LimeSurvey vs SurveyMonkey
Two of the top three survey tools, compared rule by rule on published facts.
In short
- LimeSurvey has 80 points and SurveyMonkey 79, 1 apart on our survey software rules.
- LimeSurvey earns more on price; SurveyMonkey earns more on limits and security and trust.
- Cheapest paid plan: LimeSurvey $26.38/mo, SurveyMonkey not published.
- Only LimeSurvey meets: cheapest paid plan, public API and open source.
- Only SurveyMonkey meets: cross-tabulation and SOC 2 Type II or ISO 27001.
LimeSurvey80/100 #1 of 12
Best for: Researchers who want open-source code, EU hosting and detailed survey logic.
SurveyMonkey79/100 #3 of 12
Best for: Teams that want skip logic and analysis tools in one hosted product.
Points by group
| Group | LimeSurvey | SurveyMonkey |
|---|---|---|
| Price of 20 | 14 | 6 |
| Limits of 14 | 11 | 14 |
| Questions and logic of 22 | 22 | 22 |
| Results of 18 | 14 | 14 |
| Security and trust of 26 | 19 | 23 |
| Total | 80 | 79 |
Rule by rule
What each vendor publishes, and the points it earns. Sources are on each product page.
| Rule (points) | LimeSurvey | SurveyMonkey |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan (6) | Yes 6 | Yes 6 |
| Cheapest paid plan (14) | $26.38/mo 8 | Not published 0 |
| Responses a month, cheapest paid plan (10) | 833 7 | 1250 10 |
| Unlimited surveys and questions (4) | Yes 4 | Yes 4 |
| Skip logic on the cheapest paid plan (8) | Yes 8 | Yes 8 |
| Randomised questions or answers (4) | Yes 4 | Yes 4 |
| Multilingual surveys (5) | Yes 5 | Yes 5 |
| Answer piping (3) | Yes 3 | Yes 3 |
| Response quotas (2) | Yes 2 | Yes 2 |
| Export formats (6) | CSV, Excel, SPSS 6 | CSV, Excel, SPSS 6 |
| Cross-tabulation (4) | Not published 0 | Yes 4 |
| Public API (4) | Yes 4 | Not published 0 |
| Remove vendor branding (4) | Yes 4 | Yes 4 |
| Single sign-on (4) | Yes 4 | Yes 4 |
| EU data storage (5) | Yes 5 | Yes 5 |
| SOC 2 Type II or ISO 27001 (7) | No 0 | Yes 7 |
| Data processing agreement (3) | Yes 3 | Yes 3 |
| Published accessibility report (4) | Yes 4 | Yes 4 |
| Open source (3) | Yes 3 | Not published 0 |
LimeSurvey
LimeSurvey suits researchers who want open-source software and fine control over survey logic, with EU hosting on offer. Every paid plan lists skip logic, quotas and SPSS export, and the free cloud package holds 25 responses. The catch: the cheapest yearly plan caps responses per year, the site shows ISO 27001 as in progress, and cross-tabulation is not documented.
SurveyMonkey
SurveyMonkey suits people who want skip logic, randomisation, piping, quotas, crosstabs and SPSS export from one hosted tool. It lists SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 and links an accessibility conformance report. The catch: the free plan caps surveys at 10 questions, and the price page lists zloty only, so no dollar price is scored.
Both products are scored by the same rules: how we score survey tools.