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Surveys · head to head

LimeSurvey vs Wufoo

LimeSurvey logo

LimeSurvey

Surveys

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Wufoo logo

Wufoo

Surveys

Build online forms in minutes

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.; Wufoo free plan caps at 5 forms and 100 entries
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which LimeSurvey and Wufoo actually diverge.

Attributes where LimeSurvey and Wufoo differ
AttributeLimeSurveyWufoo
Pricing modelOpen source, with paid cloud hostingfreemium
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 Wufoo

Nothing recorded that LimeSurvey does not also cover.

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

Wufoo

  • Event registration and attendee managementnot LimeSurvey
  • Lead capture and sales qualificationnot LimeSurvey
  • Customer feedback and survey collectionnot LimeSurvey
  • Online order processing with payment collectionnot LimeSurvey
  • Employee onboarding and registration workflowsnot 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.

Wufoo

  • Free plan caps at 5 forms and 100 entries
  • Starter plan ($16.25/mo) still limits to 10 forms and 1,000 entries per month
  • Accepting payments requires the Professional tier ($33.25/mo) or higher; Free and Starter tiers cannot take payments at all

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

Wufoo

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Wufoo 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 Wufoo if

  • You want to start without paying.
Wufoo review

Questions people ask

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

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.

Wufoo: What happens if I exceed my monthly entry limit?

On PAID accounts, if you exceed the number of entries allowed for the month, a fee of $0.05 USD per entry over the limit will be charged to your account at the end of your billing period.

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.

Wufoo: Are there file upload restrictions?

Maximum individual file size is 25MB per field and 100MB per form (on higher-tier plans). Storage is only available on paid accounts.

Source
LimeSurvey: Can it handle complex research designs?

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

Wufoo: What happens to free accounts that exceed limits?

On FREE accounts, forms will be deactivated once they have exceeded the maximum number of entries allowed for a given month.

Source
Wufoo: How many fields can I add to a form?

Approximately 100 fields max, though this depends on field type (paragraph fields are limited to 10 per form).

Source
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