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Comparison

SurveyMonkey vs LimeSurvey

SurveyMonkey and LimeSurvey both land on Depends.

LimeSurvey

limesurvey.org

Depends
Confidence: Medium

Buy if you need free, self-hostable surveys with EU/GDPR-grade data control . researchers and regulated sectors are the sweet spot.

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SurveyMonkey versus LimeSurvey
CompareSurveyMonkeyLimeSurvey
VerdictDependsDepends
Best forHR and employee feedback programsAcademic researchers
Who it's not forShoestring-budget researchers . free plan won't stretchAnyone needing a 5-minute poll . use Google Forms
PrivacyNo known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.⁸Active CVE history (RCE 2021, XSS, CRLF 2025); markets ISO 27001 and EU hosting . patch discipline required, especially self-hosted.16
Support qualityReddit users report frustrating supportNo independent support evidence found.
Public sentimentSentiment is split: many praise the ease and templates, while loud Reddit threads slam free-plan limits, pricing, and support.¹Little independent review data in these sources; the strongest signal is heavy adoption in academic research and interest as a SurveyMonkey/Qualtrics alternative.
Biggest gotchaFree plan hits limits fast; Reddit users describe feeling baited into paid plans.³Self-hosted Community Edition users must apply security patches themselves or stay exposed.

Pick SurveyMonkey when

  • HR and employee feedback programs
  • Mid-size and enterprise market research
  • Event registrations and forms at scale
  • Orgs needing compliance and admin controls

When SurveyMonkey is not a fit

  • Shoestring-budget researchers . free plan won't stretch
  • Anyone needing one simple form . use Google Forms free
  • Teams expecting responsive human support
  • Buyers allergic to upsells after hitting limits

Pick LimeSurvey when

  • Academic researchers
  • Healthcare & public sector (EU/GDPR)
  • IT/DPO teams needing data sovereignty
  • Orgs okay self-hosting for zero licence cost

When LimeSurvey is not a fit

  • Anyone needing a 5-minute poll . use Google Forms
  • Teams with nobody to self-host and patch
  • Non-technical users wanting polish out of the box
  • Buyers wanting turnkey analytics without setup

Sources

  1. SurveyMonkey Products . 24,247 G2 reviews (4.4 rating)g2.com
    review
  2. SurveyMonkey Plans and Pricingsurveymonkey.com
    official
  3. Fell for the free plan on Survey Monkey . r/helpdeskreddit.com
    review
  4. is it me or is SurveyMonkey a terrible tool? . r/UXResearchreddit.com
    review
  5. Is survey monkey being run by amateurs out of a garage? . r/mspreddit.com
    review
  6. SurveyMonkey BBB Complaintsbbb.org
    review
  7. Hackers Target Office 365 Users with SurveyMonkey Phishingcisomag.com
    security
  8. SurveyMonkey Security Statementsurveymonkey.com
    official
  9. SurveyMonkey Enterprise Admin and Security Featuressurveymonkey.com
    official
  10. SurveyMonkey . Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
    news
  11. LimeSurvey homepagelimesurvey.org
    official
  12. LimeSurvey Pricinglimesurvey.org
    official
  13. Wait? Isn't LimeSurvey free open source software . why should I pay for it?limesurvey.org
    official
  14. Security, privacy & EU hostinglimesurvey.org
    official
  15. University surveys . EU-hosted, GDPR-readylimesurvey.org
    official
  16. CVE-2021-44967 LimeSurvey RCEine.com
    security