Surveys · head to head
LimeSurvey vs Teable
LimeSurvey
Surveys
Open source survey software you can self-host, with German-hosted cloud as the alternative
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Teable
Spreadsheets
Spreadsheet interface over real PostgreSQL tables, so the data stays queryable by anything that speaks SQL
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
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.; Teable the automation builder is far less capable than the established commercial alternatives, so multi step workflows usually end up in an external tool that must be paid for and maintained separately.
- They diverge on capability: LimeSurvey covers Self-hosted deployment, Teable covers PostgreSQL native storage.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which LimeSurvey and Teable actually diverge.
| Attribute | LimeSurvey | Teable |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Open source, with paid cloud hosting | Open source, no licence fee |
| Platforms | Web, Self-hosted | Web, Linux |
| Category | Surveys | Spreadsheets |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Teable
- PostgreSQL native storage
- Multiple views
- Linked records and rollups
- Generated REST API
- Real time collaboration
- Self hosting via Docker
- Field level permissions
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 Teable
- A public body procuring survey software under European data protection rulesnot Teable
- A market research agency running multilingual instruments with quotas and screening logicnot Teable
- A team that needs complex matrix and ranking questions consumer form builders do not supportnot Teable
Teable
- A team that has hit the record ceiling of a hosted spreadsheet database and does not want to move to raw SQLnot LimeSurvey
- Operational data that a business intelligence tool must also read directly, without an export or a sync jobnot LimeSurvey
- A regulated or data resident organisation that needs the underlying database inside its own infrastructurenot LimeSurvey
- An internal tool where a grid interface and a REST API over the same table are both requirednot 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.
Teable
- The automation builder is far less capable than the established commercial alternatives, so multi step workflows usually end up in an external tool that must be paid for and maintained separately.
- Self hosting moves PostgreSQL backups, version upgrades, connection pooling and capacity planning onto your team, and the licence saving disappears if that time is costed honestly.
- The integration catalogue is small, so connecting to a common business system often means writing against the REST API rather than installing a connector.
- The project is young relative to the products it replaces, and interface and API changes still arrive at a pace that requires reading release notes before upgrading.
- Storing every table as a real PostgreSQL table means schema changes are real migrations, so a careless field type change on a large table can lock it far longer than a spreadsheet user would expect.
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
Teable
Free- Self hosted open sourceFree
- No licence fee
- Unlimited rows subject to your PostgreSQL capacity
- Docker deployment
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.
Choose Teable if
- You need postgresql native storage.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Linux.
- You also want multiple views.
Questions people ask
- Is LimeSurvey or Teable better?
- Neither clearly leads. LimeSurvey starts at Free and Teable at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, LimeSurvey or Teable?
- LimeSurvey starts at Free and Teable at Free.
- Does LimeSurvey or Teable run on more platforms?
- LimeSurvey runs on Web, Self-hosted. Teable runs on Web, Linux.
- 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 Teable is typically brought in for.
- What can LimeSurvey do that Teable cannot?
- LimeSurvey covers Self-hosted deployment, Question type depth, Expression manager, Quotas and screening. Teable covers PostgreSQL native storage, Multiple views, Linked records and rollups, Generated REST API.
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.
Teable: How many rows can it actually hold?
As many as your PostgreSQL instance can serve. There is no product imposed record limit on the self hosted edition, which is the main reason to choose it.
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.
Teable: Can I query the data with SQL directly?
Yes. Tables are real PostgreSQL tables, so any SQL client or reporting tool can read them.
LimeSurvey: Can it handle complex research designs?
Yes. Quotas, randomisation, piping and matrix question types are core features rather than enterprise add-ons.
Teable: Is self hosting genuinely free?
The licence is. The database server, backups and the engineer maintaining them are not.
Teable: Does it replace Airtable feature for feature?
No. Views and field types are close; automations, apps and the integration catalogue are not.
Teable: What happens to my data if the project stops?
It remains in a standard PostgreSQL database that you control, which is a materially better exit than a proprietary export format.
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