LimeSurvey
EU verifiedEstablished open-source survey platform from Hamburg – free to self-host or as a cloud with a German server location.
LimeSurvey is one of the best-known open-source survey platforms, developed since 2003 by LimeSurvey GmbH in Hamburg. It offers a very broad feature set for questionnaires, panels, branching logic, analysis and exports, suitable from simple surveys to academic research. The software is GPL-licensed and can be self-hosted for free; alternatively there is a hosted cloud with a selectable storage location – for EU customers the provider recommends Germany. This makes LimeSurvey a strong European alternative to Typeform, SurveyMonkey or Qualtrics, especially for organisations with privacy and data-residency requirements.
Note on ownership: Open-source survey platform (GPL) by LimeSurvey GmbH in Hamburg, developed since 2003 (originally as PHPSurveyor). The software can be self-hosted for free; a hosted cloud with a selectable storage location is also available. For EU customers the provider recommends the German server location; when self-hosting, users choose the location themselves.
Strengths
- Very broad feature set for surveys and panels
- Open source (GPL) and free to self-host
- Cloud with selectable storage location, Germany recommended for the EU
- Established in research, public sector and business
Weaknesses
- Interface feels more technical in places than lightweight US tools
- Self-hosting requires operation and maintenance
- No publicly verified ISO 27001 or SOC 2 certification found
Best for
- • Research, universities and public sector
- • Companies with privacy and data-residency requirements
- • Teams wanting a self-hostable survey platform
Less suited for
- • Users who only need a very simple, design-heavy form
Sovereignty Score & weitere Bewertungen
Hohe Souveränität durch GPL-Lizenz, Self-Hosting und Cloud mit deutschem Serverstandort; deutscher Anbieter mit langer Historie.
The Sovereignty Score is an editorial orientation aid, not legal advice. How we rate.
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German open-source platform for surveys, feedback and experience management – cloud or self-hosted.
Sources & notes
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