Surveys · head to head
LimeSurvey vs Zoho Survey
LimeSurvey
Surveys
Open source survey software you can self-host, with German-hosted cloud as the alternative
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Zoho Survey
Surveys
Survey tool with a choice of data centre region, bundled into the wider Zoho suite
- 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.; Zoho Survey the data centre region is set when the Zoho account is created and changing it later requires a vendor-assisted migration, so a hasty signup can lock an organisation into the wrong jurisdiction.
- They diverge on capability: LimeSurvey covers Self-hosted deployment, Zoho Survey covers Regional data centres.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which LimeSurvey and Zoho Survey actually diverge.
| Attribute | LimeSurvey | Zoho Survey |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Open source, with paid cloud hosting | Free tier, then per user per month |
| Platforms | Web, Self-hosted | Web, iOS, Android |
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
- Participant management
Only in Zoho Survey
- Regional data centres
- Zoho CRM integration
- Logic and piping
- Offline collection
- Report sharing
Both cover
- Multilingual surveys
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 Zoho Survey
- A public body procuring survey software under European data protection rulesnot Zoho Survey
- A market research agency running multilingual instruments with quotas and screening logicnot Zoho Survey
- A team that needs complex matrix and ranking questions consumer form builders do not supportnot Zoho Survey
Zoho Survey
- An organisation already running Zoho CRM that wants survey responses on the customer record without integration worknot LimeSurvey
- A buyer whose procurement requires European, Indian, Australian or Canadian data residencynot LimeSurvey
- A support team measuring satisfaction after tickets close in Zoho Desknot LimeSurvey
- A field team collecting responses offline and syncing when connectivity returnsnot 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.
Zoho Survey
- The data centre region is set when the Zoho account is created and changing it later requires a vendor-assisted migration, so a hasty signup can lock an organisation into the wrong jurisdiction.
- The free tier caps both questions and responses per survey tightly, so it functions as an evaluation rather than a plan any team can run on.
- Reporting and statistical analysis are thin compared with research-grade tools, and advanced methods such as conjoint or maximum difference scaling are absent.
- Integrations outside the Zoho suite are shallow, so organisations on Salesforce, HubSpot or Microsoft stacks lose most of the value that makes the product attractive.
- Interface conventions and quality vary across Zoho applications, so users moving between Survey, CRM and Analytics face inconsistent behaviour and separate learning curves.
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$undefined/year
- Hosted on servers in Germany
- Tiered on responses and storage per period rather than per user
- Higher tiers add branding removal, more storage and support
Zoho Survey
Free- FreeFree
- Unlimited surveys with a cap on questions and responses per survey
- Basic reporting and link or email distribution
- Zoho branding on surveys
- Paid tiers$undefined/year
- Priced per user with higher response allowances at each tier
- Skip logic, piping, white labelling and offline collection unlocked by tier
- Included for organisations licensing the Zoho One suite
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 Zoho Survey if
- You need regional data centres.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want zoho crm integration.
Questions people ask
- Is LimeSurvey or Zoho Survey better?
- Neither clearly leads. LimeSurvey starts at Free and Zoho Survey at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, LimeSurvey or Zoho Survey?
- LimeSurvey starts at Free and Zoho Survey at Free.
- Does LimeSurvey or Zoho Survey run on more platforms?
- LimeSurvey runs on Web, Self-hosted. Zoho Survey runs on Web, iOS, Android.
- 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 Zoho Survey is typically brought in for.
- What can LimeSurvey do that Zoho Survey cannot?
- LimeSurvey covers Self-hosted deployment, Question type depth, Expression manager, Quotas and screening. Zoho Survey covers Regional data centres, Zoho CRM integration, Logic and piping, Offline collection. Both handle Multilingual surveys.
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.
Zoho Survey: Can I choose where my survey data is stored?
Yes, at account creation across several regions including Europe, India, Australia and Canada. Changing it afterwards requires a migration request to Zoho.
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.
Zoho Survey: Is it included in Zoho One?
Yes. If your organisation licences Zoho One, Survey is part of the suite, which usually removes the case for a separate survey subscription.
LimeSurvey: Can it handle complex research designs?
Yes. Quotas, randomisation, piping and matrix question types are core features rather than enterprise add-ons.
Zoho Survey: Is it good enough for market research?
For basic questionnaires yes. For quota-managed or statistically demanding studies, a research-grade platform is a better fit.
Related pages
More on Zoho Survey
Other head to heads
- LimeSurvey vs SurveyLegend
- LimeSurvey vs Alchemer
- LimeSurvey vs Google Forms
- LimeSurvey vs Cognito Forms
- LimeSurvey vs Formstack
- LimeSurvey vs KoboToolbox
- LimeSurvey vs Tally
- LimeSurvey vs Gravity Forms
- LimeSurvey vs Medallia
- LimeSurvey vs Sogolytics
- LimeSurvey vs QuestionPro
- LimeSurvey vs Wufoo
- LimeSurvey vs Paperform
- LimeSurvey vs Device Magic
- LimeSurvey vs Jotform
- LimeSurvey vs GetFeedback
- LimeSurvey vs Zonka Feedback
- LimeSurvey vs Microsoft Forms
- LimeSurvey vs Fillout
- Zoho Survey vs SurveyLegend
- Zoho Survey vs Alchemer
- Zoho Survey vs Google Forms
- Zoho Survey vs Cognito Forms
- Zoho Survey vs Formstack
- Zoho Survey vs KoboToolbox
- Zoho Survey vs Tally
- Zoho Survey vs Gravity Forms
- Zoho Survey vs Medallia
- Zoho Survey vs Sogolytics
- Zoho Survey vs QuestionPro
- Zoho Survey vs Wufoo
- Zoho Survey vs Paperform
- Zoho Survey vs Device Magic
- Zoho Survey vs Jotform
- Zoho Survey vs GetFeedback
- Zoho Survey vs Zonka Feedback
- Zoho Survey vs Microsoft Forms
- Zoho Survey vs Fillout