Softwr

Surveys · head to head

LimeSurvey vs Tally

LimeSurvey logo

LimeSurvey

Surveys

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Tally logo

Tally

Surveys

Form builder with unlimited forms and responses on the free plan, edited like a text document

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.; Tally built-in analysis is limited to basic summaries, so any real analysis means exporting responses to a spreadsheet or database.
  • They diverge on capability: LimeSurvey covers Self-hosted deployment, Tally covers Document-style editor.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which LimeSurvey and Tally actually diverge.

Attributes where LimeSurvey and Tally differ
AttributeLimeSurveyTally
Pricing modelOpen source, with paid cloud hostingFree tier, paid for branding and team features
PlatformsWeb, Self-hostedWeb

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 Tally

  • Document-style editor
  • Unlimited free responses
  • Conditional logic and calculations
  • Payment collection
  • Notion and Airtable sync
  • Custom domains

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

Tally

  • A startup collecting waitlist or beta signups that will grow well past a free response cap elsewherenot LimeSurvey
  • A small team that wants form submissions landing directly in Notion or Airtablenot LimeSurvey
  • A charity or community group running a public consultation with no software budgetnot LimeSurvey
  • A quick internal request or intake form that needs to exist within the hournot 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.

Tally

  • Built-in analysis is limited to basic summaries, so any real analysis means exporting responses to a spreadsheet or database.
  • There is no offline data collection, which rules it out for field research or events without reliable connectivity.
  • The company is very small and bootstrapped, so support is email and documentation with no account management, and some procurement processes will reject that.
  • Advanced research features such as quotas, randomisation and panel integration are absent, so it is a form builder rather than a research instrument.
  • Design control is deliberately narrow, so brands that need pixel-level form styling will find the theming options constraining even on the paid tier.

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

Tally

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited forms, questions and responses
    • Conditional logic, calculations and file uploads
    • Integrations including Notion, Google Sheets and webhooks
  • Tally Pro$29/month
    • Remove Tally branding
    • Custom domains and form redirects
    • Team workspaces and collaboration

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 Tally if

  • You need document-style editor.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want unlimited free responses.
Tally review

Questions people ask

Is LimeSurvey or Tally better?
Neither clearly leads. LimeSurvey starts at Free and Tally at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, LimeSurvey or Tally?
LimeSurvey starts at Free and Tally at Free.
Does LimeSurvey or Tally run on more platforms?
LimeSurvey runs on Web, Self-hosted. Tally runs on Web.
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 Tally is typically brought in for.
What can LimeSurvey do that Tally cannot?
LimeSurvey covers Self-hosted deployment, Question type depth, Expression manager, Quotas and screening. Tally covers Document-style editor, Unlimited free responses, Conditional logic and calculations, Payment collection.

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.

Tally: Is the free plan really unlimited?

Yes for forms, questions and responses. The paid tier sells branding removal, custom domains and team features rather than volume.

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.

Tally: Is Tally suitable for research surveys?

Only simple ones. It has logic and calculations but no quotas, randomisation or panel management.

LimeSurvey: Can it handle complex research designs?

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

Tally: Is it GDPR compliant?

Tally is a European company operating under GDPR, and buyers with strict requirements should request the data processing agreement before rollout.

Share

Related pages

More on LimeSurvey

More on Tally

Keep looking

Other head to heads