Best open source survey tools
Open source survey tools are a good fit when you want more control over hosting, data retention, and customization than typical SaaS survey products. They are often used by teams with strict privacy, compliance, or on-prem requirements.
Quick List of the Best open source survey tools
These picks cover the most common open source survey needs: self-hosting, in-product feedback, and flexible form-style surveys. Use the quick list to shortlist, then compare details below.
- LimeSurvey: Best for research-style surveys with advanced logic and export formats, plus a self-hosted Community Edition for full data control.
How They Compare
Open source survey tools can differ a lot in how “survey-first” they are (research workflows vs product feedback vs general forms). This comparison focuses on self-hosting fit, survey logic, exports/integrations, and practical limits like response caps.
| Tool | Rating | Starting Paid Plan | Free Plan |
|---|---|---|---|
3.8/5 | ₺850/ month | No | |
 | 3.8/5 | $74/ Month | Yes |
3.9/5 | $25/mo | Yes |
Detailed Reviews
Below are detailed notes on each tool with an open source option, including what it’s best for, what to watch out for, and what you can realistically expect day-to-day. If you care about self-hosting, pay close attention to governance features (roles, SSO), export formats, and how pricing scales when you need more seats or responses.
1. LimeSurvey
LimeSurvey is a survey-first platform with a large question library, strong logic (skip logic/branching and piping), and multilingual support. It stands out in this open source category because you can choose between hosted options and a self-hosted Community Edition when infrastructure control matters.
Choose LimeSurvey if you want deep survey functionality and the option to self-host. Expect a less streamlined feel than some modern, lightweight builders.
Pros
- • Self-hosted Community Edition option for full infrastructure and data control
- • Strong survey logic: skip logic/branching plus piping for personalized flows
- • Large library of question types including many matrix variants
Cons
- • Some advanced enterprise capabilities (SSO/LDAP/SAML, dedicated server) require a sales-led plan
- • Pricing/free-plan details can be harder to interpret due to plan-limit visibility and currency presentation
- • Some collaboration/insights items are marked as “Soon,” so availability may vary by plan/version
Our Experience with LimeSurvey
In hands-on evaluation, LimeSurvey stands out most in survey depth: question variety, complex logic paths, and practical export options for research workflows. The main trade-off is that some higher-end org requirements (like SSO or dedicated hosting) appear to push you toward sales-led tiers, so it’s worth confirming what’s included before standardizing on it.
Key Details about LimeSurvey
- Self-hosted Community Edition available
- 30+ question types and matrix variations
- Skip logic/branching and piping
- Multilingual surveys (80+ languages)
- Email invitations and reminders
- Quotas and URL parameter handling
- Exports to SPSS/R/Stata/CSV/Excel/PDF
- Custom theming with HTML/CSS/JS
LimeSurvey Pricing
LimeSurvey’s paid cloud plans are Basic (₺850/month), Expert (₺746/month), and Business (₺4,014/month), with Corporate as a contact-sales tier. Pricing is structured around limits like responses, admin users, and storage, so costs can climb if you need higher response volumes, more seats, or white-label controls.
Basic
- 1 admin users
- 1,000 responses/month
- 250 MB upload storage
- Unlimited surveys
- Unlimited questions
Expert
- ₺8,950 billed annually
- 3 admin users
- 10,000 responses/year
- 1 GB upload storage
- Everything in Basic
- White-label domain
- Remove survey branding
Business
- ₺48,163 billed annually
- 5-10 admin users
- 50,000 responses/year
- 3 GB upload storage
- Everything in Expert
- 1 alias domain
- Priority email support
Corporate
- Tailored users/responses
- Advanced features
- SSO, LDAP, SAML
- Dedicated server
- VIP support
2. Formbricks
Formbricks is geared toward in-app and website surveys where targeting, privacy, and continuous feedback matter. It supports core survey building (conditional logic, hidden fields, partial responses) and adds deeper team workflows—like identification, segmentation, and automations—on paid plans.
Pick Formbricks if you need in-product feedback with a self-hosting option. It’s less suited to deep research analysis than survey-first platforms.
Pros
- • Open source option with self-hosting for stronger data ownership
- • In-product surveys for websites/apps plus shareable link surveys
- • Conditional logic, hidden fields, and partial responses for better targeting and continuity
Cons
- • Free plan is capped at 250 responses/month, which is restrictive for continuous programs
- • Segmentation, collaboration, and automation features are largely paywalled
- • Analysis depth isn’t clearly described beyond dashboards/charts on higher tiers
Our Experience with Formbricks
From a practical evaluation perspective, Formbricks is most compelling when you’re running ongoing product feedback programs and want tight control over data. The main constraints to validate early are response limits on the free tier and which governance/automation capabilities are only available on higher plans.
Key Details about Formbricks
- Self-hosting available (open source)
- In-app and website survey targeting
- Link-based surveys
- Conditional logic and hidden fields
- Partial responses and recall information
- File uploads
- Webhooks and email follow-ups (paid)
- iOS and Android SDKs (paid)
Formbricks Pricing
Formbricks has a free Hobby plan and two paid tiers: Pro at $74/month and Scale at $325/month. Plans are tied to response limits (e.g., 250/month on Hobby, 2,000/month on Pro, 5,000/month on Scale), so it can get expensive if you’re collecting high volumes of ongoing feedback.
