LimeSurvey is an open-source survey platform designed for businesses, academic researchers, governments, and nonprofits that need full control over their data collection workflows. It solves the limitations of proprietary tools like Google Forms and SurveyMonkey by offering self-hosted deployment, deep customization, and enterprise-grade compliance without vendor lock-in. Built with PHP, JavaScript, and MySQL/PostgreSQL/MSSQL, it supports both self-hosted and SaaS deployment models with a React-based frontend and REST/XML-RPC APIs for integration.
The platform is used by over 60,000 organizations across 160+ countries and features a modular architecture with plugins, multilingual support, and WCAG 2.2 accessibility compliance. Its ecosystem includes integrations with SAML, LDAP, and third-party analytics, making it ideal for institutions requiring data sovereignty and auditability.
What You Get
- Unlimited surveys and questions - Create as many surveys and questions as needed without usage caps or tiered restrictions.
- 30+ question types - Include multiple choice, matrix, slider, ranking, file upload, and more to capture diverse data types.
- 800+ survey templates - Pre-built templates for market research, customer feedback, academic studies, and HR evaluations to accelerate survey creation.
- Conditional logic and question branching - Dynamically show or hide questions based on respondent answers to improve survey flow and relevance.
- Multilingual surveys (80+ languages) - Build surveys in multiple languages with AI-assisted translation and locale-specific formatting.
- Custom branding and CSS/JS injection - Apply custom fonts, colors, logos, and inject JavaScript or CSS to match your organization’s brand identity.
- RemoteControl API (XML-RPC/JSON-RPC) - Programmatically create, manage, and retrieve survey data via standardized APIs for automation and integration.
- GDPR and WCAG 2.2 compliance - Ensure data privacy with SSL encryption, anonymization tools, and accessibility standards for inclusive surveys.
- Two-factor authentication - Secure admin access with 2FA to protect sensitive survey data and user accounts.
- QR code and social sharing - Distribute surveys via QR codes, direct links, or social media with one-click sharing options.
- Embed surveys on websites - Integrate surveys directly into your existing web pages using HTML embed codes.
- Data analysis and statistics dashboard - View response summaries, charts, and export data in multiple formats for deeper insights.
Common Use Cases
- Academic research surveys - A university professor uses LimeSurvey to collect anonymized data for a cross-cultural study with 80+ language support and GDPR-compliant storage.
- Enterprise customer feedback - A global SaaS company deploys branded, multilingual NPS surveys using LimeSurvey’s templates and custom CSS to maintain brand consistency across regions.
- HR employee engagement polls - An HR team runs anonymous internal surveys with conditional logic to identify department-specific pain points while ensuring data privacy.
- Market research and product testing - A product team uses conjoint analysis templates and heatmaps to test pricing sensitivity and feature preferences with real users.
Under The Hood
Architecture
- Monolithic PHP application built on legacy Yii 1.1 with tightly coupled controllers, models, and views, lacking clear separation of concerns
- Dependency injection is inconsistently applied, with widespread use of static calls and global state undermining modularity
- Plugin system relies on direct class modifications via hooks rather than interfaces or event emitters, reducing encapsulation
- Directory structure follows outdated MVC conventions with overlapping responsibilities between libraries and controllers
- No service layer or repository pattern; database access is scattered across models and controllers using direct SQL queries
Tech Stack
- PHP backend leveraging Yii 1.1 with PSR-4 autoloading, Symfony polyfills, and PHP-SECLIB for cryptographic operations
- Twig templating engine integrated for server-side rendering, complemented by HTML2Text and TCPDF for document processing
- Frontend asset pipeline built with Gulp, Browserify, and Babel, using Bootstrap 5, jQuery, and Select2 with custom themes
- MySQL as primary database with built-in migrations, supported by PHPUnit and PSalm for testing and static analysis
- Deployment configured for Cloud Foundry via php_buildpack, with CI/CD pipelines managed through automated code quality checks
- Modern JavaScript libraries including Chart.js, Leaflet, and jsPDF enable rich data visualization and document generation
Code Quality
- Extensive test suite covering unit, functional, and integration scenarios with clear separation of API and browser-level tests
- Robust use of mocking and dependency injection in tests to isolate business logic and validate behavior under controlled conditions
- Consistent naming and namespace organization following PSR standards, with typed data structures and XML-based survey fixtures for reproducibility
- Comprehensive error handling with descriptive assertions, though absence of custom error classes limits granular recovery
- Linting and code quality practices are implied through test structure but lack explicit tooling configuration
What Makes It Unique
- Dynamic plugin system allows deep customization by overriding core controller actions without modifying source code
- Remote modal framework enables on-demand UI loading while preserving JavaScript state across AJAX requests
- Expression manager provides real-time evaluation of conditional logic across surveys, emails, and logic jumps using a unified syntax
- Themeable UI system with admin hooks permits complete visual overhauls while maintaining functional consistency
- Legacy migration strategy preserved backward compatibility for over a decade while incrementally modernizing the stack
- Built-in survey preview engine simulates live question logic, eliminating the need for separate testing environments