KoboToolbox vs LimeSurvey
KoboToolbox
kobotoolbox.orgLimeSurvey
limesurvey.orgSide by side
| Figure | KoboToolbox | LimeSurvey |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $21/mo | $36/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 5 | 7 |
| Spec score · Survey Software | 9.2 (#6) | 9.1 (#8) |
| Spec score · Survey API Software | 9.1 (#2) | 9.0 (#3) |
| Spec score · Survey And Form Builders | 8.9 (#4) | 8.8 (#5) |
| Spec score · Data Collection Software | 8.9 (#4) | 8.8 (#5) |
| Response analytics | Yes | Yes |
| API access | Yes | Yes |
| Custom branding | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Headquarters | Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States | Hamburg, Germany |
| Logic branching | Yes | Yes |
| Responses included | 5000 | 1000 |
| Paid from | 25 | 39 |
Plans
KoboToolbox
- Starter$21 a month
- CommunityFree
- Professional$129 a month
- Teams$249 a month
- EnterprisePriced on request
LimeSurvey
- FreeFree
- FreeFree
- Basic$39 a month
- Expert$432 a year
- BusinessPrice not published
- BusinessPriced on request
- CorporatePriced on request
In their own words
KoboToolbox
KoboToolbox is a survey and data collection platform for gathering information online or offline. Forms can include skip logic, validation, guidance, translations, GPS, and multimedia data. Collection is available through KoboCollect or web forms on iOS and desktop devices. The platform provides response analytics and API access, and teams can own members’ projects with role-based permissions for Owners, Admins, and Members. It works with Excel, Google Sheets, Power BI, Tableau, ArcGIS, and Stata, with direct integrations for TolaData and monday.com. Data is encrypted at rest and in transit using SHA-256 with RSA, alongside project-level key encryption. The platform also offers SSO and GDPR compliance. Data hosting is available in 28 countries or on a customer’s own infrastructure. The Community plan is free for nonprofits and includes 5,000 submissions per month and 1 GB of storage. Starter is $21 a month, Professional is $129 a month, and Teams is $249 a month. The maker says the platform is used by 35,000+ organizations across 220+ countries and territories, with 25M+ surveys collected per month.
LimeSurvey
LimeSurvey is a survey creation service available online or as a self-hosted open-source option. It offers more than 30 customizable question types, branching logic, and media support, with surveys shareable through links, QR codes, social media, email, posters, and flyers. Free access includes more than 800 templates. The free plan provides 25 responses per month and one admin user; Basic costs $39 a month and includes unlimited surveys and questions, 1,000 responses per month, and 250 MB of upload storage. Expert costs $432 a year and includes 10,000 responses yearly, three admin users, and 1 GB of storage. LimeSurvey supports more than 80 languages and multilingual surveys, response analytics, API access, and exports to SPSS, R, Stata, CSV, Excel, and PDF. Hosting regions include EU and US options, and the product is available as self-hosted software. The service states GDPR compliance and WCAG 2.2 Level AA alignment; ISO 27001 is in progress. Support ranges from community and email options to priority email and VIP support. LimeSurvey is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany.