.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which LimeSurvey and Ruler Analytics actually diverge.

Attributes where LimeSurvey and Ruler Analytics differ
AttributeLimeSurveyRuler Analytics
Starting priceFree£299/month
Pricing modelOpen source, with paid cloud hostingUnknown
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Self-hostedWeb
CategorySurveysMarketing
FoundedUnknown2012

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 Ruler Analytics

  • Multi-touch attribution
  • Call tracking
  • Form tracking
  • Revenue attribution
  • Customer journey tracking
  • CRM integration
  • Marketing ROI
  • Custom 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 Ruler Analytics
  • A public body procuring survey software under European data protection rulesnot Ruler Analytics
  • A market research agency running multilingual instruments with quotas and screening logicnot Ruler Analytics
  • A team that needs complex matrix and ranking questions consumer form builders do not supportnot Ruler Analytics

Ruler Analytics

  • Marketing attributionnot LimeSurvey
  • ROI measurementnot LimeSurvey
  • Lead trackingnot LimeSurvey
  • Revenue attributionnot 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.

Ruler Analytics

  • No free plan or trial available, requiring custom quote for pricing
  • Advanced features like marketing mix modeling only available on Advanced plan at 1,499 GBP per month
  • Pricing scales with monthly traffic volume, making costs unpredictable
  • Setup requires manual integration with CRM and data sources

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

Ruler Analytics

£299/month
  • Small$299/month
    • Up to 10,000 monthly visits
    • Form tracking
    • Call tracking
  • Medium$499/month
    • Up to 50,000 monthly visits
    • Data-driven attribution
    • Segmentation
  • Advanced$1499/month
    • 100k+ monthly visits
    • Marketing mix modeling
    • AI agents for analytics

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 Ruler Analytics if

  • You need multi-touch attribution.
  • You also want call tracking.
Ruler Analytics review

Questions people ask

Is LimeSurvey or Ruler Analytics better?
Neither clearly leads. LimeSurvey starts at Free and Ruler Analytics at £299/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, LimeSurvey or Ruler Analytics?
LimeSurvey has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for LimeSurvey and £299/month for Ruler Analytics.
Does LimeSurvey or Ruler Analytics run on more platforms?
LimeSurvey runs on Web, Self-hosted. Ruler Analytics runs on Web.
Can I use LimeSurvey for free?
Yes. LimeSurvey has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Ruler Analytics starts at £299/month.
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 Ruler Analytics is typically brought in for.
What can LimeSurvey do that Ruler Analytics cannot?
LimeSurvey covers Self-hosted deployment, Question type depth, Expression manager, Quotas and screening. Ruler Analytics covers Multi-touch attribution, Call tracking, Form tracking, Revenue attribution.

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.

Ruler Analytics: What does Ruler Analytics track?

Ruler Analytics tracks forms, calls, live chat, offline conversions, and CRM data to connect marketing activity directly to revenue outcomes.

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.

Ruler Analytics: Does Ruler Analytics offer a free plan?

No, Ruler Analytics does not offer a free plan. Pricing starts at 299 GBP per month for the Small plan supporting up to 10,000 monthly website visits.

Source
LimeSurvey: Can it handle complex research designs?

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

Ruler Analytics: What attribution models does Ruler Analytics support?

Ruler supports multi-touch attribution, data-driven attribution, impression attribution, and marketing mix modeling for measuring campaign ROI across channels.

Source
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