Hobby
- 1 workspace
- 250 responses per month
- Link-based surveys
- In-product surveys
- All question types
- Conditional logic
- Hidden fields
- Partial responses
- Recall information
- Multi-media backgrounds
- File uploads
- Single-use links
- Full API access (incl. MCP)
- Hosted in Frankfurt 🇩🇪
Pro
- 3 workspaces
- 2,000 responses per month (opt-in for dynamic overage handling)
- Unlimited seats
- Hide Formbricks branding
- Respondent identification
- Contact & segment management
- Attribute-based segmentation
- All integrations
- Email follow-ups
- Custom webhooks
- iOS and Android SDKs
- AI translations
Scale
- 5 workspaces
- 5,000 responses per month (opt-in for dynamic overage handling)
- Teams & access roles
- Quota management
- Enterprise add-ons
- Unify feedback from all sources
- Topic & subtopic labeling (AI)
- Custom dashboards & charts
- Two-factor authentication
- Spam protection (reCAPTCHA)
3. OpnForm
OpnForm is a modern form and survey builder that supports both conversational and classic layouts. It’s a strong fit for internal workflows and feedback forms where you need logic, calculations, and integrations—without paying per response volume on the free tier.
Choose OpnForm if you care about flexibility, integrations, and unlimited submissions. If you need advanced survey analytics and research reporting, validate its reporting depth first.
Pros
- • Unlimited submissions on the Free plan (useful for high-volume programs)
- • Conditional logic and validation included on Free
- • REST API and webhooks available on Free for custom workflows
Cons
- • Branding removal requires a paid plan
- • Free plan has one workspace and no roles/permissions (all admins)
- • Analytics/reporting depth is unclear beyond an “analytics dashboard”
Our Experience with OpnForm
In hands-on evaluation, OpnForm’s strengths are the building and automation basics: conditional logic, validation, computed fields, and straightforward distribution via links/embeds. The main unknown for survey-heavy teams is how far the analytics dashboard goes beyond basic reporting, so it’s best to confirm your analysis requirements before committing.
Key Details about OpnForm
- Conversational and classic form modes
- Conditional logic and validation
- Computed fields (calculations)
- URL parameter pre-fills
- Share links and embeds
- REST API and webhooks
- Custom domains (paid)
- SSO and audit logs (Enterprise)
OpnForm Pricing
OpnForm offers a Free plan, then Pro at $25/month, Business at $67/month, and Enterprise at $220/month. The main value point for open source-style usage is that response volume isn’t the pricing lever on Free (unlimited submissions), while paid tiers focus more on branding, domains/SMTP, access controls, and enterprise governance.
Free
- Unlimited forms & submissions
- File uploads (basic quota)
- Form logic & validation
- Computed fields (calculations)
- Pre-fills, URL parameters
- Multi-user access (all admins, no roles)
- 1 workspace only
- Branding required
- Community support
- API access
- Basic integrations & webhooks
Pro
- Everything in Free, plus
- Remove branding
- Custom domains
- Custom SMTP
- Discord, Slack, Telegram
- Password-protected forms
- Form expiration
- Captcha
- Analytics dashboard
- AI form generation
- Editable submissions
- Unique submission IDs
- Multiple workspaces
Business
- Everything in Pro, plus
- Multi-user with roles & permissions
- Advanced branding (CSS, fonts, favicons)
- Higher file upload size limits
- Priority support
- Partial submissions
- Versioning
- Advanced integrations
Enterprise
- Everything in Business, plus
- SAML / LDAP SSO
- Audit logs & compliance features
- External storage support
- White-label hosting option
- SLA & onboarding support
How to Choose the Best open source survey tool
• Decide whether you need research-grade surveys (advanced question types, quotas, SPSS/R/Stata exports) or product feedback (in-app targeting, identification, webhooks).
• Confirm the self-hosting story: what’s available in the community/open source edition vs what’s gated behind paid plans (SSO, audit logs, roles, advanced permissions).
• Check distribution needs (embed, QR codes, email invites, single-use links) and whether you need respondent identification and segmentation.
• Look for integration requirements early (webhooks, REST API, Google Sheets/Zapier) and validate rate limits or plan restrictions.
• Review pricing scaling triggers: response limits, admin seats/workspaces, and branding removal can change the total cost quickly.
Our Methodology
We evaluate tools based on hands-on testing and structured notes, then rate them across five practical criteria (including core features, ease of use, integrations, pricing/value, and limitations). For open source categories, we also weigh self-hosting viability and what key governance features require paid tiers.
Summary
If you want a classic, survey-first platform with broad question types, strong logic, and research-friendly exports, LimeSurvey is the most complete option here, especially with its self-hosted Community Edition. For product teams who care about privacy and want in-app and website feedback loops, Formbricks is typically the better match, but response limits and paid feature gating matter. If your needs look more like flexible forms and internal workflows (with APIs and webhooks), OpnForm can be a practical choice—just don’t expect deep, research-grade reporting without validating the analytics you need.