At a Glance:
LimeSurvey is the #1 open-source survey platform offering 30+ question types, conditional logic, multilingual support with 80+ languages, GDPR compliance, and a RemoteControl API for integrations, available as both a self-hosted solution and a managed SaaS.
Overview:
LimeSurvey is an open-source online survey platform designed for creating, distributing, and analyzing questionnaires. The project provides a flexible environment for gathering feedback, conducting academic research, and running multilingual surveys for global audiences. It supports over 30 question types, conditional logic and question branching, and customizable templates with on-brand styling through CSS and JavaScript. Users can share surveys via public links, QR codes, or closed invite-only access, while built-in response statistics and data analysis tools handle results processing. The platform includes two-factor authentication, data anonymization features, and GDPR compliance measures. For organizations that prefer not to self-host, a managed SaaS option removes the technical setup burden while maintaining the same privacy and security standards.
Key Decision Points:
Self-hosted or managed SaaS: You can deploy and manage LimeSurvey on your own infrastructure, or use the hosted service where the project team handles hosting and maintenance.
API-driven integration: The RemoteControl API supports XML-RPC and JSON-RPC, allowing developers to integrate survey functionality programmatically, alongside supported integrations like SAML, LDAP, and a REST API.
Extensive question and survey design: With 30+ question types, 900+ templates, and skip logic with question branching, the platform targets complex survey workflows rather than only simple forms.
Multilingual and accessibility compliance: Surveys can be created in 80+ languages, and the platform supports WCAG 2.0 compliance for accessibility.
Authentication and access control: Surveys support both open access through public links and closed access through personal links and invite-only modes, with two-factor authentication available for user accounts.
Core Features:
30+ question types: A library of question formats to build surveys for varying data collection needs.
Conditional logic and question branching: Define rules that dynamically show or hide questions based on previous responses.
Multilingual surveys with 80+ languages: Create surveys that serve global audiences with full translation support.
On-brand customization: Customize survey appearance using fonts, colors, logos, CSS, and JavaScript.
Closed access and invite-only mode: Restrict survey access through personal links and invitation-only participation.
RemoteControl API (XML-RPC / JSON-RPC): Programmatically control surveys and retrieve data through the API.
GDPR compliance and data anonymization: Built-in measures for privacy regulation compliance and respondent data anonymization.
Plugin system: Extend functionality through plugins including question themes, survey themes, audit log, and export formats.
Use Cases:
Researchers can design and distribute academic surveys with conditional logic, supporting multilingual respondents across different regions.
Organizations can gather customer or employee feedback using branded surveys with restricted access through invite-only links and personal entry points.
Developers can integrate survey capabilities into existing applications through the RemoteControl API using XML-RPC or JSON-RPC.
Institutions requiring GDPR compliance and accessibility standards can use LimeSurvey for data collection that meets WCAG 2.0 and anonymization requirements.
Open-Source Alternative Value:
LimeSurvey delivers a self-hostable survey platform with the same core capabilities found in commercial survey tools—30+ question types, conditional logic, API access, and multilingual support—without platform usage restrictions on surveys or responses. Users can deploy the software on their own infrastructure, maintaining control over data collection and storage, while organizations with compliance requirements benefit from built-in GDPR features and data anonymization. The RemoteControl API supports XML-RPC and JSON-RPC, enabling programmatic integration into existing workflows. A SaaS option is available for those who prefer not to self-host, offering a migration path between self-managed and managed deployments.
