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Surveys · head to head

LimeSurvey vs VWO

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
VWO logo

VWO

Marketing

Experience Optimization Platform

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.; VWO growth plan restricted to 1 workspace and 0 custom attributes
  • They diverge on capability: LimeSurvey covers Self-hosted deployment, VWO covers A/B testing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which LimeSurvey and VWO actually diverge.

Attributes where LimeSurvey and VWO differ
AttributeLimeSurveyVWO
Pricing modelOpen source, with paid cloud hostingusage-based
PlatformsWeb, Self-hostedWeb, iOS, Android, Server-side
CategorySurveysMarketing
FoundedUnknown2007

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 VWO

  • A/B testing
  • Multivariate testing
  • Heatmaps
  • Session recordings
  • Analytics
  • Google Analytics
  • Slack
  • SSL encryption

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

VWO

  • A/B testing and multivariate testingnot LimeSurvey
  • Conversion rate optimisationnot LimeSurvey
  • Behavioural analytics and session recordingsnot LimeSurvey
  • Feature experimentation and progressive rolloutsnot 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.

VWO

  • Growth plan restricted to 1 workspace and 0 custom attributes
  • Single Sign-On (SSO) and API access limited to Enterprise tier only
  • Growth plan offers only 8-hour first response time for support

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

VWO

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the VWO 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 VWO if

  • You need a/b testing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Server-side.
  • You also want multivariate testing.
VWO review

Questions people ask

Is LimeSurvey or VWO better?
Neither clearly leads. LimeSurvey starts at Free and VWO at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, LimeSurvey or VWO?
LimeSurvey starts at Free and VWO at Free.
Does LimeSurvey or VWO run on more platforms?
LimeSurvey runs on Web, Self-hosted. VWO runs on Web, iOS, Android, Server-side.
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 VWO is typically brought in for.
What can LimeSurvey do that VWO cannot?
LimeSurvey covers Self-hosted deployment, Question type depth, Expression manager, Quotas and screening. VWO covers A/B testing, Multivariate testing, Heatmaps, Session recordings.

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.

VWO: Is there a free trial available?

Free for 30 days. No credit card required to start the trial.

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.

VWO: Are there limits on users or metrics?

Run unlimited optimization at scale with no limit on variations, account users, metrics, session recordings, or integrations.

Source
LimeSurvey: Can it handle complex research designs?

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

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