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Surveys · head to head

LimeSurvey vs Typeform

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
Typeform logo

Typeform

Marketing

People-friendly forms and surveys

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
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.; Typeform free plan limited to 10 responses per month; Basic plan capped at 100/month
  • They diverge on capability: LimeSurvey covers Self-hosted deployment, Typeform covers Conversational forms.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which LimeSurvey and Typeform actually diverge.

Attributes where LimeSurvey and Typeform differ
AttributeLimeSurveyTypeform
Pricing modelOpen source, with paid cloud hostingUnknown
PlatformsWeb, Self-hostedWeb
CategorySurveysMarketing
FoundedUnknown2012

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 Typeform

  • Conversational forms
  • Logic jumps
  • Calculator fields
  • Payment collection
  • File uploads
  • Multi-language forms
  • Mobile responsive
  • Real-time analytics

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

Typeform

  • Customer feedback surveysnot LimeSurvey
  • Lead generation formsnot LimeSurvey
  • Event registrationsnot LimeSurvey
  • Job applicationsnot LimeSurvey
  • Market researchnot 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.

Typeform

  • Free plan limited to 10 responses per month; Basic plan capped at 100/month
  • Branding removal only available on Plus plan ($56/month) and above
  • No self-hosting or on-premise deployment options

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

Typeform

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Typeform review.

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 Typeform if

  • You need conversational forms.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want logic jumps.
Typeform review

Questions people ask

Is LimeSurvey or Typeform better?
Neither clearly leads. LimeSurvey starts at Free and Typeform at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, LimeSurvey or Typeform?
LimeSurvey starts at Free and Typeform at Free.
Does LimeSurvey or Typeform run on more platforms?
LimeSurvey runs on Web, Self-hosted. Typeform 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 Typeform is typically brought in for.
What can LimeSurvey do that Typeform cannot?
LimeSurvey covers Self-hosted deployment, Question type depth, Expression manager, Quotas and screening. Typeform covers Conversational forms, Logic jumps, Calculator fields, 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.

Typeform: What are Typeform's pricing tiers?

Typeform offers a free plan (10 responses/month), Basic at $28/month billed annually (100 responses/month, 1 user), Plus at $56/month billed annually (1,000 responses/month, 3 users, branding removed), and Business at $91/month billed annually (10,000 responses/month, 5 users).

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.

Typeform: Does Typeform have a free tier?

Yes. Typeform offers a free plan limited to 10 form responses per month with Typeform branding.

Source
LimeSurvey: Can it handle complex research designs?

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

Typeform: What integrations does Typeform support?

Typeform integrates with ActiveCampaign, Calendly, CallRail, Intercom, Klaviyo, Slack, Stripe, Webflow, and Zapier for workflow automation.

Source
Typeform: Can users export data from Typeform?

Yes. Typeform provides API access for data export. Users can retrieve form data and responses through the API using the GET /forms/:formId endpoint and export to CSV through integrations like Zapier or Airbyte.

Source
Typeform: Does Typeform offer self-hosting options?

No. Typeform is a cloud-based SaaS platform only. Self-hosted alternatives exist in the open-source form builder category, but Typeform itself does not offer on-premise deployment.

Source
Typeform: When is branding removed from Typeform?

Typeform branding is automatically removed only on the Plus plan ($56/month billed annually) and higher. The free and Basic plans display Typeform branding on forms.

Source
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