Getform vs LimeSurvey
| Tagline | Lightweight form backend that receives HTML form submissions without backend code | Mature open-source survey tool with advanced question types and quotas |
| Category | Forms & Surveys | Forms & Surveys |
| Replaces | Jotform, Typeform | SurveyMonkey, Google Forms, Typeform |
| GitHub stars | 180 | 3.6k |
| Language | Python | PHP |
| License | MIT | GPL-2.0 |
| Self-host difficulty | 2/5 Easy | 4/5 Involved |
| Deploy options | Docker Manual | Docker Manual |
| Managed hosting | ||
| Last updated | 1 month ago | 5 days ago |
| View repo | View repo |
Where each falls short
The honest trade-offs — what you give up with each, versus the proprietary tools they replace.
Getform
- No built-in form builder; developers must write their own HTML forms
- Limited response analytics compared to full-featured form platforms
- Community self-hosted version lacks some features of the commercial cloud product
LimeSurvey
- Dated UI/admin experience compared to modern SaaS form builders
- Steeper learning curve due to the sheer breadth of options
- Manual installation requires configuring PHP, a database, and a web server
- Form aesthetics are less polished than Typeform out of the box
Bottom line
Choose Getform if you want the lower-effort setup; choose LimeSurvey for the larger community and ecosystem. LimeSurvey has seen more recent development. Open each guide below for deploy steps and the full feature gap.
Getform
Lightweight form backend that receives HTML form submissions without backend code